Am I over traveling?

I’ve ridden in chicken buses, tuk-tuks, cattle trucks, and motos all over the world.  I’ve stayed in bungalows on the ocean, shotgun shacks, mud-brick huts, and even 5-star hotels.  Yet lately, all I want to do is go home for Christmas.  I have met so many people while traveling who don’t talk to their family, [...]

High Heels in the Jungle

I dream about wearing classy boots with a cute pea coat, hot stilettos with a mini skirt, or peep toe heels with a little black dress.  I fantasize about slipping into a classy pair of heels, putting on some bright red lipstick, and slipping out the door for a night on the town.
Unfortunately, dreams of [...]

Simply Amazing

I don’t really want to ruin these images with words, but I will simply say that this was a bizarre effect I witnessed while riding a boat back to my hotel in Rio Dulce a few days ago.  It was simply beautiful, like so many things I witness here.  Half the sky was pink and [...]

Pirate’s Cove

Arrrr!!!  Shiver me timbers!!!!  They’ve got cannons this time, all hands on deck you swashbuckling fools!  As I peered out from behind the cannons at the Castillo de San Felipe, overlooking the vast Lago Izabal and the mouth of Rio Dulce, I could picture the pirates shaking in their boots.  The castle, built in the [...]

A girl can dream…

Caught this cutie playing with her dolls on the beach the other day.  She was adorable and just enjoying her afternoon like all children should- playing with her toys.  Unfortunately, for too many children around the world playing and toys are luxuries they simply can’t afford.

Walking home that very same afternoon, I watched a young [...]

Lago Izabal

The largest lake in Guatemala, Lago Izabal is a magnificent expanse of water, surrounded by lush jungle and high mountains.  It is beautiful, and the center of one of the most important watersheds in Central America.  Yet it is being polluted at an increasingly alarming rate, and I wonder who will protect this natural beauty [...]

Rainy Sunday

It’s hurricane season around here, and last Sunday was a particularly gloomy day.  The lone King Fisher at the end of this dock seemed to only echo my loneliness, gazing out at the eternal horizon and asking, is this all there is?

Daily Dose of Inspiration

I’ll admit, my job can be extremely stressful.  Trying to organize local business people and combat problems like the massive amounts of garbage that wash up on the beach, the high levels of crime, etc etc … well it all gets to me and keeps me awake at night.  Yet a few days ago I [...]

My Front Porch

Ok except for the barbed wire (this is Guatemala after all) you have to admit that my front porch ROCKS.

The Green Caribbean

Izabal, the region where I work, has more protected areas than any other region in Guatemala.  Called the Caribe Verde, or the Green Caribbean, it abounds with breathtaking scenery as far as the eye can see. Part river, part bay, part jungle, and part ocean, Izabal is a unique area teaming with wildlife and inhabited [...]