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feature
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Written
by Joshua King
Photos by Thomas Tomczyk
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the
long Journey
to the Beach
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Much
has changed in Latin America in regards to Semana Santa. The celebration
has evolved into a beach and leisure holiday. Still, many Bay
Islands residents spent the week in reflection and prayer. "Semana
Santa is a time to reflect on the life, passion, assassination
and resurrection of Jesus Christ," said Coxen Hole's Catholic
Deacon Ivan Cortez. The religious week begins on Thursday, the
day of the Last Supper when Christ took communion with the 12
disciples. Good Friday marks the day when Jesus was crucified.
By mid-afternoon on Good Friday the scene at West Bay was quite
urban. Hip-hop music played from Red Planet's outdoor dance club,
where about 200 local youths watched as four couples ground hip-to-hip.
The winners of the dance contest were awarded a bottle of Botran
rum.
West Bay's beach on Good Friday became a melting pot of people,
who arrived there to relax, soak up the sun and enjoy the crystal
clear waters. It was a family day. Hammocks were hung in the shade,
pickup volleyball and soccer games were being played. Adding to
the noise were hawkers of sunglasses, compact discs and straw
hats yelling prices at beach strollers.
Shoes had been discarded and swimsuits and bikinis were the modus
operandi. Sunburned tourists sat in folding chairs reading books.
The Vasquez family, living on Roatan for three years, sat nearby
along with plates of rice, chicken and spiced vegetables. "We
came at 8," said Wilmer Vasquez. "It's a family tradition
to come here (West Bay)." Vasquez said the typical food during
Semana Santa is fish, especially dried fish. Also papaya with
honey is a popular treat.
Beers and forks in hand, the beach had become a walking, talking
bar and food venue for tourists and islanders alike. A cold beer
cost Lps. 25; a plate of fried chicken was sticker-priced at about
Lps. 35.
Orna Seymore, 24, of French Harbour came to the beach to party.
"I'm real thirsty right now," she said. "I want
a beer, maybe a Corona but not "guaro" (liquor), to
wash down my dry throat." Seymore's entire family was at
West Bay on Good Friday. "After Wednesday very few people
work," she said.
Beer consumption during the Semana Santa escalates. According
to Carlo Carbajal, manager of the French Harbour Deposito, in
Semana Santa 2003 the number of fluid ounces consumed during the
week far surpassed the million-marker as islanders and tourists
drank more than 2.3 million ounces of beer, or about 192,000 bottles
of brew. Carbajal said the depository distributed approximately
8,000 cases of beer last year, each box containing 24 bottles
of beer. On almost any given week with the exception of Semana
Santa, Carbajal normally distributes about 3,000 cases of beer
to businesses across Roatan.
For this year's Holy Week, Carbajal had 10,000 cases of beer available
for distribution. "We are prepared," he said on Tuesday,
April 6. "We have a sufficient amount of beer." On tap
for the festivities were Salva Vida, Imperial, Port Royal and
the newest member of the Honduran beer family, Bahia, a light
beer with a 4.6 percent alcohol.
Vendors took the opportunity at West Bay to sell knickknacks.
Jonathan Riviera, of the Honduran department Santa Barbara, arrived
on Roatan Thursday, April 8. He spent Good Friday lugging woven
mats and straw hats on his shoulder along the beach. Sweat poured
from his face as he spoke about his enterprise. It wasn't Riviera's
first time to try and fatten his wallet on the island. He started
selling the woven goods during Holy Week in 2002.
Riviera estimated that he will leave the island about Lps. 2,000
richer. His mats cost between five and 20 dollars, and apparently
are easy sellers.
Hotels and resorts on the island were booked. Rebecca Guerrero,
manager of West End's Hotel Mango Garden, said no rooms were available.
Visitors who were lucky enough to know somebody local crowded
into houses to share rooms and porches.
Not all businesses experienced an economic boost. For example,
at least one dive shop did not experience more business. "Most
people are here to party and not to dive," said PJ Roundtree,
owner of Coconut Tree dive shop in West End. "It's mostly
families and couples who come… they want to sit on the beach."
An estimated 18,647 visitors arrived on the island from April
2-9 via airplane, boat or cruise ship, according to the Roatan
Police Department.
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Approximately 3,243 people disembarked from the Galaxy II between
Friday, April 2, and Thursday, April 10. Galaxy II operates three
times daily and almost every trip the boat was full, said Galaxy
II Manager Saul Ramirez. About 2,133 travelers landed at the Roatan
Airport.
