Karma Designs, Unique on Roatan

Karla from Karma Designs, Roatan

Karla and Marco have a unique place among all of the businesses on West Bay Beach and Roatan.  Karla and Marco (KarMa from their combined names) are experienced jewelry designers who can be found several days a week on West Bay Beach-but just til noon or one o'clock on Wed. through Sunday.  Other days will find them at Cocoview or working at home creating new pieces of jewelry or filling custom orders for people before they return to their own homes. Most jewelry you find on Roatan comes from somewhere else to be sold by gift shops or vendors walking up and down the beach.  Karma Designs is all hand made in Roatan by Karla and Marco!

Look for this Sign, and Karla is in!

Karla has been designing jewelry for over fourteen years.  You will not find her designs in gift shops or being peddled by vendors on the beach.  She and Marco buy their materials and stones from countries in South America and do silverwork and macrome with unique gemstones and fossils.  I have seen tanzanite, lapis lazuli, fresh water pearls, fossilized sand dollars set in .960 silver. They create unusual silver rings set with gemstones that I have seen nowhere else.They create wonderful pendants of silver that reflect the creatures of the sea in Roatan-sea turtles, drum fish, star fish and more.  Look closely at the picture of Karla above and you can see the beautiful star fish on a macrame necklace with  fresh water pearls.  I love that piece.

When Karla is in, Everyone comes calling!

There are many interesting places to purchase souvenirs to remind you of your visit to Roatan.  However Karma Designs goes beyond a simple reminder.  Karla's pieces are unique and beautiful- to be found nowhere else but Roatan.  So if you are visiting West Bay Beach, take the time to walk down toward Foster's  and Byte on the Beach and right in front of "Emerald Beach" you will find another gem on Roatan-Karma Designs.  You won't be disappointed.  And if you have been there and couldn't make up your mind about which of her wonderful pieces you wanted before you left-contact her....I'm sure she will make that special piece you left behind and send it to you!  KarmaRoatan@gmail.com

Beautiful and Charming....that's Karma's Designs Shop

Here is a recent TJ Lynch video on Karla and Marco from Mar. 9, 2012.  It shows more of her actual jewelry!  Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UuYLHAybcbA#t=186s

West Bay Beach Fun

Eggs Benedict with a View-Infinity Bay Resort

So sorry this blog has been slow in posting...we have had internet troubles and the last two weeks have been especially slow.  I hope you like the pictures.

We have enjoyed our visit from Sharon and Harold.  It has been a busy two weeks even though we have had a mix of sun, rain and wind.  Today is rainy so I thought I would take some time to write this blog.

Sunset on West Bay Beach is always special.

Their arrival on Saturday  two weeks ago, was as smooth as you can expect.  The plane was even early! We were there in time to see them come through immigration and their luggage was not too long in coming off the plane. Once Harold came through security, he could not go back to Sharon nor could we, but she was able to get her bag and come through with little effort.

Fun Times as Bananarama

Michael stopped at Eldon's on the way back to Casanueva and Harold was able to check out the local shopping.  I think he was surprised by some things, but we didn't take long as Michael and Sharon were waiting in the car.

Relaxing at CasaNueva

The next morning we ate on the beach at Infinity Bay where they enjoyed Eggs Benedict and some rain. We lounged around the palapa, watching hummingbirds flit about.

The Siblings!

We have made several trips to local restaurants including dinner at Fosters on Thursday for lobster night. We enjoyed the sunset and watching the cruise ships slip by.  We also had live music and watched as a little humming bird sat on her nest.  There is always something special to discover, both near and far in Roatan. We even saw pairs of wild Macaws flying to roost in the evening and spent time on the palapa watching the stars at night.

Mimi enjoys the Water at West Bay Beach

The two weeks have flown by and we have enjoyed quiet evenings in and beautiful sunsets on the beach.  Michael and I hope the trip has been one they have enjoyed and will talk about during cold winter evenings to come.

Fosters on West Bay Beach has Lobster Night on Thursday

A Day In La Ceiba

We Purchased This Beautiful Hibiscus Plant

Last week I traveled by ferry to the coastal town of La Ceiba on the mainland of Honduras.

