Join Malana Ashlie, author of the travel autobiography, Gringos in Paradise: Our Honduras Odyssey (BookSurge, Jan ‘07) , as she virtually tours the blogosphere in December on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

My Review

This was such an interesting look at life in Honduras.  Following the adventures of Malana and her husband Ordin as they set out to live in Honduras was fun, interesting and at times funny. This tale of Honduran adventure really opened up my eyes to what life and the people of Honduras are really like.  This was armchair travelling at it's best!  

Gringos in Paradise: Our Honduras Odyssey by Malana Ashlie is a delightfully amusing and lighthearted autobiography chronicling her move from Hawai’i to the Caribbean Coast of Honduras. When she and her husband decide to relocate to a more secluded paradise the fun begins. She shares the trials and triumphs of building a new life in Central America, in what can best be described as a spiritual journey of faith.

Of special appeal to the swelling ranks of expat retirees in Mexico and Central America (over one million strong, according to 2005 census estimates), Gringos in Paradise shares the adventures — and misadventures — two retirees face as they set off to the Caribbean coast of Honduras in search of financial freedom, personal fulfillment, and peace.

Malana Ashlie, Ph.D., is the author of Gringos in Paradise: Our Honduras Odyssey and Pathways to Inner Peace. A certified naturopath and holistic healer, Dr. Ashlie is also an interfaith minister and ceremony leader.

A scholar of ancient wisdom, she has been privileged to study with Mayan elders, sacred teachers of Native American traditions, and Hawaiian kupuna. She is also an adept of the Hermetic Principles. Exploring the mysteries of indigenous cultures has expanded her abilities as a Reiki Master and enhanced her awareness of other subtle energies. She travels extensively throughout the United States and Central America, lecturing, teaching, and leading retreats.

After five years in Hawaii, Malana and her husband Ordin, along with Pueo, their shamelessly spoiled cat, relocated in 2006 to the tiny beach community of El Porvenir, on Honduras’s little-known Caribbean coast. There they participate in the life of the community while managing Wisdom Pathway, a business that offers the spiritual retreat /eco-tour portion of the personal discovery seminars and workshops Dr. Ashlie teaches.

For more information about the author, visit www.wisdompathway.com or www.gringos-in-paradise.com

Blog
Twitter

Parking is always a premium in town, especially this area of the busy downtown [La Ceiba] center, but if you take it slow and watch for a smile and a wave, someone will guide you to an available spot. There are always entrepreneurs willing to direct you in or out of an available space …for a tip. A couple of extra Lempiras will even get your car washed in its parking area while you shop or run errands.

Hondurans don’t have laws that overprotect so an air of self-reliance develops. Since there is no public welfare the townspeople help support their own. Occasionally I will see a blind woman guided along the street median by one of her neighbors. This allows those who are wealthy enough to be driving an opportunity to share in her support. Intersections always seem to be the ideal place to open any business, whether it is newspaper sales, washing car windows or for children to sell bags of fresh fruit.

“This is a tale of courage, of respectful discovery as Malana and Ordin draw upon their humanity and capacity to resonate with their environment, to merge with a world so alien to theirs that they need to find an interpreter to go to the hardware store…. Life as an adventure in consciousness, written with feelings and with plenty of heart; Malana Ashlie is not afraid to laugh at herself, meanwhile telling us about her joys as well as her worries, fears and self-doubts. Unlike so many “gringos,” she strives for a sense of peace, of harmony that can only be found through reaching inward to little-known parts of oneself, risking one’s soul, previous knowledge and comfort zones. We partake in her wonderment, as she endeavors to tread lightly, to walk in balance with nature and people.” ~ Viviane Learner, poet, peace activist, and world traveler

“I have visited Honduras over 20 times in the past 35 years and found this book to provide meaningful insight into Honduran culture and way of life. The author and her husband approached their move to Honduras with open minds and hearts, and obviously with a perspective that cultural differences should be embraced and understood, rather than viewed as “bad” simply because they are different from the way things are done in the U.S.

I recommend this book to anyone who is thinking about visiting or moving to Honduras, as well as to anyone who wants insight as to how to approach cultural differences with an attitude of understanding and sensitivity.” William R. Leverton “Reed in El Paso” (El Paso, TX USA)

***

Malana Ashlie’s GRINGOS IN PARADISE VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ‘09 will officially begin on Nov. 25 and end on December 10. You can visit Malana’s blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of December to find out more about this great book and talented author!

Add to Technorati Favorites