An overall 13,092 passengers aboard seven different cruise ships
decided to disembark and spend time on the island. Tuesday proved
to be the busiest day at the docks and airport, with 5,684 people
arriving. Finding a seat on boat or airplane to go back home after
the Semana Santa was just as difficult. The number of daily national
flights departing from the Roatan Airport rose from the normally
scheduled 15 flights to more than 60 on Saturday and Easter Sunday,
according to airport company officials.
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FAR
ABOVE: Tourists
found the sand just as suitable for lugging around suitcases
at West Bay Beach on Good Friday. ABOVE: West Bay docks
become aquatic playgrounds as youths jumped, flipped and dove
off the wooden decks..
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Last
year Semana Santa ended with few glitches, said Roatan Fire Chief
Elton Woods, who credited the volunteers and permanent employees
of the local hospital, police department, tourism police and fire
department.
This year was different. On Sunday, April 4, a security guard in
French Harbour shot and killed another man, according to Woods.
The guard then died from machete wounds. Another murder took place
April 5, in Oak Ridge, yet another one Spanish Town on April 10,
according to police officials.
With dozens of police officers patrolling, things were better off
where tourists congregated. Security officers were spending as many
as 20 consecutive hours on patrol. Men and women in uniform patrolling
West Bay, West End and Coxen Hole near the ferry dock. 16 volunteers
and nine permanent fire department officers were split between the
two beaches and the central station located in Coxen Hole. "Specifically,
we try to prevent people from going too deep and drowning,"
Woods said of the fire department. "We also talk to the guys
drinking and tell them not to drink and drive."
The
Roatan Police Department was responsible for patrolling the highways
and keeping a lookout for drunk drivers. Check points were set up
across the island. The main road on the south end of West End was
blocked off to vehicle traffic.
Five Honduran Red Cross volunteers patrolled the West Bay beachfront,
carrying floating devices in the case of emergencies. Supervisor
Carlos Barrios, of Coxen Hole, said the Red Cross had been on the
scene at West Bay starting Monday. Their presence continued through
Sunday. Two volunteers were stationed at West End, along with one
extra medical person. On Thursday the Red Cross helped a young man
out of the water after he dislocated his arm. The man was transported
to the Roatan Hospital.
"We have guys all over," Woods said during the middle
of the week. Emergency Medical Technician Geovany Bodden was stationed
at West Bay. Bodden was in charge of the ambulance unit. Anthony's
Key Resort and Casa Romeo's helped support the security volunteers,
providing free lunches.
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by Thomas Tomczyk, managing editor |
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One
year ago the Bay Islands Voice was born. The success of our publication
reflects the support of many local individuals and businesses. We
look forward to continuing our news reporting service to Bay Islanders.
We would like to thank some of the key people that made us who we
are:
Esther Faye Warren for her patience, care and attention that
eased many stressful situations.
Steve Hasz for his vision, insight and many hours of work.
Connie Silvestri for her guidance and inspiration.
Maggie Weaver for her vision, time and intelligence that helped
the magazine through the toughest time.
Gunther Kordovsky for being "our man in Utila."
Linda Powery for her patience and perseverance in developing her
writing talents and promoting the magazine on Guanaja.
Alfonso Ebanks for powerful, timely editorials that brought us all
a little closer together.
Rochelle Thompson for her energy and devotion in strengthening our
publication.
Jaime Johnston for her energy, inspiration and artful words describing
island life.
Don Pearly for his (a bit) sarcastic wisdom and insightful eye.
Neil Keller and Julia Centeno de Keller for their artistic inspiration
and welcoming hearts.
Fatima Ulloa for her insightful and bright eye that lit up the shadows
of the island.
Marie-Claude Pieriehumbert for her unwavering support and positive
energy.
Davide Jannace for his wisdom and a welcoming home.
Samir Galindo and Julio Galindo Jr. for their insightful ideas for
stories and articles.
Jenny Serrano for her inspiring words and unwavering support.
Eldon Hyde for his welcome and encouragement.
Bonnie Jackson for her generous help at the inception of the magazine.
Sandra Sampayo for her insight and unselfish support.
Mike Brown for his pragmatism and advice.
Alfred and Jeanette Western for their vision and support that made
the magazine a little better.
Larry Schlesser for his insightful comments and assistance.
Julio Robinson for his time, energy and support.
Governor Clinton Everett for his many written contributions and
promotion of our journalistic effort.
Mayor Alton Cooper for his inspiration from afar.
Romeo Silvestri for his knowledge, patience and optimism.
PJ Roundtree and Gaynore Pook for his laughter, optimism and continuous
support.
Kirby Warren for his encouragement and support.
Kurt Neudecker for his advice and support through thick and thin.
Jennifer McNab for her continuous support.
