5 June 2023

Our guide and driver in Roatan – Darson

One of the two people who taught me a lot about the island in Darson. I will write about the other one soon. Darson was our designated driver to take us from the airport to the hotel. As it often happens in my foreign trips, I start making friends with the driver from the airport and then have them take charge of our trips in the foreign place.

Darson did an excellent job of suggesting some great places to visit – which you have seen the pictures of in my previous posts. Love his sense of time and his care for foreigner tourists.

BTW, I am not sure whether he realizes this – but his T-shirt is very funny. Do you get the reference?

The picture was taken just as I said Bye to him at the airport!

If you ever come to the island, reach out to Darson. He is a great guy.

4 June 2023

Mixologist par excellence

We had sat down for dinner and ordered our wine when I noticed something interesting nearby. It looked like a mixologist’s set up. With a smoking gun.

Walked up there and soon met with the mixologist himself – Kenneth Salas Marin. He took me thru his special for the day. He had a Negroni that he had aged for a month. And before serving, he smokes it. The interesting part is instead of smoking it with wood – like hickory, maple, cherry etc, he burns candied dry fruit !!! Never seen this before.

The drink had a perfect length and palate!!

As we kept talking, I found out that Kenneth is from Guanacaste in Costa Rica. Literally from next door to the JW Mariott we stay in. Turns out he was the FB manager there.

I went back to my blog to a trip and showed him a picture of Sharmila and myself with our friends Sunil and Ananya at Nau Bar in that hotel in 2013. Kenneth immediately recognized the bartender who was serving us drinks!!

Talk about a small world!

3 June 2023

Strolling the streets of West End

Reminded us of India streets at every step. You walk around as you will on the road and the traffic is expected to work around you. There are shirtless young kids, dogs and roosters darting across the road all the while!! Lots of shops and restaurants trying to get you to step in…

We had some great food at Happy Harry’s Hideaway!