“It is impossible to live without failing at something – unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default”. – J.K. Rowling
This week has been a bit hairy so I thought I’d post some of my favorite photos of mountains I’ve hiked as they always calm my soul. Photos above from France, Nepal and Guatemala. This fall, I will be adding Bolivia to my list of great hikes.
Stay tuned…
Author’s note: This is my last piece on my recent trip to Honduras. To read more posts in this series click here. The post below is a continuation of my day tour of the Garifuna villages on the island of Roatan).
After our visit to Punta Gorda, we drove to the other side of narrow Roatan to visit another beautiful traditional Garifuna Village, the community of Oak Ridge. Oak Ridge is quite unique as the entire village is built around a large bay and is a fishing community. It has been termed “The Venice of Roatan” which I find a little humorous however it is definitely worth a visit to this picturesque town.
It was raining and there was no way I could ever have gotten a better shot of Oak Bridge than this one that I found on http://www.2backpackers.com (which is an awesome blog by the way).
Author’s note: This post is part of my series on my recent trip to Honduras. To read past posts on Honduras, click here.
Image credit: http://www.orangesmile.com
On my last day in Roatan, one of the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras, I took a half day private island tour. I decided to take the tour as opposed to lounging around on the beach because I truly wanted to learn more about the unique Garifuna culture and heritage that makes this island so fascinating. As much as my body and soul wanted to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the resort at Barefoot Cay, a stronger inherent urge within my mind was begging me to do something more cultural than laying in the sun. Thus, despite my longing to do absolutely nothing for a day, my active mind got the best of me and I booked a five hour private tour with one of the island’s best locals, Ray Anthony.
Author’s note: This post is part of my series on my recent trip to Honduras. To read past posts on Honduras, click here.
I woke up to the rising sun at the crack of dawn. It was hardly even five am yet I could no longer sleep. I kept peeking outside the closed wooden shades as the sun painted the world around me. I could hardly wait for the day ahead.
Author’s note: This post is part of my series on my recent trip to Honduras. To read past posts on Honduras, click here.
Not all of life is work and no play. Sometimes you have to reward yourself and celebrate the fruits of your labor. This is at least how I presented it to my loving husband as I booked myself two days at the Barefoot Cay in Roatan, Honduras.
I had just left the mainland after a week of volunteering and living like the locals. I had researched options on the internet and discovered the luxurious, secluded Barefoot Cay and knew I’d have to check it out. It was a bit more expensive than where I’d usually stay, however, it had a lot of fabulous amenities for a solo traveler. When I read the front page of Barefoot Caye’s website, I was enticed and realized I had to give it a try.
Otro mundo aparte – A world apart.The pace is unhurried… The beaches white… The water azure blue. |
I arrived just as the sun was setting on Friday night and was instantly welcomed with an icy cold local beer at check in. I couldn’t think of a better greeting than this after the bumpy rough ride on the ferry.
Author’s note: This post is part of my series on my recent trip to Honduras. To read past posts on Honduras, click here.
Jakesprinter’s Sunday post theme is “Bay“. I realized that most of my travels are to mountains or other locales that do not typically include bays. Then as I glanced over at my copy of Lonely Planet: Honduras, I realized the cover said “Honduras and The Bay Islands“. Silly me, Roatan could be included in this challenge and I spent an entire morning touring her lovely bays and remote villages, way off the beaten tourist path.
Author’s note: This post is part of my series on my recent trip to Honduras. To read past posts on Honduras, click here.
I left the mainland of Honduras on the four o’clock ferry, just in time to catch the glorious sunset over the Caribbean Sea. Although the hour and a half ride was exceedingly rough (I noticed something was going on when the ferry employees handed out plastic vomit bags as soon as we set sail), I still was thrilled to be out at sea as the sun set and cast brilliant hues of saffron yellows, golds and pale pinks across the sky and water. It was utterly brilliant.
I stood the entire way as I was concerned I’d get seasick. Standing seemed to help as I was able to allow my body to sway and move with the motion of the waves. Many people were not so lucky so I was happy when the ferry finally pulled into the shore of Roatan right as I was starting to feel a little green.
Here are some of my favorite shots along the way, as the sun began to set and cast her magic upon all those who could see.
Author’s note: This post is part of my series on my recent trip to Honduras. To read past posts on Honduras, click here.
