photo of the day

These bromeliads (also known as 'air plants' because they are very low maintenance and seem to survive on just air and sunshine) seem quite happy on this scrawny branch. Photo taken from the new Sky Trail. Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

challenges are opportunities in disguise

The fastest way to become the Master of your thoughts and emotions is through challenging situations. If your life is going along fairly smoothly, there are not the same opportunities that enable you to strengthen your power and become the Master of your thoughts and emotions.

You see, even challenges are beautiful opportunities in disguise.

- lessons from The Secret

Wow. This lesson is very timely for me right now. I'm being strongly challenged by my relationship with my father.

hiking up picacho

Ramón leads special guests Ellen and Hans on a hike of Picacho, the highest peak on eastern Roatan. Here they can be seen as they depart the resort.

The hike up and down the peak takes approximately two hours.

Picacho, as seen from Paya Bay.

water taxi tour

Special guests Ellen, Diana, and Mike board Emerald's (in jeans) 'folkloric' water taxi in Oak Ridge, Roatan for a trip through this charming island town and its mangrove canals.

With its unique pizzazz, Emerald's water taxi is widely sought after by visitors to Oak Ridge.

photo of the day

Guests enjoy the plunge pool on Bliss Beach. Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

can you say "feliz cumpleaños"?

Come on! Vamonos! My niece, Jasmine (a.k.a. "Jazz"), turned 8 today and got a "Dora, The Explorer" piñata for her birthday (thank you "Tia" Ana and Isabel!)  

As Dora would say, "We did it! We did it! HOORAY!!!!"

sunsets at paya

My friend Michelle and I pose for a sunset photo in the plunge pool on Bliss Beach. Note the magnificent sunset behind us.

Photo: Dawn Hines.

what the sun sounds like

Musical sounds created by longitudinal vibrations within the sun's atmosphere have been recorded and accurately studied for the first time by experts at the University of Sheffield, shedding light on the sun's magnetic atmosphere.

Not surprising that it sounds like a symphony. [article]

intentions for each new day

Another easy way to use the law of attraction for your benefit is this:

Every night before you fall asleep, replay in your mind the good moments of the day, and give heartfelt thanks for each one of them. Think about the next day also, and intend that it is going to be amazing, that it is going to be filled with love and joy, and that all good is coming to you. Intend that it is going to be the best day of your life. Then when you wake in the morning, BEFORE you get out of bed, declare your intentions again for the day and give deep thanks as though you have received them all.

- lessons from The Secret

payarazzi (june 19, 2010)

Various guests enjoying Saturday evening at Paya Bay.

quote of the day

As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise might.

- Marian Anderson

photo of the day

Guests snorkel in Lagoon Aqua, a quiet lagoon with beautiful water on the leeward side of the Paya Peninsula. Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

"redshanks"

A name usually associated with a bird, Roatanians call these red-legged crabs "redshanks" as well.  The Wetlands Reserve at Paya Bay provides habitat for hundreds (thousands?) of these colorful crabs.

A zoomed-in closeup of one of the crabs.

the speech Obama should have given

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

1. "Never again, will any company, anyone, be allowed to drill in a location where they are incapable of dealing with the potential consequences of that drilling."
2. "I'm announcing a new federal command specifically for containment and cleanup of oil that has already entered the Gulf of Mexico, with a priority on protecting shoreline that can still be saved; shoreline that is vulnerable to oil that has not yet been hit."
3. "I no longer say that we must get off oil like every president before me has said too. I no longer say that we must get off oil. We will get off oil and here's how: The United States Senate will pass an energy bill. This year."

Rachel Maddow is fantastic!

world cup: honduras 0 - chile 1

Handicapped by the absence of three of its star offensive players (all out with injuries), a decimated  "La H" lost by one goal to the Chileans today in its debut in the 2010 World Cup.  Unexpectedly, "powerhouse" Spain lost to Switzerland 0-1 as well. Honduras plays Spain next (June 21), in what is a must win for both Group H teams.

bliss beach project advances

With its terraced, multi-level, eco-sensitive approach, the Bliss Beach project (a lounge area and beach bar) is one of the most cutting-edge and exciting projects on Roatan's East End.  We are pushing hard to have the project completed by the end of August, 2010.

chillin'

Special guests Cheryl and Rod relax in the hammocks hung in a grove of palm trees on Bliss Beach. Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

Obstacles will look large or small to you according to whether you are large or small.