Gary Chamer for his insight and advice.
Suyapa Edwards for her motivating spirit and enthusiasm.
Angela Agnew for her eye artistic eye and inspiring optimism.
Adriana and Giacomo Astorino for their vision and support.
Janet Matias for being an inspiration through her perseverance and
drive.
Bertha Montoya for her energy and advice.
Valeria and Andres Laguinge for their welcome and support.
Billy Burns for his unwavering support and vision.
Lloyd Davidson for his trust and wisdom.
Captain Van for his unwavering support and welcome.
Vegas for his "Guardian spirit," and encouragement.
Jim Bob Burdett for his insight and support.
Jurgen Schaffer for his help and sincerity.
Mitch Cummins for his continuous support.
We cannot name everyone, but we would like to thank everyone.
A general thanks to the many people who through their readership,
support, and encouragement helped us through.
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NO
ROAD, NO WATER EITHER
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Flowers
Bay residents struggle to meet their basic needs
If you are visiting a friend in Flowers Bay and are
looking for a gift, you might want to bring water, not flowers.
The community's only reliable source of water comes from a salty
well. And things can turn from bad to worse: last October and
November the town went without water at all.
Washing clothes and bathing has become a mess. "We just use
one or two pails [of water] to shower," says Felix Gale,
president of the town's community water development group.
Many families, who are required to pay a monthly water fee of
Lps. 100, end up flushing their sewage with soapy, dirty water
that was used to wash clothes. Water is normally scarce in Flowers
Bay, but when it's not scarce it's salty.
The community's two wells are barely adequate for the needs of
2,300 residents. While one well has potable water, the other well
is brackish. The approximately 10-year-old well that supplies
clean water from the base of Difficulty Hill to the community
lacks pressure. Because it was not drilled deep enough to carry
the water to the eastside of the town, it leaves about 20 homes
dry.
Only when the two wells are pumped simultaneously, combining the
clean water with the salty water, are the residents on the eastside
of the town able to receive water.
The westside of Flowers Bay is more fortunate. Every Tuesday and
Friday during working hours clean water reaches the residents
closer to the Difficulty Hill well. On the other days of the week,
the water source is not so clean.
Many residents resort to more primitive ways of getting clean
water. They fill 55-gallon drums with the clean water to assure
they won't run dry. In front of almost every home blue barrels
sit filled to the brim with water. "The guys selling the
drums did really good around here," Gale said.
Small, open-air wells dot the community. People lug pails to the
wells to gather water when their faucets are dry.
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Wells
aren't the only problem. "After the community grew, we got
caught out of balance," said Gale. "We know now that we
have to better the water [system] because the town is going to grow
faster with the new road." Flowers Bay saw about 20 new houses
constructed within its limits last year, and each new home means
less water for the current residents.
Also figuring into the equation is the problem with the ongoing
road construction project. The Flowers Bay road is designated to
be widened and paved from Coxen Hole to West Bay. After a section
of the road that runs through the town in front of the Flowers Bay
School was widened by six-to-eight feet on each side, the town's
single water pipeline was no longer in a safe spot: it was located
directly beneath the road.
Machinery from Bay Islands Development Corporation designed to compact
the road and create a foundation for paving resulted in a broken
water line about three weeks ago, according to Gale.
Dalice Parchmont, Roatan Municipality financial administrator, said
the Municipality funded the approximate Lps. 7,000 cost to repair
the pipeline. About 29 links, or approximately 580 feet of two-inch
PVC was purchased. The new section of the waterline circumnavigated
the school to avoid the road.
"This is going to happen again," Gale said. "But
we can't just blame the [road] construction crew. We have had a
problem with the water all along. I trust the government will help
us." Gale said he is hopeful that Roatan Municipality will
pick up about half the tab of replacing the entire water system.
Gale said the original pipe is too small to adequately serve the
needs of the entire Flowers Bay community. "We really need
a three or four-inch PVC pipe," he said. Roatan Municipal recommends
the latter to accommodate new homes well into the future.
The solution, according to Gale, is to drill a third well, estimated
to cost about Lps. 40,000, and service the existing well that contains
clean water at a price tag of about Lps. 20,000 by drilling it deeper
to increase the pressure. "We [Flowers Bay community] are going
to have to come up with most of the ideas and plans."
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On
Friday, April 9, many of Punta Gorda's residents made their
way to Barrio Lagarto, where about 150 meters of new white
sand beach has become the town's public space. The beach
is a part of public works project that will beautify the
community and give Punta Gorda a new tourist attraction.
The several hundred residents danced to music arranged by
DJ Kelsey of Punta Gorda and traditional Garifuna music
trademarked by tortoise-shell drums and the conch horn.
