It's A Dog's Life on Roatan!

We have been asked by many people about our dogs and how their transition went. Well. driving across North and Central America in one shot really brings you close together; especially with a flatulent Doberman puppy (Molly). Her compatriots; two Parsons Jack Russell terriers; Paige our smooth coat and Willie the wired hair.

Molly and Willie

Co-Pilot Paige

Getting ready to leave Canada included an unbelievable amount of work and research. Luckily, our veterinarian in Williams Lake, Dr. Doug Magnowski and his team handled most of the research, consulting with the Federal Veterinarian's office in Ottawa. We needed to find out what the international vaccination requirements were to enter each country to our final destination of Roatan. The countries we drove through included the USA, Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. We originally planned to drive through Belize, however their requirements were going to be almost impossible to meet as they required all shots within 14 days of entering the country while most of the others need vaccinations no less than 30 days of entry to the country.


We rejigged our route to exclude Belize - too bad, we really wanted to see it. Oh well, I guess that will have to be another trip.

If you are planning a trip with your pets, ensure that you have all of the appropriate paperwork and shots to comply with the country you are planning on visiting. We got a lot of our information from friends that have already made this trip and they shared with us that much of the work on this needs to take place well in advance of your planned trip, but close enough to meet the criteria. Be sure to give yourself enough time. We thought we had given lots of time, but it was a little bit tight as the Federal veterinarian papers need to be approved after all of the vaccinations are completed and we all know how quickly Ottawa takes to turn things around. I think they are on island time permanently.

Anyhow, we crossed each border without incident. Believe it or not, we had the most problems crossing into the United States as they examined the dogs paperwork very closely then inspected our truck very closely to make sure we were not travelling with "Mad Cow" dog food - yeah, thanks again Ottawa.

Another tip that we had received from our Real Estate agent down here, Edward Du Monceaux, make at least eight to ten copies of each dog's (or cat's) paperwork. This comes in really handy at the borders especially once you leave the USA. Some of the border crossings are extremely remote and do not necessarily had access to copiers and we had heard if they do, they may charge between $5-10 per page copied. I think we used every copy with the exception of maybe one or two.

So we made it safely through each border - with the exception of Molly almost eating the guard coming into Honduras as I told you about a few days ago.

Once we arrived, our poor dogs started shedding very quickly as they arrived with full winter coats to approximately 85F weather. When we left 150 Mile House it was -10C. There was so much hair we could have made about six more dogs out of what they shed. Thank goodness for vacuum cleaners.

Something we did not expect to be as bad were the amount of fleas and ticks. Almost every day we would take ticks off all of the dogs. Poor Willie was the worst off as the rotten little hitch-hikers loved him.

We tried a few different solutions including an injectable treatment, flea baths and dips and different pills to no avail. Our vet has started carrying a new pill treatment called Bravecta so we gave it a try. It is very expensive, but it has provided unbelievable results and relief for the dogs. We highly recommend this product. We gave it to the dogs at the beginning of September and the fleas were gone almost immediately and the ticks within one day. We have not had one since, so fingers crossed that it continues to work so well.

Another serious threat to canines in the tropics is heartworm which is carried by mosquitoes. This was new to us as heartworm is not common to where we lived in BC. They are now all on an all-in-one pill which looks after any type of worm the dogs can find. And the best part, I told the dogs it was a treat and each of them gobbled it up and were looking for more. Jokes on them!

To prepare for either travel or moving with your pets to the tropics, I would suggest starting a regimen to deal with fleas, ticks and heartworm at least one month in advance of your travel. Depending on where you live now, they may be on some of the regimens already, and if so, make sure they are up to date. You may also want to consider bringing a six month supply with you as they can sometimes be hard to acquire down here. Your pets will appreciate it.

Okay, Blue Jays, let's play ball!

Paige, Willie and Molly are doing exceptionally well and love their life as island dogs; living outside most of the time. Molly and Paige are shop puppies and like to stay out in the shop while Mic while he is working. Willie likes to stay with me either in the office with me writing or outside as long as I throw the ball for him.

Hasta mañana mis amigos!

