Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
End of Blog
My travels are ending early. I will be back in Canada on Friday. I hope you enjoyed my stories.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Bats and Fleas and Things in Trees
I last wrote in Coban, meaning I've done and seen a lot of things since... I guess I start from the beginning.
From Coban, I made my way by local bus to Lanquin. Sounds easy, except the bus station was printed in the wrong place in the Lonely Planet (typical). So I wandered through Coban asking person after person where the bus station was, and everyone would say something along the lines of "See where those people are standing over there? It's right there." So I would walk on over there, check to see if I was in the right place, and I would be told I should be another couple of blocks away. Then another couple of blocks. And another. Eventually, at the edge of town, I found myself ushered into what they call a microbus (usually about a 15-passenger van).
In Lanquin, I spent the afternoon chilling out and getting my bearings, made friends with an Aussie roommate named Jeremy, and then he and I set out for the Grutas de Lanquin (Lanquin Caves) around 5:00pm. This is a crazy series of caves with lots of cool formations to look at, and the piece de resistance: bats. Every evening at dusk thousands of bats fly out of the caves. We all took a seat near the entrance and watched for 30-40 minutes while more and more bats poured out overhead. It was so amazing and wild to see that many bats whizzing above you, and a little less amazing to have spent an hour beforehand wandering through caves trying not to slip on the huge amount of bat shit on the ground.
The other purpose of my visit to Lanquin was to explore the nearby Semuc Champey. This is quite cool, and worth looking up. There is a river running through the jungle until it plunges into the ground below a huge limestone bridge and surfaces again 300 metres later. Above the limestone are beautiful cascading pools of freshwater for swimming. My time spent in that park was gorgeous, and I would gladly go back again. Actually, I guess I could have if I weren't in need of border hopping to renew my visa. When Jeremy and I returned to the hostel after a fairly wild ride standing in the back of a pick-up truck (regular mode of transport in the area, it's outfitted with a big rack to hold onto), who did I find getting off a microbus but Itay! It seems he changed his plans before leaving Guatemala, and randomly turned up at the very same place I randomly ended up at. The typical travelling story.
If I had been considering staying longer in Lanquin to hang out with Itay, I definitely was not once I woke up the next morning. The previous day, after Semuc Champey, I found myself very itchy and covered in bites. They didn't seem like they could be bedbug bites (I've never had one myself, so I don't know how I'd react), but seemed strange for mosquito bites. However, I just resigned myself to the fact I had been bitten, perhaps by a pathetic species of mosquito, and went on to bed. When I woke up after my second night in Lanquin, there was no doubt that something was feasting on me while I slept. I was covered head-to-toe in hundreds of bites, many of which were in rows. One wise traveller told me, "Those are flea bites. That happened to me in Chile." Just great. And if I had any doubt about whether she was right, once I packed up my stuff and hopped on a bus to move on to the next town, I felt a little bite, looked down at my shoulder, and what did I find but a flea. That flea didn't make it, and I don't think any of its buddies managed the trip from Lanquin to Flores. [Aside: After two days of antihistamines, the flea bites are beginning to go down. I feel like a neglected dog or a cat. Does anyone have a spare flea collar?]
The bus trip to Flores took something near forever. I had to take a bus back to Coban, where naturally I had to find my way to some more remote bus station, then a bus to El Cruce, to Sayaxche, a little boat across a very little river there (about a 30-60 second crossing, the most hilarious required transport I think I have ever needed), and a final bus to Santa Elena/Flores. The trip was about eight hours in total, but never did I wait for a bus (or a boat). Every time I arrived somewhere, I was instantly ushered onto another mode of transport and my backpack grabbed and flung along with me. A country that doesn't operate on fixed schedules is my kind of a place to travel.
The reason for my trip to Flores was to visit Tikal. How could I possibly visit Guatemala without visiting the mother of Mayan ruins? In Flores, I was determined to stay at Los Amigos Hostel. Jeremy and Itay had both strongly recommended it, so the fact that the dormitories were full did not sway me. You rent hammocks for 20 quetzales per night? Alright, I'll stay in a hammock. According to the manager, I didn't look like the kind of person who would be willing to sleep in a hammock, but whether or not I was that kind of person before, I certainly am now. My two nights in Flores sleeping in a big, heavy, denim hammock were absolutely beautiful. The climate is warm there, so the temperature only gets a little cool right before sunrise, and there was a roof overhead to keep any potential rain off. What more could I ask for? Well, some means of shutting up the quail who live in the garden next to the hammocks would have been nice. Oddly, they squawk like mad from about 4:30am-6:00am, and then they give up. Why they need to squawk before the sun shows any sign of rising is beyond me.
The ruins of Tikal were incredible to visit. Unlike many other ancient ruins, these were built amidst the jungle. As I elected to tour the ruins without a guide, I spent most of my time there properly alone. Not just apart from other tourists, but with none in my sight. You walk through a well-beaten path in the jungle, see a few monkeys, maybe a toucan, hear countless birds, and then see a Mayan temple rise up behind the trees as you approach. The ruins were so peaceful to visit, and magnificent in their size. When you climb the higher temples, you can sit at the top, look out over endless rain forest, and see a few other temples poke out through the canopy of treetops. But what Tikal has in size, it lacks in detail. I'm sure I would have been made to understand much more with a guide rather than just a guidebook, but many of the hieroglyphs of Tikal are worn beyond recognition. For that, I'm glad I visited the ruins of Copan. They were much smaller, but looked as though the years had taken no toll.
After my second dreamy night in my wonderful Flores hammock, I have come to Belize. Sounds easy, but of course my bus broke down before it reached the border (so did my bus from Tikal back to Flores yesterday). So far, being here is quite nice. Granted, the prices for tourists are jacked up ridiculously, and a cheap bed is $10 per night, but there's something very comforting about seeing the Queen on my money again and about having gotten that money from the local Scotiabank. I love being away and exploring, but you can't beat the cozy feeling of familiarity when strange has become the norm.
Presently, I am in San Ignacio. It's a cute little town, and I've already walked through all of it and most of the town across the river as well. Tomorrow, the plan is to head to Belize City and to see about visiting a howler monkey sanctuary (maybe not in that order). From there I'll head out to Caye Caulker, where I will do my best to snorkel off the beaches and not pay a cent on diving, and then make my way down the coast and back into Guatemala. All in all, I think I should be in Belize roughly one week. I should be fun; I'm excited!
From Coban, I made my way by local bus to Lanquin. Sounds easy, except the bus station was printed in the wrong place in the Lonely Planet (typical). So I wandered through Coban asking person after person where the bus station was, and everyone would say something along the lines of "See where those people are standing over there? It's right there." So I would walk on over there, check to see if I was in the right place, and I would be told I should be another couple of blocks away. Then another couple of blocks. And another. Eventually, at the edge of town, I found myself ushered into what they call a microbus (usually about a 15-passenger van).
In Lanquin, I spent the afternoon chilling out and getting my bearings, made friends with an Aussie roommate named Jeremy, and then he and I set out for the Grutas de Lanquin (Lanquin Caves) around 5:00pm. This is a crazy series of caves with lots of cool formations to look at, and the piece de resistance: bats. Every evening at dusk thousands of bats fly out of the caves. We all took a seat near the entrance and watched for 30-40 minutes while more and more bats poured out overhead. It was so amazing and wild to see that many bats whizzing above you, and a little less amazing to have spent an hour beforehand wandering through caves trying not to slip on the huge amount of bat shit on the ground.
The other purpose of my visit to Lanquin was to explore the nearby Semuc Champey. This is quite cool, and worth looking up. There is a river running through the jungle until it plunges into the ground below a huge limestone bridge and surfaces again 300 metres later. Above the limestone are beautiful cascading pools of freshwater for swimming. My time spent in that park was gorgeous, and I would gladly go back again. Actually, I guess I could have if I weren't in need of border hopping to renew my visa. When Jeremy and I returned to the hostel after a fairly wild ride standing in the back of a pick-up truck (regular mode of transport in the area, it's outfitted with a big rack to hold onto), who did I find getting off a microbus but Itay! It seems he changed his plans before leaving Guatemala, and randomly turned up at the very same place I randomly ended up at. The typical travelling story.
If I had been considering staying longer in Lanquin to hang out with Itay, I definitely was not once I woke up the next morning. The previous day, after Semuc Champey, I found myself very itchy and covered in bites. They didn't seem like they could be bedbug bites (I've never had one myself, so I don't know how I'd react), but seemed strange for mosquito bites. However, I just resigned myself to the fact I had been bitten, perhaps by a pathetic species of mosquito, and went on to bed. When I woke up after my second night in Lanquin, there was no doubt that something was feasting on me while I slept. I was covered head-to-toe in hundreds of bites, many of which were in rows. One wise traveller told me, "Those are flea bites. That happened to me in Chile." Just great. And if I had any doubt about whether she was right, once I packed up my stuff and hopped on a bus to move on to the next town, I felt a little bite, looked down at my shoulder, and what did I find but a flea. That flea didn't make it, and I don't think any of its buddies managed the trip from Lanquin to Flores. [Aside: After two days of antihistamines, the flea bites are beginning to go down. I feel like a neglected dog or a cat. Does anyone have a spare flea collar?]
The bus trip to Flores took something near forever. I had to take a bus back to Coban, where naturally I had to find my way to some more remote bus station, then a bus to El Cruce, to Sayaxche, a little boat across a very little river there (about a 30-60 second crossing, the most hilarious required transport I think I have ever needed), and a final bus to Santa Elena/Flores. The trip was about eight hours in total, but never did I wait for a bus (or a boat). Every time I arrived somewhere, I was instantly ushered onto another mode of transport and my backpack grabbed and flung along with me. A country that doesn't operate on fixed schedules is my kind of a place to travel.
The reason for my trip to Flores was to visit Tikal. How could I possibly visit Guatemala without visiting the mother of Mayan ruins? In Flores, I was determined to stay at Los Amigos Hostel. Jeremy and Itay had both strongly recommended it, so the fact that the dormitories were full did not sway me. You rent hammocks for 20 quetzales per night? Alright, I'll stay in a hammock. According to the manager, I didn't look like the kind of person who would be willing to sleep in a hammock, but whether or not I was that kind of person before, I certainly am now. My two nights in Flores sleeping in a big, heavy, denim hammock were absolutely beautiful. The climate is warm there, so the temperature only gets a little cool right before sunrise, and there was a roof overhead to keep any potential rain off. What more could I ask for? Well, some means of shutting up the quail who live in the garden next to the hammocks would have been nice. Oddly, they squawk like mad from about 4:30am-6:00am, and then they give up. Why they need to squawk before the sun shows any sign of rising is beyond me.
The ruins of Tikal were incredible to visit. Unlike many other ancient ruins, these were built amidst the jungle. As I elected to tour the ruins without a guide, I spent most of my time there properly alone. Not just apart from other tourists, but with none in my sight. You walk through a well-beaten path in the jungle, see a few monkeys, maybe a toucan, hear countless birds, and then see a Mayan temple rise up behind the trees as you approach. The ruins were so peaceful to visit, and magnificent in their size. When you climb the higher temples, you can sit at the top, look out over endless rain forest, and see a few other temples poke out through the canopy of treetops. But what Tikal has in size, it lacks in detail. I'm sure I would have been made to understand much more with a guide rather than just a guidebook, but many of the hieroglyphs of Tikal are worn beyond recognition. For that, I'm glad I visited the ruins of Copan. They were much smaller, but looked as though the years had taken no toll.
After my second dreamy night in my wonderful Flores hammock, I have come to Belize. Sounds easy, but of course my bus broke down before it reached the border (so did my bus from Tikal back to Flores yesterday). So far, being here is quite nice. Granted, the prices for tourists are jacked up ridiculously, and a cheap bed is $10 per night, but there's something very comforting about seeing the Queen on my money again and about having gotten that money from the local Scotiabank. I love being away and exploring, but you can't beat the cozy feeling of familiarity when strange has become the norm.
Presently, I am in San Ignacio. It's a cute little town, and I've already walked through all of it and most of the town across the river as well. Tomorrow, the plan is to head to Belize City and to see about visiting a howler monkey sanctuary (maybe not in that order). From there I'll head out to Caye Caulker, where I will do my best to snorkel off the beaches and not pay a cent on diving, and then make my way down the coast and back into Guatemala. All in all, I think I should be in Belize roughly one week. I should be fun; I'm excited!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Shocking Showers
Not in the sense of being shocked by cold... more like with electricity. I haven't taken a picture of the water heaters here yet, but I'll have to do that soon. Quite honestly, they worry me; and apparently for good reason. Basically, the showerhead is an electric thing with a couple of rubber-coated wires coming out of it and going into the wall/ceiling. As the water passes through it, it is heated. Sadly, this means that the lowest-pressure showers are the hottest, but at least you don't have to take cold showers. I just took a shower at the hostel I checked into here in Coban, and the showerhead had an especially weird bit sticking out the front of it. In an effort to figure out what this weird bit was for, I touched the showerhead and got myself a mild electric shock. Safe, huh?
Before I got to know these water heaters for myself (Utila has only cold water showers because the water in that climate isn't ever actually cold), I heard stories from other travellers. One girl once stepped into the shower, turned on the water, and the showerhead burst into flames. This makes me wonder: how many deaths are related to these water heaters each year?
So, aside from showering, I've been beating myself up in all kinds of ways lately. After writing my last post, I did indeed go horseback riding. It was quite fun, but I still feel guilty because the horses were rather skinny. And naturally, after bouncing in a saddle for three hours and not being accustomed to this, I was left feeling fairly bruised.
My plan had been to leave San Pedro immediately after horseback riding, but I decided to get some lunch and stop by the bank to get some more cash first. It's a good thing I did, because the only bank in San Pedro would not work for me. I was told to go to Panajachel at the other end of the lake for a bank. Feeling tired and not in the mood to attempt to run all over the lake, I gave up and spent an extra night in San Pedro. This time allowed me to finally figure out where the locals eat on the streets, and to see an awesome jazz concert. I'm quite glad I got stuck.
