— 16 Comments

Last morning in Roatan

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View from my hotel room across to the cay or “key” where the resort is located. I wanted to experience the cheap and the nice while in Roatan and both have been great. In US terms though this resort isn’t expensive but for Honduras it is. It is amazing. You can dive and snorkel right off the cay but unfortunately it’s been really windy so I haven’t gone much.

I can’t believe that it is already my last morning in Honduras. I leave for home in four hours already!

It has been an incredible trip. I have learned and experienced so much here over the last nine days that I am giddy and can hardly wait to start writing!!!! I will have so much to share with you.

The island of Roatan is amazing. As I am not one to sit around too much ( I got this from my dad!) I hired a local guide to take me around the island yesterday and in five hours I saw everything. All the Garifuna villages and the islanders’ houses on stilts. The beautiful resorts and the local culture. It was amazing.

It is crazy how different the mainland of Honduras is compared to Roatan. Like a different planet. But I am so thankful I got to experience both. There is a part of me that truly enjoys off the beaten path travel and even though I went nine days without a hot shower ( this is a western luxury that the mainland does not have), I loved every minute of it. For me, that is what travel is all about. Not just staying at the fancy hotels but living and experiencing a country like a local which I did while living with a Honduran family on La Ceiba.

Anyway, I will leave you with only a few photos for now as I want to enjoy my last morning in paradise before I go home to an 80 degree F temperature difference (lucky me, a Canadian cold front just arrived in Minnesota).

Enjoy these photos and next week I will start writing about my journey in Honduras.

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Sunrise from my room.

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the palapa or deck where you can dangle on a hammock over the ocean or dive in a snorkel around the amazing reef.

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Honduras TRAVEL BY REGION
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My new little amigos

I’ve completed my second day volunteering with the beautiful children at a children’s day care center that assists poor single mothers so they can work. Originally I thought I would be working at an orphanage but that was somehow lost in translation. I’m finding that much for me is lost in translation since I’m only at a very basic Spanish level. But I’ve come to understand with traveling, especially in developing countries, that you must simply go with the flow. Having an open mind and open heart is paramount. Otherwise you’d pack you bags and leave the next day for home!

Honduras is much more basic and rough around the edges than Guatemala. It has truly opened my eyes. Over 80% of the people here live in poverty and it is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere after Haiti and along with Bolivia. Yet despite the poverty and the dire situations most people live in, people are generally happy and resolved with their lot in life. Especially the children.

Here is a brief look at some of my beautiful new friends I met today at the center. They are so incredibly loving and full of life. They have so little material goods yet their joyous smile tells it all. For them, there is much more to life than having all the latest toys. Their love of life is evident and infectious.

Come, meet a few of my new little friends and see for yourself.

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Global Issues Honduras SOCIAL GOOD TRAVEL BY REGION Volunteering Abroad
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The curious things I found in Honduras

I’ve only been in Honduras for three days now yet I’ve already managed to see a lot of surprises especially since I’ve come to the mainland. I will write more about my trip later however in case you are curious to see the curious things I found to date in Honduras, here you go….

First stop, the lovely tropical island of Roatan off the coast of Honduras which is more like the Caribbean than Central America.

My new friends include….

A scarlet macaw, the national bird of Honduras.

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And my favorite new pal, a white-faced monkey who was enamored with the smell of my hair. He was so fluffy that he reminded me of one of my children’s stuffed animals.

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And although this picture is ridiculous, I had to include it as it makes me laugh. You will also notice that all the photos are a wee bit foggy. That is because it was so insanely humid that my lens fogged up!

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Next stop is the mainland. Yesterday I took the hour and a half ferry ride to La Ceiba and was probably the only foreigner on the entire ferry. Nothing at all like touristy Roatan! I met my lovely host family who has graciously welcomed me into their home and slept in the torrential rains. Little did I know it is rainy season here in Honduras thus very hot, humid and wet. As a Minnesotan in the heart of winter, I am literally roasting here but that is half the fun.

Today, I witnessed another novelty. We went to a restaurant on the beach a little bit outside of town and here was my view….

The cows on the beach.

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Apparently they roam the beach every afternoon! This is my favorite picture of all. The cows go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah.

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So far it has been an extremely fascinating experience. Honduras is very different than what I expected yet I have to remember that I’ve only been on the mainland for 24 hours. Tomorrow I start my volunteer work at a local orphanage and continue with my spanish classes. I forgot how hard it is to be completely immersed in another language, especially one that I don’t know very well. I continually slip in my french for some reason but I’m slowly picking it up. Should be an interesting week!

“Hasta luego!”

Honduras TRAVEL BY REGION
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Hola Honduras!

Hola! I made it to Honduras! After a brutal 3 am wake up for a 5 am flight, I finally made it to paradise early this afternoon. I had no idea what to expect of Roatan, one of the popular, touristy Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras. But wow I’m surprised. It is absolutely beautiful and nothing like I imagined. In fact, it is hard to believe I’m even in Central America. It has a very Caribbean feel with loads of tourists to boot. I have read that the Bay Islands, which host the second largest barrier reef in the world, are nothing like mainland Honduras. The dichotomy between reality and fantasy is going to be very interesting.
Tomorrow I’m taking the ferry over to the mainland where I will begin my volunteer work in La Ceiba, a port town. I’m sure it will be interesting.

