going underground: the cave at paya

Our amazing property at Paya Bay Resort even has a little cave! A few days ago I took my camera underground.

Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

the buyandi: london's new nude restaurant

A new pop-up restaurant in London called The Bunyadi will give diners the option to chow down in the buff starting in June. Launched by Lollipop, the creators of “Breaking Bad”-inspired bar ABQ, the spot will “take diners to a beginning where everything was fresh, free and unadulterated from the trappings of modern life,” according to a press release. “The Bunyadi plans to use only the most natural, home-grown ingredients to envelope its patrons in a Pangea-like world, free from phones, electric lights and even clothing,” the release explained.

- NY Daily News

The last time I checked their website the waiting list was up to 36,700! I suspect my awesome London friends will be partaking in this experience. :)

filming

The crew filming the movie Un Lugar en el Caribe returned to Paya Bay yesterday to do more work. In these pictures they are in the Secret Cove area.

Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

jordan found his elizabeth!

Jordan Axani planned to travel around the world with his girlfriend Elizabeth Gallagher, until they broke up. Now, he'll embark on Sunday on the circumnavigation with Elizabeth Gallagher. No need for a double-take: The name may be the same, but the person answering to it isn't. Axani had booked his-and-her airline tickets in his name -- and his girlfriend's, he said. So, after his ex went overboard, he had to find a new co-passenger with the same name, he said, because the tickets were non-transferable. Axani is Canadian, as is his ex, so the new Elizabeth Gallagher needed to be, too, to make the switch work.

- CNN

See how this relates to Paya Bay.

jerry's giftshop, st. helene

Located on the main street in St. Helene (an island adjacent to Roatan), Jerry's Gift Shop is a must-stop for visitors to the island. The eight foot by eight foot rustic shack is as much a curiosity as Jerry's handcrafted souvenirs. Meeting and chatting with Jerry gives a lot of insight into the island's unique culture.

St. Helene, Bay Islands of Honduras. A boat trip to this interesting island is offered as an excursion option at Paya Bay Resort.

the fascinating case of jordan axani

If your name is Elizabeth Gallagher, have a Canadian passport and love to travel, then a plane ticket for a trip around the world is waiting for you. The only catch is that you will have to travel with the ex-boyfriend of the original Elizabeth Gallagher who was scheduled to make the same trip with the then-love of her life. The plane ticket has been put up for grabs by Jordan Axani, a 28-year-old Toronto man who has started a social media firestorm with his offer. Axani posted the offer on Reddit Monday, explaining that he had booked the trip back in March with Gallagher, they have since broken up and the tickets are, “frankly so cheap and on so many different airlines that they're not worth the headache or money to cancel.” Axani’s around-the-world trip will start Dec. 21, in New York City and continue on to Milan, Prague, Paris, Bangkok and New Delhi before ending in Toronto Jan. 8. Axani wrote in his Reddit post that he is “not looking for anything in return” and that the person who uses the extra ticket can choose to either travel with him or take the ticket and go on her own.

- Yahoo News

The Paya Bay Connection. Mr. Axani was recently at Paya Bay Resort and posted the above photo (taken on the resort's grounds) on his Facebook timeline.

People around the world have recognized the landscape behind Mr. Axani as being Paya Bay and have forwarded us this scoop multiple times! Guess it's a small Facebook world...

flying to honduras

She said: ‘Having not seen the rainbow with my naked eye, when I saw it in the shot I was stunned. At first I thought it was caused by the polarised plane window or jet fuel vapour.
[..]
The shot was taken over the Caribbean as Ms Rensen, from London, Ontario, flew to Honduras.

- metro.co.uk

good omen

A hummingbird recently decided to build her nest in a decorative branch located under the Black Iguana's giant palapa roof. Mom, a hummingbird aficionado, says it's a good omen.

Paya Bay Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

exclusive inclusive

This is the most exclusive inclusive place on Roatan.

- Rob, a Paya Bay guest

crazy russian hacker

Yikes!

video: the unseen universe

interesting perspective

Why would a "loving" god create a world of such suffering? God did not just create mankind, it created the animal world as well. And it is only in the last hundred years or so has mankind been able to mitigate the worst of suffering. And man has existed for at least 150 thousand years. Thanks god!

Almost all animals die screaming in fear and agony. They know fear and suffering just as humans do, but they do not aspire to heaven.

But it is worse than that. Religion - Jewish and Muslim - requires that animals - even those bred to die - die screaming in fear and agony as ordained by the god-thing. Halal and kosher meat has to come from animals slaugtered slowly and painfully. Again, what kind of god wants that? What kind of decent human being wants that?

- Response from reader "oldman" to this telegraph.co.uk article.

wow! impressive clarity!

island cowboys

Roatan, Bay Islands of Honduras.

black is the new black

This is an interesting series of photographs. I took them from the shore at Paya Bay. Apparently, the motor of these guys' cayuco had quit working or they ran out of fuel. Anyway, they are paddling back home from a fishing trip (most likely heading to the Garífuna town of Punta Gorda, which is about 3 miles from this spot). I was struck by the unusual coincidence that all the passengers were wearing black clothing in a cayuco also painted black. There was something very Hollywood-esque and Pirates of the Caribbean about this scene.

Note how the guy on the bow of the cayuco is using a long stick to help push the cayuco home. I suspect that the kid standing on the stern, besides enjoying the ride from a great vantage point, is also helping his boat mates identify and avoid shallow reefs and hazardous coral heads.

At this speed, home is still -- I'd estimate -- two hours away for these guys.

making coconut oil

Under the shade of a seagrape tree, Ms. Lucinda husks coconuts to be used in making coconut oil. The mature coconuts are collected on Paya Bay's property. In exchange for processing the nuts, Ms. Lucinda gets 50% of the resulting product to sell, supplementing her income. Paya Bay Resort gets fresh, aromatic, organic coconut oil to use in specific recipes in our kitchen.

interesting

Source: The Sun (UK)

transit of venus

This photo of the Transit of Venus 2012 was taken by Honduran space scientists today.  ("Honduran space scientists"?! Who knew we had 'em?!)

Photo: faces.unah.edu.hn

ok

video: the last human on earth

The last human? What a mind-challenging concept! Superb cinematography. Watch in fullscreen if possible.