Next morning, I took a lancha (passenger boat) over to Panajachel, got myself some cash, and made my way back to Santa Cruz. By this point, I had given up on hippie town (San Marcos) because it's relatively expensive and I didn't feel in the mood to pay someone to practice something I already know [fairly well]. So I just went straight for diving town. There the bed was cheap, the surroundings were amazing, the company was great, and the food was really expensive. I guess you can't always have it all. But I got my altitude specialty, and had a great time diving in the lake (there's an underwater tree, and an area where you can stick your hands into magma-heated mud). I also spent two nights sitting around a fire listening to music, chatting, and gazing up at the stars. I know nothing about astronomy, but you could see the Milky Way with the naked eye. Talk about awesome.
The bed at this hotel, La Iguana Perdida, was so cheap because it was an open-air dorm. There was a roof over our heads and some partial walls, but we were by no means in an enclosed space. It was really beautiful to sleep listening to the insects and birds, and it wasn't overly buggy. Admittedly, I am now covered in bites I cannot identify, but I expected I might have hated it the first night. Night number one I was awakened twice by a mosquito buzzing around my head looking for blood. Night number two I woke up at some point with a painfully swollen left eyelid. Beautiful. It was almost definitely due to some bug bite, but another thought occurred to me later today: Earlier that evening while rubbing on bug spray, I accidentally poked my left eye. Could my eyelid have swelled up because of that? And if DEET in the eye wasn't the problem, why did a bug then bite that very eye? It was full of DEET after all!
Now I am in Coban. That's more or less in the middle of Guatemala, and so far it's proven to be cool and rainy. I'm here to visit Semuc Champey and the caves at Lanquin. It took so long to get here from Lago de Atitlan (nine hours) that I decided to stop off here for a night before proceeding to Lanquin. Over the last nine hours my eyelid has gone from being swelled half-shut to looking fairly normal. Now if only my bright red nose's sunburn would fade...
Before I got to know these water heaters for myself (Utila has only cold water showers because the water in that climate isn't ever actually cold), I heard stories from other travellers. One girl once stepped into the shower, turned on the water, and the showerhead burst into flames. This makes me wonder: how many deaths are related to these water heaters each year?
So, aside from showering, I've been beating myself up in all kinds of ways lately. After writing my last post, I did indeed go horseback riding. It was quite fun, but I still feel guilty because the horses were rather skinny. And naturally, after bouncing in a saddle for three hours and not being accustomed to this, I was left feeling fairly bruised.
My plan had been to leave San Pedro immediately after horseback riding, but I decided to get some lunch and stop by the bank to get some more cash first. It's a good thing I did, because the only bank in San Pedro would not work for me. I was told to go to Panajachel at the other end of the lake for a bank. Feeling tired and not in the mood to attempt to run all over the lake, I gave up and spent an extra night in San Pedro. This time allowed me to finally figure out where the locals eat on the streets, and to see an awesome jazz concert. I'm quite glad I got stuck.
Next morning, I took a lancha (passenger boat) over to Panajachel, got myself some cash, and made my way back to Santa Cruz. By this point, I had given up on hippie town (San Marcos) because it's relatively expensive and I didn't feel in the mood to pay someone to practice something I already know [fairly well]. So I just went straight for diving town. There the bed was cheap, the surroundings were amazing, the company was great, and the food was really expensive. I guess you can't always have it all. But I got my altitude specialty, and had a great time diving in the lake (there's an underwater tree, and an area where you can stick your hands into magma-heated mud). I also spent two nights sitting around a fire listening to music, chatting, and gazing up at the stars. I know nothing about astronomy, but you could see the Milky Way with the naked eye. Talk about awesome.
The bed at this hotel, La Iguana Perdida, was so cheap because it was an open-air dorm. There was a roof over our heads and some partial walls, but we were by no means in an enclosed space. It was really beautiful to sleep listening to the insects and birds, and it wasn't overly buggy. Admittedly, I am now covered in bites I cannot identify, but I expected I might have hated it the first night. Night number one I was awakened twice by a mosquito buzzing around my head looking for blood. Night number two I woke up at some point with a painfully swollen left eyelid. Beautiful. It was almost definitely due to some bug bite, but another thought occurred to me later today: Earlier that evening while rubbing on bug spray, I accidentally poked my left eye. Could my eyelid have swelled up because of that? And if DEET in the eye wasn't the problem, why did a bug then bite that very eye? It was full of DEET after all!
Now I am in Coban. That's more or less in the middle of Guatemala, and so far it's proven to be cool and rainy. I'm here to visit Semuc Champey and the caves at Lanquin. It took so long to get here from Lago de Atitlan (nine hours) that I decided to stop off here for a night before proceeding to Lanquin. Over the last nine hours my eyelid has gone from being swelled half-shut to looking fairly normal. Now if only my bright red nose's sunburn would fade...
Monday, July 13, 2009
Reaching New Heights
I did it! Admittedly, it was an easier climb than Mount Kinabalu, but definitely a challenge for me. I have virtually no photos, so Itay will have to be responsible for supplying those. He strolled along singing while I puffed my way up the volcano and limped my way down (foolish feet!). However, unlike after Kinabalu I am still capable of walking because it was a much shorter climb.
It's pretty funny the prices tourists are charged here. It's not required to have a guide for Tajumulco, but having someone to lead you the right way is always nice. Itay found a local who charged a total of 100 Quetzales to take us up the volcano. It cost us a total of 34 Quetzales to take the bus to and from the entrance from Xela. This makes a total of Q84 each, while a tour booked from Xela would have been Q350-500. Slight difference... Anyway, it was a good climb, tough for those of us who are out of shape (and older than the guide and the other climber), and I'm quite happy I did it.
Since I am oh-so-slow, we didn't have enough time after climbing Tajumulco to get the bus to Lago de Atitlan. We ended up in Xela for the night, and spent it at Itay's homestay family from the week he was studying Spanish. They're a little nuts, but a true Guatemalan family and very kind. In the morning we got up early, accidentally took the bus all the way around the lake (there are much quicker ways to get here), and eventually made our way to San Pedro. On the way, I got to visit Maximon, the smoking god worshiped by Mayans, in Santiago Atitlan. You should look him up, he's pretty funny.
San Pedro La Laguna is a pretty weird town. There's a big divide here between locals and tourists. Locals belong in one area, tourists in another. A lot of locals are very kind and some of them will do anything to speak with you (one called me "princess" today), but if you wander into the local part of town, they're very hesitant to even speak to gringos (us white folk). However, I must say my Spanish is getting quite good. Naturally, it's far from perfect and there are lots of things I just don't know how to talk about, but the locals are very impressed. I'm glad I didn't spend the money on Spanish school.
Last night, a group of westerners congregated at Alegre Pub. This is a British-owned pub that serves up a big roast dinner every Sunday night. They had chicken, roast beef, and vegetarian options. I must say, it was completely amazing. Since it was my first day after Tajumulco, I was still fairly tired and slept a LOT last night. A total of 12-13 hours, I think. I'm staying at a wonderful place called Hotel Peneleu, which is costing me about $3.50 per night for a private room with two beds and ensuite. It has a great view of the lake (not from my own room though), and the owners are amazing. So the lie-in was nice to say the least.
Today has basically been a write-off, but I had a nice lunch and spent the afternoon wandering about collecting information and running errands. Tomorrow morning I'm going horseback riding for three hours and paying a grand $15 for it. Honestly, this is one of the most expensive places in town to go horseback riding with, but the horses are well cared for, it is locally owned, and I had the opportunity to chat with my guide, Salvador, for a while. I look forward to it.
Tomorrow afternoon, I might move on to San Marcos. It's a couple of towns over, and it's the hippie town with lots of yoga, Reiki, etc. I'll have to take a look around while I'm there to find out whether to park myself and practice yoga for a bit, or simply to move on to the next town and go diving. I'm excited to try diving in freshwater and at altitude, and the temperature will be much closer to what I can expect in Halifax in September. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!
Now I'm off to see if I can find an instruction manual for my second-hand dive computer. I know it has settings for various altitudes, but have to idea how to use it. ¡Buenas noches!
It's pretty funny the prices tourists are charged here. It's not required to have a guide for Tajumulco, but having someone to lead you the right way is always nice. Itay found a local who charged a total of 100 Quetzales to take us up the volcano. It cost us a total of 34 Quetzales to take the bus to and from the entrance from Xela. This makes a total of Q84 each, while a tour booked from Xela would have been Q350-500. Slight difference... Anyway, it was a good climb, tough for those of us who are out of shape (and older than the guide and the other climber), and I'm quite happy I did it.
Since I am oh-so-slow, we didn't have enough time after climbing Tajumulco to get the bus to Lago de Atitlan. We ended up in Xela for the night, and spent it at Itay's homestay family from the week he was studying Spanish. They're a little nuts, but a true Guatemalan family and very kind. In the morning we got up early, accidentally took the bus all the way around the lake (there are much quicker ways to get here), and eventually made our way to San Pedro. On the way, I got to visit Maximon, the smoking god worshiped by Mayans, in Santiago Atitlan. You should look him up, he's pretty funny.
San Pedro La Laguna is a pretty weird town. There's a big divide here between locals and tourists. Locals belong in one area, tourists in another. A lot of locals are very kind and some of them will do anything to speak with you (one called me "princess" today), but if you wander into the local part of town, they're very hesitant to even speak to gringos (us white folk). However, I must say my Spanish is getting quite good. Naturally, it's far from perfect and there are lots of things I just don't know how to talk about, but the locals are very impressed. I'm glad I didn't spend the money on Spanish school.
Last night, a group of westerners congregated at Alegre Pub. This is a British-owned pub that serves up a big roast dinner every Sunday night. They had chicken, roast beef, and vegetarian options. I must say, it was completely amazing. Since it was my first day after Tajumulco, I was still fairly tired and slept a LOT last night. A total of 12-13 hours, I think. I'm staying at a wonderful place called Hotel Peneleu, which is costing me about $3.50 per night for a private room with two beds and ensuite. It has a great view of the lake (not from my own room though), and the owners are amazing. So the lie-in was nice to say the least.
Today has basically been a write-off, but I had a nice lunch and spent the afternoon wandering about collecting information and running errands. Tomorrow morning I'm going horseback riding for three hours and paying a grand $15 for it. Honestly, this is one of the most expensive places in town to go horseback riding with, but the horses are well cared for, it is locally owned, and I had the opportunity to chat with my guide, Salvador, for a while. I look forward to it.
Tomorrow afternoon, I might move on to San Marcos. It's a couple of towns over, and it's the hippie town with lots of yoga, Reiki, etc. I'll have to take a look around while I'm there to find out whether to park myself and practice yoga for a bit, or simply to move on to the next town and go diving. I'm excited to try diving in freshwater and at altitude, and the temperature will be much closer to what I can expect in Halifax in September. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!
Now I'm off to see if I can find an instruction manual for my second-hand dive computer. I know it has settings for various altitudes, but have to idea how to use it. ¡Buenas noches!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Buying Gloves in July
Yep. Exactly as it sounds. I even had tourists and locals laughing at me in the street as I tried on a few pairs. But take note, there is a stand in the street selling wool gloves and toques.
I'm prepping for the Tajumulco climb that Itay and I hope to undertake tomorrow. The plan is to get up early, meet at the central park, bus it to Tajumulco, and I guess Itay has the rest of the plans after that. Something about having secured a place for us to leave our packs, meeting a guide, and somehow getting up this volcano.
Based on what I've heard and my experience with Mount Kinabalu, I know I'll be so cold at the summit that I will need thick woolen gloves. Rony, our guide last year, gave me his own gloves to wear because my hands were so painfully cold. And this time I'll be higher (though not by much). I'm also prepared with many, many layers of clothing, and a huge selection of food. I just need to find myself a hiking stick, and I'm set.
Nothing else new from here. I've had a lazy day spent mainly with my nose in a book. Yesterday was a little more interesting. In the afternoon, I walked about 3km to the main bus terminal to find some departure information. On my way through the market, I found a boy selling dyed chicks, and shortly thereafter a random man started yelling with excitement at the sight of such a white girl. Also next to the market/bus station is the zoological park. Entrance is free, so I thought I would check out which caged animals were on display to be gawked at. There were some exotic things like jaguars, monkeys, and a toucan, but there was also a surprising selection of domestic and typical animals. Sheep, pigeons, rabbits, etc. I could hardly stop laughing when I reached the pigeon cage.
I'm off now to find some semblance of order before my early-morning departure. The plan after Tajumulco is to head towards Lago de Atitlan. There are many towns surrounding this lake, including a party town, a hippie town, and a diving town. I think I might have to try them all out, so who knows how long I will be spending there. All the best, and I'll be in touch when I get to the lake!
I'm prepping for the Tajumulco climb that Itay and I hope to undertake tomorrow. The plan is to get up early, meet at the central park, bus it to Tajumulco, and I guess Itay has the rest of the plans after that. Something about having secured a place for us to leave our packs, meeting a guide, and somehow getting up this volcano.
Based on what I've heard and my experience with Mount Kinabalu, I know I'll be so cold at the summit that I will need thick woolen gloves. Rony, our guide last year, gave me his own gloves to wear because my hands were so painfully cold. And this time I'll be higher (though not by much). I'm also prepared with many, many layers of clothing, and a huge selection of food. I just need to find myself a hiking stick, and I'm set.
Nothing else new from here. I've had a lazy day spent mainly with my nose in a book. Yesterday was a little more interesting. In the afternoon, I walked about 3km to the main bus terminal to find some departure information. On my way through the market, I found a boy selling dyed chicks, and shortly thereafter a random man started yelling with excitement at the sight of such a white girl. Also next to the market/bus station is the zoological park. Entrance is free, so I thought I would check out which caged animals were on display to be gawked at. There were some exotic things like jaguars, monkeys, and a toucan, but there was also a surprising selection of domestic and typical animals. Sheep, pigeons, rabbits, etc. I could hardly stop laughing when I reached the pigeon cage.
I'm off now to find some semblance of order before my early-morning departure. The plan after Tajumulco is to head towards Lago de Atitlan. There are many towns surrounding this lake, including a party town, a hippie town, and a diving town. I think I might have to try them all out, so who knows how long I will be spending there. All the best, and I'll be in touch when I get to the lake!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Belly full of Rambutan
I found them, I found them! When I decided to make Central America my destination this summer rather than Indonesia, I was a little disappointed I wouldn't be able to feast on rambutan for four months. Clearly, I haven't had the same opportunity here as I would have in Indonesia, but I've discovered that there are rambutan plantations near here! (Rambutan is my favourite fruit as of last summer, by the way. It's a bit like a lychee.) It's still hard to find them, but after a week of noticing half a crushed rambutan peel here and half of one there, I've finally tracked some down. Of course, in a huge market there are probably only two rambutan sellers. It's sad, but I'm satisfied.
