SeveraHigh season in Roatan has wound down, so I was able to head over to Guanaja for a longer visit, a bit of time to myself.  Kipp had been planning to come back (he'd gone to Nicaragua to visit friends) and join me for a week in Guanaja, but then ended up being delayed, and then canceling his return as he had to go back to work.
My friend Alex decided to join me for the 1st weekend, so we headed out on the ferry on Friday, Angela dropped us off at the ferry dock, loaded with groceries and a few tools.  I had messaged Derrick to see if he could get me a bit of lumber and sheetrock for projects that I had planned with Kipp- closing in the bathroom, hanging the door, and putting in some shelving (Derrick had to order them in from the mainland, so I had arranged them when Kipp was still planning to come).  Derrick couldn't pick Alex and me up, but he sent his son to meet us off the ferry with the supplies.   We stopped to grab some ice (yay!  they had some), and then headed off to the cabin.
After everything got unloaded from the boat, I spent a bit of time getting the cabin straightened up (lots of rodent poop), and putting things away.  Alex went to the dock to go fishing, and caught us a bunch of fish for dinner. 
On Sat, Alex did more fishing, and I took out the kayak around to the little cove that I like.  I went in to snorkel for awhile, but the water was a bit cloudy,. When I got back a few hours later, Alex had caught more fish, and cooked up fried fish and rice- so great!  In the afternoon, he reconfigured the division to the future bathroom to make a doorway, and hung the couple sheets of sheetrock I had picked up.  There wasn't enough time to work on putting up the door, as I wanted him to come kayak for awhile too.  We kayaked up the beach to the north of us, and went for a swim right around sunset.
Sunday morning, Derrick's son Marvick came to pick up Alex to take him to the ferry to head back to Roatan.  I had asked for more ice, but there was none.  He did bring me more water, and a couple rat traps, but glue ones (I hate those, I think they're terrible, but I guess there were no snap traps, and Jose asked me not to put out the poison I brought, as he was worried that his cats might eat a poisoned rat).
I had still thought at that point that Kipp would be coming out at some point in the week, but shortly after Alex left, he messaged that he wouldn't be able to, so I'd just be on my own (well, not completely on my own, as Jose's around most of the time).  I also knew I'd be getting a visit at some point from Cindy, who had been a hostel guest in January.  She was in Guanaja with her husband on their sailboat, and I had brought her a package that a friend brought down for her.  We made plans for Tues.  She said Eric was handy, and could help out with the projects that I had initially planned for Kipp when they came to visit.
On my trip in Feb, I had walked down the beach to the south, and met a new neighbour, Ivan.  I sent him a little hello, and he said his wife was down, and invited me to come meet her and have a sunset drink that evening.  My 1st day on my own and already a social schedule :)  I spent the day relaxing, swimming and reading, and then walked down the beach late afternoon.
I met Tara, and she offered me a drink.  The land they bought (24 acres) includes a few existing cabins, one that they're staying in while they have their house built, and a large common room with kitchen.  They put in solar panels and have a back up generator, so they have a fridge and freezer, which meant a cold drink with ice!  Sometimes it's nice to be without stuff, so that you can truly appreciate it.  We sat and chatted for a few hours, and then I headed home.
At about 4 in the morning, I heard a bunch of noise- I had caught a rat! So gross- I think maybe just his tail got caught, so he was running around dragging the trap.  I called for back up (Jose's been staying under the cabin), and Jose came up and killed it for me, so I was glad I wasn't totally on my own.
I got up for my normal sunrise walk.  Cindy and Eric weren't planning to come over until mid-day, and the water was nice and calm, and much clearer, so I snorkeled out to the reef.  It's far, about a kilometer out, and the area closest to us isn't as impressive as Roatan (there's apparently a 2nd reef farther out, I haven't tried that), but still very beautiful.  