I often find that a week is not enough time to experience a new country or volunteer abroad. There is way too much to learn, and the experience is often a bit overwhelming and intense. However, in my humble opinion a week is better than nothing so I normally do whatever I can to get as much out of my time abroad as possible, even if it means running myself rampant.
Friday came before I knew it. Just as my Spanish was beginning to pick up once again and I had finally began to feel comfortable in my surroundings, it was time to go. The hardest part leaving La Ceiba was leaving its people, both the children I had worked with at the day care center and my lovely host family. I felt really sad leaving the kids knowing how poorly they were treated and understanding that my presence as a volunteer at the center was the highlight of their day. I knew another volunteer was still there yet it wasn’t enough. In a center with over 60 young children and uninspiring employees, one volunteer could simply not make up for the lack of care, attention and love that the children required. It was heartbreaking to leave.
I also felt sad leaving my warm, caring host family. I was amazed how easily they welcomed me into their home with open arms, compassion, patience (with my lack of Spanish) and love. After only a few days I felt like an extended member of the family and it was hard to leave. It is rare to develop this kind of friendship with anyone in such a short period of time yet I came to understand that most Hondurans are incredibly warm and compassionate people. They may not have much, but they do have happiness and an overall acceptance of the hardship of their lives. Something many of us could learn from.
A five year old girl takes care of her one year old sister all day long at the day care center as there is no one else to help her.
Here are a few of my last photos that I took before I left. I purposely chose photos that depict the sharp contrast I felt in Honduras between beauty and poverty. I felt it so intensely during my trip.
“Women hold up half the sky” – Chinese proverb
Exactly a year ago today I was in Xela, Guatemala on a week long volunteer and spanish immersion trip when I heard the noise off in the distance. It sounded like a parade. I asked my teacher Lilian if she knew what on earth was going on and she replied with a smile, “It’s International Women’s Day!” and asked if I’d like to go see the festivities. I had never heard of International Women’s Day before yet it sounded spectacular. I packed up my school work and Lilian and me were off in a flash to the main square.
There I watched in awe and joy how a community could come together as one and celebrate the rights and beauty of women. It was so incredibly touching that I rushed home and instantly wrote a post on the experience titled “El dia de la mujer in Xela, Guatemala“. Even a year later, the memory of that day will forever be engrained in my heart. It was beautiful so heartbreaking yet also so full of hope.
Violence against women is an enormous problem in Guatemala and sometimes women are victims of abuse and even murder. Lillian told me that this was the first time she remembered having so many men participate in International Women’s Day and was hopeful that it would lead to change.
Author’s note: This post is part of my series on my recent trip to Honduras. To read past posts on Honduras, click here.
A young boy selling fruit on a Monday morning (Shouldn’t he be in school?).
In order to get a clear understanding of where Honduras is today, it is important to take a brief look at the history. Below is a brief historical summary that I have paraphrased from Lonely Planet’s Honduras and The Bay Islands, Written by Greg Benchwick, 2010):
Like many countries in Central America, Honduras has a difficult history of her share of coups, rebellions, power seizures, foreign invasion and darn right meddling in her internal affairs. Christopher Columbus landed on the shores of Honduras (which means “depths” and was named by Columbus in reference to the deep water) on August 14, 1502. It was the first time a European had set foot on the American mainland, a historic landing that ended up being basically ignored for the next two decades until the discovery of gold and silver in 1530.
Author’s note: This post is part of my series on my recent trip to Honduras. To read past posts on Honduras, click here.
La Ceiba is not known as the most beautiful city in the world. In fact, it is known for being well, rather ugly. I had been warned about the unattractiveness of the city several times through my research in Lonely Planet and other noteworthy travel sites. But La Ceiba was where my volunteer project was based so I was going to make the best of it and be sure to use that good old “third-eye” (i.e. open-minded approach). Ugly or not, I would find the beauty of it.
Honduras is a diverse country with lots of jungle and mountains. La Ceiba is located on the Caribbean Sea not far from the famous Bay Islands. Photo credit: Wikipedia.
One of my all time favorite cities in the world is Antigua, Guatemala. I could spend days walking its picturesque cobblestone streets colored in rainbow hues and loaded with history. Every building has a story to tell which can be found by looking into the details of the layers of paint and crumbled buildings sprouting with plants.
Follow me along and look carefully at the details of a street in lovely Antigua….