This morning was spent hiking up to Los Vahos with Itay. It's basically an hour's walk straight uphill, out of town from the central park to reach these hot springs. In this case, there are no pools of water to bathe in, but extremely hot and steamy saunas to sit in. One room was terribly hot, and the other not so bad. I could survive in the hot room for almost a minute before needing some cool air, and maybe two minutes in the cooler room. I don't think I have ever sweat so profusely and instantly in my life before.
Before taking off for Los Vahos this morning, I discovered a moderately disturbing thing. Someone stole my bikini. Please tell me, who would steal another woman's bikini? I had laid my cute and colourful Walmart bikini out in the dormroom to dry after visiting Las Fuentes Georginas the other day. Yesterday morning I spread it out on top of my bedcovers, and then didn't notice its absence until I wanted to pack it in my bag today. A bikini is such a person item to steal that I just can't get over it. That's like stealing another girl's panties to wear. Ugh! Fortunately, I am not swimsuitless due to this event. Knowing I would be spending most of my time in the water, I brought two bikinis and a one-piece with me on this trip, but not my favourite suit is gone. Alas! Maybe I'll start paying the extra $1-2 per night to have a single room so it will be less easy for people to swipe my stuff...
Plans for Tajumulco are being formulated. Itay plans a one-day climb because he's pressed for time, so I might join him on that to prevent freezing overnight in a tent at 4000m on the two-day climb. This will also allow for me to climb without carrying a heavy pack of tent parts, food, and other supplies. I will wind up with a more intense day of climbing, but climb itself is technically easy, it just becomes difficult when altitude and a 20-lb pack are added. We'll see how this goes.
Off I go now to pick up my laundry. Take care!
This morning was spent hiking up to Los Vahos with Itay. It's basically an hour's walk straight uphill, out of town from the central park to reach these hot springs. In this case, there are no pools of water to bathe in, but extremely hot and steamy saunas to sit in. One room was terribly hot, and the other not so bad. I could survive in the hot room for almost a minute before needing some cool air, and maybe two minutes in the cooler room. I don't think I have ever sweat so profusely and instantly in my life before.
Before taking off for Los Vahos this morning, I discovered a moderately disturbing thing. Someone stole my bikini. Please tell me, who would steal another woman's bikini? I had laid my cute and colourful Walmart bikini out in the dormroom to dry after visiting Las Fuentes Georginas the other day. Yesterday morning I spread it out on top of my bedcovers, and then didn't notice its absence until I wanted to pack it in my bag today. A bikini is such a person item to steal that I just can't get over it. That's like stealing another girl's panties to wear. Ugh! Fortunately, I am not swimsuitless due to this event. Knowing I would be spending most of my time in the water, I brought two bikinis and a one-piece with me on this trip, but not my favourite suit is gone. Alas! Maybe I'll start paying the extra $1-2 per night to have a single room so it will be less easy for people to swipe my stuff...
Plans for Tajumulco are being formulated. Itay plans a one-day climb because he's pressed for time, so I might join him on that to prevent freezing overnight in a tent at 4000m on the two-day climb. This will also allow for me to climb without carrying a heavy pack of tent parts, food, and other supplies. I will wind up with a more intense day of climbing, but climb itself is technically easy, it just becomes difficult when altitude and a 20-lb pack are added. We'll see how this goes.
Off I go now to pick up my laundry. Take care!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Waiting to Climb Tajumulco
It's a good thing I'm not on a schedule. I'm still here in Xela, mainly wasting my time lounging in cafes and reading (currently working on The Time Traveler's Wife, it's amazing). I've looked into Tajumulco Volcano a good deal, and I desperately want to do the climb. I'll need to get some warmer gear, but right now I just have to wait because no one else in the city wants to climb it. How on earth is it possible that I can be the only person in a city the size of St. John's that's packed with tourists who wants to climb this volcano? [Oh, I know. Everyone here studies Spanish Monday to Friday.] I visited every tour company I could find in town today and told them I'd love to go tomorrow. I have a feeling I might get to go on Saturday. Just two more days of waiting.
I've been enjoying myself here, but without paying to go stare at indigenous populations I've pretty much run out of affordable tour options. Yesterday was spent visiting the hot springs, Fuentes Georginas. I expected a warm pool of water; not something hot enough to boil a lobster. The setting was very relaxing, and high in the mountains so the air outside the springs was cool, but the water was extremely difficult to stay in. An awesome experience altogether.
The rest of my time since I arrived has been spent eating. There are all kinds of delicious things you can find from street vendors for $0.50-$1.00. I have no idea what any of them are called, but my current favourite is a type of cold salad served on a crispy tortilla. That one runs you about 50 cents.
Someone else is waiting for the free internet right now, so I must be on my way. All the best!
I've been enjoying myself here, but without paying to go stare at indigenous populations I've pretty much run out of affordable tour options. Yesterday was spent visiting the hot springs, Fuentes Georginas. I expected a warm pool of water; not something hot enough to boil a lobster. The setting was very relaxing, and high in the mountains so the air outside the springs was cool, but the water was extremely difficult to stay in. An awesome experience altogether.
The rest of my time since I arrived has been spent eating. There are all kinds of delicious things you can find from street vendors for $0.50-$1.00. I have no idea what any of them are called, but my current favourite is a type of cold salad served on a crispy tortilla. That one runs you about 50 cents.
Someone else is waiting for the free internet right now, so I must be on my way. All the best!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Xela-Mela
So, after exploring the market of Chichicastenango and exploring the surrounding area, Itay and I made our way to Quetzaltenango (aka Xela) this morning. He's a good guy, but I'm feeling fairly quickly dropped at the moment. We arrived in Xela, made our way to the Parque Central together, sat for a quick snack, and then he just kind of said "Okay, bye then!" once we walked down the street and he got to the Spanish school he wanted to check out. As we both intend to be in the same city for at least a couple of days, I figured we might plan to meet up again... Oh well! My fault for not chiming in.
I'm now staying at a nice hostel a few blocks from the city centre. I'm paying slightly more than I'd like to ($5 is my current ideal maximum and this is almost $7), but it happens to have free internet and breakfast is included. Not such a bad deal. Internet here is about as cheap as it comes in Guatemala, but since it turns out I have free access at the hostel, I'm now a bit lost as to what to do for the afternoon. I was going to go take my time on the net, wander town, see about volunteer options, and try to figure out what I want to do in the surrounding area in the next few days.
One of the main attractions of Xela for most people is Spanish lessons. People come here, take a week of private lessons with a Spanish teacher, and beef up their knowledge of Spanish. I, however, can't see the point of spending money on Spanish school considering my background in languages. I spent three years studying Spanish (albeit spread out and long ago), so I have a good grammatical base (French helps with that too). All I need is more volcabulary, and chatting with locals and sticking my nose in my dictionary is taking care of that. This leaves me feeling slightly left out in Xela because nearly all the travellers here are doing something I'm not. I definitely need to arrange some activities today.
From here, I expect I'll head to Lago de Atitlan. I'm [naturally] not fully decided on this yet, but it seems like a good plan. I also don't know how long I'll stay here depending on what I want to do. The highest point in Central America is right here next to me. It's Tajumulco Volcano, 4220 metres high according to my guidebook, and while I'd love to climb it, I don't know if I really can. It's steep, and I'm fairly terrified of the altitude sickness that I began to feel on my way up Mount Kinabalu last year. I'll have to talk to some more people and give it good consideration.
I'm out now. I hope you're all well (it wouldn't hurt to tell me)! Take care!
I'm now staying at a nice hostel a few blocks from the city centre. I'm paying slightly more than I'd like to ($5 is my current ideal maximum and this is almost $7), but it happens to have free internet and breakfast is included. Not such a bad deal. Internet here is about as cheap as it comes in Guatemala, but since it turns out I have free access at the hostel, I'm now a bit lost as to what to do for the afternoon. I was going to go take my time on the net, wander town, see about volunteer options, and try to figure out what I want to do in the surrounding area in the next few days.
One of the main attractions of Xela for most people is Spanish lessons. People come here, take a week of private lessons with a Spanish teacher, and beef up their knowledge of Spanish. I, however, can't see the point of spending money on Spanish school considering my background in languages. I spent three years studying Spanish (albeit spread out and long ago), so I have a good grammatical base (French helps with that too). All I need is more volcabulary, and chatting with locals and sticking my nose in my dictionary is taking care of that. This leaves me feeling slightly left out in Xela because nearly all the travellers here are doing something I'm not. I definitely need to arrange some activities today.
From here, I expect I'll head to Lago de Atitlan. I'm [naturally] not fully decided on this yet, but it seems like a good plan. I also don't know how long I'll stay here depending on what I want to do. The highest point in Central America is right here next to me. It's Tajumulco Volcano, 4220 metres high according to my guidebook, and while I'd love to climb it, I don't know if I really can. It's steep, and I'm fairly terrified of the altitude sickness that I began to feel on my way up Mount Kinabalu last year. I'll have to talk to some more people and give it good consideration.
I'm out now. I hope you're all well (it wouldn't hurt to tell me)! Take care!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Chicken Buses and Clingy Cats
Just a quick note, I think. This morning I left Antigua and made for Chichicastenango. Travel here was by ¨chicken bus¨. These are old school buses, retired from the United States, that have been given a new paint job and souped up with a bigger engine. They hardly stop for passengers to mount or dismount, and they certainly don't stop for any other traffic. You end up packed in like sardines, and on a good day someone probably will have brought some chickens on board with them (not today though).
Yesterday, I successfully climbed Pacaya Volcano. I was hoping to see some lava up close because that's what they advertise, but the volcano had a small eruption a few days before, so we weren't allowed too near the lava. All the same, it was hot, if you poked certain rocks with your hiking stick it might catch fire, and it was unbelieveably amazing. I guess I'll just have to try another volcano in the future to get closer to some real lava.
This morning, I made my way to Chichi for the market. Market days are Thursdays and Sundays, and people come here from all over to buy and sell. It was very cool; almost overwhelming because you just get lost in a maze of streets and stalls and everything looks the same. I'm not alone though. First thing this morning, Itay got onto the same bus as me and decided to come along to Chichi instead of going to Xela today. Itay and I met on the ride from San Pedro Sula to Copan Ruinas, and now everyone from that bus keeps running into one another. Welcome to solo travelling! (It really isn't so solo at all.)
Now, I've explored the market, people are starting to pack up their stalls to trek back home (that starts at about 4:00 pm), I've climbed up to an old Mayan ritual site, and here I am on the internet. There's a small cat roaming around in here, and it quickly made itself comfortable on my lap. Shame it kneads so much when it purrs.
Unlike most tourists, I'll be spending tonight here in Chichi. A lot of people come in just for the day, see the market, and take off again. I want to see what the town is like after everyone leaves. Then I'm headed to Quetzaltenango (Xela); probably late tomorrow morning. I haven't fully decided yet, but why should I decide? Travel here is easy, people don't try to rip you off much, and right now spending time with Itay (he's a guy from Israel, by the way) is quite nice. Off I go!
Yesterday, I successfully climbed Pacaya Volcano. I was hoping to see some lava up close because that's what they advertise, but the volcano had a small eruption a few days before, so we weren't allowed too near the lava. All the same, it was hot, if you poked certain rocks with your hiking stick it might catch fire, and it was unbelieveably amazing. I guess I'll just have to try another volcano in the future to get closer to some real lava.
This morning, I made my way to Chichi for the market. Market days are Thursdays and Sundays, and people come here from all over to buy and sell. It was very cool; almost overwhelming because you just get lost in a maze of streets and stalls and everything looks the same. I'm not alone though. First thing this morning, Itay got onto the same bus as me and decided to come along to Chichi instead of going to Xela today. Itay and I met on the ride from San Pedro Sula to Copan Ruinas, and now everyone from that bus keeps running into one another. Welcome to solo travelling! (It really isn't so solo at all.)
Now, I've explored the market, people are starting to pack up their stalls to trek back home (that starts at about 4:00 pm), I've climbed up to an old Mayan ritual site, and here I am on the internet. There's a small cat roaming around in here, and it quickly made itself comfortable on my lap. Shame it kneads so much when it purrs.
Unlike most tourists, I'll be spending tonight here in Chichi. A lot of people come in just for the day, see the market, and take off again. I want to see what the town is like after everyone leaves. Then I'm headed to Quetzaltenango (Xela); probably late tomorrow morning. I haven't fully decided yet, but why should I decide? Travel here is easy, people don't try to rip you off much, and right now spending time with Itay (he's a guy from Israel, by the way) is quite nice. Off I go!
Friday, July 3, 2009
¡Hola Antigua!
And I'm here. Safe in a country of minor swine flu problems, but no political turmoil. It turns out that passing the morning was easily done. I'm sure I went to sleep around 11:00 pm or something, but I didn't get up this morning until 10:00 am. I am now very well rested.
I got up this morning, packed up, and checked out of my room. Then I found myself some breakfast/the most amazing vegetable sandwich I have ever eaten. Maybe it just seemed so good because produce on Utila sucks and I've been lacking nutrients. Anyway, I still can't imagine anything nicer.
I went back to the hotel to await my bus. Naturally, I was expecting a 14-passenger van because that's what all the companies use for shuttle trips to Angitua. However, a sedan turned up with two other passengers in it. It was a very comfortable ride to Antigua, and crossing the border was a breeze. The stamp on my passport says it's good for 90 days, which makes me think I don't need to worry about renewal. However, I'll look further into that if it comes to when my Honduran visa would have expired and I'm still in Central America.
At this stage, I'm definitely not going to reenter Honduras (unless, of course, some miracle happens). But as long as I'm in Guatemala, I'm definitely going to check out some sights nearby. I'm still considering returning early, but I don't think it needs to be a full two months early... it could be a month and a half or something. Anyway, it sounds like I have more chance of having my belongings nicked at home than here in Guatemala.
Off I go now to chat with my dad, find some dinner, and figure out if I can get to Pacaya Volcano tomorrow. Tonnes of fun here in an untense country!
