Sun Country Airlines begins service from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Roatan

The Honduran Airport Infrastructure and Services Company (EHISA) announced that on Friday, December 18, direct flights will begin between the island of Roatan and the state of Minneapolis, United States. It was reported that the airline Sun Country Airlines will be in charge of direct flights between these destinations. Sun Country Airlines is an American airline that was founded in 1982 based at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. The airline operates within the United States, in Mexico, Costa Rica and the Caribbean.

- Google translated from Proceso Digital

Roatan bans plastic straws

The mayor of Roatán in the Bay Islands on Tuesday banned the use of plastic straws in restaurants, cafes and shops. The municipality established a fine of 500 to 2,500 lempiras [US$20 to US$103] for those who break the law. Also, repeat offenders will pay, additionally, 10 lempiras per straw found in the establishment and will be exposed to their business being closed. The measure was taken with the aim of protecting the environment, wildlife and coral reefs that are affected by pollution and the use of plastics.

- La Tribuna (Spanish) 

This is great news for the Bay Islands' environment. Hopefully Santos Guardiola, the other municipality on the island, will follow suit.

Ozone: The Earth's protective shield is repairing

The ozone layer, which protects us from ultraviolet light, looks to be successfully healing after gaping holes were discovered in the 1980s. The Northern Hemisphere could be fully fixed by the 2030s and Antarctica by the 2060s. A new United Nations report says it's an example of what global agreements can achieve. The ozone layer had been damaged by man-made chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

- BBC

great news: Thai cave rescue: boys found!

CNN: Successful trial of 'coral IVF' gives hope for Australia's Great Barrier Reef

"There's a very clear outcome, the higher the numbers of larvae that you put into the reef system, the more coral recruits you get," Harrison said. "The pilot studies at small scales are giving us hope that we will be able to scale this up to much larger reef scales." The 2,300km-long (1,500 miles) Great Barrier Reef -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site -- lost around half of its coral in the past few years after two mass bleaching events in 2016 and 2017, a pattern repeated on coral reefs around the world.

- CNN

overheard (repost)

HIM: "I've been to resorts all over the world -- and some have been multi-million dollar resorts! -- but none have been as amazing as Paya Bay. This place is AMAZING!"

HER: "I think this is the most beautiful place I've been in my life!"

- guest comments overheard (repost)

My response to such nice client feedback is: "This property is naturally beautiful. It is the handiwork of the Universe. All we have really done is acknowledge, appreciate, and create access to all the natural beauty that surrounds us."

overheard

I've been to resorts all over the world -- and some have been multi-million dollar resorts! -- but none have been as amazing as Paya Bay. This place is AMAZING!

I think this is the most beautiful place I've been in my life!

- guest comments overheard this afternoon

My response to such nice client feedback is: "This property is naturally beautiful. It is the handiwork of the Universe. All we have really done is acknowledge, appreciate, and create access to all the natural beauty that surrounds us."

world’s largest marine park in the southern ocean

A landmark international agreement to create the world’s largest marine park in the Southern Ocean has been brokered in Australia, following five years of compromises and failed negotiations. Over 1.5m sq km of the Ross Sea around Antarctica will be protected under the deal brokered between 24 countries and the European Union. It means 1.1m sq km of it – an area about the size of France and Spain combined – will be set aside as a no-take “general protection zone,” where no fishing will be allowed at all.

- The Guardian

air panama: san josé to roatan starting in november

An alliance between Air Panama and the Honduras’ Tourism Board will allow Costa Ricans to travel from San José to Roatán in Honduras with just one stop in Panama. This possibility will be available with two flights a week, Thursdays and Sundays during high season, starting November 15 and extending through February 28, 2017. “The two times a week frecuency allows the Costa Rican public to buy packages of three, four or seven nights and get to know this destination during the summer time”, said Maru Gálvez, Strategy Manager at Air Panama.

- The Costa Rica Star

Obviously, the same flight will serve passengers from Panama City's Tocumen International Airport (PTY) as well.

air transat: quebec city to roatan starting in december

There’s another new way to get to the Caribbean island of Roatan. Canadian tour operator Transat, has announced plans to add direct flights from Quebec City to Roatan beginning in December. That’s in addition to Spirit’s existing flights from Montreal and Toronto to Roatan. Transat Tours and Sunwing Vacations already offer flights to Honduras from major Canadian cities, having sold an estimated 15,000 packages to Honduras.

