This is not the first time Roatan has tried to kill me.There was the entire first year that I was here and had allergic reactions to the sandflies and mosquitoes, had several staph infections in the bites on my legs and earned the somewhat unsavory local nickname of 'Sore Legs' from the islanders....There was the time I fell down a concrete ramp...There's been a few more I haven't mentioned due to legal issues and/or my mom's sanity.But this one has been the worst. You guys, I got ...
Life
Bucket List Destination: Portugal
Many of my favorite travel bloggers have raved about traveling through Portugal. The culture, the food, the gorgeous coastline – Portugal is a country that has something for everyone.Even scuba diving! (I had to check into that, of course. Looks chilly but interesting!)sourcePortugal has been on my bucket list for a very long time for one huge reason: my grandparents spend the winter months there every year and have been doing so for over a decade. I would love to be able to go over ...
Two Years as a Scuba Diving Instructor in Paradise
You guys. I've been a dive instructor for two years today. TWO YEARS. What the hell!? Where has all this time gone? I feel like I was just writing about how I wasn't sure I'd even get my other courses done in time to do my instructor course. And now I've been teaching people how to dive for two effin years already!the first day of my instructor course in october 2012... so happy that i am still in touch with all my fellow candidates!I have written a few posts about being a ...
New Tourist Visa Procedures on Roatan
had mentioned the new-ish Honduran visa procedures in a previous post, but I am getting asked a lot of questions from readers planning to visit, move to, invest in, or retire to Roatan.Let me first be VERY CLEAR that I am not an expert, a lawyer or any other kind of official. I am simply someone 'on the ground' who has been through the procedures and has seen how it has been working since it's been put in place (late August 2014). I am also not making any sort of statement of what I ...
Roatan Month 26 Roundup
After month 25 coming to you from Canada, this month's roundup is actually coming from Roatan once again.I am happily settling back in my little life on the island. While I picked a fairly terrible time to come back work-wise (this is the slowest time of year and won't pick up again until Christmas) I am hoping I can scrape by until high season starts.The 5 weeks I spent in Canada were, as always, never long enough to see everyone I wanted to. Sorry to anyone who I missed. Having spent ...
On Being A Chameleon
I've been back on Roatan for a week now (a very busy week! more about this later!) and absence really does make the heart grow fonder. While I am already missing good sushi and fast internet, I am relishing every walk I take down the street that takes me 20 extra minutes because I have so many people to say hi to. Being back underwater has been immensely helpful in getting my stress levels in regular parameters, and I've been lucky to be diving with a shop this week that is...wait for it... AIR ...
Time to Go Again: Canada Highlights
How does time go so quickly here? Is it because I spend every waking hour eating or being constantly lost in thought about what I want to eat before my time is up and I'm off again to the land of the worst food ever? (Hint: possibly.)It's been five weeks since I came to Canada and I am out of here today.While my friends and family were all so, so lovely for hosting me during this trip, I can't wait to get back home, get underwater on a dive, and sleep in my own king-size bed...mosquitoes not ...
How Taking a Walk at Night Was a Revelation
The other night I felt like taking a walk.I used to walk everywhere before I moved to Roatan. When I lived in Vancouver, one of the biggest cities in Canada, I regularly walked to/from work downtown to the neighborhood I lived in (Kitsilano). I walked home drunk by myself from downtown after going to the bar with friends. I walked to concerts, dinner dates and shopping. I never had a problem in 5 years of living there, and I never felt unsafe.When I first moved to Roatan it was a ...
Roatan Month 25 Roundup
Month 25 is coming to you live from CANADA!I guess the post title is a little misleading, because I'm still hanging out in the great white north for a couple more weeks. (And it's literally the great white north right now... it's already snowing in some parts of Canada, and it looks like I may see some snow for the first time in over 3 years. Not that excited about it.) It has been wonderful eating all my favorite food - did you know there are bacon poutine chips now? - and seeing ...
The Definitive Guide to an Incredible Weekend in Ucluelet, BC
I have mentioned a few times here on the blog that I am an island girl at heart - yes, I love my little rock in the Caribbean that I live on, but I was actually born on an island! Vancouver Island, to be exact. I'm currently in Canada for a 5-week break from Roatan, and when one of my best friends offered to have me come out to Vancouver Island and stay for a long weekend in Ucluelet, one of my fave little towns in Canada, I jumped at the chance.Ucluelet (you-kloo-let), or more ...