Street vendors sold "machuca," a typical Garifuna
plate comprising fish, calamari, fried plantains and coconut
soup.
The
festival involved various activities: a re-enactment of
the marine landing of the Garifuna, "Yurumei,"
held on Easter Sunday and the crowning of this year's Garifuna
Queen Dorian Garcia, 20, on Saturday, April 10. The McNab
brothers of French Harbour displayed their riding skills
on 15 horses.
Some things didn't go as planned. According to Leiba, Oak
Ridge Municipality officials had promised to lend Punta
Gorda chairs and tables that never arrived. A dump truck
loaned by the municipality to clean up trash before the
start of the festival broke down. "We cleaned up as
best as we could without it," said Leiba.
"We are trying to keep the [Garifuna] culture alive,"
said Leiba. "It's hard because there is too much influence
from other cultures around us." The festival "is
really important to us because we want to revive our culture
and go back to our roots," he said. According to Leiba,
as early as next month, grades five through nine could begin
studying the Garifuna language and culture at Jose Santos
Guardiola School in Punta Gorda.
by
Joshua King
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PHOTO:
Horses ridden by the McNab family pranced along the beach
at Punta Gorda as the sun set on Saturday, April 10. The riders
were invited to attend the Garifuna celebration that commemorated
the arrival of the first Black Caribs on Roatan 207 years
ago
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The
Punta Gorda Festival held April 8-12 commemorated the landing
of 2,248 Garifuna on Roatan on April 12, 1797. "I was born
to be a black Garifuna man," said 60-year-old Ruben Alonzo
Chamorro of Punta Gorda on Saturday, April 10. "I was born
to speak Garifuna, my dialect. You better believe I'm proud
of being Garifuna," said Chamorro.
According to Tito Leiba, president of the Punta Gorda development
organization, OPROMEP and head of the festival committee, the
festival in Roatan is growing larger each year. Leiba, also
a Garifuna and a resident of Punta Gorda, said two Garifuna
groups of about 30 people arrived on Roatan Sunday from the
mainland communities of Rio Esteban and Corozal to celebrate
their shared culture at the Roatan festival.
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Bay
Isands Voice: So why are you leaving?
Candace Wells Hammond: My dad turns 81 and he is living alone
out in the country. It's time somebody was a little closer by. I'm
not going to baby him, but I'm going to make sure he eats right
and stays looking pretty.
B.I.V.: You think you are ever going to come back?
C.W.H.: Sure… probably.
B.I.V.: How soon?
C.W.H.: I have no idea. I imagine it would be longer than a year.
B.I.V.: If you could write your own obituary what would it say?
C.W.H.: 'Golly, golly, golly. Hey, hey, hey. She was here.' That
ought to be enough.
B.I.V.: Any wisdom you picked up while here?
C.W.H.: Island has been very interesting. I've learned patience.
I've learned never to be swayed from your course no matter what
gets in your way. You just back-up. Figure another way to do it
and go around. And don't get discouraged.
B.I.V.: What is something you haven't learned while you were here?
C.W.H.: Spanish. I really wish I had the ability to be fluent in
Spanish. If I'd be fluent in Spanish I'd be president of this damn
country.
B.I.V.: This country never had a woman president.
C.W.H.: I figured if my Spanish was decent, I would be pretty unstoppable.
B.I.V.: Did you ever marry?
C.W.H.: Yes I did. He was a film producer. He was a film director,
writer. Really weird films, I've never understood one of them. He
was big in Europe.
B.I.V.: What are the things you are going to miss the most here?
C.W.H.: The people. I like island people. I even like the Spanish
people. I like the Garifuna.
B.I.V.: Who you will not miss?
C.W.H.: Real estate agents, developers. I know its good for the
island, but you know… The reason is that they talk real estate
all the time. When they get together they only want to talk real
estate, how boring is that?
B.I.V.: What is something you are taking with you from Roatan that
will raise eyebrows in the States?
C.W.H.: People have their eyebrows up when I'm around always, so
that won't matter.
B.I.V.: What do you think about the state of education here?
C.W.H.: The state of education is pretty darn good; compared to
anywhere. Most of these kids, if they really make an effort, they
do well in the States. (…) Because of small classes; individual
attention.
B.I.V.: Who are some of the best friends you made here along the
years?
C.W.H.: Pilar Pineda, Rosa Danelia and my friend Joanna [Hynds]
who moved away, but used to have Joanna's gift shop. (…) Tommy
Buckley… I had a lot of male friends, but it is a little more
difficult, because people are always thinking it's a little more
then being a friend. So that makes it a little harder.
