Rainbow over Guanaja Honduras

A wonderful picture taken by the folks on the sailing vessel "Endorfin" .... you can visit them and their adventures at:

http://bonvoyageendorfin.blogspot.com/

Happy 2009 from Guanaja Honduras!

So many thing have happened to us in in Guanaja, Honduras in 2008 .... it is difficult to believe that we began our quest to learn about this island gem just one year ago today .... for now, we will see what happens as we look forward to a new beginning in 2009!

Guanaja - an Update to the Update

A picture of Castaways Resort from April 2008 .... a place that we wanted to call a home away from home .... you can see the hummingbirds if you look close!

The latest update to the update from Guanaja.  My friend Guanaja Sharon sent me this latest post from her blog.  Click on her link and she has the "scoop" on what happened with the Castaways along with current pictures.

So sad, it makes me want to cry ... We had a lot of fun there and met a lot of terrific people ...

http://featherridge.blogspot.com/

Guanaja - an Update ...

Guanaja is a Bay Island paradise, but beware of the sand traps that may await you!

Our friends Brewski Bob and Aunt Patti were disappointed when the Castaways Resort went belly up. Even though they had a contract in effect on their dream cottage on the Caribbean, it was written in the US ... the developers were Americans, after all .... and not worth the paper it was written on! Thank goodness the developers were not holding any escrow money. So much for honesty.

Last week another unusual happening ... the Castaways burned down ... Oh My! Wonder if they had insurance ... smirk ....

Guanaja is a beautiful island paradise and most of the people we met were wonderful. BigAl and I had our hopes up on a lovely piece of property ... even had all the money in escrow down in Honduras ... unfortunately we could not get a clear title ... YIKES! We had a great attorney named Felix Reyes, he was honest and treated us fairly.

We had a totally different experience with another attorney named Melanie Wetzel ( American ) in La Cieba. She took $2,000 from us and never delivered the corporation she promised us ..... lol .... referred by an American attorney we thought we did our due diligence.

Will we return to Guanaja ... maybe ... perhaps ... for a vacation! I don't know right now, there seems no pressing need to go back. I am a positive person by nature and I guess I expect the same from others, but by no means do I wear rose colored glasses. We own property in the Bahamas, Austria as well as the US. I was quite aware that third world countries have different "rules" of the road so to speak .. it seemed though, that most of our issues came from the non-Honduran's taking advantage of situations.

I will keep this site updated as the need arises and hope that everyone finds their paradise. Maybe it will be Guanaja, after all!

Guanaja - a Hopping Evening at the Castaways Resort!

Guanaja is such a small place that everyone knows each other on this Bay Island paradise ... or at least they soon do. Here we are on a Sunday evening enjoying ourselves at the Castaways Resort Bar.

We met old friends here as well as new ones ... and the best part is that everyone has a story to tell!
The music playing , the drinks flowing ... darts being played in one room and the ring game in another!

....... and of course, good Honduran food ...

Life is such in Guanaja!

Guanaja - Manati Bar

Prince Houdini does like to belly up to the bar at the Manati Restaurant in Guanaja, occasionally .......

Problem is that I have to order for him!

Guanaja, a great place to relax and enjoy!

Guanaja - Birthday Bash at Thirst and Last Stop!

The famous Captain Al decided to throw a big April Birthday Bash for everyone on Guanaja with April birthdays ... of course that included yours truly (April 5th) and my own Big AL (April7th) and Brewski (April29th) ... scary, huh?

The bash was held at his place at the airport called the "Thirst and Last Stop" and was very well attended. As a matter of fact, as the planes landed, more folks joined the festivities! The boys pictured below, from left to right, Brewski Bob, Big AL, Captain Al and Jim Springer ....

Guanaja Sharon welcomes back Jack and his wife Darien from their trip to New Orleans .....

Mike is wearing one of my favorite T-shirts that always makes me laugh!

Houdini is trying to sweet talk Geri out of some BBQ!

Brian making an editorial comment ...