I got up this morning, packed up, and checked out of my room. Then I found myself some breakfast/the most amazing vegetable sandwich I have ever eaten. Maybe it just seemed so good because produce on Utila sucks and I've been lacking nutrients. Anyway, I still can't imagine anything nicer.
I went back to the hotel to await my bus. Naturally, I was expecting a 14-passenger van because that's what all the companies use for shuttle trips to Angitua. However, a sedan turned up with two other passengers in it. It was a very comfortable ride to Antigua, and crossing the border was a breeze. The stamp on my passport says it's good for 90 days, which makes me think I don't need to worry about renewal. However, I'll look further into that if it comes to when my Honduran visa would have expired and I'm still in Central America.
At this stage, I'm definitely not going to reenter Honduras (unless, of course, some miracle happens). But as long as I'm in Guatemala, I'm definitely going to check out some sights nearby. I'm still considering returning early, but I don't think it needs to be a full two months early... it could be a month and a half or something. Anyway, it sounds like I have more chance of having my belongings nicked at home than here in Guatemala.
Off I go now to chat with my dad, find some dinner, and figure out if I can get to Pacaya Volcano tomorrow. Tonnes of fun here in an untense country!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Slow and Steady Wins the Race (or so I hope)
Well, today has been good, though I won´t be leaving Copan Ruinas quite as soon as I had hoped. For some mysterious reason, NONE of the buses that leave Copan at 6:00 am are running tomorrow morning. So I´ll have to wait until noon to leave, and won´t arrive in Antigua until 6:00 pm (if everything goes smoothly). All I can do is cross my fingers and enjoy the ride. The only way I can cross the border earlier is by doing it alone on local buses rather than with a tour company. By myself I would be, well, alone, it would definitely take longer, and would probably cost the same; so there´s really no point.
I´m now bored out of my mind, it´s been pouring rain for a couple of hours (I wish I could deliver some of it to Utila), the television stations available here suck, and I have no idea what I´m going to do until noon tomorrow. I like journeys--I don´t mind being on a bus for six hours or more--but I don´t like to sit around waiting with nothing to do. Alas, I guess I´ll live.
While watching extremely boring television, I´m pretty sure I watched national news on every station that broadcasts it. Naturally, they all told me just about the same thing. One thing I learned just before giving up on the TV was that there will be a ¨March for Peace and Democracy¨ here in Copan Ruinas on Saturday morning. This is the same as all the other demonstrations that have been happening across the country. So, I´m quite happy that I should be crossing the border before I get stuck behind any more demonstrations while trying to travel.
Nothing else to report from here, for obvious reasons. I saw a small chicken flee the streets from the rain earlier. It ran into a clothing store for cover. I wonder how long it was allowed to stay in there for...?
I´m now bored out of my mind, it´s been pouring rain for a couple of hours (I wish I could deliver some of it to Utila), the television stations available here suck, and I have no idea what I´m going to do until noon tomorrow. I like journeys--I don´t mind being on a bus for six hours or more--but I don´t like to sit around waiting with nothing to do. Alas, I guess I´ll live.
While watching extremely boring television, I´m pretty sure I watched national news on every station that broadcasts it. Naturally, they all told me just about the same thing. One thing I learned just before giving up on the TV was that there will be a ¨March for Peace and Democracy¨ here in Copan Ruinas on Saturday morning. This is the same as all the other demonstrations that have been happening across the country. So, I´m quite happy that I should be crossing the border before I get stuck behind any more demonstrations while trying to travel.
Nothing else to report from here, for obvious reasons. I saw a small chicken flee the streets from the rain earlier. It ran into a clothing store for cover. I wonder how long it was allowed to stay in there for...?
Ruins and Plans (but no ruined plans)
So, still in Honduras. I thought all night, I think I might have debated what to do in my dreams, I laid in bed considering what to do this morning, and I mulled things over while I visited the Mayan ruins. I think I have a plan.
Before I get into that, I went to see the ruins this morning here at Copan. They were quite beautiful. I wound up going with a group of six missionaries who were working in Honduras, but their mission just closed down on Tuesday because of the political situation. Since there were so many of us together, we elected to hire a guide. Antonio was an awesome guide with impeccable English. He used to work in journalism, and is part Mayan, part Spanish. He told us that the ruins at Copan are the second-largest Mayan ruins after Tikal, in Guatemala. That seems surprising to me because I thought there were other bigger ones, but the guide probably knows best. In any case, it was great; I got to see macaws there, the national bird of Honduras. I might be missing out on bird-watching at the Lago de Yojoa, but at least I´ve seen some macaws.
Now the plans. I´m staying here in Copan Ruinas for one more night. It´s a beautiful, quiet town, and it´s right next to the Guatemalan border (which opened again at midnight last night). Tomorrow morning, I´ll be taking a shuttle directly from here to Antigua at 6:00 am. That should be a six-hour trip, and the border should still be open tomorrow so I can cross. I understand there are concerns about swine flu in Guatemala, but I will be extremely cautious.
I don´t mean to have everyone worrying about me, and I am considering returning early to Canada. As it stands, I´m meant to fly out of San Pedro Sula on August 31. Right now, I am absolutely not returning to that city. I intend to leave Honduras, and if I fly home it will probably be from Guatemala City or somewhere else depending on when I leave. I am being careful and taking the political situation very seriously. However, I know there´s a small possibility this will be smoothed over, and travel in neighboring countries will go back to normal. Keeping that in mind, I´m hesitant to jump ship right now. There´s a chance, though possibly a slim one, that Zelaya will be reinstated on Saturday. So I am going to stay on for a couple of days to see what happens, and then make a decision. Right now, if I wanted to hop on a plane, Saturday would be the soonest I´d be able to. I would need one day to travel to the city of departure, and another day to allow for the necessary hours spent trying to get through the airport (in San Pedro Sula, at least). I also don´t really want to plan major travel on this upcoming day of great interest. So I head to Antigua, I climb a volcano and read the news, and I figure out what to do.
Now I have eight and a half hours before curfew, and I´m not quite sure what to do with myself. Maybe I´ll see about visiting coffee plantations, or maybe... I don´t even know what else I can do here. I think it´s time to read my guidebook some more. Take care, know that I´m safe, and keep in touch!
Before I get into that, I went to see the ruins this morning here at Copan. They were quite beautiful. I wound up going with a group of six missionaries who were working in Honduras, but their mission just closed down on Tuesday because of the political situation. Since there were so many of us together, we elected to hire a guide. Antonio was an awesome guide with impeccable English. He used to work in journalism, and is part Mayan, part Spanish. He told us that the ruins at Copan are the second-largest Mayan ruins after Tikal, in Guatemala. That seems surprising to me because I thought there were other bigger ones, but the guide probably knows best. In any case, it was great; I got to see macaws there, the national bird of Honduras. I might be missing out on bird-watching at the Lago de Yojoa, but at least I´ve seen some macaws.
Now the plans. I´m staying here in Copan Ruinas for one more night. It´s a beautiful, quiet town, and it´s right next to the Guatemalan border (which opened again at midnight last night). Tomorrow morning, I´ll be taking a shuttle directly from here to Antigua at 6:00 am. That should be a six-hour trip, and the border should still be open tomorrow so I can cross. I understand there are concerns about swine flu in Guatemala, but I will be extremely cautious.
I don´t mean to have everyone worrying about me, and I am considering returning early to Canada. As it stands, I´m meant to fly out of San Pedro Sula on August 31. Right now, I am absolutely not returning to that city. I intend to leave Honduras, and if I fly home it will probably be from Guatemala City or somewhere else depending on when I leave. I am being careful and taking the political situation very seriously. However, I know there´s a small possibility this will be smoothed over, and travel in neighboring countries will go back to normal. Keeping that in mind, I´m hesitant to jump ship right now. There´s a chance, though possibly a slim one, that Zelaya will be reinstated on Saturday. So I am going to stay on for a couple of days to see what happens, and then make a decision. Right now, if I wanted to hop on a plane, Saturday would be the soonest I´d be able to. I would need one day to travel to the city of departure, and another day to allow for the necessary hours spent trying to get through the airport (in San Pedro Sula, at least). I also don´t really want to plan major travel on this upcoming day of great interest. So I head to Antigua, I climb a volcano and read the news, and I figure out what to do.
Now I have eight and a half hours before curfew, and I´m not quite sure what to do with myself. Maybe I´ll see about visiting coffee plantations, or maybe... I don´t even know what else I can do here. I think it´s time to read my guidebook some more. Take care, know that I´m safe, and keep in touch!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
From Utila to Copan Ruinas
After a boat, a minivan, two buses, a pick up, a local bus, and a chartered minivan, I´ve arrived in Copan Ruinas. The goal for the day was to get to Guatemala, and I´ve made it to the border. Not bad, I don´t think. The second bus was supposed to get me here, but the road was blocked. So I and seven other Canadians and Americans navigated our way through the country together.
Since I´m here next to Mayan ruins, I figure I´ll take tomorrow to visit them (the border is, after all, closed to all but pedestrian traffic). After that, I´ll figure out what I´m doing. Honestly, I don´t know. The situation here on the ground is not as it seems in the news. Yes, there is serious stuff going on, but since the majority of Hondurans are fairly poorly educated, no one knows what´s happening. Everyone I have met is just sitting back, waiting for the situation to resolve itself. While I see good reason to leave Honduras right now, I don´t feel the need to flee Central America. However, it´s something near impossible for me to do what my parents disapprove of, and my mother´s frantic emails are getting to me.
My time here on the internet is up. I´ll keep thinking about this tomorrow while I wander the ruins, and see if I can come up with a reasonable solution.
Since I´m here next to Mayan ruins, I figure I´ll take tomorrow to visit them (the border is, after all, closed to all but pedestrian traffic). After that, I´ll figure out what I´m doing. Honestly, I don´t know. The situation here on the ground is not as it seems in the news. Yes, there is serious stuff going on, but since the majority of Hondurans are fairly poorly educated, no one knows what´s happening. Everyone I have met is just sitting back, waiting for the situation to resolve itself. While I see good reason to leave Honduras right now, I don´t feel the need to flee Central America. However, it´s something near impossible for me to do what my parents disapprove of, and my mother´s frantic emails are getting to me.
My time here on the internet is up. I´ll keep thinking about this tomorrow while I wander the ruins, and see if I can come up with a reasonable solution.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Hoping to Sneak Across a Border
Well, Honduras is in a very interesting state right now. It's quite exciting, and I'm rather enjoying seeing how it evolves from within. I kind of like being in the middle of the action (sorry Mom and Dad, I know you don't appreciate that). In any case, as I understand, the ex-President wanted to make the country communist, he's currently in Nicaragua, and the Honduran-Nicaraguan border is closed to keep one country's military from storming into the other.
I was going to travel across Honduras, but now that there's a country-wide curfew of 9:00 pm and a bunch of roads have been blocked, that seems like more trouble than it's worth. So I'm thinking of darting up to Guatemala ASAP (tomorrow), and spending at least the next month out of Honduras. However, is it possible for me to cross that border or not? I can find no information about it online, and everyone seems to have a different opinion. I already purchased my boat ticket to leave Utila tomorrow morning, but I have no idea if I'm going to be able to go anywhere once I leave. Of course, it's also not possible to do much of anything on the island with the curfew. So... wish me luck in going to Guatemala tomorrow?
No other news here (I think that's about enough!). The mosquitoes have returned, so I'm ridiculously chewed up. I had forgotten how much more annoying they are than sand flies. Going to the Iguana Station and looking at the swamp lizards also didn't exactly help. Well, off I go to investigate the border situation. Aaaahhhh!
I was going to travel across Honduras, but now that there's a country-wide curfew of 9:00 pm and a bunch of roads have been blocked, that seems like more trouble than it's worth. So I'm thinking of darting up to Guatemala ASAP (tomorrow), and spending at least the next month out of Honduras. However, is it possible for me to cross that border or not? I can find no information about it online, and everyone seems to have a different opinion. I already purchased my boat ticket to leave Utila tomorrow morning, but I have no idea if I'm going to be able to go anywhere once I leave. Of course, it's also not possible to do much of anything on the island with the curfew. So... wish me luck in going to Guatemala tomorrow?
No other news here (I think that's about enough!). The mosquitoes have returned, so I'm ridiculously chewed up. I had forgotten how much more annoying they are than sand flies. Going to the Iguana Station and looking at the swamp lizards also didn't exactly help. Well, off I go to investigate the border situation. Aaaahhhh!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
A Less-Stable Honduras
So many days in a row I find myself in an internet cafe. At least it's much cooler today AND the air conditioning in this place has been fixed. Yesterday I just sat here mopping up my sweat for an hour.
Nothing new to report in my life, but Honduras certainly has a lot going on. I had a couple of lovely dives this morning, took a long nap this afternoon, and now I'm here checking up on the news about Honduras. Yes, there's been a military coup that the UN, the EU, and many countries disagree with. And yes, this certainly leaves room for riots. My intention is still to travel across Honduras, but I promise to be wary, to keep up with current affairs, and to change my plans as necessary. I intend to go only to small, out-of-the-way places, and nowhere near Tegucigalpa. No worries!
Time for me to plan how I'm going to get off this island, and where to stay at the Lago de Yojoa. I think birdwatching is next on my list... Birds don't have riots, do they?
Nothing new to report in my life, but Honduras certainly has a lot going on. I had a couple of lovely dives this morning, took a long nap this afternoon, and now I'm here checking up on the news about Honduras. Yes, there's been a military coup that the UN, the EU, and many countries disagree with. And yes, this certainly leaves room for riots. My intention is still to travel across Honduras, but I promise to be wary, to keep up with current affairs, and to change my plans as necessary. I intend to go only to small, out-of-the-way places, and nowhere near Tegucigalpa. No worries!
Time for me to plan how I'm going to get off this island, and where to stay at the Lago de Yojoa. I think birdwatching is next on my list... Birds don't have riots, do they?
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Status quo
It hasn't been long at all since my last post, but since I'm on the internet I figure I should write something more. I have done just about nothing since my last post. Honestly. I went for a bike ride as far as I could around the island (there's a big canal you can't get over, so really it's not that far), ate some food, had a pain in my stomach (presumably from eating too fast), took a nap, went to the weekly UDC barbeque to watch some snorkel tests, went to sleep, and woke up with a very bad stomach. Boo. After a day of convalescing, drinking pepto bismol, and somehow dragging myself out for a golf-cart tour of the island (Sara rented one), I'm now good as new. I don't really know what it was all about, just that many people here have been complaining of stomach cramps lately, so it seems something is going around. Alas, it's over with now.
I rode my bike to the other end of town to meet Sara yesterday, and then left it locked up on the side of the road when we took off in the golf cart. So this afternoon I wandered through town finally taking pictures of the place, and retrieved my bike. Picture taking has finally commenced! I know you would all love for me to add pictures to my blog, but I'm afraid I can never remember to bring the patch cord with me when I use the internet. Perhaps I'll get it right sometime soon. In the meanwhile, know that I'm taking pictures (even if I'm not in enough of them).
My plan was to leave Utila and head straight for Belize on either June 30 or July 1. However, the ferry to Belize runs only on Mondays, and I'm not prepared to leave the island tomorrow in order to catch it. So I think I'll be heading through Honduras over to Gracias and Celaque National Park first, and then probably doubling back to catch the ferry to Belize on the following Monday. Otherwise I'll just wander into Guatemala from Honduras and see about Belize later. I promise that whatever I do, you'll all be posted.
Lynn Anne, I miss your well-thought-out itineraries. I will manage on my own, as I have done in the past, but travelling with you really was such a pleasure. It takes me forever to figure out an itinerary for myself. I just want to have someone to bounce ideas off of, but no one else could care less about which way I circle Central America (understandably).
I'm off now to continue mopping up my sweat, and work my last shift at the UDC bar. All the best, and keep in touch.
I rode my bike to the other end of town to meet Sara yesterday, and then left it locked up on the side of the road when we took off in the golf cart. So this afternoon I wandered through town finally taking pictures of the place, and retrieved my bike. Picture taking has finally commenced! I know you would all love for me to add pictures to my blog, but I'm afraid I can never remember to bring the patch cord with me when I use the internet. Perhaps I'll get it right sometime soon. In the meanwhile, know that I'm taking pictures (even if I'm not in enough of them).
My plan was to leave Utila and head straight for Belize on either June 30 or July 1. However, the ferry to Belize runs only on Mondays, and I'm not prepared to leave the island tomorrow in order to catch it. So I think I'll be heading through Honduras over to Gracias and Celaque National Park first, and then probably doubling back to catch the ferry to Belize on the following Monday. Otherwise I'll just wander into Guatemala from Honduras and see about Belize later. I promise that whatever I do, you'll all be posted.
Lynn Anne, I miss your well-thought-out itineraries. I will manage on my own, as I have done in the past, but travelling with you really was such a pleasure. It takes me forever to figure out an itinerary for myself. I just want to have someone to bounce ideas off of, but no one else could care less about which way I circle Central America (understandably).
I'm off now to continue mopping up my sweat, and work my last shift at the UDC bar. All the best, and keep in touch.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Two Right Feet?
I discovered a strange thing last night. I've been through a few pairs of flip-flops since I got here. The ones that I brought with me (all the way from Malaysia!) eventually deteriorated and fell apart. After a few busy and barefoot days, I bought myself a new fabric-covered pair. They were lovely, but not meant to get wet, and quickly fell apart. Not surprisingly, they actually got caught on my bicycle when I was trying to dismount one day last week, and that's when one of them ripped in two. Uninterested in walking barefoot again, I discovered an open store while walking [barefoot] to dinner, and bought myself new rubber flip-flops. This was about a week ago.
I was pleased with the new flip-flops, but my left foot was getting badly rubbed by the strap and was pretty nicely ripped open by the next day. In an effort to let my foot heal, I gave up wearing any shoes for the following week. I would just carry them around with me in case I should feel the need to wear them at some point. Last night, I felt my scabs had turned into nice enough calluses that I should be ready to wear the sandals. They were alright for a while, but eventually started rubbing on my foot a bit, so I kicked them off at the bar. My roommates were there, and Gord asked, "What, are you going to try wearing them on the opposite feet to see if they fit better?" Not a bad idea!
So I slipped the uncomfortable left flip-flop onto my right foot, and discovered that the strap fit perfectly. Naturally, the sandal is cut to the shape of the left foot, but the strap is meant for a right foot. So my sandals are 3/4 right and 1/4 left. Brilliant. Only in a developing country would you get stuck with flip-flops like these. I did go back to the store today to hint around about asking for a new shoe, but the woman working there wasn't going to budge. She pretty much just barked at me. Alas, I will survive until I get to the mainland, and then I will find myself a properly comfortable pair.
Off now for a bike ride. Take care!
I was pleased with the new flip-flops, but my left foot was getting badly rubbed by the strap and was pretty nicely ripped open by the next day. In an effort to let my foot heal, I gave up wearing any shoes for the following week. I would just carry them around with me in case I should feel the need to wear them at some point. Last night, I felt my scabs had turned into nice enough calluses that I should be ready to wear the sandals. They were alright for a while, but eventually started rubbing on my foot a bit, so I kicked them off at the bar. My roommates were there, and Gord asked, "What, are you going to try wearing them on the opposite feet to see if they fit better?" Not a bad idea!
So I slipped the uncomfortable left flip-flop onto my right foot, and discovered that the strap fit perfectly. Naturally, the sandal is cut to the shape of the left foot, but the strap is meant for a right foot. So my sandals are 3/4 right and 1/4 left. Brilliant. Only in a developing country would you get stuck with flip-flops like these. I did go back to the store today to hint around about asking for a new shoe, but the woman working there wasn't going to budge. She pretty much just barked at me. Alas, I will survive until I get to the mainland, and then I will find myself a properly comfortable pair.
Off now for a bike ride. Take care!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Celebrating the 100th Dive
Today I went on my 100th dive. Divers in tropical climates have a particular way of celebrating this event. It is done naked. (Cold-water divers drink champagne after every hundredth dive.) So, I strapped on my fins, weight belt, scuba unit, and mask, and hopped in the water in my bikini. After descending, I went to a sandy patch, slipped out of my bikini under all the gear as gracefully as I could, and stuffed the swimsuit in my pocket. I must say, it was very liberating to dive in the nude, and about as chilly as expected. Swimming over the bubbles of other divers wasn't too bad either...
At the end of the dive, I went back to my sandy patch, slipped into my bikini bottoms, and removed my scuba unit in an attempt to tie my top back on without tying any hoses to myself. However, when I removed the unit, I had just breathed out and my regulator got twisted out of my mouth. I had a little scramble, retrieved the reg, and proceded to try and figure out how to get my suit back on with a tank that was trying to float away. Thankfully, Melanie (my fully-clad partner in crime) came to the rescue and held my tank so I could tie my top back on. All in all, it was a lovely dive, and I fortunately did not run into any divers who didn't know what I was up to.
Other news from here, not so much. And to be honest, I'm beginning to wonder if I should keep sharing since none of you will tell me what you're up to or let me know you're still alive. Are you ousting me for wanting to leave [safe?] Utila and go backpacking? Is silence your way of telling me not to do that? If so, it isn't working. And anyway, I'll have much better stories when I'm on the road. You all want that, don't you? Siobhan climbing volcanoes, Siobhan visiting Mayan ruins, Siobhan horseback riding or white-water rafting?
Well, planning for my upcoming travels is going along well. I've gotten lots of help with places I should visit, but I'm still trying to figure out a rough itinerary. Anyone who knows how I travel knows I'm essentially incapable of creating an itinerary. But good or bad, I'm trying. The question is, do I go from here into Guatemala, head south, and see the sights I want to see in Honduras on the way back? Or do I cover Honduras first to make sure I see what I know I want to see and then continue on? I'll be here until the end of June, so I still have a while to figure it out.
Now I'm off to the Iguana Station, unless I fall asleep first. There are lots of iguanas here on Utila, and that's a centre to learn more about them. People say it's fairly basic, but I like lizards so I'm quite excited to check it out. Actually, no one here can believe how excited I get every time I see an iguana. Lynn Anne would understand though. ¡Adios!
At the end of the dive, I went back to my sandy patch, slipped into my bikini bottoms, and removed my scuba unit in an attempt to tie my top back on without tying any hoses to myself. However, when I removed the unit, I had just breathed out and my regulator got twisted out of my mouth. I had a little scramble, retrieved the reg, and proceded to try and figure out how to get my suit back on with a tank that was trying to float away. Thankfully, Melanie (my fully-clad partner in crime) came to the rescue and held my tank so I could tie my top back on. All in all, it was a lovely dive, and I fortunately did not run into any divers who didn't know what I was up to.
Other news from here, not so much. And to be honest, I'm beginning to wonder if I should keep sharing since none of you will tell me what you're up to or let me know you're still alive. Are you ousting me for wanting to leave [safe?] Utila and go backpacking? Is silence your way of telling me not to do that? If so, it isn't working. And anyway, I'll have much better stories when I'm on the road. You all want that, don't you? Siobhan climbing volcanoes, Siobhan visiting Mayan ruins, Siobhan horseback riding or white-water rafting?
Well, planning for my upcoming travels is going along well. I've gotten lots of help with places I should visit, but I'm still trying to figure out a rough itinerary. Anyone who knows how I travel knows I'm essentially incapable of creating an itinerary. But good or bad, I'm trying. The question is, do I go from here into Guatemala, head south, and see the sights I want to see in Honduras on the way back? Or do I cover Honduras first to make sure I see what I know I want to see and then continue on? I'll be here until the end of June, so I still have a while to figure it out.
Now I'm off to the Iguana Station, unless I fall asleep first. There are lots of iguanas here on Utila, and that's a centre to learn more about them. People say it's fairly basic, but I like lizards so I'm quite excited to check it out. Actually, no one here can believe how excited I get every time I see an iguana. Lynn Anne would understand though. ¡Adios!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Deep Sea Exploring
Okay, well, that's what it felt like anyway. Last night there was a staff night dive to the wreck. There's a cargo ship that was intentionally sunk just outside the Utila bay, and that was my first time seeing it at night. It's a deep dive (30 metres), so almost no one goes to it after dark. We were given free reign to do whatever we felt like exploring this wreck last night. It was super fun, I got to take a look inside parts of it that I wouldn't normally get to see during the day, and it felt like I was at a wreck so deep in the sea that the sun couldn't shine there. I also saw this crazy little critter that looked JUST like a piece of coral, but was crawling around like a crab or something. Once I figure out who pointed that out to me in the dark, I'll find out more about it.
A couple of days ago we took a trip to Cayos Cochinos, the Hog Islands. This is a marine reserve close to the mainland, and it was super fun. Marine life was, naturally, pretty similiar to that on Utila, but it was super fun to explore some new sites. For once, I managed to find eels all by myself, and I was also shown an octopus who had squashed himself down into the coral. One of the sites we dove was a plane wreck from a drug plane that went down some time ago. You've got to love the fact that that happens so often here. Anyway, our trip to Cayos Cochinos was lovely. We did one dive, visited a small island of locals, had lunch, did a second dive, relaxed on another island, and made our way back to Utila. Of course, by this time the sea was getting quite rough, so our amazing Captain Errol was basically surfing the waves with the boat the whole way. It took a while, but it was an incredibly smooth ride considering the size of the swells.
I have now fully run out of partying steam, so I slink off to my apartment in the evening and try to disappear before anyone forces me out for the evening. I've been successful in this the past couple of nights, but don't know for how much longer I'll be able to manage. Leading up to my leaving Utila, there will be plenty of need for dinners out and nights on the town, so I might just have to accept that I'll rest up when I continue on my travels.
You might find evidence on facebook of something from the other night. Here in Utila, it is traditional for divemasters to have to pass one last test before it is considered official. Perhaps this is just the normal case of UDC holding higher training standards than PADI requires, or perhaps it's an excuse for mad partying. Anyway, it's called the Snorkel Test. Once all other tasks have been completed for divemaster training, the trainee is subjected to this test. It is done at a bar, and it involves a scuba mask, a snorkel with a funnel on it, and a lot of beer, rum, and soda mixed together. In my case, I asked for them to go light on the alcohol because I take antidepressants and didn't want them to be messed with. So I was fed about a litre of coke and two drops of rum. Normally, the subject of this test winds up so wasted they are eventually carried home. I, however, drank less than usual before the snorkel test so I would start out neither sober nor drunk, was given virtually no alcohol during the test, and had one more weak drink afterwards. What I find hilarious is that my snorkel test was done at the weekly UDC barbeque which is an all-you-can-drink event, so everyone ELSE got trashed, while I effectively remained sober. The next day I felt fine, but everyone else on the island seemed to be hurting. Like I said before, I don't fit in here (though it is fun).
Now, I am off. I'd love to hear from you guys back home... You know, I'm just saying... In the meantime, I'll be trying to figure out why the bank machines are not giving me any money. Oh my...
A couple of days ago we took a trip to Cayos Cochinos, the Hog Islands. This is a marine reserve close to the mainland, and it was super fun. Marine life was, naturally, pretty similiar to that on Utila, but it was super fun to explore some new sites. For once, I managed to find eels all by myself, and I was also shown an octopus who had squashed himself down into the coral. One of the sites we dove was a plane wreck from a drug plane that went down some time ago. You've got to love the fact that that happens so often here. Anyway, our trip to Cayos Cochinos was lovely. We did one dive, visited a small island of locals, had lunch, did a second dive, relaxed on another island, and made our way back to Utila. Of course, by this time the sea was getting quite rough, so our amazing Captain Errol was basically surfing the waves with the boat the whole way. It took a while, but it was an incredibly smooth ride considering the size of the swells.
I have now fully run out of partying steam, so I slink off to my apartment in the evening and try to disappear before anyone forces me out for the evening. I've been successful in this the past couple of nights, but don't know for how much longer I'll be able to manage. Leading up to my leaving Utila, there will be plenty of need for dinners out and nights on the town, so I might just have to accept that I'll rest up when I continue on my travels.
You might find evidence on facebook of something from the other night. Here in Utila, it is traditional for divemasters to have to pass one last test before it is considered official. Perhaps this is just the normal case of UDC holding higher training standards than PADI requires, or perhaps it's an excuse for mad partying. Anyway, it's called the Snorkel Test. Once all other tasks have been completed for divemaster training, the trainee is subjected to this test. It is done at a bar, and it involves a scuba mask, a snorkel with a funnel on it, and a lot of beer, rum, and soda mixed together. In my case, I asked for them to go light on the alcohol because I take antidepressants and didn't want them to be messed with. So I was fed about a litre of coke and two drops of rum. Normally, the subject of this test winds up so wasted they are eventually carried home. I, however, drank less than usual before the snorkel test so I would start out neither sober nor drunk, was given virtually no alcohol during the test, and had one more weak drink afterwards. What I find hilarious is that my snorkel test was done at the weekly UDC barbeque which is an all-you-can-drink event, so everyone ELSE got trashed, while I effectively remained sober. The next day I felt fine, but everyone else on the island seemed to be hurting. Like I said before, I don't fit in here (though it is fun).
