I quit my job, sold everything I owned, and moved to the Island of Roatan, nestled in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Honduras. The Roatan Vortex (as I dubbed it) had pulled me in and I never want to leave!
I had never been there before but knew I would call Roatan home. I left behind a stable and rewarding career as an Industrial Designer, with a specialty in structural packaging, to pursue a simpler life and practice the art of Just Being.
Life here is far removed from what I was used to in Ontario, Canada. Since I moved to Roatan in 2007, I divide my time between being involved in the local community and sharing stories about day-to-day life on a tropical Island in a Third World Country. I have the pleasure of meeting many extraordinary people, and experiencing many unique Island living occurrences.
Most importantly, through my blog, Roatan Vortex, I reassure family, friends (old & new) that I don’t live on an episode of Survivor — even though a tarantula did land on my head once, and occasionally scorpions do take naps under my pillow.
What Do You Do With Leftover Salad?
Sometimes the most trivial of topics, such as what to do with leftover salad, can be symbolic of all the things that connect cultures, and separate them.
How to Eat a Kiwi Fruit
Genny Ross-Barons shares a whimsical story about the best way kick back and eat a luscious kiwi fruit.
The Roatan Road
After reading Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic novel, The Road, Genny Ross-Barons discovers a survival story on the isle of Roatan — with some thought-provoking parallels.
The Black Iguana – ONLY on Roatan
Genny Ross-Barons tracks the Black Iguana on the Caribbean island of Roatan, the only place in the world you can find these fascinating creatures.
10 Tips So You Don’t Get Treated like a Tourist
Genny Ross-Barons watches tourists come and go on the Caribbean island of Roatan. Here, she offers useful tips on how to avoid looking like tourist.
Compassion And Respect Heal Better Than Medicine
After suffering injuries in car accident on the Honduras island of Roatan, Genny finds herself in need of emergency medical care in a “developing country”.
Please Don’t Walk on the Coral
For Genny Ross-Barons, living just a few hundred feet away from the coral reefs on the Caribbean Island of Roatan is a wake-up call to nature’s fragility. “This isn’t a man-made attraction,” she writes.
Encounter with a Hummingbird
During rainy season on the island of Roatan, Genny Ross-Barons finds a hummingbird with a crippled foot floundering in a puddle. She rescues this amazing little bird and finds that big affirmations come in small packages.
The Roatan Global Village
Choosing to live on a Caribbean Island offers many obvious benefits — soft white sand beaches, crystal clear blue sea, lush tropical foliage, and sunrises and sunsets beyond compare. Then there is a benefit that I was pleasantly surprised to encounter—becoming a member of the Roatan Global Village.
Bugs are Okay By Me
When a Canadian moves to a tropical Caribbean island, she finds lots to love. And then there are the bugs. Little bugs. Big bugs. Stinging bugs. Biting bugs. For Genny Ross-Barons, it’s all just part of life in paradise.
