Nearing the end of my travels

I woke up to another beautiful day on Utila ready to finish up my last two dives. The boat was loaded down with about 18 divers as we made our way around the island to the North Side. The two dives were spectacular and a great way to close out my diving on the island. Saw several eels and big crabs just doing their thing in the ocean. It's such a complex system with so much diversity of organisms and their roles in the community. Last night I went out for a night dive to the moon hole and saw a toad fish which, as it's name suggests, makes a deep sound similar to a toad. I could tell I was close to it when the sound began rumbling my stomach and after a few minutes of searching then waiting for the sound I spotted it sticking it's head out from under a coral. The bioluminescence were pretty amazing as well. On Catalina you can see the light emitted from these dinoflagellates when you stir up the water in the dark as well.

The past few weeks of traveling have been great fun. I've met so many amazing people, seen some wonderful sights, and done some really fun activities. I only wish that everyone had the time, money, and motivation to get out and see more of the world. I will return to the states with a new found appreciation for many of the things that I often take for granted. I feel that traveling on my own has also been a valuable experience in being able to approach others for social stimulation, not that I generally struggle with that. Many thanks to my family who have supported me both with encouragement and financially. It's not easy to pack a bag and leave the comforts of home and explore near places that put you in situations that really make you think about what you're doing and how you do it.

This evening I'll go out on a sunset cruise with some fellow divers from the shop and the staff who have been taking me out diving this week. Last night was the first night the sunset wasn't completely blocked out by the clouds and it was absolutely beautiful. In the morning I'll be on a 6:30am boat back to La Ceiba to catch a bus to the airport in San Pedro Sula were I'll likely be sitting around for about 8 hours waiting for my flight to Fort Lauderdale. So excited to see Mel and Lauren some friends I know from back in NC.

“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” – Cesare Pavese

“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou

The Sun Came Out!

I awoke this morning after a good night sleep ready to get back out into the water. We cruised around the east end of the island and came around to the north side where we anchored at CJ's Drop off for our first dive. It was quite a drop off we went over the edge and were looking out into a blue abyss. We stayed along the wall and dropped down to about 100 feet and proceeded to swim alongside the wall full of colorful coral reef and an assortment of other fascinating organisms. At one point we looked out into the blue water to see a giant of a barracuda lurking in the distance.

Each dive seems to top the previous one as I become more familiar with the landscapes and organisms more commonly found on the reef. I did expect to see a more dense population of fish and wildlife, but you can always rely on the breathtaking sights of the different species and color variation of the coral. Coral, the keystone species in this ecosystem, is fascinating in itself because as an animal the coral grows algae as a source of energy. This eliminates the need for the coral to absorb nutrients from the water. This technique of growing it's food source is obviously very successful as evident from the bright and varied colors of the coral themselves and the other organisms living within this community.

I can see the end of my travels rapidly approaching with only two more nights on Utila before making the journey back to San Pedro Sula where I fly out at 230am Monday morning. It's been a grand adventure but I look forward to getting back out to California and getting back to work to pay off my debts I've managed to accure from my adventures. But like someone once told me..."Money comes and goes, time only goes"

Arrival to a Rainy Paradise!

I woke up this morning around 7am to the sound of the rain still coming down. I was prepared for another night in La Ceiba after flipping through my Honduras Guide book for things to do. I went to the front desk and asked the owner to call the boat company to see if they were going to make the crossing to Utila. As he spoke with the person on the phone I could tell by his look of surprise that my luck had suddenly taken a change. I ran back to my room packed up my stuff and caught a taxi to the boat terminal. When I took my seat the "mate" of the ship came around handing out little plastic trash bags. My first assumption was that we might get wet, but they turned out to be barf bags and as the boat made it's way out into the waters I understand why. The entire crossing was a roller coaster ride up and over then crashing down the backside of the waves. I was able to hold my own, but had to look away when many of the other passengers proceeded to open their little white trash bags and make good use of them. After an hour and a half of this the motors slowed down and we coasted into the dock at Utila.

My friend's who worked on the island gave me a few suggestions as to which dive shops to consider as there are many shops competing for the business of the divers who come to the island. I feel good about my choice and find myself at a Alton's Dive Shop which is basically a dock covered in dorm housing and dive equipment. I ran into a friend a met briefly on the boat from Rio Dulce to Finca Tatin. It's quite amazing how many travelers find themselves in the same places so often.

