I feel the Earth, move, under my feet....

So from one Caribbean Coast to another - off to the Bay Islands in Honduras I go.

Our arrival in Puerto Cortes, Honduras, was not without it's dramas. We arrived on the water ferry from Placencia to be 'detained' due to Swine Flu check ups. Yep, Michael Jackson masks and all! We had to sit on the boat until a Doctor rocked up and gave us the all clear by not physically examining us, just asking us a few simple questions - uhm hullo, even if I had symptoms, not like I'm going to tell you! However, due to this mind numbing exercise, we managed to miss the last bus to San Pedro Sula and they were not running any 'tourists' buses due to the low numbers travelling at the moment. BUT we are in Central America after all, and where there is a will, there is way (all $$$ driven of course!).

We (my travel mate, Nick the Yank, and an English couple we met) brokered a deal with a taxi driver to take us all the way to La Ceiba which is where we needed to get the boat to the Bay Islands and spent the next 4.5 hours zipping in and out of the most chaotic overtaking central traffic. It was pretty friggin funny, especially cause our taxi driver was letting us do all the gesticulating on his behalf! And to make things EVEN better, he had the best radio station ever, nothing but back to back 80's classics and Power Ballads (Langler, did I make you proud!).

We spent the night in La Ceiba and got the morning boat across to Utila in the Bay Islands. There isn't a whole lot to do in Utila except Scuba Dive your BUTT off, and then drink like a fish among other things in the evenings. We picked our Dive shop, Altons, and managed to score a room right on the pier, so the view was stunning out over the water. I wasn't sure how long I was going to stay, although I knew it was at least 10 days, and bought a 10 tank dive package. You know you're in a pretty cool place when the day you arrive, there is an evening boat booze cruise organised by the shop!

So I was kicking back diving, beering, smoking, chatting for the next 5 days, and signed up to do a trip out to Cayos Cochinos, these real Caribbean Islands that are home a group of people called the Garifuna people, and also happen to be right by some kick ass dive sites. I put myself to bed early as we had a 5am kick off the next day, and wanted to be fresh - someone out there had other ideas for that.

About 2.50am in the morning, I was woken up to the most violent shaking I've ever experienced - I had to hold onto the bed to stop from falling off! EVERYTHING was shaking and moving from side to size (I should point out that our room was a wooden cabana housed on stilts over the water!), and it lasted for about 30 seconds - I was SH*TTING my pants, looked over at my room mate Nick who had been out on the turps and yelled “What are you shaking!!!” - to which he replies, “dude, I think you're experiencing an earthquake!”

When the shaking finally stopped, we all came out our rooms to find out what the FARK had just happened - there would have been about 16 of us, just all in a 'sgotnoidea' daze. Someone from the shop came around and told us all that it was an earthquake but it was all cool and we could go back to bed - who the hell was sleeping after that and all the strong aftershocks and tremors! About 40 minutes there was a door knock and one of the other backpacker chicks was letting everyone know that a Tsunami warning had been issued and we had to get to higher ground - we were all standing around, contemplating what to do when Captain Joe (the shops Dive boat captain) comes around yelling at us “what are you standing around for, go, go, go!” - if a local is telling us, we're farking running! One of the English guys staying near us came out with the classic comment of the trip - “this is more drama than Albert Square!” - there is no way you can take the situation seriously after a comment like that!

We started making for higher ground and passed some locals all out on the street listening to the news on the radio (everyone was out, and I mean the whole of Utila trying to find out what was happening) - the radio explained that the Quake was 7.2 on the Richter Scale, and the epicentre was between us and Roatan, so only 27kms northwest away! Confirmed = it was a big'un baby! That also means if a tsunami was coming, it would have hit us about 34 minutes ago! Not long after that, the tsunami warning was called off so we headed back to attempt to sleep before the dive trip - I kid you not, we continued to have small shakes at least every 10 minutes or so.

The dive trip ended up being postponed to the next day as Captain Joe was getting freaked out by the water - it was doing the weirdest currents and tides, and the lagoon in the centre of Utila where most boats were moved to had been pretty much sucked dry of its water! So of course, the entire day was spent swapping earthquake stories - until 1.35pm that day when we had another, measuring about 4.8! Seriously crazy stuff!

The dive trip to the Cayos Cochinos went ahead the next day and I have to admit it has been one of the best days of my trip so far. The dives were brilliant - especially the second dive when our Dive Master, Josh, decided to have races through all the swim throughs in the coral walls. I surfaced peeing my pants laughing, it was sooooooo much fun (Josh if you're reading this, keep a lid on that ego!). Then when both dives were done, we kicked into our first beers - yes ladies and gents, it was only 10.45am after all! The day was pretty much spent knocking back as much booze as we could, lunch on the Cahahuita Caye, and doing bombing competitions off the back of the boat with the local kids! The boat ride back to Utila (about an hour and a bit) was spent partying up a storm, ipoding it up and just running amuk! Needless to say......a big night was on the cards!

I ended up staying in Utila for 17 days - I met some fantastic people and had a ball just hanging out, diving (I did 15 dives in total there), drinking - one night we actually made homemade cocktails by using a blender that Ollie (he of the infamous 'drama Albert Square' comment!) was travelling with - yes, a pretty funny person is travelling with a blender! I had some classic moments with that boy, and a menangerie of others from the shop - just an outstanding group of people!

It was VERY sad to leave, but unless I was going to stay and do my Dive Master training (to which I totally regret NOT doing, screw going back to Inv banking!), there was no choice but to hit the road (and give that poor liver of mine a break!). We celebrated on my final night with a 'posh' (as posh as you get in Utila!) dinner and a few final rums, and then it was time to ferry off the island for my next stop. Where?

Well seeing I am soooo immersed in this Caribbean culture, what better to hit ANOTHER Caribbean island - Little Corn Island in Nicaragua! Can you see a theme here?

To be continued.......

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