Island Escapades

---

Utilla Bay Island 7th - 11th Augusto

Turns out some people didn't turn up so alas we did not get to brave the hammocks.
Got a small and splashy ferry to Utilla, a hot and beautiful little island of jetty restaurants, diving schools, bars and beaches. Beautiful English hippy backpackers were everywhere, particularly buzzing because of the festival. We luckily got the last two beds on the island at 'parrot diving school'. Coincidentally this is where our friends from Antigua were staying as well. Went snorkeling in the bath temperature, clear water and saw lots of colourful fishies and brain-like coral. The beach was pure white sand and you could not walk anywhere without being completely drenched in sweat.

We went exploring and found an awesome bar completely encrusted in mozaics, coloured bottles, shells, coral, intricate little tree houses, tunnels swings and bridges. Apparently it was built over 10 years by an ex art teacher on acid. pretty cool. We went out for a pina colada and a pizza at sunset on a jetty and ended up going for a midnight swim in a thunderstorm after some drinking games with our mates from Antigua and an Israeli man-god we found on the ferry.

The next day was spent getting ready for Sun Jam. All the banks and shops were closed and people started to take boats over to the uninhabited island for the festival. After painting ourselves up with poster paint patterns and dressing in each others clothes we got onto a tiny little boat. All so excited about the party yet slightly scared of the spray lashing us in the face as we almost capsized a couple of times with only lightning to guide us over the choppy sea.
Seeing the island approach was So exciting! it was tiny (less than a km across). We could hear the pumping music and see loads of flickering glow sticks through the palm trees.
Ended the night by watching the sunset on one of the beaches with everyone, like a scene out of skins.

Spent the next couple of days recovering in the sun. The whole island had the weekend off. everyone lazed in hammocks and ate some great carribean style food. mmm beans...
Harriet and Tash went diving on Sunday. They did two dives one on one with an instructor each and came back excitedly chatting about sea horses, angel fish and a four eyed fish and huge lobster.

San Pedro Sula, Honduras 11th Augusto

We reluctantly dragged ourselves away after a fun filled few days and said a teary goodbye to our new friends a the bus station.
Had to stay a night in San Pedro in order to get the bus at 6 in the morning across the border. Had a lovely "caeser salad"; two icebergs covered in a bottle of salad cream, keeping our feet off the floor to avoid scuttling cockroaches. vegetarianism has not been easy in this part of the world but at least i've been trying some interesting things and have developed an obsession with refried beans.


Rio Dulce, Guatemala 12th Augusto

On the bus to Rio Dulce we had quite a stressful situation as Tash's Rucksack accidentally went on a little trip on a boat to Belize. A nice American lad helped us with our language issues in return for a solero and luckily the bag was safely returned to us the next day.
We are now staying in an incredible hostel, slept in the 'nature house' which is basically a tree house over the river with a palm leaf roof and no walls so we woke up to birdsong and watched a big frog-lizard chasing a butterfly from our beds.
Ate an amazing dinner in another massive thunderstorm with purple sheet lighting lighting up the river every few seconds.
Visited an 18th century castle in Kayaks this morning.

---

Photos

Fire Spinning at Sunjam
Not us im afraid...

Castillo de San Fillippe
Built by Spanish conquistadors to protect their silver from British pirates

Comments

[alicia fraser]

Boat Deja Vu
Your boat trip reminds us of the time we went to that island in Dalat in a thunderstorm with water lashing over the side - only when we arrived at the other side we had MUCH less fun than you three as we were forced to eat porcupines. So glad you are all having such great experiences and turning tricky ones into positive one. Leaving France tomorrow for the drive home. Love you xxxxxx

[Paul Fraser]

Intrepid Times
Looks like you're having a peachy beachy time making us all wish we were in our twenties again. Remember, you put de lime in de coconut and drink it all together, put de lime in de coconut and drink it all down, I said sister don't you get de belly ache!! Probably not Spanish enough for where you are! Keep on having fun and take care of each other. Hasta la vista!

[natnuts]

incredible blog
hi, im gonna backpack through central america and was wondering what hostel you stayed at in guatemala?cheers from belgium have a wicked time out there