Latin American Lifestyle and Art (LALA): And I'm off again... on the second LALA buying trip (yes that means I actually sold some stuff!)

Wooohooo it feels good to be off again. Off the island. Off on my second buying trip for LALA. When I did the first buying trip, before the gallery even existed, I had no idea if I would ever be making a second. But what do you know? Since then I had actual customers and they actually loved my stuff. It seems like Im inspired to blog when I'm traveling. Looking back I see my last entry was during my trip to Nicaragua in May!! Wow well a lot has happened since then. I fitted out my little gallery/shop in West Bay and opened at the end of June. Business has been pretty good! Lots of positive feedback and support from local community and island visitors. Kicked off a very awesome series of exhibitions called "Art in the Yard". Took the opportunity to start work on a second LALA location which should be ready to open in January 2014 - a gallery/cafe concept which Im really excited about. Now we are heading into the wettest month of the year and I've closed the gallery to go on my second buying trip and stock up for high season. Why didn't I blog about all that? I don't know. Maybe I'll go back and update one of these days. Meanwhile you can pretty much see the whole story in photos if you look at the LALA facebook page.
Latin American Lifestyle and Art (LALA) at Facebook

But for now, lets stay in the present moment. I'm sitting on the CM Airways flight from Roatán to San Pedro Sula, relieved and totally exhausted. A hectic last month a super-hectic last couple of days in the rush to leave Roatan. Racing against the clock to get LALA I packed up and closed (for a month), LALA II to lock-up stage and move in before I left. I didn’t get much sleep the last couple of nights and I wasn't sure I was going to make it! The apartment/shop and deck is pretty much done but the yard looks like, and in fact is, a huge construction site. Lucky I am that Kelly, super-star house/dog sitter, is pretty resilient cause my dogs are having a field day in the huge piles of earth from the excavation. And it’s starting to rain. That is not your ordinary rain, but rather the beginning of wet-season which brings the type of steady downpour that can last for days or even weeks. Rain, mud, dogs, half-finished house - not a great combination. But as the little twin-propeller plane gains altitude over my island home, I can do nothing but wave good bye and focus on the hugely exciting task ahead - new LALA inventory for high season.

From San Pedro Sula its the Hedman-Alas bus to Copan Ruins. I settle back in the comfy air-conditioned seat and prepare to relax with a book and maybe catch up on some sleep. Make the mistake of checking emails quickly and find this gem from a friend in West Bay (my new address).

"Hola! You must have left early this morning. FYI - Kara & Charlie [my dogs] were running around up in Lighthouse Estates this morning and then they went swimming in the Infinity Bay pool! LOL!"

Bloody Hell! The fence on the new house turns out to be no match for Charlie's Houdini escape talents and Kara devotedly follows him where ever he leads. It’s low (tourist) season and the resorts are largely empty but still, I don’t think the management team of Infinity Bay (luxury beach-front resort) will be all that impressed to have two muddy dogs cavorting in the pool. Have just called Orville, my awesome contractor with (only a small amount of) tension in my voice to see if he can figure out how the dogs are getting out. He tells me 'just you relax Lala. Ain't no problems in this life that don't got solutions. I'm gonna fix that fence for you. I'm not letting those dogs go nowhere. It all be good mi-lady".

Well with reassurance like that. I email Kelly to give her the news and then i just......sit back and relax. What else can I do? Obviously not too troubled as I fall immediately to sleep. Wake up just outside of Copan. Garry is waiting at the bus terminal and we go directly to the new restaurant. “British Colonial House” in Copan. Take my recommendation to heart - you should check this place out.
British Colonial House in Copan

The multi-level and largely open-air restaurant/bar/cafe directly over-looks parque central in Copan. Its beautifully decorated to create both a welcoming homey vibe and (upstairs) the perfect ambiance for fine dining. The food is marvelous and the menu so varied. I give it a good try trust me on that. The cool night air moves in and it’s such a relief after the months of stifling heat in Roatán. Back at the house I happily pull on my ugg boots and watch half a movie with Sam and Lexi before falling in a wonderful sleep.

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Latin American Lifestyle and Art (LALA) on Facebook