- Caribbean Journal 

papahānaumokuākea

In a gesture that speaks to his legacy of conservation, President Barack Obama traveled Thursday to a remote spit of sand and coral in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, to see for himself the very monument that six days earlier he quadrupled to create the largest protected marine area on the planet. Air Force One touched down on picturesque Midway Atoll ― the site of a deadly and decisive battle six months after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor ― at approximately 11:30 a.m. local time, according to a White House press pool report. After Obama “emerged from the plane smiling and wearing sunglasses,” the press pool noted, he was greeted by the atoll’s 40 inhabitants. The president then paid a visit to the Battle of Midway memorial before delivering a short statement at Turtle Beach.

- Huffington Post

I love me some Barack Obama. The best Leader of the Free World evah!

obama creates world's largest marine protected area

President Barack Obama on Friday expanded a national monument off the coast of Hawaii, creating a safe zone for tuna, sea turtles and thousands of other species in what will be the world's largest marine protected area. Obama's proclamation quadrupled in size a monument originally created by President George W. Bush in 2006. The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument will contain some 582,578 square miles, more than twice the size of Texas.

- ABC News

peace in colombia!

"We have won the most beautiful of battles, that of peace for Colombia," rebel negotiator Ivan Marquez told reporters in Havana, where the talks took place. "With this agreement, we can proclaim the end of war with arms and the start of the contest of ideas."

A historic day!

hope illustrated

Source: politico.com

efaristó universo!

We are very fortunate. Tropical Storm Earl tracked a few crucial kilometers farther north of the Bay Islands even as it intensified into hurricane strength before making landfall in Belize. We were only affected by the outer bands of the storm. We are happy and grateful to report we experienced virtually no damage here at Paya Bay. Our thoughts and best wishes go out to our neighbors in Belize who had to absorb the brunt of this storm. I took these photos as I inspected the property early this morning (note that the shade curtains were proactively removed from the cabanas in Buccaneer Landing to prevent damage to them). *Efaristó is how one says thank you in Greek.

Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

senator rubio on honduras

...After spending time last week in Honduras, I am encouraged by promising signs that the country's trajectory is on the right path, with violence still too high but down significantly, and the United States having a real partner in the Honduran government and people. For the United States, our interests in Honduras are clear: to see a safe and prosperous Honduras with a thriving economy based on manufacturing, tourism and agriculture. Ensuring that the U.S. government's Alliance for Prosperity is well funded, and that those funds are properly apportioned to enhance security, incentivize programs that help reduce the levels of corruption, and provide economic opportunities that combat poverty must be a priority for Congress and the administration this year. A special focus on Central America is warranted considering our national interests in this hemisphere.

- U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, The Miami Herald

600-mile-long reef discovered at the mouth of the amazon

Oceanographer Patricia Yager has been studying the Amazon River plume—where nearly one-fifth of the world’s river water discharge gushes into the Atlantic Ocean—for the past 15 years. But even with her level of expertise, she was shocked by the discovery of a 600-mile-long reef below the murky waters off Brazil’s northern coastline, stretching from the French Guiana border to Brazil’s Maranhão state. More than 73 species of fish, spiny lobsters, sea stars, 60 species of sponges, and even invertebrate species not yet identified were discovered living along the reef, according to a study published Friday in the journal Science Advances. “‘Astounded’ is really the word,” said Yager, an associate professor of marine sciences at the University of Georgia and coauthor of the study. “It’s so muddy there, you just assume that it all ends up resting on the sea floor. There’s no way coral could survive down there, but it’s there.”

- Yahoo News

Wow! Life is nothing if not tenacious. This gives me hope for our much abused and injured planet.

winning awards

We just received notice from Tripadvisor that we've been awarded the 2016 Travelers' Choice Award, the travel company's highest honor. We also received the award in 2015!

winning awards

We just received notice from Tripadvisor that we've been awarded the 2016 Travelers' Choice Award, the travel company's highest honor. We also received the award in 2015!

paya in the press

Vera says don’t expect Roatan to be a place like Cozumel, Cabo or the Grand Caymans. Similar to what I said in my post about Cuba, you should visit Roatan to see it before it is transformed beyond recognition by tourism. “Roatan is largely undiscovered by the international travel community, and because of that, it’s less developed than more well-known destinations. That is changing quickly, but Roatan is still relatively raw and rough around the edges when it comes to infrastructure. Really, that’s what gives the island it’s charm and character though. You’d be hard pressed to find a more authentic Caribbean experience, and it’s still cheap!”

- WeTravel article

Christina included two photos taken at Paya Bay in her article: