Friday, June 30, 2017

golden yummy goodness

In the summer, during mango season, Ms. Winnie cooks down large batches of homemade mango jam for use at the resort's restaurant during the upcoming year. The slow-cooking technique she learned from her mother is so perfect that there is no need to add any preservatives to the delicious tropical fruit jam.
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Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

video: ana navarro: "stop acting like a mean girl!"



LOVE her! Ms. Navarro's rant is in response to this latest Twitter meltdown. (It's noteworthy that she's a Republican.)

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

paya from the sky

My new friend Jason, who was here at Paya with the Calimesa group last week, brought his drone and took some gorgeous early morning photos of the property from the sky.







Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

2017 certificate of excellence


TripAdvisor just informed us that Paya Bay Resort has been awarded a 2017 Certificate of Excellence! Thank you, TripAdvisor, for this awesome recognition!

calimesa 5.0


For the fifth consecutive year, this past week Paya Bay hosted the 44 participants of the medical mission from Calimesa, California. The American doctors, dentists and hygienists set up their field clinic in the lower floor of the beach house and proceeded to provide free dental and medical care to hundreds of less fortunate people from nearby island communities.






In addition to health services, mission participants also engage in various community projects aimed at improving schools and other facilities.


The group wrapped up their week with the Garífuna show at the Black Iguana and a bonfire on Bliss Beach.





Thank you so much, Calimesa, for all the beautiful energy you bring to Roatan! Learn more about this awesome mission by visiting their Facebook page.

Saturday, June 24, 2017

article: sea level rise estimate grows alarmingly higher in latest federal report


New federal estimates say global sea levels could rise faster than previously thought, and the rise may be even worse in many coastal regions of the United States. A new report, written by scientists with several federal agencies and universities, says that under a worst-case scenario, climate change could raise the oceans an average of more than 8 feet by 2100, about 20 inches more than a previous federal estimate published in 2012. The best case now projected would be an average of about a foot.
[...]
The six scenarios are based on United Nations models of future greenhouse gas emissions, depending on whether countries rapidly slash pollution or continue burning fossil fuels as usual. The authors determined that the worst-case rise of more than 8 feet has only a 0.1 percent chance of occurring by 2100, even under a business-as-usual emissions scenario, but a rise of more than 1.5 feet is near certain with high emissions. The increase in the estimates for global sea rise was partly due to new research on the Antarctic ice sheet, which is melting faster and appears to be more fragile than previously estimated, suggesting that some of the more pessimistic scenarios are increasingly likely.
[...]
Sea levels have already risen by more than 8 inches globally since 1880, with 3 inches coming since 1993. Tidal flooding "has increased by an order of magnitude over the past several decades," the report says, "turning it from a rare event into a recurrent and disruptive problem."
[...]
"Even if society sharply reduces emissions in the coming decades," the authors write, "sea level will most likely continue to rise for centuries."
- Inside Climate News

Monday, June 12, 2017

pigeon cay: a human tragedy unfolding

This is what Pigeon Cay, one of the Universe's masterpieces, looked like nine years ago. Heaven on earth. One of the most beautiful and magical places in our hemisphere.






I had not been to Pigeon Cay during the last eighteen months or so. I was shocked - SHOCKED! - at the apocalyptic scene I found when I visited two days ago! It seems climate change and rising sea levels are quickly destroying this amazing little island that we Bay Islanders cherish and love so much. The cay is now only about a fifth of its former size and the thick jungle of palms, shrubs, and trees down its center that held it together is nearly all dead or dying. The cay is unraveling and dissolving. Fast. It looks as if a bomb exploded on it. I am SO heartbroken! WHAT HAVE WE DONE?














I felt a deep sense of sadness and foreboding as we were leaving, as the boat floated away from the fragile remnants of our magical little Pigeon Cay. If something is not done -- and done fast -- I estimate that the cay will slip below the waves forever in the next three to five years (faster if we have a big storm come through). That would be a tragic loss for humanity. We humans are responsible for this. We have to at least try to do something to help! Please feel free to share this blog post and/or these photos with anyone you feel needs to know about this crisis and who might want/be able to help. The Bay Islands won't be the same without our beloved Pigeon Cay. 



After all...



...where will our black iguana buddies on the cay get to live if their home completely slips under the sea? Put yourself in their shoes.


Look him in the eye. Where?















The tragic plight of our cay and my iguana buddy reminded me of this song...




Who?



What?