Now, I am off. I'd love to hear from you guys back home... You know, I'm just saying... In the meantime, I'll be trying to figure out why the bank machines are not giving me any money. Oh my...
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Stay Away, Jellyfish!
I haven't had all that many jellyfish stings, and I've never had a particularly bad one, but they itch for so long afterward that I'm just growing tired of them. Yesterday, yet again, I was out diving, felt a quick sting on my leg, looked below me, and saw a few jellies. Quite often diving you might feel a little sting or a fish pecking at your leg, so you just forget about this. However, I woke up this morning, could hardly stop scratching my leg, and finally noticed that I had a nice strip of bumps across the back of it. Damn those jellyfish!
In other news, let's see... Not so much. Utila continues to exist in the time warp it is in. Time doesn't pass here; it's the weirdest thing. No one can ever quite figure out what day of the week it is, because they're all the same. Every day people come, people leave, people dive, people party. As a person who is not a natural partier (but getting known for taking over the dance floor), and has had enough of the dive shop's petty politics, this is not a place I feel like staying for too much longer. Family, I know you're concerned for my well being, but I'm afraid I'm getting excited about the notion of traveling the surrounding area. I have to make a decision because my roommates will need to find a replacement for me, so I think I might take off June 30 or July 1. We'll see. Backpackers in Central America tend to happily join forces and travel together for days or weeks at a time, so it should be fun.
My dives yesterday were amazing. Still no whale sharks, but I've pretty much given up hope of seeing one of those since it's the off-season. I saw a huge tarpon, midnight parrotfish, a sea turtle feeding on turtle grass and going to the surface for breath, sea horse, pipefish, squid, flounder, and lots more. It was very exciting to see so much cool stuff and two dive sites I had never seen before. Naturally, I also had my jellyfish run-in there, and I'm terrified of shop wetsuits because of impetigo, but the good outweighed the bad.
Now it's time to eat a mango and relax before another night of partying. Maybe I just feel lonely here because people don't know how to socialize in any way that doesn't involve drinking. I'll go lie in a hammock and ponder that thought.
In other news, let's see... Not so much. Utila continues to exist in the time warp it is in. Time doesn't pass here; it's the weirdest thing. No one can ever quite figure out what day of the week it is, because they're all the same. Every day people come, people leave, people dive, people party. As a person who is not a natural partier (but getting known for taking over the dance floor), and has had enough of the dive shop's petty politics, this is not a place I feel like staying for too much longer. Family, I know you're concerned for my well being, but I'm afraid I'm getting excited about the notion of traveling the surrounding area. I have to make a decision because my roommates will need to find a replacement for me, so I think I might take off June 30 or July 1. We'll see. Backpackers in Central America tend to happily join forces and travel together for days or weeks at a time, so it should be fun.
My dives yesterday were amazing. Still no whale sharks, but I've pretty much given up hope of seeing one of those since it's the off-season. I saw a huge tarpon, midnight parrotfish, a sea turtle feeding on turtle grass and going to the surface for breath, sea horse, pipefish, squid, flounder, and lots more. It was very exciting to see so much cool stuff and two dive sites I had never seen before. Naturally, I also had my jellyfish run-in there, and I'm terrified of shop wetsuits because of impetigo, but the good outweighed the bad.
Now it's time to eat a mango and relax before another night of partying. Maybe I just feel lonely here because people don't know how to socialize in any way that doesn't involve drinking. I'll go lie in a hammock and ponder that thought.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Impetigo? Gross!!!
So, my last post was only a day ago, and I really have nothing new to report. I've now reached the stage on this island where I'm feeling a little bit bored and a little bit blah. I think I'm just in need of a change of scenery. Perhaps this means I should leave on the first of July; but do I have enough money and enthusiasm to handle two months of backpacking alone? Right now, I have no idea.
Thanks to using rental equipment at the dive shop, it seems I have a mild case of impetigo on my knee. I've just looked this up and discovered it is most common in 2-6 year olds. Now I'm horrified at the idea of wearing a rental wetsuit, but I get too cold diving in just a swimsuit, and I have no interest in buying a wetsuit of my own at this point. I will probably only be diving for another three weeks maximum, so I might just have to suck it up. But really, impetigo? I don't think I've ever had a contagious skin infection like this. Ew! (Side note: Just found out while writing this post that my coworker in Halifax has lots of extra wetsuits and probably could have given me one before I left. Impetigo that could have been avoided! This is worse!)
I'd love to hear some feedback from you guys. I'm feeling a bit lonely here right now. I'm in diving limbo because my divemaster training is over, people whom I've gotten to know since arriving keep leaving, and the majority of new arrivals to the island will be gone in a week anyway. There are all kinds of great people still here, but Utila is beginning to feel a little stale to me. For now, it's time to shower, try to cure my impetigo, meet my divemaster mentor to get signed off once and for all, and write my nitrox exam. ¡Hasta luego!
Thanks to using rental equipment at the dive shop, it seems I have a mild case of impetigo on my knee. I've just looked this up and discovered it is most common in 2-6 year olds. Now I'm horrified at the idea of wearing a rental wetsuit, but I get too cold diving in just a swimsuit, and I have no interest in buying a wetsuit of my own at this point. I will probably only be diving for another three weeks maximum, so I might just have to suck it up. But really, impetigo? I don't think I've ever had a contagious skin infection like this. Ew! (Side note: Just found out while writing this post that my coworker in Halifax has lots of extra wetsuits and probably could have given me one before I left. Impetigo that could have been avoided! This is worse!)
I'd love to hear some feedback from you guys. I'm feeling a bit lonely here right now. I'm in diving limbo because my divemaster training is over, people whom I've gotten to know since arriving keep leaving, and the majority of new arrivals to the island will be gone in a week anyway. There are all kinds of great people still here, but Utila is beginning to feel a little stale to me. For now, it's time to shower, try to cure my impetigo, meet my divemaster mentor to get signed off once and for all, and write my nitrox exam. ¡Hasta luego!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Begging Lizards
One begging iguana, anyway. Life is good here on Utila, and I'm always busy. Since most internet places close at 8:00pm, I find I just don't have the chance to get on the internet anymore. I've been busy finishing up my divemaster training (just need to get signed off tonight, and I'm pro!), partying (this IS Utila), sleeping, eating, working, and trying to ride a bicycle without killing myself.
I bought a bicycle last week for about $40. I should be able to sell it for the same amount when I leave, providing it doesn't get stolen. My bike does have a lock, so it should be alright; but stolen bikes on this island are very common. At least that is practically the worst crime around here--drug trafficking aside. Having a bike makes getting around town SO much easier, and I look forward to exploring more of the island in the coming days. Naturally, I've already fallen off the bike and bruised my foot and ripped it open a bit on the pedal. What can I say? Graceful as always. This accident happened as I left my friend Sara's house. I got on my bike, pedalled about once, and toppled over into the ditch. At least my pathetic accidents happen at low speeds... I've almost healed already.
Working is something else I've taken up. I work at the bar at Utila Dive Center, serving beer and snacks for the most part. There is virtually no preparation on my part, which is good because people keep making fun of my ineptitude in cooking. I make a whopping $1.60 Canadian per hour, and get to keep my tips as well. Really, it's just a nice way to keep myself busy, socialize, and earn enough money for food for the day. If I wanted real cash, I would work at a restaurant for double the salary and extra tips (but then I'd actually have to work...).
The last part of divemaster training I had to complete was mapping a dive site. Sara and I did this together. We went to a site called Laguna Beach a couple of times, collected all the necessary information, and spent yesterday drawing up the map. We met for breakfast at a restaurant with an iguana garden out back. When we first sat down, I noticed there was one iguana up the hill basking in the sun. Over the three hours we spent there eating breakfast and working on our map, the iguana wandered about slowly eating leaves, wandered down the hill, and started eyeing us up. After this quiet begging from a distance went on for some time, our server fed the iguana some lettuce leaves, and we threw it some leftover fruit salad. Once the iguana had its fill, it wandered back up the hill, and took up its original position in the sun. I can't say I've ever had an iguana beg for food from me before.
Plans for the rest of the summer are now occupying my mind. I'm trying to figure out where else in Central America I wish to visit before returning home. Naturally, this all depends on how much money I have, and how much time I have available. I would definitely like to visit at lease a little bit of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, and I'm considering a trip into Belize for visa reasons (otherwise I'll just have to pay to renew mine when it runs out on July 27). I think I might stick around here in Utila until early-mid July, and then spend the rest of my time travelling. Since I'm already in Central America, I can't really see going home without exploring it. Also, for those of you who don't know yet, I'll be in St. John's from September 2-9. Actually, a few of those days will be spent out of town at a wedding, but I expect to see you all there in early September.
Now I should go. The hose at the dive shop was disconnected when I got back from my dives this morning, so I didn't even managed to get the salt rinsed off of myself. Time to shower and finish some Enriched Air Diving homework. I'm doing a specialty course to learn to dive with higher than normal percentages of oxygen (this allows you more time at greater depths since there is less nitrogen to build up in your body, but doesn't make the entire dive time any longer than it would be on regular air because you still have the same volume to breathe).
And last, but not least, there continue to be tremors here. Nothing spectacular, just some interesting shakes from time to time. Apparently, there were two quakes this morning while we were underwater. One was 6.6 and the other 5.6. Can't say I noticed the quake though.
I bought a bicycle last week for about $40. I should be able to sell it for the same amount when I leave, providing it doesn't get stolen. My bike does have a lock, so it should be alright; but stolen bikes on this island are very common. At least that is practically the worst crime around here--drug trafficking aside. Having a bike makes getting around town SO much easier, and I look forward to exploring more of the island in the coming days. Naturally, I've already fallen off the bike and bruised my foot and ripped it open a bit on the pedal. What can I say? Graceful as always. This accident happened as I left my friend Sara's house. I got on my bike, pedalled about once, and toppled over into the ditch. At least my pathetic accidents happen at low speeds... I've almost healed already.
Working is something else I've taken up. I work at the bar at Utila Dive Center, serving beer and snacks for the most part. There is virtually no preparation on my part, which is good because people keep making fun of my ineptitude in cooking. I make a whopping $1.60 Canadian per hour, and get to keep my tips as well. Really, it's just a nice way to keep myself busy, socialize, and earn enough money for food for the day. If I wanted real cash, I would work at a restaurant for double the salary and extra tips (but then I'd actually have to work...).
The last part of divemaster training I had to complete was mapping a dive site. Sara and I did this together. We went to a site called Laguna Beach a couple of times, collected all the necessary information, and spent yesterday drawing up the map. We met for breakfast at a restaurant with an iguana garden out back. When we first sat down, I noticed there was one iguana up the hill basking in the sun. Over the three hours we spent there eating breakfast and working on our map, the iguana wandered about slowly eating leaves, wandered down the hill, and started eyeing us up. After this quiet begging from a distance went on for some time, our server fed the iguana some lettuce leaves, and we threw it some leftover fruit salad. Once the iguana had its fill, it wandered back up the hill, and took up its original position in the sun. I can't say I've ever had an iguana beg for food from me before.
Plans for the rest of the summer are now occupying my mind. I'm trying to figure out where else in Central America I wish to visit before returning home. Naturally, this all depends on how much money I have, and how much time I have available. I would definitely like to visit at lease a little bit of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, and I'm considering a trip into Belize for visa reasons (otherwise I'll just have to pay to renew mine when it runs out on July 27). I think I might stick around here in Utila until early-mid July, and then spend the rest of my time travelling. Since I'm already in Central America, I can't really see going home without exploring it. Also, for those of you who don't know yet, I'll be in St. John's from September 2-9. Actually, a few of those days will be spent out of town at a wedding, but I expect to see you all there in early September.
Now I should go. The hose at the dive shop was disconnected when I got back from my dives this morning, so I didn't even managed to get the salt rinsed off of myself. Time to shower and finish some Enriched Air Diving homework. I'm doing a specialty course to learn to dive with higher than normal percentages of oxygen (this allows you more time at greater depths since there is less nitrogen to build up in your body, but doesn't make the entire dive time any longer than it would be on regular air because you still have the same volume to breathe).
And last, but not least, there continue to be tremors here. Nothing spectacular, just some interesting shakes from time to time. Apparently, there were two quakes this morning while we were underwater. One was 6.6 and the other 5.6. Can't say I noticed the quake though.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Good Deals and Bad Deals
Alright, now for a little more about myself. Things have been going really well here. I'm just about finished my divemaster training. At this stage I have to lead certified divers on a dive, map a dive site, and do up an emergency assistance plan. Honestly, all of this could easily be done in one day, but I'll probably drag it out over a week. Once that's done, I'll be a certified divemaster.
Since you do have to be careful in diving with timing your dives, paying attention to depth, knowing which pressure group you're in, and making sure you don't pass any no decompression limits, I've been wanting to buy myself a dive computer. These usually range from $300-$700 and above, so I was considering getting myself a basic bottom-line computer. As it turns out, the day before I was going to go pick one up, a guy walked up to me and asked, "Know anyone who wants to buy a dive computer?" Uh, yes. The computer is quite basic, and it only calculates regular air (it's possible to dive with other mixtures, with a higher percentage of oxygen, for example), but it works just fine. I bought it for $50. Not bad, huh?
In less awesome deals, my apartment building ran out of water yet again a couple of days ago. There are new tenants in the building, when the water ran out they didn't bother getting in touch with the landlords themselves, and by the time I found out about it, it was too late for us to get more water that day. The landlord did make a point of calling the water guy and bribing him, and the water probably was actually delivered that night, but still it failed to flow through our pipes. Presently, I know nothing about water pumps, so I didn't know how to fix it myself, and I was stuck walking to the other end of town yet again to tell the landlords we still had no working water. Being without water for a day is not serious (because it's only cleaning water, not drinking water), but it is annoying. But why would you not do anything about getting more water for hours after you've run out? It's not going to arrive magically on its own.
