Cyprus is a paradise island that sits far off in the eastern Mediterranean, a place where there is a growing and thriving diving scene as more and more people become tuned in to the fact that the diving here is every bit as good as that offered in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and South Pacific.Why dive in Cyprus?While seasoned scuba-divers have traditionally made their way to the Red Sea resorts of Sharm El Sheikh and Dahab in Egypt, or Eilat in Israel, the waters of the eastern Mediterranean ...
Using US Dollars on Roatan
So, you're coming to Roatan? Great! You want to use US dollars? Make sure you read this post, because - newsflash - US dollars are not the local currency, and there are some caveats to using USD here.sourceYes, you can use US dollars.I've never run into a business here that won't accept US dollars as payment. Most places even have the prices listed in both US dollars and lempira (the Honduran currency - 'lemps' or 'lps' for short). It's a good idea to know the current exchange rate ...
Bets & Dives at Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas
Just off the shore of Nassau in the Bahamas is a breathtakingly beautiful island known as Paradise Island, and if you’ve ever been, you know that this destination truly lives up to its name. Paradise Island is primarily known for its resort Atlantis, a utopian dream composed of an expansive water park, pools, its beautiful beach, an aquarium and casinos. And with the Bahamas being rated as one of the top ten places for big animal encounters, the hotel readily provides you access to all of the ...
Roatan Roundup: Month 37
Well, I've made it past the three year mark and things just keep rolling along, so here we are recapping month 37 on this little Caribbean island.What's new?I've been diving here and there, I've been taking trips with my friends to explore new places on Roatan above and below the water, and I've been writing A TON. You'll see below in the 'Posts From This Month' section that I think I've broken my record. I kind of feel like they should count for double too, because either a Windows 10 ...
A Daytrip to Old Port Royal
One thing I find both terrible and embarrassing is that on a tiny island like Roatan, it has taken me YEARS to get to some of the destinations around here. To be fair, for most of the year, I spend 6 days a week, 9+ hours a day at a dive shop or on a dive boat or underwater, so I don't have a lot of free time. But lately I have been graced with plenty of it, so when my friends put together a motorcycle day trip to Old Port Royal, or 'the end of the road' (literally), I jumped at the chance to ...
Clinica Esperanza – Roatan’s Clinic of Hope
Many people coming to Roatan are eager to help the island in some way, and often will message me before their trip asking what they can do or bring to help. Today I'd like to highlight Clinica Esperanza, more commonly known on the island as Ms. Peggy's Clinic, which is just one of many deserving organizations on the island that can always use a little help.Clinica Esperanza provides low-cost/no-cost medical care to the island, including pediatric care, dentistry, walk-in care and women's ...
How Westerners Can Succeed When Working In The Middle East
As the social and economic climate of the Middle East is changing, more and more people are moving there for work. They’re finding themselves immersed in a very different way of life, unlike that presented by most tourist brochures. Outside the resorts, away from days spent in museums or on tourist trails, what is life there really like? For some people – those ready to fully embrace the experience – it’s a voyage of discovery more exciting than any vacation.Coping with relocationAny major ...
Spotlight: Hostel La Vista – My Favorite Hostel in San Pedro, Belize
With more and more people on Roatan having to do visa runs, finding affordable options to get off the island for a few days is a hot topic of conversation these days on my rock. Just getting out of here takes either a lot of time (by boat and bus) or a lot of money (by plane), so the idea is to go as close as possible to places that can be enjoyed cheaply for a few days. I've taken two trips so far this year that could work well for visa runs - you can read full rundowns of my Miami Beach, ...
Roatan Review: La Casita
The latest addition to my Roatan Review series is: La Casita!I was really bummed when one of my fave restaurants, Bay Islands Original Cafe, closed just a few months after I did a review. Such is life on Roatan though - as people come and go, so do businesses.After a couple months, I found out two of my friends had taken over the space and had something really special planned for it. Slowly but surely, La Casita was born.Alejandra and Andres have created a zen little oasis just a few ...
Roatan Visa Runs: Ambergris Caye, Belize
[See the rundown of Visa Run #1: Miami Beach here.]On the long list of things I say and then never do, 'leave Roatan permanently before being forced into visa runs' was close to the top. I have my Honduran residency - so these are trips that could be used as visa runs. One day I'll write a post about it. Today is not that day, so please don't ask. Short version: you need an immigration lawyer and lots of time + money.I've spoken quite a bit on the blog about visa runs/residency/etc. and ...