The Container Comedy Show

Shipping containers are moved around the globe 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are transported by freighter, train and truck. Yes, trucks are a common mode of transportation for them, however, that can take on a whole new meaning when you have moved to the jungle in the Caribbean, up a twisting hill and on a dirt road.

I mentioned in Monday's post that our shipping container had arrived. We were ecstatic as we learned that it had finally cleared customs with our belonging and the much contested toy; the now infamous four-wheeler.

The shipping company from Tegucigalpa had made arrangements for the 20'container that had survived the journey down the Pacific Ocean, through the Panama Canal and through the Caribbean to the awaiting "officials" in Puerto Cortes. Unfortunately when it arrived there, the team assigned to inspect our container were half-way through the pilfering, oops, I mean inspection, when they were all fired and replaced with new "officials" who had not received any training for their new found positions of authority. Since they did not know where their predecessors had left off, they started from the start again; hence our long wait for it to arrive. This was the government's attempt to curb the serious corruption in the port. Good call putting people into jobs without any training and into roles of authority.

We were walking on air when we learned that the container had finally arrived on the island and that it was going to be delivered the following day. The local delivery company called and asked if we had a large enough yard for them to bring a crane as one was needed to lift the container off the truck and set it on the pedestals we had installed in its much anticipated arrival. The shipper came out to view our entrance way and determined that everything should work according to plan.

The next morning, as promised, the crane truck arrived and made it easily into the yard. Through our broken Spanish and his little English we showed the crane operator where the final resting spot for the container would be. No problem. He was all set up and then about 15 minutes later, he received a call and dismantled his carefully selected work area and left. A few minutes later we discovered what the problem was.

Mic and I made our way down the hill and discovered our next challenge. The truck which had been dispatched to haul our container was quite small for the heavy load and was in a precarious position at the bottom of the hill. Where do I even start with the new situation which had our container so close, but yet so far from our new home.

In the first place, as I just mentioned, the truck was far to small for the container as almost 1/3 of its length overhung the back of the flat deck. Secondly. they looped chains through the links of the container but did not fastened it to the flat deck. And finally, the driver had miscalculated the sharp turn to come up the hill and neglected to avoid the overhead trees. Once he reached the bottom of the hill he seemed to think he was driving a car and did not allow a wider turn for the truck to make the sharp angle and avoid the overhead trees. The trees struck the top of the container, and given that it was not tied down

almost completely dislodged the container from the flat deck. I swear I herd our belongings breaking as we watched our container clinging to the flat deck.

The activity that ensued was something like a skit from the Keystone Cops. You also need to understand this is the ONLY road in and out of our neighbourhood where there are quite a few homes, vacation rentals and a couple of small resorts.

The crane operator was setting up on the top of the hill while battling a barrage of tree limbs and branches were flogging the operator and the crane. The company had called a backhoe to help stabilize the container yet was unsure how to help. While this was going on, the driver was walking about looking as if he was in shock that all of this had happened.  What resulted from this incident, was probably one of Roatan's worst traffic jams as our container and the incapacitated truck were blocking the full road for almost 2.5 hours.

Looking at the positive side, we got to meet a lot of our neighbours. Perhaps not the best first impression of the Burich clan but oh well, they all smiled and were very understanding. They all seemed to be as concerned for our belongings as we were, and shared in the comedy act going on in front of us. At that point, with what we had been through with getting the container to the island, there really was not anything else to do but laugh. We really do have some great neighbours down here.

Finally after a few adrenaline filled moments, the Keystone Truckers were able to right the container and the craned pulled the truck and the container up the hill. Did I mention that the truck was much too small to be transporting the cantankerous container?


Once delivered, the entertainment did not stop. To properly strap the container so that the crane could place it on its foundation, they harnessed  a young teenager into a home made swing and lifted him perilously above the container into the air. I had to stop watching at that point. I think Workman's Compensation boards across North America would have something to say about this.



Thank goodness, the container was placed onto the foundation without any further incident. pphheewww, crisis averted.

What we learned from this was to make sure your shipping company hires appropriate and reliable transport for any shipments whether they may be delivering a palett or a full container. Again, as I had mentioned yesterday, ask as many questions that you think will get you the results you need.

Have a good evening and we'll be back tomorrow with more stories of our move to Roatan. Enjoy!