In the meantime, here are a few photos from the sunset in Roatan. I took many more which I will share later but wanted to let you know that everything is great!

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Honduras TRAVEL BY REGION
— 8 Comments

Maddening Mykonos

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Beautiful Mykonos.

After five delightful, heavenly days in Santorini it was hard to leave. We had already changed our trip once canceling a two-day visit to neighboring Paros so we could extend our time in Santorini. It was a wise choice as we felt fully rested and relaxed after five days of sunsets and sunrises in perhaps one of the most beautiful islands on earth. 

TRAVEL BY REGION
— 39 Comments

Living in a Winter Wonderland

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” 
― John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

Ok…I said I was done posting but what can I do? Nature has serendipitously dropped a brilliant white wet snowstorm on us and it is magical outside. After gearing up the kids and putting on my snowshoes, I headed to my lovely lake and snapped away. It was utterly breathtaking outside.

We spent the rest of the afternoon reliving my youth by sledding down our neighborhood hill and throwing snowballs. It was a delightful day!

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Minnesota TRAVEL BY REGION United States
— 30 Comments

The Magic of Hidden Places

Often when I travel, I am drawn to the unexpected surprises of places hidden beneath the non-attentive eye. From the mysterious hutongs of Beijing to the labyrinthine of a souq in Morocco, there is always a surprising hidden place to explore.

Perhaps these hidden places open a window into the unknown about the foreign culture you are visiting. Yet they always seem to leave me questioning, thinking and guessing about what it is really like behind these hidden windows of life.

The secret paths within a souq. Rabat, Morocco.

The whitewashed and baby blue walls in a Moroccan kasbah.

Inside the deep alleyways of the traditional Chinese hutongs. Beijing, China.

Another look at a Chinese Hutong.

Peering deep inside a hutong and wondering who lives there? How many homes are tucked away inside?

A hutong without a name or address.

Inside an ancient Chinese Water Village with numerous mysterious alleyways.

Many Chinese Water villages are threaded in waterways like this one that wind around the village and flow out to sea.

The open-air entryway of a home or cafe in Uruguay.

An open-air room of women making fresh torillas out of a building in Guatemala.

An alleyway in Guatemala where a Mayan women hones her craft.

Peeking inside the reddish brown wooden doors of a teahouse kitchen in rural Nepal.

Looking outside a “hotel” window in Himalayan Nepal at the donkey train passageway where modern day trucking is at its best.

TRAVEL BY REGION TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY
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Into the Mystic of Iceland

“We were born before the wind
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was won as we sailed into the mystic
Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic”   –

 Lyrics to one of my favorite Van Morrison songs, “Into the Mystic”

I just couldn’t resist including it with the post…listen along and view my photos into the mystic….

There is no place more mystical than Iceland. Come take a look for yourself and let me know if you agree that there is no place quite like it.  The mystical land of fire and ice.

Adventure Travel Iceland TRAVEL BY REGION TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY
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The green of Guatemala

“Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises.”

-Pedro Calderon de la Barca

It is hard to visit Guatemala and not become completely entranced by her greenery. The color green can be found in every place you look- from the verdant terraced farmlands, to the lush fertile peaks of the volcanoes. After a long, cold colorless winter arriving in Green Guatemala almost hurts your eyes and reminds me of the constant rebirth and cycle of life.

Guatemala TRAVEL BY REGION TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY Weekly Photo Challenges
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A walk through a market in Savoie

We arrived on our very last day in Savoie to see the town of Pralognan la Vanoise come to life with a glorious outdoor market. Every kind of fromage and saucisson you can imagine was available to sample and buy. If only I wasn’t flying back to the United States the next day, I would have gone hog wild! I am a cheese-aholic and can’t seem to get enough of the fatty, savory food.

Take a walk with me through the lovely market in Pralognan. If only pictures could be transported directly “chez moi” then I’d be in cheese heaven!

Au revoir La France! Until we meet again (which I’ll let you in on a little secret. It won’t be long! A trip is already planned for my mom, sister and I to meet up for a never-before mother-daughters trip to La Belle France this Spring!).

France Tour de Vanoise TRAVEL BY REGION
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The last hike

It has taken me awhile to complete my series of posts on hiking in Vanoise National Park, France. Although I’ve been busy writing about other stuff, sometimes it is hard to say goodbye to a lovely travel experience. I only have two posts left on this fantastic trip I took three months ago and only one post in particular in the mountains!

So here are views leaving the magnificent Alps and returning to civilization. When I look back overt all 800+ photos I took during this trip, I realize that my heart still remains in the mountains and I’ll be back….

Au revoir les Alps!

Adventure Travel France Tour de Vanoise TRAVEL BY REGION Trekking/Hiking