The Ferry to La Ceiba in Dixon Cove

 We left very early in the morning (before 6 AM) to go to Dixon’s Cove on the south side of Roatan.  Dixon’s Cove is very near Mahogany Bay where Carnival Cruise ships dock.  We purchased tickets and upgraded to first class in order to sit inside on the upper deck.  The Galaxy Wave is a large catamaran style vessel that travels very quickly and smoothly across the water.  We were given a complimentary beverage and waited for the passage to begin.  We felt very little movement and arrived in La Ceiba in about an hour and fifteen minutes.  Disembarking was quickly done and we began our adventure.

The Harbor at La Ceiba

Just like any other bus or train terminal, it was crowded and noisy as taxi drivers vied for your business. We had a driver known to my friends waiting for us which proved to be a truly efficient and safe way to travel in La Ceiba.  Gustavo was bilingual and had worked on a cruise ship in the past.  He was very familiar with the town and my friends would advise him of where they wanted to go and off we went.



 We were shopping for accessories for Casanueva and so we stopped at several furniture stores in La Ceiba.  The showrooms weren’t as slick as you would see in the states, but the furniture was beautiful and much of it was made from Honduran hard wood.  Every store had a security person at the front door  who opened it and greeted you.  Most stores also had someone continually mopping the floors.  I often felt self-conscious for walking on their newly mopped floors but apparently it is common practice and they take no offense.

La Ceiba is Beautiful

So Many Tropical Plants

La Ceiba is very clean and pretty.  It gets its name from the Ceiba tree that grows there.  Plants and flowers have a big attraction for me and I was delighted that we were also stopping at a plant nursery.  Many of the plants were familiar as they also grow in Florida.  However, my plants in Florida have a difficult time surviving the winters.  Lucky Honduran plants.

The Plant Nursery was Beautiful

The Market is Bright and Busy

After that it was off to the Mall for a little bit of recreational shopping.  The Mall was very similar to a mall in the states with two floors, kiosk shops and a food court. My friend and I purchased some gifts including a handmade fabric handbag.  The artist, Virgie, was selling at her kiosk and I was delighted to meet her.  She sells her screen print t-shirts and bags on Roatan, but at a premium.

Some of the restaurants in the food court were ones popular in Central America, but you could easily find something to snack on. There were many, many shoe stores- some high end like American Outfitters with five inch heels to Payless Shoe stores selling rubber sandals.  One of the shops I loved was Victoria’s-not to be confused with Victoria’s Secret.  She sold wedding dresses, dressy casual clothes, beautiful sandals and beachwear all in the same shop.  The clothing was very pretty and my friend and I purchased several unique pieces.  I would gladly shop there again.

The Mountains Are Cloudy in the Afternoon

Lunch time had arrived and it was off to find a meal.  Since my friend is vegetarian, she suggested Pizza Hut!  Yes, Pizza Hut.  She was able to enjoy the salad bar and I enjoyed a personal pan pizza…..all very familiar.

La Ceiba's Beach Front

Later we shopped some fabric shops looking for material to make tie backs for the curtains. Again each shop was unique.  Some sold party planning supplies for weddings, baby showers, and school supplies-all from one shop. We stopped by the fruit market for papayas and took a tour of the city disco area which I was advised could be dangerous at night.  We even shopped at a used car lot!  All negotiations in Spanish!  We even visited the beach front in La Ceiba. Roatan has a much prettier beach, but the city was working on improving what they had. You could even stay at a very nice La Quinta Hotel on the beach.

Electricity Anyone? 

How Do You Find That One Wire That's Not Working?

Everything Blooms Here!

The Streets Are Lined with Blossoms

The Market-You Can Find  Most Anything

It's a Busy Place

Working in the Market

Finally we headed back to the ferry. My friends had noticed the winds had picked up and warned me that we were in for a rough crossing. This was confirmed when they handed out Dramamine with the tickets and when we were seated, the complimentary beverage also included a plastic bag for emergency use.

Not being a fool, I took both the Dramamine and the plastic bag for insurance.  The ferry was much busier in the afternoon with many families crossing over to Roatan, backpackers and regular working people.  Many of them were seated on the back deck and as the trip progressed, they moved as far forward as they could to avoid the spray. The crossing was definitely rough but the Dramamine did its job for us.  Others weren't so fortunate.

The sun went down as we crossed back to Roatan.  We drove home in the dark, but my friends are familiar with the island so I was at ease. It was a great trip and a beautiful day.  I was able to see many new things and experience it with people who spoke fluent Spanish and knew their way around.  You can’t ask more than that!