buccaneer repair update: adding the "bar mud"

Countless guests have asked us about the material we use to create the nice, smooth surface of the Buccaneer seaside decking. This series of photos shows the process of collecting and laying "bar mud," a natural construction material that is part of Bay Islands culture. Bar mud is simply clumps of sea grass, including the roots, fine silt, and sand the grass grows in. While wet and soft, the clumps are flattened and molded to create a nice, flat, even surface. After drying out for several days in the hot tropical sun, the combination of silt, sand, roots, and other organic materials "hardens" into a smooth, cement-like surface. Because of its high content of organic materials (mainly grass roots), bar mud never completely hardens, always having a sort of "sponginess" to it. It gives slightly under the feet, with a rubbery quality that is a pleasure to walk on. As an added bonus, the coral silt and sand in the "mud" bleaches white over time. The final result is an even, smooth, "soft" surface dusted with a thin layer of white coral sand that is slowly released from the material as it weathers.
 

Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.