How the Heck do you get to Guanaja Honduras?

How the heck do you get to Honduras? Check out TACA. We found them to be prompt and courteous ... they didn't lose our luggage, served food and drinks for FREE ... OMG!

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.