Oh Utila, Let me count the ways...


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Central America Caribbean » Honduras » Bay Islands » Utila
February 13th 2011
Published: February 14th 2011
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So tomorrow morning I am going to give a sad good bye to this beautiful and bizarre island where there is nothing else to do but scuba, snorkel, do karaoke on friday nights and relax in the sun.... oh and get eaten ALIVE by sand flies. Seriously I thought I couldnt stand less than mosquitoes but no... I STRONGLY dislike those little black man eaters more!

I did however accomplished my goal of barely doing any work overcoming a fear of being in the open water, a fear of going under the open water at depth, and a fear of doing karaoke. Yes you read that right, I did my first karaoke night in a little bar on the water at Bay Island College Diving where every Friday night people come together for a belt-your-heart-out, sing-a-long style karaoke night. Jason convinced me that it was good for me. And boy was he right. As much as I am confident in speaking in front of hundreds of people being in a small room with complete strangers while singing makes me utterly self conscious. But I did it, and I have to say, I dont remember the last time I laughed and enjoyed myself so much. Well, except on the way home in the pouring rain (not like Vancouver rain let me tell you- more like your Thailand monsoon rain) I decided since I've been stepping out of the box so much this week I would challenge Jason to some huge puddle jumping (we were already looking like wet rats). By the time we go back to Jason's place we looked like a tidal wave hit us.

Saturday I did my last two dives. At Utila Dive Center you get 4 dives in the course and two fun dives after you complete it. Jason, three other girls and I did some exploring on some amazing coral reef called Labrinth where we saw all kinds of beautiful fish including a stingray, angelfish, trumpet fish, and more... Not the same as swimming with and watching 10 dolphins play in the open water on Friday after our dives but amazing nonetheless. Jason even took us through some smaller tunneled areas which was really cool.

I didnt get to see any turtles or the whale sharks like I had hopes but I think I've had alot of excitement and amazing experiences.

Today the plan was to get up to see the sun rise and spend some time on the beach but it was raining like mad. So instead to www.floatutila.com the largest flotation tank in the world. I had a few people tell me about it and thought... if it has all these health benefits and it helps with staying still and re-balancing yourself, I'm in. When is the next time I'll ever be able to experience something like this?

It was an unbelievable experience unlike anything else I've ever tried. You shower off and enter this 8' room with 11 inches of Epsom salt, hydrogen peroxide water which feels like silk. It keeps you 100% buoyant and you relax... no sound, very little coloured light, and no sense of direction. It's the strangest feeling to accustom to but I ended up falling asleep and was woken up for by gentle music in the background an hour later. When you get out you shower off and let me tell you, its like you are floating on air. It was worth every penny and some. It gave me more relaxation than an hour massage and still 10 hours later I'm still feeling the effects.

On the way back I checked out the Jade Seahorse. It's this bar/ sanctuary where people spent hours of time using reusable items to build this colourful and beautiful yard. It's a must see.

This island does not lack character or characters. It's simple living with beautiful surroundings. If I had more time I would explore some ATV-ing on Pumpkin Hill and visits the pirate caves.

For now, I'm going home with a renewed sense of energy, balance, and a hand full of great experiences and learnings about life, people, and myself. I'll blog more about this in my coaching blog as the plan is to str


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Street artistStreet artist
Street artist

In the evening you'll see this guy outside of Munchies making t-shirts free hand.. its amazing
Mark and JasonMark and Jason
Mark and Jason

I have to say Mark could do the best Rick James impression I've ever heard
Jason and IJason and I
Jason and I

My last course day!
FernandoFernando
Fernando

Fernando was one of the instructors in our course...


16th February 2011

What fun!!!
Hey Loretta!Sounds like AMAZING times! So happy for you, would love to hear more about your trip! Have a safe trip home :)!
27th May 2012
Street artist

that's me!!!
you can see more of my work at www.carlosortizart.com or facebook.com/carlosortizart thanks for calling my work amazing!!!!! :)

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