Cindy eventually showed up on a water taxi, with a pineapple and ice, but no Eric.  They had apparently had a harrowing night, with their sailboat dragging anchor.  Cindy looked stressed.  We caught up for a little bit, and I offered her and Linden (her water taxi driver) some vegetable soup I had made.  We went for a swim, and then they headed out.  She said she'd try to make it back over later in the week with Eric.
Wednesday, I tried to repair the stand up paddleboard.  I had brought down aquaseal, and Kipp had advised me to pick up a few clamps, and some paint stir sticks to hold the seam together while the glue dried.  He had marked the leak with an X of tape.  I also started a very brief attempt at building shelves myself, but I'm really awful with a hammer and nails, and the wood was pretty hard for screws and the drill, so I gave up on that one.  By that time, Cindy had messaged that they would be over the next day.
Several hours later, I inflated the paddleboard and gave it a test.  It wasn't leaking in the spot with the x that I had concentrated my repair efforts, but I wasn't sure exactly where it was leaking.  I decided to recruit some help- I attached it to my kayak, stuck in the pump and the glue, and paddled down to the neighbours.
Jacinto (the caretaker for Ivan and Tara's property) helped me figure out where the leak was, which was a few inches from where the X was.  We repeated the gluing efforts, and then left it to dry for the night by their place, and I kayaked back up the beach.  I went back down the next day to test the paddleboard.  In addition to gluing the seam, Jacinto also tried putting on a patch, but it was useless.  I reinflated the board, but I could hear it was still leaking.  I towed it back to my place and gave up on it for this trip.
Tara and Ivan invited me for dinner on Thurs, so I had a full day of events!  Cindy and Eric were planning to come in the morning, but that ended up being delayed til mid-afternoon.  The last few days, they'd had more boat stressors, so I felt a bit bad that Eric was being put to work, but not bad enough to turn down the help :)  Cindy and I chatted while Eric framed in the door and then worked at getting it hung.  Unfortunately that all took quite a lot of time: I was running late for my dinner invite, and they had a water taxi picking them up, so the door didn't get completely installed (hanging on hinges, but doesn't completely close and no door knob yet).  Oh well, at least a few steps forward!
We said hasty goodbyes, and I zipped down the beach to meet up with Tara and Ivan.  We sat on the dock with a sunset drink- it was a bit too hazy for a good sunset, but it was still pretty.  Then we had seafood soup that Ivan had cooked.  It was a really nice evening.
Friday I did more kayaking, swimming, and tidying up the cabin in preparation for my departure.  Tara stopped by in the afternoon for a swim.  They were also heading out on the ferry Sat morning, and then flying back up to Chicago (Ivan just for a week, and Tara for a few months), so they offered me a lift to the ferry dock.
Since the water tank was installed in Feb, there's been hardly any rain, but there was enough water in there that I was able to use the outdoor shower every day and not run out (I do my dishes in salt water so I don't waste my fresh water supply).  On my last night, we had some rain, and some more as we were waiting on the ferry Sat morning, so hopefully that has brought up the level a bit for my next visit.
And just like that, my week escape came to an end!  I'm so thankful for my Guanaja retreat, it really is what I need sometimes :)  I read several books, spent a lot of time meditating on God and all the beauty he created, went to bed early, had lovely morning walks, many hours of hammock time and in the sea.  So very blessed to have our Guanaja paradise!

We hadn't been over to our property in 5 months.  First I was away traveling, then I cam back with a broken rib from a car accident, and then they had stopped running the ferry for low season, so there wasn't an inexpensive way to get over.  And then it was rainy season- rain, and more rain.
Finally when the boys were down for Christmas, we decided we'd go over in a private boat for a couple days.  Auri hadn't yet seen the cabin, and I wanted to install full rain gutters (we just had a little piece of one up), and start sealing some of the gaps along the roofline.
We dropped off stuff, and Deo and Auri rode over to the cay to pick up lumber to seal up the gaps along the roofline.  When they got therr, the hardware store was closed for lunch.  2 hours later, it opened, but had no lumber.  I told them to get whatever they could find (a sheet of plywood) and head on back.