The Trials and Tribulations of driving in a New Country

Driving in Central America represents challenges in many different ways; both on and off road!

I left you off yesterday with a tidbit about the challenges of bringing your vehicle to a foreign country. It is nothing like driving between the United States and Canada. As North Americans, we become so accustomed to the freedom those two countries share and the ease of access to bring vehicles in and out as you wish.

We first experienced this change driving into Mexico and Guatemala, where you are required to purchase a temporary permit to import the vehicle based on how long you would be in the country. It was fairly straight forward in both Mexico, and Guatemala. The crossing in Guatemala as I had written about in a previous post, was incredibly rustic, but the service and assistance we received was phenomenal. It may have been that not many whites are in that area, and that we kind of stood out in the crowd (very short people in that area of the world), regardless, they were wonderful. The first office we were ushered to looked after the dogs' paperwork and they also sprayed the underside of the vehicle to help prevent the spread of invasive species. The clerk that helped us at this station walked us next door to where they stamped our passports and served as out customs check. That clerk then took us to the next office where we received separate paperwork for the truck and conveniently they put a little bank right there so that you can pay for your temporary import licence. All very  civilized and with a smile at every station. We thoroughly enjoyed our travels through Guatemala and hope to spend some more time there exploring the country.

Well, different story when you reach the Honduran border which is spread over 14 kilometres. This was our first lesson we learned about Honduras. You need to ask the right question as information shared is merely based on the question you ask. Be sure to ask all of the right questions and ask many.

Each station stop has poor, poor signage or is completely overgrown by palm trees if it even exists. After making it all the way to the border, we discovered that we had to back track and surrender our temporary permit from Guatemala before they would allow our vehicle access. We found that station and met an older gentleman who he, along with a number of other "officials" had watched us drive slowly past. We had the appropriate documentation done, had our passports stamped and they sent us back on to the border. We stopped at the next station where we understood they were also stamping our passports for immigration and our vehicle importation.

Once this official gave our passports back, we asked him where we needed to go next. He pointed to the gate that left the country and entered into Honduras.  So we proceeded as directed.

Now, as you will recall, we had three travelling partners; Paige and Willie, our two Jack Russell terriers and Molly our new Doberman puppy (the flatulent one!). We approached the guard and the actual border gate and Molly's hackles were up as she took exception to this young man who was clearly terrified. Well, with Molly throwing a fit, the two Jacks felt they should chime in (rubber arms that they have and anyone that owns a JR will know what we are talking about).

The guard who was evidently Spanish speaking was heard exclaiming as we approached "Ohhh  myyyy Goddd - the only English we heard from his lips! We somewhat settled the dogs but at this point he just wanted to get rid of us so he said "go, go, go," and raised the barrier. So off we went. Unfortunately, if this gentleman had actually done his job, we would have not had the problems we had down the road. Apparently the guard on the gate is the final check to ensure all of your paperwork is in order before crossing into Honduras. He didn't even look at our passports.

We drove into Honduras, even passing through three road blocks with no problem. We spent an night in La Ceiba at the beautiful boutique hotel we had spoken about in a previous post and the next day we were off to Roatan.

Everything was fine, until we realized that in addition to the stamps in our passports for the truck, we had not been given the correct paperwork which is a 90 temporary import permit. We immediately started to work on this with our lawyer to try and get this situation rectified. Unfortunately, Mic was eventually pulled over on his way to the hardware store to pick up some supplies he needed for repairs to the house. The national police were demanding the paperwork for the vehicle and ended up seizing our truck as we could not produce said paperwork.We did not want the vehicle staying with them as we were advised there was a good chance we would never see it again as their impound is an unsecured field with no fencing around it, in one of the roughest neighbourhoods on the island. Fortunately, we were able to talk them into leaving the truck at our house and we surrendered the keys to them - well, we surrendered Mic's keys. They did not ask me if I had any keys for it, so I did not offer them. Just remember; you need to ask the correct question. That game can be played both ways.