Anke and her husband along with Jannette .... Cathy and Sharon in the background!

Guanaja Honduras is just one of those places that is special. Everyone has welcomed us here. Most of the people pictured have retired here in Guanaja. Some live here part time, going back and forth to the US or Europe and there were many more people that didn't hold still for pictures. Whether you decide to live Guanaja or just to travel here, you won't be disappointed!

Guanaja - What's not to Love?

Guanaja, a Bay Island paradise. I look at pictures like this and I think it is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen. Yes, there are skeptics ... is any place perfect?

Perhaps I have my rose colored glasses on .....

I have lived and worked in one of the wealthiest counties in Florida as a paramedic, you know, one of those people you call when the "rubber meets the road". I have seen, in my prestigious hometown, rapes, murders, child abuse, drug abuse, corruption ... not to mention people whose homes have dirt floors (that are not swept clean). I have been chased by crazy people, vomited and bled upon with contaminated fluids ... dodged bullets, wild drivers that just want to get close to the action and wrestled with patients that are just plain nuts. Sometimes it was just difficult for a girl not to loose her sense of humor!

When I look at Guanaja in the Bay Islands of Honduras, I see people, not all that much different from what I have met in Florida ... yes they are poorer, but most have a dignity about them that I admire. I have never been spat upon by a Honduran (unlike Florida), maybe I just don't hang out in the right places. It is true, that until you live somewhere you really don't see the whole picture, so I guess I need to reserve full judgment until that time.

For now, I look at Guanaja, its sugar sand beaches, crystal clear water and with the locals that have always been friendly towards me and think that maybe, someday I will live, at least part time down there.

I welcome any and all comments.

Guanaja, Wildlife Galore!

Guanaja Honduras is an exciting place for wildlife. There were all sorts of exotic creatures for Houdini and I to meet. At the very beginning of our visit we were told that nothing was poisonous ... well, that is good!

We saw all kinds of parrots .... wonderfully colorful birds that fly from tree to tree. Some are tame and can even be coaxed over.

Hummingbirds that that will fly right up to drink syrup from a hand held cup.....cool!

Lizards, geckos, chameleons and iguana's of all sizes and colors ... this guy was a brilliant turquiose and green. Beautiful!

All the lizards we saw were just kind of "hanging" out, but we were told that the "red" iguana could be aggressive. I honestly didn't want to test that information!

Next, we saw these agouti. The locals called them rabbits, but they don't look like any bunny that I have ever seen, although they were shy like rabbits.

There seemed to be a lot of different butterflies. All different sizes and colors.

Guanaja Honduras, what a beautiful Bay Island paradise! Go and enjoy the interesting critters.

Guanaja - How do you Build a House?

Our good friend, Brewski Bob, and his wife, Aunt Patti, are having a home built on Guanaja Honduras. As you may or may not know, there are no roads on the Bay Island paradise. Everything is brought in by boat. This includes construction materials!

So, to answer the question, how do you build a house? One piece of lumber at a time! Every nail, 2x4 and fixture has to be shipped from the mainland of Honduras and then off loaded at the dock on Bonacca to be then transported to its final destination on the "big" island of Guanaja.

You would think that this would be terribly expensive, but this is the way of life over there. Their home, a 2 bedroom, 2 bath with wrap around porch, 50 feet from the Caribbean Sea is under $200,000! Talk about affordable retirement living!

And ... what a view from the from porch!!!!!

For anyone thinking about affordable retirement and or living options outside of the US, Guanaja may just be the place you are looking for. You can follow along with Brewski Bob and Aunt Patti's adventure by stopping by their blog at: http://www.Club-Brown.blogspot.com

Guanaja Honduras - Holy Crab!

Holy Crab! These cute guys are everywhere in Guanaja. This type of land crab grows to be about 6 inches across and they basically eat vegetation and small insects. They dig their holes and wave their claws at people passing by and in general keep everyone entertained.

I must say though, that after dark and after a few cocktails, it is important to carry a flashlight with you lest you fall into one of their holes and twist an ankle!