- Orison Sweet Marden

gratitude is vital

It is so important that you are grateful for everything in your life. Many people focus on the one thing they want and then forget to be grateful for all the things they have. Without gratitude you cannot achieve anything through the law of attraction, because if you are not emanating gratitude from your being, then by default you are emanating ungratefulness. Be proactive and use the frequency of your being to receive what you want.

- lessons from The Secret

luckovich

Courtesy of the Atlanta Jounal-Constitution.

q-eye for the resort

The new stone work in the cliff bungalow baths is looking awesome! There is a plan in action to continue converting all baths on the property to this more raw and native look and feel.

quote of the day

Little minds attain and are subdued by misfortunes; but great minds rise above them.

- Washington Irving

fun summer

Special guests Michelle and Alex enjoy some cold cervezas at the plunge pool on Bliss Beach. Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

photo of the day

Paya Bays's Zen Path, a low-impact trail that runs along the cliff top, is an immersion in natural beauty that will invariably lift your spirit.

quote of the day

Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstance.

- Bruce Barton

world cup: "la H" arrives

Team Honduras, known by its nickname "La H" (pronounced la AH-che), arrived in South Africa yesterday for the World Cup. Their first match is against Chile on June 16th. The Honduran team is considered the underdog in its group, which includes Chile, Holland, and powerhouse Spain. This is only Honduras's second appearance in the World Cup (the first time was in 1982). All Hondurans are hoping for a surprise performance by the national team. Vamos Selección!

Photo: El Heraldo

quote of the day

I try that tomorrow isn't another yesterday... you should, either.

- from REDonion's profile. Huh?

photo of the day

The clifftop bungalows as seen from the main deck. Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

Sec. Clinton: readmit Honduras to the OAS

Our ongoing discussions about Honduras makes clear the urgency of this agenda. As we emphasized, when the United States along with the rest of the hemisphere condemned the coup in Honduras, these interruptions of democracy should be completely relegated to the past. And it is a credit to this organization that they have become all but nonexistent in the Americas. Now it is time for the hemisphere, as a whole, to move forward and welcome Honduras back into the inter-American community.

- U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, speaking at the annual meeting of OAS foreign secretaries in Lima, Peru.

Honduras was suspended from the organization after last year's removal of Manuel Zelaya from the presidency for violating the country's constitution in his attempt to remain in power and change our form of government. The reincorporation of Honduras to the OAS is opposed by several socialist, leftist and left-leaning hemispheric governments.

the power of visualization

When you close your eyes and you visualize having money and imagine doing all the things you want with that money, you are creating a new reality. Your subconscious mind and the law of attraction do not know whether you are imagining something or whether it is real. And so when you imagine, the law of attraction receives those thoughts and images as though you were actually living them, and it must return those visions to you.

When you are in the place where what you are imagining feels real, you will know that it has penetrated your subconscious mind, and the law of attraction must deliver it.

- lessons from The Secret

photo of the day

Guests enjoy cool tropical drinks as they take in the view from the main deck. Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

heartbreaking photos from the Gulf

More here (if you dare). Apparently, even if these birds are 'cleaned' their survival rate is extremely low. The toxicity of the ingested oil and the stress of being captured and handled by humans is just too much for them. This is such a sad, sad, sad situation. Photo courtesy of AP.

coast guard

Lucky seems to consider all the waters surrounding the Paya peninsula as part of his territory and he's dedicated to patrolling them. In these photos he swims near Buccaneer Landing.

yep...

...it's definitely going to be a fun summer at Paya Bay! Guests frolic in the plunge pool on Bliss Beach.

the summer deal

It's gonna be a fun summer at Paya Bay Resort! More info on this deal here.

P.S. A popular misconception, it doesn't get stifling hot on Roatan in the summer. The 15 mph tradewinds constantly cool the island, keeping temps about 8 degrees cooler than the published "high," particularly on the windward side of the island, and that's where we are, baby!

bliss captured

Special guests Joe and David of Ft. Lauderdale enjoy the sunset while relaxing in the plunge pool on Bliss Beach. Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Honduras.

A blissful moment. This is David and Joe's second trip to Paya.

photo of the day

Pigeon Cay, an optional excursion offered by Paya Bay Resort. Roatan, Honduras.