Searching for eggs- 'Must be Easter' you must be thinking. No, we're just having a shortage of eggs on the island. And tomatoes. And refills for propane tanks. Sometimes we get shortages when the weather's been rough and boats aren't coming over to bring supplies. At the moment, we've got some shortages due to the political situation on the mainland, where road blocks from protests regarding the presidential election are preventing the flow of commerce. Does that mean that people who come to Roatan will starve? Only if you're normally on a vegetable omelette diet, then you could be in rough shape. This morning I went for a wander through 4 grocery stores in town. I found potatoes, onions, lettuce, pineapple, strawberries, lots and lots of apples, milk, cheese, flour, rice etc. Not available from my list were tomatoes (I bought some canned ones), broccoli (I bought frozen), green pepper and eggs, both of which I'm just doing without for now. I guess it's good for my cholesterol :)
Fortunately, we've got propane for cooking (most people use propane stoves here), with a back-up tank. Others aren't so lucky and don't have a back up tank: I saw one funny conversation on Facebook. People posting to see if there was propane anywhere, someone suggesting to cook with wood, and a reply that all the wood was wet (due to all the rain we've been having). Another reply suggested he might auction off his spare tank, someone asked if it would come with a dozen eggs :) I guess there will be a run on electric cooktops!
The airport also had a different demographic than normal. Usually, everyone is lined up checking in with their rollerbags. Instead, today was all backpackers- travelers that would normally leave Utila and go through the mainland to their next destination were instead coming over to Roatan (as there's no international airport in Utila) to go to their next stop with a flight.
At the hostel, all is good. Our road has been so eroded by the recent rains that I couldn't get my car out of the driveway, but I had someone out there with a pickax this morning, so I got out just fine, and now a few neighbours have chipped in together to get the digger to straighten things out, so our road will be looking a bit better. The garbage hasn't been picked up in almost a month, so I guess we'll need to arrange that too. Island life with its hiccups :) The sun is shining, and the pool is looking tempting! It's a beautiful day to head out exploring.
Fortunately, we've got propane for cooking (most people use propane stoves here), with a back-up tank. Others aren't so lucky and don't have a back up tank: I saw one funny conversation on Facebook. People posting to see if there was propane anywhere, someone suggesting to cook with wood, and a reply that all the wood was wet (due to all the rain we've been having). Another reply suggested he might auction off his spare tank, someone asked if it would come with a dozen eggs :) I guess there will be a run on electric cooktops!
The airport also had a different demographic than normal. Usually, everyone is lined up checking in with their rollerbags. Instead, today was all backpackers- travelers that would normally leave Utila and go through the mainland to their next destination were instead coming over to Roatan (as there's no international airport in Utila) to go to their next stop with a flight.
At the hostel, all is good. Our road has been so eroded by the recent rains that I couldn't get my car out of the driveway, but I had someone out there with a pickax this morning, so I got out just fine, and now a few neighbours have chipped in together to get the digger to straighten things out, so our road will be looking a bit better. The garbage hasn't been picked up in almost a month, so I guess we'll need to arrange that too. Island life with its hiccups :) The sun is shining, and the pool is looking tempting! It's a beautiful day to head out exploring.
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