At our land, we saw that the back, marshy part of the land had flooded out- the water came up about 30 feet or so behind the back of the cabin.  Then it rained heavily our first night, and we awoke to water all the way under part of the cabin!
What does one do in this circumstance?  Put in the kayak and go kayaking in the backyard 🤣
The weather was pretty bad for both the days we were over- sometimes just blustery and overcast, and sometimes pouring rain.  

Deo and I took the ferry over for the weekend to do a bit of work on the land.  We borrowed a chainsaw for the trip, and took over a little sander as well.
My weekend project was sanding down the countertop in the kitchen area and sealing it, and Deo's project was taking down some of the scrubby trees that needed to go.  It was his first experience using a chainsaw, so it took a little time to get the hang of it.  Jose came over and helped out, and then made a lot of progress the 2nd day for us.
​We had some time to relax on the dock and do a bit of fishing.  I took the kayak again and did some more adventuring, including a very long kayak around the north side.  We just had 2 nights, so it went by fast!

My friend Kate, along with her husband and daughters all came down to Roatan to visit, so we planned an overnight trip to Guanaja.  Deo is also down, and his friend Sherman agreed to take us over- Deo's first trip to see the cabin!
We had perfect weather for the trip over.  On the way, we made a small detour to Punta Blanca to pick up a kayak that I bought from someone leaving the island.  We continued on our way, and got to Guanaja mid-day, and then spent a little time getting unloaded and settled in.  Our gutter that we had put up last time had done the job- there was a full barrel of water waiting for us!  So exciting, we didn't have to haul any water from the well!
I had never really tried to snorkel out to the reef in front of our place, as Deo and Auri said it was really far.  Since the weather was super calm, we asked Sherman to drop us off at the reef, and we'd snorkel back.  It actually wasn't a bad swim at all, with fins on (probably 1000-1500 meters, but didn't take that long).  The reef was beautiful and healthy.  I'd like to eventually put in a mooring buoy out there, so that people can kayak out, then just hop in to snorkel once they're out there.
After the snorkel, Sherman went to the cay to fuel up.  Kate and I stayed put and did some reading in the hammocks, everyone else went along for the ride, and came back an hour or so later.  
The sunset was incredible.  Most of us went to bed early.  I had brought over a couple more mattresses, so the 2 sets of bunk beds now have them, plus an extra that we put on the floor.  Kate, her family and I slept in the main cabin area.  I put up camping cots for Deo and Sherman in the screened porch, but they ended up going out to the dock to sleep, as even with the screening, they were getting bites.
This last week has been incredibly hot, and the cabin was a bit toasty, especially with so many bodies in it.  I brought the battery bank and 2 usb fans, so Kate and I had a bit of breeze blowing on us.  Despite the heat, we all slept ok.  I was up early for my beach walk, and then went out for a kayak.  Once I got back from that, the rest of the gang were getting up.
Kate and Kevin went out snorkeling again, and then they got packed up and prepared to head out.  Since they were only down for a week, they could just spend 1 night, so Sherman took them home, and Deo and I stayed.
We waved them goodbye, and then Deo helped put some legs on a little table.
Late afternoon, I headed out in the kayak again, this time around the point to the east.  The water was super clear, I could see that there was reef pretty close to shore once I was over around the point- I thought it would make a good spot to try out snorkeling on my next time out (I hadn't put my snorkel stuff in the kayak).
Deo tried fishing, but didn't end up catching anything (except for a baby black tip shark, which he released).  We enjoyed the sunset together on the dock.  
On Saturday afternoon, Deo took a boat over to Mangrove Bight for his fly fishing camp.  I got a lift over, so that I could stop and visit Jerom and Paizley (Jerom was my neighbour in Roatan, but has moved over to Guanaja where his girlfriend lives, and they've just opened a bar).  It was nice seeing their place and visiting.  Jerom gave me a ride back after, and I had my last night in the cabin on my own.
