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Activities on Roatan and information about food

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Travel Tips

Language

In recent years, the number of North Americans and Europeans living in the Bay Islands , especially on Roatan, has grown dramatically. While Spanish is the main language in Honduras, English is more widely spoken on Roatan.

Tip: Using simple spanish words and phrases is greatly appreciated. Here is a list to try..

English	Spanish
Hello	Hola the H is silent ó-la
Please to meet you	Mucho gusto en conocerle /Mucho gusto
Good morning	Buenos días bwé-nos dí-as
Allow me to introduce myself	Permítame a presentarme
Good afternoon	Buenas tardes bwé-nas tár-des
Good evening before 7pm	Buenas tardes bwé-nas tár-des
Good evening after 7pm	Buenas noches bwé-nas nó-ces
Good night	Buenas noches bwé-nas nó-ces
Good bye	Adiós a-djós
Until tomorrow	Hasta mañana ás-ta ma-nyan-a
See you later	Hasta luego ás-ta lwé-go
Have a nice day	Que tengan un buen día
Please	Por Favor por fa-bór
Thank you	Gracias grá-sjas
You're welcome	De nada de ná-da
Where are you from?	¿De dónde eres? de dón-de é-res? ¿De dónde es usted? de dón-de es us-téd?
How are you?	¿Cómo está usted?formal kó-mo es-tá us-téd? ¿Cómo estás?familiar kó-mo es-tás?
What is your name?	¿Cómo se llama? ¿Cómo te llamas? children
Do you speak English	¿Habla inglés?
Write your name	Escriba su nombre formal Escribe tu nombre familiar
My name is	Me nombre es / Me llamo
I invite you to have dinner	Le invito a cenar.formal Te invito a cenar.familiar
What is the exchange rate?	¿A cómo está el dólar?
Where is the bathroom?	¿Dónde está el baño? dón-de es-tá el ba-nyo?
This is an emergency!	¡Es una emergencia!
I need a Doctor	Necesito un doctor ne-ce-si-to un dok-tór Necesito un médico ne-ce-si-to un mé-di-ko
Shrimp Lobster Fish	Camarones Langosta Pescado
I would like Seafood	Me gustarían mariscos
Beer	Cerveza
Coca Cola	Coca

Clothing

Roatan is very humid. Keep this in mind when planning your clothing. Items that dry easily when hung are best. Also, dress is quite casual.

A couple light long sleeve shirts and pants for the evenings (bugs come out)
A hat and sunglasses
Sandals/flip flops for beach wear, runners for travel (hiking/zip line tours)
Bathing suits (at least 2)

Tip : Ladies – Sarongs are very convenient: for over the bathing suit, great to lie on the beach with, and dry fast.

For the Water

Underwater camera
Mask, snorkel, fins
Any dive gear you feel comfortable traveling with (rentals are available at Sueno Del Mar)
3 millimeter wetsuit (short or full length, according to your comfort level)

Tip: A wetsuit is protection against the reef, jellyfish, and it maintains your body temperature and buoyancy.

Money

Money is accepted on Roatan in the form of the US Dollar, or the Honduran Lempira. The exchange rate is approximately 1 Dollar:19 Lempira. A bottle of beer is usually between 19 and 25 Lempira. Bargaining is very common.

There are very few banks on Roatan and queues can be long. There are a couple of ATM’s in Coxen Hole but they can be unreliable. We recommend bringing the majority of your money in the form of US dollars and prefer no travelers checks. If travelers checks are brought we charge a 1% fee. Also, the banks charge a 4% fee for credit cards

Cash for meals
Cash for souvenir shopping
Cash for booze
Cash for activities
Cash for Taxi/Bus rides

Tip: Be sure to carry small bills on you for island travel. Also, Taxi/bus fairs should be negotiated before traveling.

Tip: When shopping, a small pocket calculator is handy for working out the exchange rate.

Toiletries & Accessories

Roatan is surrounded by sensitive ecosystems and is lacking in water treatment and storage facilities. Water usage should be kept to a minimum and biodegradable products used when possible.

The usual personal hygiene items
Sunscreen (fairly strong)
Bug spray and anti-itch lotion
“Just incase” drugs

Tip: “Hawaiian Tropic” has a biodegradable, water proof, 30 sunscreen that also smells great, and “Aussie” makes a biodegradable shampoo.

Tip: "Cactus Juice" is a popular local product that is natural and eco-friendly.

Tip: Benadryl and other antihistamines will help you sleep through an ichy night if you are sensitive to bug bites (just be sure to limit usage if you are diving).

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