The Honduran Preacherman
I was travelling on a bus recently in Honduras – we were on our way into San Pedro Sula and the early morning traffic was terrible. A well dressed man in a white shirt, well pressed trousers and slick black hair climbed on clutching a well worn, hard backed book. He shook hands with the […]
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Roatan, The Bay Islands
Roatan is the largest of the Bay islands at 40miles long, with a beautiful mountainous backbone and a shoreline dotted with white sandy beaches and small Garifuna communities. The topography reminds me of the lush green rugged beauty of the Caribbean islands of St Lucia and Montserrat. Of course the great thing about Roatan is […]
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Hacienda San Lucas, Copan
The northern Honduras landscape on the road to Copan is mountainous and home to many cattle ranches. We stayed in a 100 year old Hacienda which was now mostly given over to Cacao plantations. The interior of the main house had been beautifully renovated in a style which is rustic, simple yet truly elegant.
Read moreCopan – the Paris of the Mayan World
Many people describe Copan as the artistic centre of the Mayan world. I read a great analogy today – comparing Tikal to Copan, the writer suggested that if Tikal is the ‘New York’ then Copan is the ‘Paris’ of cities in the Western world. Having now visited Copan, I think that is a true insight. […]
Read moreThe Rio Dulce, Guatemala
I am delighted to tell you that the Rio Dulce (meaning sweet river) is indeed magical. As the river curves its way through the Southern Guatemalan countryside you are struck by the drama, intrigue and beauty of the landscape. Unlike other rivers we have been on in the region, the waters of the Dulce are flanked […]
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On the road to Toledo…
On the road into Guatemala’s Toledo district, we saw several Menonnite’s on route to markets with their horse and cart laden down with bags of produce. The fact that they produce around 70% of Belize’s fresh produce is quite astounding. Its clear that we were moving into a poorer area of the country – the houses […]
Read moreMaking Chocolate in Toledo
Learning how to make chocolate at a family home in Toledo was a memorable experience. We adored the daughter who was our host. She had a lascivious smile and a naughty glint in her eye as showed us how to ground the cacao beans and urged us to taste the rich dark chocolate at every […]
Read moreSeduction techniques in the tropics
It’s certainly an interesting decision to have only small double beds in the rooms at the Blancaneaux and Turtle Inn properties. Apparently, he was questioned on exchanging the doubles for queen beds earlier this year and his firm was unequivocal. We learnt that with these two hotels already gaining renown as popular honeymoon destinations, Francis […]
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Sophia Coppola’s new beach house at Turtle Inn
Sophia Coppola is having a new home built on the edge of the Turtle Inn Placencia property for when she comes here on holiday. It’s a contemporary wooden building on stilts and some might say it feels rather Scandinavian in style with its simple, clean lines. Ready in about 3 months time, it will also […]
Read moreSex and rock n roll? No thanks..
Many of the men in this part of the world travel illegally to the US to make some money for their families. They pay approx $1000 per person to a ‘leader’ who guides them across the border safely. Unfortunately we heard about one Belizian guy who was caught as they hiked for 4 hours under […]
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