Just Call Me Mama

Around here, I assume it's meant as an endearment or a respectful way for younger (or even older) men to refer to older women.

When the water taxi pulls up, the captain or a helper immediately reaches out to assist me down into the panga.   Grab my arm Mama.  Step onto that first seat Mama.  Watch yo' head Mama.

Sunday after I carefully climbed down the steep stairs from the bridge at Gumbalimba, I walked past a boat pulled up in the canal.  The captain inquired  How you feeling today Mama?  You okay?  How was your Christmas?  I recognized him as a water taxi captain who's picked us up a few times. We had a little chat about our holidays before I walked on down the beach.

I'm adjusting to my newfound status as Mama.  I guess I shouldn't feel bad because half the men I meet here on Roatan introduce themselves as Big Daddy. 

Yesterday, we took a water taxi into West End to snorkel Half Moon Bay.   The boat captain who pulled up at the dock greeted me as Mama and rushed to help me into the boat.  (I guess they don't want anyone falling into the drink.)  When we pulled up at the Half Moon Bay water taxi dock, another young guy came running down the ramp to pull me out of the boat.

Watch yo' step Mama.  I wanted to answer -- Will do Big Daddy!  LOL

There's a cute little restaurant, Dix, with decent lunch right in front of our snorkeling spot.  The waiter Marco stashes our belongings behind the bar while we snorkel in exchange for drinking and eating there.  Their freshly grilled mahi mahi tacos are pretty dang good, and I don't think Marco's ever called me Mama!

The view from the table cries out paradise!

 

If you swim out around these rocks towards the bay's entrance, you see a variety of large colorful fans and fish.  Brightly colored parrotfish, squirrelfish, tiger grouper, trigger fish, scorpion fish -- the list goes on and on. 

After snorkeling, we let the salt dry and ambled down the main road in West End toward the mini-mart and fruit stand.



 

As I passed the roundabout by the palm tree with the Land's End sign where the land taxis all hang, I heard a yell -- You need a cab Mama?  Okay, enough already!  This island is starting to make me feel old! 

 

After buying a pineapple, three bananas, and an assortment of snacks, we headed back toward the dock.  A man sitting by a palm tree on the beach popped right up and said he'd give us a ride back in 10 minutes if we could wait.  He reminded us he'd brought us into West End and knew we needed to be dropped back at the Isabella dock.

 

 

The boat with the blue awning awaits us at the Half Moon Bay dock. 

 

Soon, a young helper ran down the ramp to help Mama into the boat.  He appeared mesmerized by the 20-something girls in bikinis who jumped right into the taxi with no hesitation. 

 

 

The number two mate was so distracted by the non-Mama's in bikinis, he accidentally dropped a wad of money from his pocket into the water.  The captain turned around quickly and soon everyone in the boat was fishing floating bills out of the Caribbean.  Craig scooped up a 100, but don't get excited because that's less than five bucks.  Soon we were off again!

 

 

After another gorgeous trip home on water, Mama got hoisted out at the Isabella dock so she could walk the 2/3's of a mile straight up the hill. 

 

Too bad the guys at the bottom of the hill with the golfcarts at the fancy boutique hotel aren't worried about Mama!  I'd love to hear someone yell -- Hey Mama!  Need a ride up that hill?