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I introduced you to Astel Raymond in part 2 of the dive trip pictures.  He is one of the watchmen at the resort where we stayed. Astel told me that he and his brother had built this entire village.  They wanted to show how the islanders originally built their homes, and the resort used to have parties in this area.  He said he doesn't know why they stopped using it for that, but it is still really interesting.

I should tell you that the original inhabitants of Roatan were slaves.  They were marooned on Roatan after the slave uprisings in other islands, because they slave owners didn't want them to get too numerous for them.  (Remind you of the Children of Israel?)  Two different tribes of Africans were involved; these intermarried and became the Garifuna.  They still retain their own language, dances and customs, but all speak English as well.  They are very proud, beautiful and honest people, and Astel is of this heritage.

Here is a typical family house, consisting of one building housing the cooking and eating area, and the other for sleeping area.



This is the mud oven they used (still do in their own village!) to bake in and they cook on the top.  The fire is built in the center section, bread is put in the lower part, and pots and pans go on the top.  Astel said this type of oven works really well, and some still prefer to use it today. (note the newspaper used as wallpaper on the wall!)





This is the living/sleeping area of the house.

The construction of these houses is using wild cane sticks, bound with strong cord or string of some kind.  Many years ago, they used vines to bind them together.  The corners are the center ribs of the palm fronds, and the roofs are the palm fronds as well.  I asked how long a thatched palm roof would last and be waterproof, and he said around 15 years, usually.  This photo is looking up at the inside of the roof.  By making them that high, the buildings stayed nice and cool inside.  The floors were dirt, but they wet the sand and smoothed it, and it gets almost as hard as concrete.  Some use mats on the floor.




This is a mud house, with Astel standing beside it.  He said they have been allowed to deteriorate, with the water running down the walls, so are now crumbling.  But if the roof is kept in good repair, the walls last indefinitely.  He seemed sad to see it like that; said it was a lot of work to build!





This is a typical water well of the kind used for many years on the island.

Here is another of the mud buildings.



They even built a church!!  Astel said they used to hold services here, and that some guests at the resort had been married in this church!




Here is an old dugout canoe, used still today by many fishermen off Roatan.  The building was a typical fisherman's shack, with the canoe beside it.

This is a very old canoe, very large, that was once used to carry supplies over to Roatan from the mainland.  Astel told me they used to carry everything in this kind of canoe---even cattle!  He said they would tie the front feet together, then tie the back feet together, then slide a heavy pole between them, upend the cow, load it into the canoe with the pole across it, and haul the poor beast all the way, upside down!!  When they got to land, they slid out the pole, the cow jumped up and voila!  

The old canoe is in terrible shape now, but I thought the story was great!








This coconut was washed up on the beach one morning.  I was studying it and wondering what the things were on it when a lady who lived just down the beach came by and told me they are baby barnacles!  "From being in the sea" she said.

Thank you Janet for introducing us to the village.

Here are some of the beautiful flowers among the buildings of the historic village.





Pink hibiscus..............





Orange hibiscus...........

That's it for a while, still have more to post and lots more to prepare!  Hope you enjoy them.

Janet ~ This place has so much history.  I feel like I have been there through these pictures and your words.  Thank you very much.

BTW, the dial-up service I am using must have ice in the lines.  It moves mighty slow between windows.  

WOW!

Janet, what wonderful photos.  Thanks so very much for sharing your trip with us all.  I'll never have the "wherewithall" to make a trip this this but now I feel as if I've been.  I found the church so interesting and the roof!

Just a great job and as I said in Part 2, I'll be back to look again....and again.......and again!  

Thank you very much for the photo's of your trip
Janet. The village very nice
but very good are the photo's of the flowers very nice
RIA

Wow, interesting pictures.  Those huts are so neat.

That coconut is different.  I would be disecting that little booger if I saw it. hehehee...

More more more....

Sonja, it is still in the outside husk!

  oh,  

Janet I found the varieties of bananas to be very interesting. I ejnoyed my trip with you. Next year take me with you.

I have to tell everyone this.  

I used to buy a lottery ticket each week.  Actually two each week.  I said and told each one in my family that when I won, I was going to take everyone to Hawaii.  They all had to go to the Polynesian Culture Center...a must, if anything to learn about the Islands.  Then we would all get on the American-Hawaiian Cruise line ship and cruise for 7 days and visit Maui, Kauai and the Big Island of Hawaii.  We would cruise the islands.  I would pay for everything but alcohol.  No car rentals.  You don't learn anything by driving your own car.  If you wanted to ride bikes down Haleakala Crater, you could.  If you wanted to go snorkeling, you could.  If you wanted to take bus tours, you could.  Ivalou and I would sit for hours talking about taking the whole family to Hawaii...42 of us at that time.  

Well, I don't think they know it but I don't buy lottery tickets now.  Also the American-Hawaiian Cruise Line is no longer.  It is a Norweigan cruise now!!  So I guess, my whole family will not get to Hawaii all the same time!!!  

It was fun dreaming about it, though!!!