I really don't have much else to report at the moment. Still no whaleshark sightings, but I don't think anyone has had any. It's not actually the season, and the sea got rough again. I'm still hoping though. I have seen a spotted eagle ray, which was incredible. And I keep discovering new and cool fish. Recently, I got to see hogfish and toadfish for the first time. Today, it was a whitespotted filefish.
In closing I must say, lounging on a tropical island and going diving as much as I feel like is a pretty rough way to live...
Since you do have to be careful in diving with timing your dives, paying attention to depth, knowing which pressure group you're in, and making sure you don't pass any no decompression limits, I've been wanting to buy myself a dive computer. These usually range from $300-$700 and above, so I was considering getting myself a basic bottom-line computer. As it turns out, the day before I was going to go pick one up, a guy walked up to me and asked, "Know anyone who wants to buy a dive computer?" Uh, yes. The computer is quite basic, and it only calculates regular air (it's possible to dive with other mixtures, with a higher percentage of oxygen, for example), but it works just fine. I bought it for $50. Not bad, huh?
In less awesome deals, my apartment building ran out of water yet again a couple of days ago. There are new tenants in the building, when the water ran out they didn't bother getting in touch with the landlords themselves, and by the time I found out about it, it was too late for us to get more water that day. The landlord did make a point of calling the water guy and bribing him, and the water probably was actually delivered that night, but still it failed to flow through our pipes. Presently, I know nothing about water pumps, so I didn't know how to fix it myself, and I was stuck walking to the other end of town yet again to tell the landlords we still had no working water. Being without water for a day is not serious (because it's only cleaning water, not drinking water), but it is annoying. But why would you not do anything about getting more water for hours after you've run out? It's not going to arrive magically on its own.
I really don't have much else to report at the moment. Still no whaleshark sightings, but I don't think anyone has had any. It's not actually the season, and the sea got rough again. I'm still hoping though. I have seen a spotted eagle ray, which was incredible. And I keep discovering new and cool fish. Recently, I got to see hogfish and toadfish for the first time. Today, it was a whitespotted filefish.
In closing I must say, lounging on a tropical island and going diving as much as I feel like is a pretty rough way to live...
The Mysterious Dismembered Roach
Roaches yet again. It seems to be what my life revolves around at the moment. Actually, my roommates have gone to the mainland for the weekend on a whitewater rafting tour. I thought, "This will be lovely. I'll have the apartment to myself for a few days." I've lived alone before, and I'm not the type to get lonely from sleeping in an apartment by myself. However, the day my roommates left, I went home at night and felt utterly alone. I was outnumbered by roaches, and wished I had someone else to join in the battle.
The cockroach situation here isn't as bad as it sounds. It's just typical of a tropical island. You'll find a few roaches in the bathroom and kitchen every night, but never in the bedrooms. But this night I was all alone, spraying everything that moved with the black can of death, and dreading disposing of the corpses. Eventually, I managed to kill everything that was moving, and went to bed.
In the morning, I woke up, walked out into the kitchen, and discovered another dead roach. This one was different from the others. I didn't spray any and leave them dead in the middle of the floor, and this one was crushed, dismembered, and smeared into the floor. Now, my roommates are away, so they couldn't have stepped on it. I don't sleepwalk, and I checked my feet for roach guts just in case, but there were none there. So what killed it? What smeared this roach into my kitchen floor?
It could be true that I'm a bit of a pig. When I have no one else to be considerate of and clean for, I tend not to bother. So, there's a dead roach in the middle of my kitchen, and I just kind of walk around it for a day. Last night, I went to bed with the roach in exactly the same place it was when I woke up. This morning, it was further dismembered and eaten (or something). Now I really want to know what's killing roaches and tearing them apart in my kitchen at night!
I don't think one roach would have the power to smear another into the floor. I guess it's possible there's a mouse or a rat, but I see no other evidence of those. Most geckos around here are pretty small, but I guess there could be one freakishly big one lurking around. Finally, there are lots of big iguanas in the area. I'm not sure how anything large enough to destroy a cockroach could be getting into the apartment, but something must be. Ideas, anyone?
The cockroach situation here isn't as bad as it sounds. It's just typical of a tropical island. You'll find a few roaches in the bathroom and kitchen every night, but never in the bedrooms. But this night I was all alone, spraying everything that moved with the black can of death, and dreading disposing of the corpses. Eventually, I managed to kill everything that was moving, and went to bed.
In the morning, I woke up, walked out into the kitchen, and discovered another dead roach. This one was different from the others. I didn't spray any and leave them dead in the middle of the floor, and this one was crushed, dismembered, and smeared into the floor. Now, my roommates are away, so they couldn't have stepped on it. I don't sleepwalk, and I checked my feet for roach guts just in case, but there were none there. So what killed it? What smeared this roach into my kitchen floor?
It could be true that I'm a bit of a pig. When I have no one else to be considerate of and clean for, I tend not to bother. So, there's a dead roach in the middle of my kitchen, and I just kind of walk around it for a day. Last night, I went to bed with the roach in exactly the same place it was when I woke up. This morning, it was further dismembered and eaten (or something). Now I really want to know what's killing roaches and tearing them apart in my kitchen at night!
I don't think one roach would have the power to smear another into the floor. I guess it's possible there's a mouse or a rat, but I see no other evidence of those. Most geckos around here are pretty small, but I guess there could be one freakishly big one lurking around. Finally, there are lots of big iguanas in the area. I'm not sure how anything large enough to destroy a cockroach could be getting into the apartment, but something must be. Ideas, anyone?
Monday, June 1, 2009
Diving with Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum
This actually happened a while ago, but I went diving at the same site today and was reminded of it. On the day of the staff party to the Cays, I elected to go on a dive with Damian and two fun divers. Fun as it might be to drink free beer all afternoon on an overloaded boat packed with dive staff, I just wasn't in the mood. I hadn't been out diving for fun for a while, so I jumped at the opportunity.
The fun divers didn't know each other before the dive. One was a Spanish man from I have no idea what country, and the other an older man from New York State who is fairly new to diving and has antiquated gear. They were both very nice men.
As we pulled up to the buoy at Airport Caves, Tweedle-Dee fell off the boat. It seems he decided to clean his mask off before the boat stopped, lost his balance, and tumbled into the water. When he called out, I asked the captain to stop the boat, and he swam to the boat with his mask on upside down (nosepiece on the forehead). I could hardly stop laughing.
Next, Tweedle-Dum, in his outdated scuba equipment, did the most interesting little hop into the water. There are two basic ways to enter the water from a dive boat. You can do a giant stride entry off the back (big step, enter the water upright), or a backroll off the side of the boat (if the boat is low enough). Tweedle-Dum walked to the back of the boat, turned around backwards, and did a little spring into the water, landing on his back. Poor Damian, the Divemaster, didn't have enough time to get Tweedle-Dum to stop before he was flapping about in the water.
During the dive, I think Damian had it easy. He lead the dive, followed by this interesting pair, and me in the rear. My job back there was to make sure no one got lost. Normally, this is an easy task, but it was remarkably difficult with Tweedle-Dee the photographer and Tweedle-Dum the naturalist. Damian would swim off out of my sight, while one stared at coral, the other wandered after a fish, and I was left floating, trying to figure out where everyone was.
It wasn't all bad though. Tweedle-Dee had a very good eye for spotting fish, and he pointed out all kinds of awesome things to me. Also, the boat was incredibly peaceful with only four divers on it; usually, there are up to 16. Basically, I ended up regularly getting water in my mask because I couldn't stop laughing at this most interesting pair underwater.
Nothing new to report from here. Things have settled down after the earthquake, and I finally bought myself new sandals yesterday. The dock and the bridge both get too hot, and I couldn't handle burning my feet walking around barefoot anymore. Hope you're all well!
The fun divers didn't know each other before the dive. One was a Spanish man from I have no idea what country, and the other an older man from New York State who is fairly new to diving and has antiquated gear. They were both very nice men.
As we pulled up to the buoy at Airport Caves, Tweedle-Dee fell off the boat. It seems he decided to clean his mask off before the boat stopped, lost his balance, and tumbled into the water. When he called out, I asked the captain to stop the boat, and he swam to the boat with his mask on upside down (nosepiece on the forehead). I could hardly stop laughing.
Next, Tweedle-Dum, in his outdated scuba equipment, did the most interesting little hop into the water. There are two basic ways to enter the water from a dive boat. You can do a giant stride entry off the back (big step, enter the water upright), or a backroll off the side of the boat (if the boat is low enough). Tweedle-Dum walked to the back of the boat, turned around backwards, and did a little spring into the water, landing on his back. Poor Damian, the Divemaster, didn't have enough time to get Tweedle-Dum to stop before he was flapping about in the water.
During the dive, I think Damian had it easy. He lead the dive, followed by this interesting pair, and me in the rear. My job back there was to make sure no one got lost. Normally, this is an easy task, but it was remarkably difficult with Tweedle-Dee the photographer and Tweedle-Dum the naturalist. Damian would swim off out of my sight, while one stared at coral, the other wandered after a fish, and I was left floating, trying to figure out where everyone was.
It wasn't all bad though. Tweedle-Dee had a very good eye for spotting fish, and he pointed out all kinds of awesome things to me. Also, the boat was incredibly peaceful with only four divers on it; usually, there are up to 16. Basically, I ended up regularly getting water in my mask because I couldn't stop laughing at this most interesting pair underwater.
Nothing new to report from here. Things have settled down after the earthquake, and I finally bought myself new sandals yesterday. The dock and the bridge both get too hot, and I couldn't handle burning my feet walking around barefoot anymore. Hope you're all well!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Shaken awake by a quake
Well, I'm still missing out on the whale shark experience, but I've now experienced a pretty good earthquake. It was a 7.1 on the Richter Scale, and my apartment building on stilts was a-wobbling. The quake was off the coast of Roatan, which is the island northeast of Utila. As far as I know so far, no serious damage occurred in Utila, though there were certainly casualties other places in Honduras. We were all shaken awake at about 2:30am, and every tiny movement after that woke me up.
I just wanted to write this quickly so everyone would know that I'm safe. Now I have to run to assist on another rescue diver course. It's a shame I have to go barefoot since my sandals broke on the way here this morning...
I just wanted to write this quickly so everyone would know that I'm safe. Now I have to run to assist on another rescue diver course. It's a shame I have to go barefoot since my sandals broke on the way here this morning...
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Whale-shark-a-palooza
Don't get excited. I didn't see one. After assisting on a couple of consecutive courses and getting sick, I took a day off and had a nice lie in. Slept a solid 12 hours until I woke up sweating on an opressively humid day. It was perfectly lovely until I headed over to the dive shop to review my physiology material and write the exam. There, I learned that one of the morning boats found (and snorkeled with) four whale sharks. What a piss off! I take a day off, and people sight whale sharks.
Annoyed, I went about my business and wrote my physiology exam. Then the afternoon boats came back. One boat, which happened to be filled with other DMTs (divemaster trainees), managed to find six whale sharks. *sigh* I actually hit one of my friends here when she announced this information while dancing around in front of me. She had asked me the day before if I'd go on a fun dive with her, and I said I needed to get some rest because I was coming down with a cold. I would have been on that boat.
Honestly, I think one of the most difficult things I have to deal with here is making choices. There are always at least two spectacular things I could be doing, and I need to choose one of them. Normally I find that one option would be more appealing than the other, but when you're left with choices like 'go on the party boat with everyone from the shop down to the cays for the afternoon' or 'go fun diving on the resort boat with only three other people when you haven't been diving in a few days,' it's far too difficult! (I chose the diving, by the way. I'm glad I did it, but sad that I'm yet to see the cays.) Yesterday it was a matter of whether I should begin assisting on a rescue course today, or sign up to go out on the boat that's most likely to find more whale sharks. I managed to choose the rescue course, which I think was very responsible of me, but I'm going to be unfit to be around if many more people see a whale shark before I do.
To complete the whale shark day, we had a staff meeting and whale shark presentation last night. There's a whale shark research foundation here in Utila (http://www.utilawhalesharkresearch.com/), and they were explaining more about how to behave safely around whale sharks and how to help with their research. It was very interesting, though slightly annoying to be surrounded by people still glowing from their first whale shark encounters, and I won a baseball cap. At the very least, I got that. My face keeps getting too much sun on the dive boats, so I've been looking for a baseball cap to buy. Everything I've found so far has been too expensive for my liking, so it was lovely to get one for free.
Now I'm off to pick up my laundry. I finally broke down after a month of hand washing and paid to have it done. I think it's going to cost me about $5 (I haven't paid for it yet), which I find ridiculous. I guess I'd pay close to the same at home, but I still have Southeast Asian prices in mind for laundry. If it can't be done for $1-2, then it's too expensive. ¡Adios!
Annoyed, I went about my business and wrote my physiology exam. Then the afternoon boats came back. One boat, which happened to be filled with other DMTs (divemaster trainees), managed to find six whale sharks. *sigh* I actually hit one of my friends here when she announced this information while dancing around in front of me. She had asked me the day before if I'd go on a fun dive with her, and I said I needed to get some rest because I was coming down with a cold. I would have been on that boat.
Honestly, I think one of the most difficult things I have to deal with here is making choices. There are always at least two spectacular things I could be doing, and I need to choose one of them. Normally I find that one option would be more appealing than the other, but when you're left with choices like 'go on the party boat with everyone from the shop down to the cays for the afternoon' or 'go fun diving on the resort boat with only three other people when you haven't been diving in a few days,' it's far too difficult! (I chose the diving, by the way. I'm glad I did it, but sad that I'm yet to see the cays.) Yesterday it was a matter of whether I should begin assisting on a rescue course today, or sign up to go out on the boat that's most likely to find more whale sharks. I managed to choose the rescue course, which I think was very responsible of me, but I'm going to be unfit to be around if many more people see a whale shark before I do.
To complete the whale shark day, we had a staff meeting and whale shark presentation last night. There's a whale shark research foundation here in Utila (http://www.utilawhalesharkresearch.com/), and they were explaining more about how to behave safely around whale sharks and how to help with their research. It was very interesting, though slightly annoying to be surrounded by people still glowing from their first whale shark encounters, and I won a baseball cap. At the very least, I got that. My face keeps getting too much sun on the dive boats, so I've been looking for a baseball cap to buy. Everything I've found so far has been too expensive for my liking, so it was lovely to get one for free.