Sunday morning I woke early, kayaked around to the east point, pulled up into a little cove, and then hopped in to snorkel.  The reef in that area was so close, only about 20 feet away, and lots of stuff to see.  
Jose had asked me on Saturday if I wanted to have Watchie, the little dog that used to belong to the caretaker at the end of the beach (the caretaker has left).  I decided I'd like this cute little guy that's been following me around everywhere, so on Sunday when I headed out, I made a make-shift leash with a hammock strap, and loaded him into the water taxi to head to the ferry dock.  Now I have a little part of Guanaja to keep me company in Roatan :)  

I've been promising myself that I'd go over for a longer stay once high season wound down, so this last week, I made good on my promise.  I took the ferry over last Friday with my friend Nikki.  She took the ferry back on Sunday, and I stayed myself for the rest of the week.  
I recently bought an inflatable stand-up paddleboard moving off island, so I brought it along.  We took the large cooler, and bought ice once we got there.  Nikki brought her dog along, so we were fully loaded, between cooler, paddleboard, groceries and pet :)  The water taxi met us at the ferry dock.  We tried a few spots, but everyone was having an ice shortage, we just got 1 bag.  I left money with the water taxi driver, so that he could pick up a couple extra bags to drop off when he returned to pick up Nikki on Sunday.
Our cute little cabin was there waiting for us.  We got unloaded, and put everything away.  We had a couple days enjoying the crystal clear water.  We also met some new neighbours- an Italian guy who owns a lot a few lots down from us (purchased over 25 years ago) has begun clearing his land to start building.  His workers were camping out in a tent.  
On Saturday during the night, the winds picked up.  When we got up in the morning, we weren't sure if the ferry would run, or if the water taxi would come to pick up Nikki, but both confirmed that they were going to.  So we got Nikki packed up and ready to go.  Off she went, and I had the next days all to myself.    Sunday was windy all day, so I started putting wood sealer on the porch walls and floor, and spent the rest of the time curled up in the hammock with a book.
By Monday, the wind was gone, but tons of seaweed had washed ashore.  The water was still pretty stirred up, but it cleared up in the next couple days.  I spent the rest of my week alternating between walks on the beach, applying sealer on the cabin, reading in my hammock, going in the water, and raking up/burning sticks/leaves where we've started to clear in the back.
The week was over before I knew it, time to head back home to reality, but I'll be back soon to my beautiful escape :)

As we still had a few things that Farrel needed to finish at the cabin since the last visit, I had really wanted to get back and see how everything looked.  This week is a huge holiday week, Semana Santa, which meant a different ferry schedule, so it would be possible for me to take the ferry over for a few days.  Even though it's a busy time at the hostel, I decided going over for the start of the week would work.
I was sad not to have my DAM team with me, but I recruited a hostel guest named Kelley to come over with me.  He's here for a month and a half, and was curious about Guanaja.  We caught the ferry on Sat afternoon- it didn't leave til 4, which meant we arrived to Low Cay at about 5:30.  By the time we got our bags and got in the water taxi, it was after 6, which meant darkness was falling as we got dropped off.
We had just enough light to make our way to the cabin.  I've put on a combination padlock, so I opened things up, and we got everything inside and switched on the solar light that we hung up last trip.
The porch had all gotten screened, screens in the windows, bunk beds in place (with ropes, so that the top bunks can be tied out of the way when not in use), and a little kitchen counter- so cute!  We got things put away, had some cheese and crackers, and a salad that I had packed, and decided not to bother cooking anything.  We took a walk out to the dock to enjoy the stars, and then called it a night.
The next day, I was up early and went for a walk on the beach.  I saw Jose, who accompanied me back, and brought along a few things that we had left with him previously, like a big plastic pan for washing and a machete.  We discussed our next steps of clearing all the land in the back, and filling in the marshy spots.   Jose gifted me a cat, Payasina.  She had followed him over, and when he said she was ours, she stayed!  Not sure how that plan will work with us not being there, but he'll bring over some food for her, and hopefully she'll stick around and keep any rodents away.
