London Calling

When you have to get off the rock (Roatan) then where better to get a dose of sanity than the city that put the "C" in Civilized. London England was our first stop (after San Pedro Sula Honduras) on a 3 week tour this summer.

We stayed in the heart of london in the Mayfair district just off Green Park which is next to Buckingham Palace and a quick walk down to Picadilly Circus, Leceister Square an all points Central London.

We had a grand time eating at some great places. The old days of English Food being a drag our over and London proved it to us time in again as we dined on everything from Thai, Japanese, Pub Grub incluuding the typical fish and chips and many great sandwhiches.

We did a little more than eat and also had time for a great exhibit on impressionist art in its development period when they likes of Boudin, Renoir and Monet among others were painting it up on the French Coast near Toulville. We also enjoyed the national portrait gallery which is a great way to learn about some of the historical figures of the United Kingdom. A nice city tour with stops at many of the famous places was another great time.

To pass the evening time we took it easy one night and just went for a stroll, the 2nd night we hit a great little jazz club that was a little bit loungy but had a super wine list. We ended up closing the place and had a great time watching the stiff brits cut a rug. The final night was the highlight for Cindy as we took in Les Miserables. The London theatre scene is every bit as good as Broadway and something that we were glad we did.

The only bad thing about visiting London was the damn excahnge rate. The pound is worth 2.19USD and so we found everything very expensive. McDonalds Value Meals for 2 (not supersized mind you) was over $20. Well I also say it costs money to have a good time and we proved it again.

Regardless of the exchange rate London is a fun town and a great place to visit.

La Estancia in San Pedro Sula

As Cindy and I start our vacation we have gone over to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. This 2nd largest city is your typical latin millioin plus city but last night we found a diamond in the rough.

At the suggestion of our Driver Misael (great taxi service in San Pedro if your ever there use him) we dined at a Uruguayan steak house named La Estancia. This little place tucked away in a residential neighborhood is a real sleeper. The menu features a lot of steaks with different topping optionis. They also have a nice wine list. The meal started off with us being given a bottle of 2003 merlot on the house becuase the owner Senior Jore Garagano knew Misael. With that start Cindy and I ordered a ceviche and sttled in.

Salad was mixed table side and interestingly enough featured a piece of beef jerky. The garlic bread was grilled and had a hint of the smoky grill flavor. For our main courses I ordered a pepper steak and cindy ordered the Hot Filet (jalepeno steak). Both were delicious and so large we could only eat half. They were served with homecut papa fritas.

As the dinner came to a close Misael came in the door to check on how we were doing. Since we had ordered a 2nd bottle of wine and we were on the first night of our vacation the answer was we were doing just fine. I asked Misael to join us for desert but it turned out none of us wanted any desert so we got some flan to go for Misaels wife.

A private party in another part of the restaraunt had a mariachi band and as they exited I could not resist grabbing the 4 piece group and coaxed them into doing a few songs for our room which featued 3 tables. The group was great and it was a fitting end to our meal.

Next time you visit San Pedro make La Estancia a stop for some dining.

2007 Shrimp Festival and Little friends Foundation

Last month Roatan had one of its biggest events of the year. The islands have a proud history of fishing and shrimping and this was celebrated at the 2007 Roatan Shrimp Festival held at Coral Cay.

This years festival raised money for the little friends foundation a local non profit that has been around since 2005 and is currently building a small hospital in the French Harbor area.

Cindy and I went with a group of friends and enjoyed the history exhibits that talked about local families that are prominent in the fishing industry. There were also booths for local business to show their wares. The kids had bounce houses and playground set up too. Needless to say there was food and drink and of course some entertainment. The highlight of this year for Cindy and I was Country Music Singer David Ball (Thinking Problem and Look what followed me home were two of his hits).

We purchased some priority seating tickets and one of the benefits (other than a dedicated wait staff) was we got to meet the entertainers. Cindy had already met them the day before when they visited her island to do some Dolphin encounters.

David was a real nice guy and his band was just tops. They played for a long time and it was a treat. Following David Ball was the headliner for the was a Reggae star named Lord Laro who we also met and bought a CD from.

The shrimp festival also has a beauty pageant and as you can see she Mrs. Sandy Bay (an area of Roatan) deserved to win.

All in all a great time.