GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of December 17

by Adrienne Wilson on

It has been a hectic day filled with holiday shuffle and travel and it has truly worn me out. I’m exhausted and with such a busy week I confess, even I missed out on some of these great plugs found here on Gadling. If your week was anything like mine be sure to check them out too.

5. Lots of Santas:
Ho, Ho, Ho… Considering the time of year and season it only makes perfect sense to feature this march of hundreds of thousands of Santas in Russia once more. I’m sure it was an awesome event for anyone visiting during the time.

4. Planespotting in Saint Martin:
Please give a warm round of sound to Justin Glow who makes his Gadling debut with this interesting post of how enjoyable it is to sit lazy with cocktails on St. Martin sand and well, watch the planes as they come fly very close to the ocean and far too close for my comfort zone.

3. The Austin Report Part 2: Bizarre Shopping:
Tis’ the season to be emptying your wallet and not look back. Looking for some gifts with character? Head to Austin with Neil as he points you to some neat shopping destinations around the Texas town.

2. Hanukkah in Honduras:
Spending the holidays abroad can be a blast, but depending on where you go it can also be a real hassle. Iva points us to a very nice read about an adventurous family spending Hanukkah in Honduras. I wouldn’t have put the two together, but I know little about menorah’s and what is done on each of the 8 days.

1. The Wandering Honeymooners:
Huggy, happy, honeymooners always bring a tear to my eye. I’m so envious right now. The Moran motto: “Get hitched. Hit the road.” I love it and love that Brendan and Sarah are sharing their beautiful matrimony on the road with all us single, lonely or simply travel deprived individuals.

Hanukkah in Honduras

by Iva Skoch on

Celebrating Christmas away from home, often in exotic destinations, has become quite usual for many families. Getting away for Hanukkah, which started on December 15 this year, is a bit more challenging. The holidays lasts 8 days and therefore requires more planning – being in a hotel room at specific times to light candles (or bringing them along to dinner) and schlepping more “stuff” along: at least a menorah, a set of candles and multiple sets of presents.

But, like a recent CNN/AP story reports, some adventurous families prefer to spend The Festival of Lights abroad, in this case in Honduras. According to the story, overcoming obstacles having to do with the celebration of Hanukkah in Latin America sounds like fun – setting off smoke detectors in hotel rooms, locals not understanding the candle ceremony, not being able to light a menorah because of the heavy tropical wind or not being able to rely on local electricity to work at specific times…

I am all for it! An 8-day holiday is a good excuse to take a vacation longer than an extended weekend. Americans don’t take enough time off.

Head to Honduras and the Bay Islands

by Erik Olsen on

Years ago I was passing through
Central America on a long, long trip back from Chile and making my way to Los Angeles. Along the way, I saw many of our
planet’s Central American countries, but very few of them did I get to see up close and personal. As a diver, the one
place I really wanted to see and experience is Honduras’ Bay islands,
where the diving is said to be spectacular, if the accommodations can be rather spare.

Well, right now there
are some cool deals to be had to make your way to Honduras…$675 for a week of accommodations, if this article is to be believed.

While the country
is not a hot bed of typical tourism, which is a good if not great thing, it can be challenging, but a great place to
go. And for US-based folks, it’s cool to know that Honduras is a mere three hours flight from Miami. The cultural
experience of Honduras is also rich and varied, with numerous  indigenous and mixed origin language groups, as
well as great music and food. And as I mentioned, there are the Bay Islands, which lie just thirty-five miles off the
coast. The reefs there are said the be the Western hemisphere’s excuse for the Great Barrier Reef. The resorts
there – Roatan, Utila, and Guanaja – are big time hot. So check out this piece and give the matter some thought. Oh,
and as the article points out here, Honduras is one of the cheapest places round to get certified.

La Ceiba Carnival

by Erik Olsen on

And here’s yet another event for you should you be heading to Honduras anytime soon. In the town of La Ceiba around May 28, the people of that fine locale will be holding their annual carnival. The celebration is held to honor Saint Isidro the Farmer, the patron saint of this busy fruit-exporting hub.

This year’s celebration runs from May 22 to 28 and features all manner of elaborate and colorful costumes, song, food, drink, and local color. The key is to be there for the finale, on the 28th, when the party kicks into high gear and the music and dancing in the streets makes this normally sedate town look like the tryouts for the next season of Fame.

Learning Spanish: in Honduras

by Erik Olsen on

We’ve long been advocates here of learning new languages, even for those who are at an age when most dogs think they can’t learn new tricks. And so it was with a certain feeling of delight to read this Washington Post article about a family that heads to Honduras to beef up and pick up some Spanish skills.

In the story, two moms and four kids head to Copan, a dainty little village to pick up some Spanish skills from an intensive language course. The group finds in the locale the ideal place to immerse themselves not just in the language, but in the culture and surroundings of Latin America.