We looked into every way to correct this issue, through every channel possible. We spoke with the Aduana (head customs official for the island) that we would pay whatever fine there and if we could simply move ahead with the registration process. But no, not so easy. What would have taken 15-20 minutes in Canada to correct this problem, wound up being almost six months. According to the customs authority, the only way to correct the problem was to drive the truck back to our point of entry, leave the country for 72 hours and then re-enter. Spock would not be happy - it is not a logical process. But wait, did the police not clearly indicate to us that we were not to drive the vehicle, but another department of the government told us to drive it. Go figure! Damn the torpedoes! We needed the truck back so we were on the road again!

We learned a few good things out of this, aside from the obvious in making sure that we had all the originals and a mountain of paperwork to enter the country with a vehicle. First off, be sure you always ask many questions and the right questions that will get you the information you are looking for. Needless to say, this extends beyond Honduras and permeates every aspect of our lives. Always ask the questions that will give you the information you are looking for. And if your first question does not show results, ask as many as you need until you get the information you need.

Secondly, it was the first time since Mic and I were new drivers that we were without a vehicle. You learn who your friends are quickly when you are in a situation like this. One of our new Honduran friends and neighbour, Vivian Scott was a life saver and gave us rides and loaned us her vehicle to run our errands, do grocery shopping and even just to have a day away from the stresses we were enduring to have a day at the beach. We will be eternally grateful for all of her help and support. I dedicate today's post to her and her wonderful children Vanessa and Hansel; our Honduran family!

Have a wonderful day and check back tomorrow for another update. Enjoy life.

Bubble Wrap - Brilliant Packaging Material or Cheap Entertainment?

So, I know it has been a long while since our last post but now that things have settled down somewhat, I will get you caught up over the next little while. There is so much we need to chat about and we have learned a lot since our move to Roatan back in March.

After much delay, our container finally arrived in June. We had requested that it go through Florida as it would have come directly to the island of Roatan from mainland USA. I guess something was lost in translation with the Canadian Company we used as it wound up going through Puerto Cortes which is known to be one of the most corrupt ports in the world. It took three months for our entire container to clear customs and most of the delays were the fault of the Customs Authority. And you thought crossing between Canada and the USA took a long time.  And by the way, three weeks of the hold up was supposedly due to a printer not working and that they had “Information Technology working on it.” Even in Spanish, I am even more convinced that “Information Technology” is one of the greatest Oxymorons of the modern world.

Prior to leaving Canada, we had filled out a thorough inventory of all of our belongings. Well, the customs agents here seemed to disregard this inventory and had us redo it again and then asked us, the gringos, to check and make sure the Spanish translation was correct. Now, you have to understand, Mic and I are both working on our Spanish, but we are not really at the point where we should be checking the Spanish of Spanish speaking people - Just saying! 

Well, with a Spanish-English, English-Spanish dictionary in hand, we fumbled our way through it and even found a few items they had left off that were included on our master list - I guess those were just going to fall off the back of the truck. Sorry for being a skeptic, but it is the reality here sometimes.

On a number of occasions, the Customs Authority for Honduras tried to separate our 4-wheeler/ATV from the rest of our shipment as they had said we did not indicate it was a motorized vehicle. The real problem was that one of the supervisors conducting our inspection had her eye on our ATV and kept trying to separate it from our shipment. Thank goodness our broker that was on sight for part of the inspection refused to separate it as he mentioned that we would never see it again. Their final retribution that we would not separate it was that they coded it as a "toy". This classification has created other issues as you can not get licence plates for a toy so we had to have it recoded properly. But that is another story for another day as we are still working on that one.

Most of our belongings arrived in tact even though they put all of the fragile boxes under the heaviest boxes in the shipment - mental midgets! Unbelievably, there was not much breakage as I think I had bought almost every roll of bubble wrap in central BC for packing our belongings - Thank goodness for bubble wrap - great packing materials and cheap entertainment for when you do not have your cable hooked up.

The lesson learned with this experience, is that if you are looking at moving to Roatan and importing a container or shipment, ensure that your shipment goes through Florida. It will save you time and money in the long run even if it does seem out of the way. 

In the next few blog posts, I will fill you in on some of the funny, and not so funny challenges we have had just getting the container landed on site at Casa Tropical. I also have some gems from having our vehicle seized by the National Police. Be sure to keep reading over the next few days for stories that will make you laugh, cry and learn a little more about moving to a foreign country in the Caribbean. After all, All Paths Lead to Roatan, right?