The crab is edible. The meat is reported to be sweet, white and closely resembling that of the popular blue crab. A simple Caribbean recipe calls for boiling the crab with various seasonings. I know that at least one of the restaurants on Guanaja serves these as an appetizer and if you are lucky you will get to enjoy this tasty treat.

Why go to Guanaja? Holy crab, why not?

Guanaja Hummingbirds ... Flying Jewels!

OK, this is just a quick clip that we caught on video ... these special little hummingbirds that flit about the island paradise of Guanaja.

You have to look close, but at Sharon and Mikes' house they are everywhere. Too cool to imagine, these tiny creatures will land right on your hand and drink nectar out of a cup.

Guanaja is a "hummers" paradise!

Guanaja - Relaxing and Meeting New Friends!

Guanaja is an island that perfect to spend the afternoon relaxing and meeting new friends!

An afternoon trip to Bo's island House and Green Flash Bar is just the place to sip on a cold Cerveza listening to island tunes or pull up a hammock and let the tropical breezes lull you to sleep. There is terrific diving and snorkeling off the beach from Bo's also if you are so inclined.

Brewski Bob felt the need to de-stress after a delightful lunch before the boat ride back home! There is never a need to rush into anything on Guanaja.

While at Bo's, we ran into our friend Jim Jones while he was giving a boat tour to a couple from Vermont. Ann and Jim have been checking out Guanaja from afar for a couple of years and finally decided to check it out for themselves ... much like Alfred and me. Ann, a RN and Jim, in construction, sounded like they weren't disappointed with what they saw. After all, what's not to love about this sun drenched paradise?

The afternoon was coming to a close and we said goodbye to our new friends Ann and Jim. They toasted us as we pulled away in the boat!

Guanaja, Honduras, a Bay Island paradise ... come down and kick the tires for yourself!

Guanaja - a Special Place with Special People!

Guanaja is indeed a special place with special people ... it boasts of talented people from all over the globe.

There are too many to mention at once, but here are a couple of them. First off there is Brian Hatlelid, author of "A Sunny Place for Shady People". He is shown here with Brewski Bob after personally signing a copy for him. Brian lives on his sailboat and is anchored in the bay off of Manati Restaurant and Bar.

Another local "star" is Ian, a British ex-pat who lives on the island. A talented artist, he designs the artwork for t-shirts as well as painting murals and signs throughout the island. When he is not creating, he can also be found "jamming" at the Manati. Ian plays a mean keyboard as well as drums!
Of course, this is only two of the many multi-talented people on Guanaja ...... with every person comes an interesting story. Sometime when you aren't busy maybe you should just wander on down to this Bay Island paradise and check it out for yourself!

Guanaja - an Island Tour

Taking a tour of Guanaja on a lazy Sunday afternoon ... what could be better? We boarded the "Fishing Tales", a 36 foot Viking sport fish for the afternoon, with Captain Baxter at the helm. The crystal clear water of the Caribbean Sea beneath the boat and balmy tropical breezes blowing in our faces ... WOW!

It is difficult to put into words the island beauty ... Guanaja offers so much, from wonderful sugar sand beaches to rocky coastlines ..... lush foliage and pine trees, mountain tops, waterfalls and a lot of fresh water streams. Truly my idea of an island paradise.


I'm not sure what I love the most, but the whole package just seems to come together quite nicely.

Another really positive aspect to Guanaja is the fact that it is surrounded by the world's second largest barrier reef ... only to be outdone by the great barrier reef in Australia. This reef protects the island from a lot of potentially damaging waves and currents.

Fresh water is abundant on Guanaja and there are fresh water, waterfalls and streams that come down from the mountain side. Everyone taps into this source and the water is good enough to drink right from the tap! Guanaja is the only Bay Island that has fresh water, a plus indeed.


The main question when deciding where to live is, do you want the mountains with an ocean view or do you want to walk out your front door and squish your toes in the sand. Both have so much to offer .... decisions, decisions...

Guanaja Honduras, a Bay Island paradise.