Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Banking and Shopping

Here are some street scenes from Coxen Hole. On the left you'll notice some nice bras hanging in a conspicuous location. This is quite common.

It is also very common to have clothing hanging out on the porch or yard, if they're lucky enough to have one.




This is the appliance tent store where we recently bought a new stove - which works very well!

This is our fire station/EMT/ambulance shed. I think it's the only one on the island.

My favorite shot of the day - the auto body shop. Yup, this is it.

Look at this beautiful, newly paved road in Coxen Hole - not a pothole in sight!! Hardly any traffic either - odd.

We started out at the bank in Coxen Hole where I used my Spanish, even though my teller also spoke great English. Boy, the bank was packed today - must be time to pay those bills! Even the old people's line was busy, every chair was full with the older folks waiting for their turn.

I popped into Warren's to see if they had any yogurt for my friend, Debi, or Zest soap for Don. Nope and nope.

On to Mount Pleasant to see our insurance agent who doubles as the governor of the island. Our car insurance app. is still awaiting approval. Our homeowners' insurance, due next month, is in limbo, too. HSBC was insuring us, and most people on the island. They have just decided to wash their hands of anyone with a frame house or business, even if that structure has been standing 50 years. A structure must be at least 70 percent concrete for them to insure it. Even though Roatan seldom gets a hurricane and even then, most properties come through ok, even frame houses on piers beside the water. Our agent lives in Jonesville, a seaside community. His great-grandfather's house is such a structure and has survived.

Anyway, Arlie is busy meeting with other Central American insurance companies now, desperately trying to cover his clients. The one company he has lined up would increase our annual rate by $150.00. He's going to wait until he talks to two other companies on Friday before having us renew, hopefully saving us a few bucks.

On to Eldon's in French Harbor....no yogurt or butter (darn - should have bought the butter at Warren's!) and no Zest, but they did have Don's favorite strawberry jelly. Stopped at the vegetable truck for fresh pineapple, watermelon and avocados...no mangoes. We were forced to make one more stop, at Plaza Mar, hoping to find yogurt...nope, butter....nope, mangoes...nope, BUT they had Zest! One package of 8 bars!! No bread, either.

Plaza Mar is getting pretty sophisticated, putting in additional freezer cases, carrying ice, and getting pretty swanky with the produce displays. Hope they have a really big generator for when the power goes out. Some of the small pulperias (convienience stores) who even have refrigerated cases, shut them down at night to save on their electric bills. A word to the wise: don't buy perishables there.

Dennis and Merlin brought us two big coconuts this morning and asked Julio to cut some bananas for us, which he did. We're all set for a big fruit bowl now...which would be really good with some yogurt.....

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