Guanaja - if it's Saturday Afternoon, then it must be Manati Bar!

Guanaja Honduras, Bay Island paradise of the Caribbean, and we are starting to get in the "groove". It is our third day and we already know that if it is Saturday afternoon in Gaunaja, then everyone meets at the Manati Bar and Restaurant. This will be our second trip there and already I am looking forward to the tasty delights that Annetta and Klaus have whipped up and to good conversation with our new friends as well as the friends that we will soon meet!

Here I am with my new friend Guanaja Sharon. This is actually our first face to face meeting, but we felt like old friends as we had been emailing back and forth. The internet is a strange and wonderful thing as it literally has "shrunk" the world into a small laptop computer that you can take anywhere ... even Guanaja Honduras! Sharon writes a terrific blog on her life and adventures in Guanaja and that it how I found her, just with a quick GOOGLE! I was looking for real info on the area and people, not just the tourist stuff that come out of the chamber of commerce sites. Check out her blog at:

http://www.featherridge.blogspot.com

She and her husband Mike, shown here with another friend Grace, have shared invaluable information with us about our "maybe" new home. Sharon and Mike have turned their beautiful home in Guanaja "green" as they only power their house with 14 solar panels and use water from the cistern and stream. Not to worry that they are doing without luxuries in life...when we went over to their home later I spied a microwave oven and a washing machine. Handy man Mike has rigged everything and all it takes is a bit of planning in their daily activities. Maybe we should all learn a lesson from this approach to living.

Next we met Captain Al, sporting his S#!t Happens cap. An old diver in Guanaja and the Bay Islands, he owns a barge and dredging machine and also did a lot of deep diving ... because of this he is now suffering with vision and hearing problems..... not to let that get the best of him, Al wears a headset and carries an amplifier with mic and just points it toward a conversation he wants listen in on! A super guy with a lot of stories to tell, he kept us fascinated with his exploits.


We met Jack, on the right, who is a plastic surgeon from New Orleans. He and his wife, Darien, own a stunning island called Half Moon Cay just a short boat ride from Manati. They have been coming down to Guanaja for many years and now spend a couple of months at a time at their island getaway. Jack, as a doctor, has donated his medical abilities many times during emergencies on the island. It is this type of community spirit that really draws us to Guanaja.

We met many others, as we were the new "kids" on the block, including sailors from the "INFINI", Michael and Susan. They have been on sail now for over a year and have traveled all over the Caribbean on their 43' WestSail.

The conversations continued into the late afternoon and Annetta really outdid herself with a Schweinebraten or pork roast ..... one of her German specialties. The food was wonderful and the spirits flowed until we knew it was time to say goodbye. The only thing that we missed was the music. I guess some Saturdays all the musicians from Guanaja (good or bad) get together and have a "jam" session in the bar. That would have been something to hear!

Guermo gathered us up and we hopped into the 25' Pango and headed back to the Nautilus Resort after a full afternoon of entertainment.

Live on a tropical island ..... someone has to do it ... Gaunaja Honduras, a Bay Island paradise!