Over the next few days, Kelley helped out a ton as we got more of the back area cleared.  He put up a shelf in the kitchen with some scrap wood, so I got my kitchen area all organized.  We also worked on putting in a little footpath up to the steps, mosaic style using some broken pieces of cement from around the property (there had been a home there that got destroyed during Hurricane Mitch in 1998), and then filling in the spaces with pretty blue stones that Farrel had left for me.   We mixed some work and some fun.  Kelley brought an inflatable paddleboard, so we took turns going out on that in the morning, and took a few swim breaks during the day.  I brought along a couple books, so had a few book reading sessions on the dock and in the hammock.  Of course, leaving on the busiest week also meant that I needed to keep up with some things at the hostel, so I listened for the 'ding' of my phone to keep up with messages.  The connection as a bit more in and out than last time (I'll need to look into how I install a booster to get a better signal).
Jose has arranged a guy to bring us bags of fill, so he and his family came several times to drop off bags of sand.  He has 5 kids that look like they're about 7years and under- they played in the water with me, while their mom and dad unloaded bags of sand from the boat.
A friend who spends part of the year in Roatan and part in Canada sent me a message on Facebook.  She was in Guanaja!  I told her that we were too, so she decided to take a water taxi over on Monday and spend the night.  She arrived with a bag of ice and 2 bottles of sparkling wine to toast the new home :)  We had dinner together, and a few drinks and watched the sunset, which is so spectacular from our side of the island.  We headed to bed fairly early.  The next morning, Kate cooked us all breakfast, and then we took a walk along the beach to the south.  There are 2 houses further down the beach, both which just have caretakers in them (Jose in one, and a guy named Manuel in the other).  The owners of Manuel's house were there, so I got to meet them, a very nice family that live in San Pedro Sula and come over a few times a year.   The 2 little dogs that followed us last time followed us again- I ended up having to walk down the beach with them later to bring them back home, as they didn't seem to want to leave on their own, and then that time, the bigger dog followed me back!
Kate headed out early afternoon on Tues, and Kelley, Jose and I did a bit more clearing out back (well, mostly the 2 of them, I helped a bit).  We had Jose stay for dinner, and then went to sit on the beach for the sunset.  Another early bedtime.  
Wed we had to head out by 9:30.  I got up and took a walk on the beach, then starting packing up and organizing so I wouldn't be rushed.  Once everything staying had been stored and everything leaving had been packed, I headed out to the dock for one last reading and relaxing session.    I tried to take lots of pics so we can remember the various stages of progress, and so I can share them with the boys.
I've made notes of what I need to bring next time (hammock hooks, spring for screen door, coffee cups), and what projects take priority (gutter and a tank to collect rain definitely high on the list!).  I'm hoping that I can stay for a week sometime in May, when things are quieter.  Maybe I'll also be able to get a group interested in going over just for a night or 2 on a private boat in the next few weeks, so that we can bring over the other mattress that we need and a few bigger/heavier items that don't work so well if taking the ferry.  

Now that the build was completed, I needed to get over and inspect it.  I could tell from the photos that the placement wasn't back as much as I had wanted based on where I was envisioning putting in other buildings, so I'd have to rethink my overall layout a bit,  Other than that, the photos were looking really great, but I wanted to see it in person, and finally get to meet Farrel, as well as take over a few things.  
I planned a trip over with a few friends, one of them a return hostel guest, another a former hostel guest who's now living on the island, and a friend from the neighbourhood.  Sherman agreed to take us over again, but he has school during the week, so we could only go for 1 night.  The day before, I drove over to his place with the 3 mattresses that we were taking with us, propane tank and stove top, well hand pump and a few other items.  Then in the afternoon, I loaded up the trunk with some additional items- camp chairs and table, cooler, drink cooler, groceries.  Early Sat morning, we met at the hostel, drove to the gas station to pick up ice, and then down to meet Sherman by the boat.  One of his friends also came along.