Less than two hours after I stepped off the boat onto Utila I was getting onto the dive boat with my gear to experience my first dive in the Caribbean. The first dive was a wreck dive to a cargo ship that sits at about 100 feet. I was pretty distracted from the boat at the surrounding coral reefs and colorful fish. After so much diving and snorkeling in the kelp forests of Catalina it took me aback to see so much colorful life swimming through the coral. After everyone had returned to the boat we went a bit further up the coast to the airport caves from where we would drift dive about 100 yards to the moon ring, a circular open area of sandy bottom surrounded by coral. My favorite sighting was a huge green moray eel free swimming along the edge of the reefs. I've seen a few moray eels on Catalina, but this one was so much bigger.

Before coming on this trip I went to an aquarium in Myrtle Beach and saw a few tanks filled with the same colorful fish and coral I dove with today. I look forward to the 8 more dives I have ahead of me before I leave the island on Monday. Tomorrow morning if the weather permits we'll make our way around to the north side of the island. Whale Sharks are often seen out that way, but it's been a few months since one was last sighted...I have a good feeling.

Rain Rain go away!

I made an abrupt decision to leave the beautiful tropical forest getaway at the Finca Tatin and start my journey to Honduras yesterday. I had really been enjoying the place but I found myself at a long dinner table not able to really talk with anyone as there were representatives of about 6 different languages, which was fun for the first day or so, but I could feel the approaching need for a change of scenery. Two friends I had met in San Pedro Laguna apparently felt the same way and decided to do a quick pack and join me on the boat to Livingston and beyond.

From Livingston we caught a boat across the river to Puerto Barrios. In route I started talking to a lady from Honduras carrying a small container with fish she was bringing back for her kids. When we got off the boat we were immediately confronted with taxi drivers trying to lure us in for what I would later find out to be way too much for a ride to the boarder. Instead my new friend waved us in her direction and proceeded to help us get all the way into San Pedro Sula. Had I rushed once we arrived at the bus station I could have made it to La Ceiba last night, but decided to take it easy and spend the night in the city with Ema and Steve. Honduras has seen some rough times, but with a new president in place I am told things have at least improved to some degree. We went out for a bite to eat and looked around the park a bit and things seemed to be pretty safe and tranquil as there were hundreds of people out and about in the area. As we sat in the diner we saw the number of people quickly begin to thin out and store owners began boarding up their businesses. We took the hint and made our way back to the hotel for the night.

Ema and Steve took off early this morning to make their way to Nicaragua and left me to get a few more hours of sleep before heading back to the bus station and on to La Ceiba where I would catch a boat to Utila. Everyone has told me how great it´s going to be and that we´re at the beginning of Whale Shark season. So as we approached La Ceiba and the rain became heavier and heavier my spirits began to dip though I tried to stay positive and hope for the best. As the taxi driver approached the terminal I could see there wasn´t much hope and found myself at a little hole in the wall hotel in La Ceiba. But i´ve moved past that and looking on to bigger and brighter things...that´s a lie, this is a huge downer in my trip, but I am hopeful that tomorrow will bring better weather and a safe ride out to the island. For now i´ll have some quality time to explore La Ceiba under the cover of my rain jacket and get some rest tonight.

I have reached the Caribbean Sea!

It´s been four days since my departure from San Pedro Laguna. 14 hours stuffed in a minibus with a dozen singing Israelis to Languin followed two days later with a 5 hour ride in the back of a 4 wheel drive pickup following the river from Semuc Chempay as it winds it´s way through beautiful countryside and I have arrived at the Caribbean Sea.

Semuc Chempay was beautiful although I did a solo trip there due to time constraints and finding out that I needed to leave the following morning at 830. Hiking around through the forest and soaking in the little pools separated by natural bridges of rock was a nice way to spend the afternoon. I arrived back at the hotel in time to hop on another bus to the Languin Caves where a group of about 15 of us were lead through caves which opened up into giant rooms with beautiful rock formations that with a little imagination looked like an elephant or a frog. The tour culminated with the group stopping at the entrance to the cave and turning all the lights out. Within a few minutes we could see a few bats soaring past our heads leaving the cave to go out and be nocturnal.

When the truck dropped myself and a handful of others who had also been staying in Languin at the boat dock in Rio Dulce I decided to follow the advice of a friend I met the night before. He suggested staying at Finca Tatin, which turned out to be some great advice I might add. After getting in a boat we started making our way from Lago Izabal toward the Caribbean Sea. It was a nice change to see so much wildlife out and about. We cruised past areas of Lily Pads, trees full of pelicans, and past local villagers in their hand carved wooden kayaks. When we pulled up to Finca Tatin I knew I had found a special place. Surrounded by jungle and squawking birds, this little oasis sits on the quiet river and offers a tranquil setting with hammocks everywhere, great kayaking, and a fun communal dinner.