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ROATAN'S
TIMELESS LADY
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Ms.
Candace Wells Hammond is a graduate of North Carolina's Tobi Coburn
Girls College. Following her graduation she took a gardening course
at Oxford. "To help the plants was my concern at the time,"
says Ms. Candace. Back in North Carolina, she worked for a landscape
business and at one point even ran her own.
A Sunday Observer reporter mentioned the Bay Islands to Candace.
"Check them out [the islands] - you'll like them," were
his words. In 1987 Candace left her North Carolina farmhouse, flew
to Belize and boarded a freighter bound for Roatan's French Harbour.
She stayed for a "two week'er look-see" at the house of
a North Carolina native and family acquaintance - Bill Brady. She
arranged to rent a house in Sandy Bay, then Oak Ridge and has been
living on and off the island ever since.
"People ask me to do things. I'm good at making money go a
long way. It's an art form," says Ms. Candace. She worked as
a tour guide for visitors to Fantasy Island and organized community
events all over Roatan.
In many people's eyes Ms. Candace became an island character full
of inspiration and always ready to help. With her famous vintage
suitcases in hand, she boarded the Jackson Shipping boat bound for
New Orleans on March 27
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B.I.V.:
What is the biggest accomplishment you have done for the island?
C.W.H.: My biggest accomplishment was that I fit in. Whatever community
I was in, I was in there. I wasn't the gringa down the road, I was
a neighbor. (…) I've gotten a lot of people jobs: here, on the
coast, everywhere. [I've been] creating activities for the kids and
for adults in communities, when there is nothing going on. Create
something, make it happened and watch the whole spirit of the community
- that's fun.
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| CATASTRO
on my MIND by
Michelle Sanders |
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Current
systems for real estate transactions in the Bay Islands are outdated,
to say the least. Even though buyers must pay as high as eight percent
in fees to lawyers and the government, the transaction is not guaranteed
by either party. "The court systems are loaded with trials
challenging titles, asking to nullify them," said Italo Tugliani,
a lawyer on Roatan. "Why pay the high price of registry, when
you have nothing in return?"
Many hope this is all about to change. Systems are being updated,
titles are being validated and legislation is in the works that
will improve the situation. The changes should also generate a boost
to the economy.
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Reforming
the antiquated and obscure land title laws on the Bay Islands
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Current
systems for real estate transactions in the Bay Islands are outdated,
to say the least. Even though buyers must pay as high as eight percent
in fees to lawyers and the government, the transaction is not guaranteed
by either party. "The court systems are loaded with trials
challenging titles, asking to nullify them," said Italo Tugliani,
a lawyer on Roatan. "Why pay the high price of registry, when
you have nothing in return?"
Many hope this is all about to change. Systems are being updated,
titles are being validated and legislation is in the works that
will improve the situation. The changes should also generate a boost
to the economy.
"According to economist opinions, the fundamental principal
of developing richness in a country is based on property transactions,
especially land transactions. It creates patrimony and moves the
economy as a factor of growth," Tugliani said. "When property
transactions are poor, it reflects directly in the economy."
In Honduras, research made in 1999 by a Peruvian organization "Grupo
Libertad y Democracia," found that 27 percent of properties
owned by private individuals are titled and registered. The organization
stated that Honduras is losing probably Lps. 30 billion in its economy.
The implications of low land registration are varied and complex.
Because a property is not titled, it cannot be used as collateral
for loans. Titled property is eligible as collateral for loans from
banks, which will in turn generate jobs for building improvements,
sales in hardware stores, wood shops, gravel companies, etc.
The restructuring of land title laws, funded by the World Bank for
all of Honduras, is expected to be completed for the Bay Islands
sector in 2004. It consists of three parts: (1) the modernization
of the law and working systems for land cadastral (this includes
land surveys and property line definitions), (2) the modernization
of the law and working systems for the public registry of land,
intellectual property, trademarks, brands, etc. and (3) reform of
the laws to actualize the legal frame that rules the land transactions
in order to expedite them at a minimum cost and with a government
guarantee on the issuance of titles and transactions in the open
market.
The computerization and accessibility portions of the project were
completed in 2003. About 20 percent of properties on the Bay Islands
are still not in the new systems due to unclear title changes or
disputed property lines. These issues will need to be resolved case
by case. When title is requested on those properties, the owners
will need to come forward and take their property through the process
to get clear title issued.
Tugliani believes that the legislation for the Bay Islands, now
in progress, will be passed this year, although it will almost certainly
be amended as it goes through the process. This legislation will
activate a government guarantee on titled property and reduce the
overall cost of registry. This is good news for property owners,
good news for the real estate market.
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