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Hola friends, thought it´s about time for another update, although I really had to force myself to go use the internet today. Life has been good these last few days. I left San Pedro Sula the day after my last update and grabbed a bus to La Ceiba early in the morning. I had a nice pizza dinner out in San Pedro on my last night and then just hung around the hotel because it's too dangerous after dark. But the hotel staff were a little more friendly, and I got to practice some Spanish with them. I got up for an early breakfast and caught an early bus to La Ceiba. The bus ride from San Pedro to La Ceiba was one of the most beautiful I have been on. The forests were so lush and thick, they seemed impenetrable and you could smell the humidity in the air. It was all misty and surreal, with little tiny villages here and there, and tons and tons of palm trees. It was very rural, and very pretty. I was almost sad when we rolled back into a city. La Ceiba wasn't much to see, I caught a cab directly to the dock for the boat to Utila.
I arrived at the dock about 3 hours early for the Utila Princess to depart. It was very weird because there was only a bunch of men loading some cargo ships and no one else around. It was very dead and I couldn't figure out if I was in the right spot. But they all told me the boat didn't leave until four, and slowly but surely more people showed up. The boat ticket was pricey, 21 dollars for one way, but it was been well, well worth it. I met a diving instructor on the boat and she told me everything I needed to know for arrival on the island. As well as a Swedish girl who I am now sharing a room with. I ended up going to Alton's Dive Shop, as recommended by the instructor I met. I got all set up for my course and we got a great room with a balcony for 3 bucks a night. Alton's is perfect for hanging out and learning to dive. It's got a great atomosphere, very relaxed and inormal for learning. There is good music blasting at all hours of the day and it is set right on the Caribbean sea, built on a big dock. When you walk out the dock there are dorm rooms, a snack and drink shack, all the dive equipment, and a big area with benches and hammocks for hanging out, and it has two levels.
That night we went to a party for Norways independence that one of the hostels was throwing. I don't really know what that was all about, but it was 8 bucks for all you can eat and drink. There was lots of dancing, and it was out on a dock right over the water. And the food was delicious. It was an awesome first night on Utila. The next day I did all my homework and started my dive course. Yesterday, a bunch more people signed up for the course, so I decided to wait for them to catch up to me and we could all do the course together.
I walked all around the island yesterday, it's actually very diverse as you move around the island. It took me about 2 and a half hours to go on a big walk, it wasn't really all the way around because I got lost, but I like getting lost. There were little lizards dartin' about everywhere, bright green and blue, or red with frilled necks. I was walking in the really damp, jungle area and I ran across and old man sitting in a little clearing with a big machete. I had a little chat with him, he said Canada was too cold, but not as bad as Russia. He also said we don't like walking because we all live in houses and never leave them...because of the cold of course. But I set him straight about Vancouver Island and let him know I like walking very much. As you walk through the forest, you can hear all these little creatures scrambling around, and you think it might be snakes, but actually it's thousands of big, blue crabs. Yes, giant blue crabs. What they are doing up in the forest I don't really know. Most of my walk was along the beach, which was made up mostly of washed up coral. There are fresh water caves, canals and lagoons, a big hill in the middle with tropical rainforest on it, dry areas, rocky and sandy beaches, and everything in between. The town exists on one little road, it's pretty tiny, there are only golf carts and motor bikes, but most people travel around by bicycle. There's a dude who walks around with a huge parrot on his shoulder, there are great bars set out over the ocean, and fun, little restaurants with great food. It's just a beautiful, relaxed, perfect place.
Today I did my first confined water dive, just off the end of the dock at Alton's. We were underwater for about an hour and twenty minutes. It is such a different feeling to experience, a little hard to trust at first, but I loved it. Tomorrow, we do our first two open water dives, I can't wait. The water is crystal clear and warm, and there has been sightings of turtles, sharks, and every fish in the book. Not too mention there are whale sharks in the area that we may be able to see. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for that, because it would be so amazing to snorkel with them. Then the next day we have our final exam, two more open water dives, and we're certified open water divers. I also get two free fun dives, so I get six dives all together out of the course. I think I am going to stay here and do my Advanced Open Water diving as well. The instructors are great, the water is great, the sea creatures are many, the people are fun and friendly, why wouldn't I stay and do it here?? Plus I get another 2 free dives out of that, bringing my total to 12 dives. And in the Advanced course, you get to do a wreck dive and a night dive, or underwater photography; there are options for your elective dives. I can't wait to do more, I can already tell that I love it. It is so calm and peaceful under the water.
Last night at Alton's we were hanging out and the snack shack boy threw a bunch of fish heads into the shallow water surrounding the dock. A bunch of Morray Eels, some spotted and some brown, came out and started attacking the bait. And there were lots of other fish around too. It was so cool! There isn't really much Spanish around here, but this Caribbean English, that I can't really understand. But it's the coolest, sounding language, especially the little kids with there ¨hey mon´s.¨ When I buy mangoes from the one of the locals, she calls you ¨mama,¨ or ¨baby.¨ It's so great. So I guess that's about it, everything is going good. Time is passing by a little faster than I would like it too, but at least I rarely know the time of day and if I'm lucky the date. I wish you could all be here with me, lying in a hammock, sipping a cold beer after a long hard day of diving, watching another perfect sunset over the Caribbean ocean 😉.
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Dean
non-member comment
Oh man!
Waiting is the worst thing ever! I so want to be there. Heard al ot about the Bay islands and the magic there are surrounded by, looks like you are experiencing al of it. Thank u for the updates. They inspire me. Great descriptions. You're a trooper.