Today I took a boat with a few other guests to The Seven Alters, some waterfalls on the Caribbean Sea just past Livingston. I had to use my imagination to picture what the falls would like with water coming over the rocks since they haven´t had any rain in the past few days. From there we went a few more kilometers down the coast and found a beautiful beach to hang out on for a few hours.

So here I sit in Livingston for an hour or so before I hop back in the boat for a short ride back to the hotel. A few friends staying at there whom I met in San Pedro are probably going to travel to Utila with me on Tuesday. I can feel the end of this trip rapidly approaching, but I am glad I saved this part for last as I am enjoying the relaxation after studying for three weeks.

Graduation!

After a rivalling game of scrabble, Christina and I exchanged contact information and we said our goodbyes. It´s quite amazing how much you can learn about a person from talking with them for four hours a day for fifteen days. Of course every bit of it was in Spanish as our conversations, beyond learning verb conjugations, wound everywhere from poverty and quality of life to astronomy and sustainability. Much of the time was spent flipping through my dictionary trying to find the words to complete my thoughts, but we always managed and the skill of putting yourself out there has turned out to be one of the biggest things I´ve aquired in speaking a foreign language.

Rosa and her family also gave me a warm departure after I cleaned off a plate piled high with rice, chicken, vegetables, and of course fresh tortillas than I couldn´t ever take down. They have been great hosts and the food was amazing...I´m going to miss the food, but the change of scenary and environment across town has provided a nice change. I decided to splurge and found myself and nice room on the roof of a lakeside hotel. So for five bucks a night i´ll enjoy a beautiful view and relax for the next two days while figuring out the last details of my upcoming voyage east to semuc chempay which looks pretty nice from the pictures and all the good things the travels i´ve met have said.

I wish I would have come upon the english teaching opportunity earlier. I feel like today was a great day and would like to see how much these young adults could accomplish over a longer period. We played a game with verbs written all over the ball and they did very well. I have started to see the different personalities of some of the students come through. They were very quite and anxious to participate or volunteer initially, but that has definately changed over the week. I gave the teacher my contact info and said if any of his students were interested in a penpal in the states I would like to do that, or if not me find some other students or anyone who might be interested.

I´m Pooped!

Somewhere between hiking up to La Nariz de Indio, the avocados and sweet bread in Santa Clara, the hummus and falafel, or the three chicken tacos, I aquired some sort of stomach bug. I can´t say it was all that bad because when Jay got it he could hardly leave the vecinity of the bathroom to run to the store. I was at least able to pull myself together long enough to walk across town and watch the superbowl.

But enough about my bowel movements...here it is Monday night and tomorrow morning is my last day of classes. I am a bit sad to be leaving Rosa and her family and to say goodbye to my teacher who has not only helped me improve my spanish, but has taught me so much about the culture here through our conversations, our feildtrips to visit local families in need, and provided the opportunity to teach at some local schools.

I didn´t make it out to the highschool this afternoon. On my way to the internet cafe one of the students saw me in the street and asked how I was doing. I told him I would be there tomorrow and ready to teach them a Bob Marley song. I went down to the school around 2pm when the class lets out and met up with Jema who taught the class on her own today. She said it went well but would be happy to have me in there tomorrow. At camp we do a game with a ball where we write questions like, ¨your favorite color¨ or ¨tell a joke¨. I decided to spin that game into an activity to help the kids work on their verbs. So this afternoon, sitting in a tree house at this cool little restaurant overlooking the lake, Jema and I sat and wrote verbs that the when the kids would catch the ball, wherever their thumb landed they would have to make a sentence with that verb. The idea of sedentary learning doesn´t very much appeal to me, let alone sedentary teaching so hopefully this will change it up and get the kids to be a bit more interactive.

So although I am approaching the end of a great phase of my travels I know that I am entering into a new and just as exciting chapter. I think three weeks is all I can really take of classes and the two days before I leave San Pedro will be dedicated to lounging around in hammocks with a lake view while sipping on cool beverages. I have started flipping through my lonely planet books and have for the most part figured out my itinerary for the remainder of my time in Central America. So excited to wind up on Utila Island off the coast of Honduras and enjoy some Caribbean scuba diving.