Wednesday, April 30, 2014

walking zen

Earlier this afternoon, my sister, Connie, and I took a walk along the Zen Path. Here are some of the beautiful vistas from this wonderful seaside and cliff top trail.








Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

Monday, April 28, 2014

photo of the day


A traditional dugout cayuco or "motor dory." Note the colorful paint job. Punta Gorda, Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

seek the beautiful things

To allow the Universe to move you in your life to happier and better things, you are going to need to look around you and appreciate the good things here and now. Seek the beautiful things and count the blessings of where you are. Dissatisfaction will not bring the happier and the better into your life. Dissatisfaction roots you to the spot where you currently are, but appreciation for what you have attracts the happier and better to you.

Remember that you are a magnet! Appreciation attracts appreciation!
- lessons from The Secret

my own mind is my own church

I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life.

I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy.

I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church.

All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.

I do not mean by this declaration to condemn those who believe otherwise; they have the same right to their belief as I have to mine. But it is necessary to the happiness of man, that he be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe.
- Thomas Paine

Saturday, April 26, 2014

mr. tresidder is back!

We have extra special guests at Paya Bay at the moment: Matthew Tresidder and his wife, Sally. Mr. Tresidder came to Roatan 32 years ago to teach The Queen's Proper English to local Oak Ridge, Roatan kids during his UK "gap year." (Along with British Honduras - now Belize -  the Bay Islands formed part of the British presence in Central America during the colonial period. Pressed by a surging United States under its Monroe Doctrine, Queen Victoria ceded the islands to the then-new Republic of Honduras, which claimed them, in 1859). To celebrate his 50th birthday, Sally gave her husband a trip back to Roatan as a gift. A few days ago, I accompanied Matthew and Sally on a walking tour of Oak Ridge to explore the town and visit as many of his former students as possible still residing there.

Sally and Matthew pose in front of a picturesque vista of the seaside town of Oak Ridge, Roatan.

Matthew shared this photo of me circa 1982. I was eleven years old.

Cloise Gough, a former student, reacts to her surprise encounter with our teacher.

We visited the primary school where the English classes were taught in the afternoons after regular Spanish school in the mornings.

Matthew and Sally pose in front of the "memory breezeway" at the Instituto Privado Bautista, a school still operating after all these years.

We also visited the apartment where Matthew and his compatriot and fellow teacher, David Brown, resided during their twelve-month stint in Oak Ridge back in the early 80s.

We took a water taxi to get to The Cay, the part of town where my home was. Water transportation is still the best way to get around this seaside community.

Ms. Judy Kirkwood, the lady driving the boat, is the mother of one of Matthew's students, Marian. (Marian is currently working and residing in the Cayman Islands.) The young lady on the left is Marian's daughter. Ms. Kirkwood gave us a lift back to the car park that was starting point of our tour.

Evelyn Cooper, another student from that memorable year, was very happy to see our teacher again.

Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

even more roatan in the press


Freediving with sharks in Roatan, Honduras – in pictures. Freediving with sharks off Honduras's Roatan island is a thrilling, if nerve-racking, experience. Professional freedivers Eusebio and Christina Saenz de Santamaria shot these photographs as they explored the Cara a Cara site, famous for Caribbean reef sharks.
- The Guardian (UK) 

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

more roatan in the press

Retire To This Untamed Caribbean Paradise. If you were a backpacking scuba diver in the 1960s, you may have drifted through the Bay Islands of Honduras on a quest for Caribbean adventure. Many fitting that description did. Offshore from Roatan, in particular, the largest of the Bay Islands, was (and is still today) some of the best diving in the world.

The island itself back then was an off-the-radar and wholly undeveloped, untamed outpost where cows and pigs grazed freely and bananas grew everywhere.

About 20 years ago, small hotels and resorts began to appear on Roatan to accommodate the increasing numbers of scuba divers. As visitors discovered this idyllic part of the Caribbean no one had ever heard of, they started to buy land and build homes. This was the beginning of an expat community that, over the two decades since, has grown to become one of the biggest and most established in the world.
- Huffington Post 

Monday, April 21, 2014

roatan in the press

Honduran island of Roatán is a laid-back Caribbean paradise. Off the northern coast of mainland Honduras is a skinny, 32-mile-long island called Roatán. This Central American paradise has been a hot spot for divers for several years. But you don’t have to be a diver to fall in love with the place.

Sitting 35 miles out in the Caribbean Sea, Roatán is surrounded by a large coral reef, and the snorkeling and deep-sea fishing are great, the beaches are gorgeous and the water is crystal-clear. There are plenty of restaurants and bars to hang out in and the people are friendly (most speak English).

Cruise ships started coming here in 2005, and Roatán now has two ship terminals. Many visitors come here first by boat, like what they see and return for a longer stay.
- New York Daily News

direct your passion wisely

Most people don't realize how much passion they put into what they don't want. When you speak to a friend and you tell them all about an "awful" situation, you are putting passion into what you don't want. When you react to an event negatively, with the response that it is "terrible," you are putting passion into what you don't want.

You are a beautiful passionate being, so make sure you direct your passion wisely.
- lessons from The Secret

Sunday, April 20, 2014

paris in motion


This video brought back fond memories of my travels to this beautiful European city.

beachside relaxation


Special guests Susan and Kent relax and enjoy the free wifi at the Black Iguana beach bar. Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

Friday, April 18, 2014

the camp bay series

My sister, Connie, is visiting from the U.S. She shared some photos she took on Camp Bay beach.









Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

gratitude can transform your life

Remember, if you are criticizing, you are not being grateful. If you are blaming, you are not being grateful. If you are complaining, you are not being grateful. If you are feeling tension, you are not being grateful. If you are rushing, you are not being grateful. If you are in a bad mood, you are not being grateful.

Gratitude can transform your life. Are you allowing minor things to get in the way of your transformation and the life you deserve?
- lessons from The Secret

Sunday, April 13, 2014

sunset at the black iguana

Special guests from Montreal enjoy late afternoon cocktails on one of the scenic decks of the Black Iguana beach bar.




Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

more awesome odeta

More exquisite photos from professional photographer Odeta Vaitkunas. These shots were taken at the Ananda Yoga Pavilion. (Click on images to enlarge).




Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

increase your faith

You cannot bring what you want to you if you are feeling stress. Stress or any tension at all is something you have to remove from your system.

You must let the stress go - it is the only way you can bring what you want. The emotion of stress is saying strongly that you do NOT have what you want. Stress or tension is the absence of faith, and so to remove it all you have to do is increase your faith!
- lessons from The Secret

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

be a ray of sunshine

Write down all the great things about everyone you know. Make a huge list of all the wonderful things about you. Compliment people wherever you go. Praise every single thing you see. Be a ray of sunshine to everyone you meet, and make their day better for having seen you. Say "Thank you" at every turn. Walk, talk, think, and breathe appreciation and gratitude.

When you do this, your outer life will change to reflect your inner state of being.
- lessons from The Secret