The weather was great for the ride there.  We drove along the north coast of Roatan, then cut through the mangroves just east of Camp Bay, and hugged the south coast past Helene and Barbareta.  Once we got to the open sea, it was a bit choppier, but not too bad.  Lauren lay on the pile of mattresses, so she had a super-cushy ride!
It took about 2 1/2 hours to reach Guanaja.  Since we're on the west side, it makes for a shorter boat ride.  As we pulled up to shore, we could see another boat already there, and Farrel was at the cabin.  He had warned me the day before that the material hadn't arrived to do the bunk bed supports and the window screens, so I had brought along some gauzy curtains to keep out the bugs, and we'd just put the mattresses on the floor.
To my very pleasant surprise, there was no bug attack!  I don't know if it was the time of year, or the breeze, or that the grounds had now been raked/cleaned for several months- whatever the reason, I was so glad that I wasn't getting bitten!  I met Farrel and his brother Brian, and they showed me the cabin.  They nailed up my curtains and helped me put up a solar light, we talked a bit, and then they headed out.
Lauren had already disappeared for a beach walk, and Elizabeth promptly fell asleep.  I spent a bit of time organizing and settling in.  Sherman and Prince headed to Low Cay to refuel and get some lunch.    Tom helped me with putting up some towel hooks (I had brought over a hammer and drill), and carrying back a few buckets of water from the neighbour's well.
In the afternoon, we all relaxed on the porch with a drink and marveled at what a beautiful spot we were at.  We went in for a swim, went for a beach walk, and enjoyed just being in nature.  
The sunset was obscured by clouds, but by night, the sky was clear, and the stars were incredible.  Tom and I hopped in for a quick night swim,  bioluminescence lighting up the water like fairy dust.  
We all went to bed early.  It was the best sleep that I've had over there.  Comfy mattress, no bugs.  I woke up early, well rested, and went for a walk on the beach with Elizabeth.  We stopped to sit at a dock at the far end of the beach, and got to see a eagleray swimming by.
Too soon, it was time to pack up and head back to Roatan.  I can't wait for my next trip to our beautiful paradise!

I got a recommendation of a builder in Guanaja from a friend, and started messaging to find out how much it would cost to put up a little cabin, just a shell of walls, roof and floor.  I decided if we were investing into it, we'd make it with the layout that we'd eventually want to use down the road as one of our retreat cabanas, just without any of the plumbing, electric, glass windows etc.  
I started making sketches of what I was envisioning, both for the cabin layout as well as for the layout of all the building at the retreat, so that we could plan where to put the cabin.  I had wanted to meet with Farrel, the builder, on our last trip, but it hadn't worked out, so I decided we'd just arrange for him to build without actually meeting in person.  He was very responsive on messages, and lined out the costs for materials, labour and permit fee. 
We talked a few times, and messaged back and forth, with me sending sketches of what I wanted and where I wanted it, and him sending photos of some of his other builds.
I sent him a partial payment on labour, and then got in touch with the hardware store to pay for materials.  They weren't able to process my credit card without being there in person, but Deven from the hardware store had a trip planned to Roatan, so he brought along a portable POS machine.  We met up inside of Wendy's at the mall, and put through the transaction on my card.
The materials aren't kept in stock in Guanaja, there was a bit of delay as they ordered them and had them sent over.  Farrel kept me up to date on getting our site inspection done, and let me know when the materials arrived, and had been transported over to our land (we're water access only, so everything had to be brought over by boat).
I got daily photos of the progress, when I forwarded on to Deo and Auri, so we could all share in the excitement.  Within 2 weeks, the shell was pretty much complete, aside from a few finishing details of screening, and supports to have a couple temporary bunk beds to use for the next few years.