Now I'm off to pick up my laundry. I finally broke down after a month of hand washing and paid to have it done. I think it's going to cost me about $5 (I haven't paid for it yet), which I find ridiculous. I guess I'd pay close to the same at home, but I still have Southeast Asian prices in mind for laundry. If it can't be done for $1-2, then it's too expensive. ¡Adios!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Dive Slave
Somehow, I have nothing to say right now. Every day is busy, some so much so that I feel stressed out. I am on vacation, not working, doing scuba training, and living on a tropical island, right? The other day I was feeling frantic because I had wanted to write my physics exam the day before, had no time that day, barely managed to check my email after about 5 days of not managing to do so, had no time to go fun diving (ie. diving for pleasure, not as an exercise or assisting on a course), had to get prepared to assist with a class, and had no time free in the evening for some reason because that was already booked up. I can't even understand where all my time is going... I guess there's sleeping, drinking, dancing, etc., and two dives can take about 5 hours when you include boat setup and travel to and from the dive sites. I think I might now be the definition of "dive slave".
Beyond frantic busyness of nothing, there's a whole lot of nothing happening. I've been trying to go see a whale shark presentation that goes on every Sunday evening for a few weeks now, but something else always gets in the way. I also really, really need to do laundry, but it just isn't happening. I think I might take a few days off training to rest up and get things done.
All my time lately has obviously been spent on diving. I've now written 4 of my 9 exams, and I'm just about ready to write physiology as well. Part of the divemaster internship also involves assisting on courses. So far I've helped out on a Rescue Diver course and an Open Water course. The Open Water was moderately stressful because it was my first time dealing with uncertified divers, but I learned a lot, and that's the whole point. Now it's (thankfully) over, and I'm taking a break. ZZZZzzzzzzz....
Ooh, someone just mentioned Mexico. How's the swine flu doing? I have been completely isolated from current events because this island just seems to live in a daze, separate from everything else. I'm enjoying the lifestyle, and not sure how I'm going to readjust to my regular busy schedule when I get back. I guess I'll figure it out when I need to. Please keep in touch! Ciao!
Beyond frantic busyness of nothing, there's a whole lot of nothing happening. I've been trying to go see a whale shark presentation that goes on every Sunday evening for a few weeks now, but something else always gets in the way. I also really, really need to do laundry, but it just isn't happening. I think I might take a few days off training to rest up and get things done.
All my time lately has obviously been spent on diving. I've now written 4 of my 9 exams, and I'm just about ready to write physiology as well. Part of the divemaster internship also involves assisting on courses. So far I've helped out on a Rescue Diver course and an Open Water course. The Open Water was moderately stressful because it was my first time dealing with uncertified divers, but I learned a lot, and that's the whole point. Now it's (thankfully) over, and I'm taking a break. ZZZZzzzzzzz....
Ooh, someone just mentioned Mexico. How's the swine flu doing? I have been completely isolated from current events because this island just seems to live in a daze, separate from everything else. I'm enjoying the lifestyle, and not sure how I'm going to readjust to my regular busy schedule when I get back. I guess I'll figure it out when I need to. Please keep in touch! Ciao!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
The Demise of the Horny Roaches
I arrive home late after another day of diving. I need to shower and eat quickly before going to a party that some other people from the dive shop are hosting. I go to use the toilet, and find two small roaches on the floor. Admittedly, my most hated activity at the moment is walking into a dark room and turning on a light--it almost always results in finding a roach scurrying away. My first thought for these roaches is 'run off into the cracks where I can't see you.' Then I remember the request from my roommates to spray any insect life found within the apartment because they take over so quickly. Feeling a little guilty, I grab the black can of aerosol death to bugs, and spray the roaches until they keel over.
Now it's time for a shower. I undress, take off my glasses, and step into the shower. I turn on the water to rinse quickly, and tilting my head back to get my hair wet, I see a dark spot up in the corner that seems different than usual. I consider the spot, and decide to turn off the shower, drip all over the bathroom, and grab my glasses. Upon further inspection (this time with eyesight), I let out a yelp. Two of the biggest roaches I've seen since Asia are mating in the top corner of my shower.
I quickly wrap myself in a towel, grab the can of death to bugs (and maybe humans), and spray the heck out of the roaches. They know they've been caught in the act, but are incapable of running away. They fall off the wall, scurry around the floor of the shower still attached to one another, and one finally dies. The live roach now has a dead roach attached to it, is freaking out because it's beginning to die but cannot get away, and crawls right into my nice pink shower puff. At this point I lose courage entirely, run out of my apartment dripping in a towel, and find my neighbours in the hallway. I ask if they are more brave than me and willing to help with a cockroach situation, and three of them troop into my little bathroom to check out the scene.
Once finally under control (ie. all signs of roach life are removed from my apartment), I timidly get back into the shower. I'm now late to meet a friend before heading to the party, so I give up on the notion of cooking myself supper, and grab a baleada on the way. All I can think the rest of the evening is that the roaches would have gotten off much better if they hadn't been so caught up having sex.
Now it's time for a shower. I undress, take off my glasses, and step into the shower. I turn on the water to rinse quickly, and tilting my head back to get my hair wet, I see a dark spot up in the corner that seems different than usual. I consider the spot, and decide to turn off the shower, drip all over the bathroom, and grab my glasses. Upon further inspection (this time with eyesight), I let out a yelp. Two of the biggest roaches I've seen since Asia are mating in the top corner of my shower.
I quickly wrap myself in a towel, grab the can of death to bugs (and maybe humans), and spray the heck out of the roaches. They know they've been caught in the act, but are incapable of running away. They fall off the wall, scurry around the floor of the shower still attached to one another, and one finally dies. The live roach now has a dead roach attached to it, is freaking out because it's beginning to die but cannot get away, and crawls right into my nice pink shower puff. At this point I lose courage entirely, run out of my apartment dripping in a towel, and find my neighbours in the hallway. I ask if they are more brave than me and willing to help with a cockroach situation, and three of them troop into my little bathroom to check out the scene.
Once finally under control (ie. all signs of roach life are removed from my apartment), I timidly get back into the shower. I'm now late to meet a friend before heading to the party, so I give up on the notion of cooking myself supper, and grab a baleada on the way. All I can think the rest of the evening is that the roaches would have gotten off much better if they hadn't been so caught up having sex.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Gone to the birds
Honestly, I was thinking of writing something earlier, but it has completely slipped my mind. Fortunately, something else worth writing about just walked into the internet cafe. There is a man here in Utila, who I suspect is Canadian (usually wearing something stating "CANADA"), that always has a parrot sitting upon his shoulder or his head. We're talking average, large, green, pirate-style parrot. The funny thing is, I've never heard the parrot speak, but the man spends his time speaking like a parrot, to the parrot. I'll walk by, and he might say something like, "Ooh, look, pretty girl." I don't even know what to think about this, but it makes me laugh. This island attracts the strangest variety of people who seem to want to escape the real world, and they wind up stuck here for years. Is this the real-world Never Never Land?
I'm fascinated by all the other airborne creatures that can be found here as well. There are plenty of bats, hummingbirds, swallows, and pelicans. My current hobby is watching pelicans hunt for fish. At least one can usually be seen from the dive boat close to shore, and since you usually take up to an hour to let all the nitrogen out of your system between dives, this affords plenty of time for pelican-watching from whatever bit of shade I can find on the boat.
My divemaster training is going well. It's only been three days so far, but being tested and evaluated always makes me happy. So far there have been exams on divemaster-conducted programs, and on using the PADI Instructor Manual to look up standards and other information. Today it's supervising certified divers. These are all written exams, of which there will also be decompression theory, physical, physiology, use of a recreational dive planner, and maybe some more... Yesterday, we had a performance test of demonstrating the 20 skills that are taught in the PADI Open Water course (your basic introduction to diving, and certification). These are skills like hovering underwater without moving, removing your mask and putting it back on underwater, breathing from someone else's air supply, etc. We're graded on how well we can demonstrate them to beginners and show all the critical aspects, because divemasters are allowed to give Scuba Tune-up courses (a refresher of skills for people who haven't been diving in a while). All in all, it's wicked fun. Oh right, and I am currently a failure at hovering underwater and other buoyancy control skills. Looks like I need some practice. I did pass 16 out of 20 skills though, and Utila Dive Center uses higher standards than PADI for a pass.
And now I'm off. I've got class, and then the exam I mentioned above. Wish me luck! Not that I'm concerned... Anything you fail, they just work harder to teach you, and then you're allowed to take the exam again. I guess this means it's possible to buy your way into being a divemaster, even if you aren't well-suited to it. All you need is to work hard enough. Of course, I'd like to think I'm a bit more of a natural than that...
I'm fascinated by all the other airborne creatures that can be found here as well. There are plenty of bats, hummingbirds, swallows, and pelicans. My current hobby is watching pelicans hunt for fish. At least one can usually be seen from the dive boat close to shore, and since you usually take up to an hour to let all the nitrogen out of your system between dives, this affords plenty of time for pelican-watching from whatever bit of shade I can find on the boat.
My divemaster training is going well. It's only been three days so far, but being tested and evaluated always makes me happy. So far there have been exams on divemaster-conducted programs, and on using the PADI Instructor Manual to look up standards and other information. Today it's supervising certified divers. These are all written exams, of which there will also be decompression theory, physical, physiology, use of a recreational dive planner, and maybe some more... Yesterday, we had a performance test of demonstrating the 20 skills that are taught in the PADI Open Water course (your basic introduction to diving, and certification). These are skills like hovering underwater without moving, removing your mask and putting it back on underwater, breathing from someone else's air supply, etc. We're graded on how well we can demonstrate them to beginners and show all the critical aspects, because divemasters are allowed to give Scuba Tune-up courses (a refresher of skills for people who haven't been diving in a while). All in all, it's wicked fun. Oh right, and I am currently a failure at hovering underwater and other buoyancy control skills. Looks like I need some practice. I did pass 16 out of 20 skills though, and Utila Dive Center uses higher standards than PADI for a pass.
And now I'm off. I've got class, and then the exam I mentioned above. Wish me luck! Not that I'm concerned... Anything you fail, they just work harder to teach you, and then you're allowed to take the exam again. I guess this means it's possible to buy your way into being a divemaster, even if you aren't well-suited to it. All you need is to work hard enough. Of course, I'd like to think I'm a bit more of a natural than that...
Monday, May 11, 2009
Settled and Safe
Things are going well here. Since my last post, I found an apartment, committed to staying there for one week to try it out (though I like it so far and will probably stay my entire time in Utila), and I've been diving just about every day. I must say, the luxury of being able to sleep in every morning, roll out of bed, wander to the dive shop, and hop on a boat at lunchtime is pretty well divine.
As for safety, I finally joined DAN. That is the Divers Alert Network, and they provide diving-specific insurance that most insurance companies exclude. Upon discussing insurance with other divers here, I realized I very well might not be covered for treatment in a hyperbaric chamber if I need that one day. So I checked with RWAM (my current travel insurance provider), they exclude such costs, and I signed up with DAN. Now if anything every goes wrong and I need to decompress at a rate of $450/hour, I won't have to dish out for it myself. Not that anything will go wrong, because I am a safe diver.
Diving here has been lovely. At first, I felt disappointed because Southeast Asia offers about 20 times as much to see on every dive and is infinitely more colourful, but now I'm getting to appreciate the small things. Seeing a tiny starfish crawl across the sand, or spotting a well-camouflaged flounder or lizardfish is so much fun. The lack of colour is a shame, and I do miss seeing boxfish and clownfish and sea anemones, but there are other cool things to be found. I think the trunkfish is my new favourite--look it up! Oh yeah, that's right, it's triangular...
In other news from the island, a coke plane was chased down by the military a couple of nights ago. From what I hear, it eventually crashed, the pilot got out, and was shot dead. The next day, all the talk on the boat radios was of a man found floating on a drum in the sea. Now, rather than the three regular police officers that ride around the island (two on one motorbike, it's really cute), there are a couple of dozen Honduran military police officers patrolling. One of them was at the bar last night, having a drink, holding his gun, letting some girl wear his helmet. They're clearly very serious.
Now I'm off to the scuba gear dealers to see about buying some of my own things. I've had enough of misfitting rentals and always being left with the last pick. ¡Adios!
As for safety, I finally joined DAN. That is the Divers Alert Network, and they provide diving-specific insurance that most insurance companies exclude. Upon discussing insurance with other divers here, I realized I very well might not be covered for treatment in a hyperbaric chamber if I need that one day. So I checked with RWAM (my current travel insurance provider), they exclude such costs, and I signed up with DAN. Now if anything every goes wrong and I need to decompress at a rate of $450/hour, I won't have to dish out for it myself. Not that anything will go wrong, because I am a safe diver.
Diving here has been lovely. At first, I felt disappointed because Southeast Asia offers about 20 times as much to see on every dive and is infinitely more colourful, but now I'm getting to appreciate the small things. Seeing a tiny starfish crawl across the sand, or spotting a well-camouflaged flounder or lizardfish is so much fun. The lack of colour is a shame, and I do miss seeing boxfish and clownfish and sea anemones, but there are other cool things to be found. I think the trunkfish is my new favourite--look it up! Oh yeah, that's right, it's triangular...
In other news from the island, a coke plane was chased down by the military a couple of nights ago. From what I hear, it eventually crashed, the pilot got out, and was shot dead. The next day, all the talk on the boat radios was of a man found floating on a drum in the sea. Now, rather than the three regular police officers that ride around the island (two on one motorbike, it's really cute), there are a couple of dozen Honduran military police officers patrolling. One of them was at the bar last night, having a drink, holding his gun, letting some girl wear his helmet. They're clearly very serious.
Now I'm off to the scuba gear dealers to see about buying some of my own things. I've had enough of misfitting rentals and always being left with the last pick. ¡Adios!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Who actually slips on a banana peel in real life?
Me. That's who. Fortunately, it wasn't a slip of the feet flying out from under you, landing on your ass variety. It was a quick, catch your balance again slip. But really -- a banana peel? Perhaps it's to be expected in a place where trees are laden with fruit, and kids throw brooms at trees to knock the fruit down.
I'm having a blast here in Utila. Sometimes life seems painfully slow, because not a lot happens, but it's a lot of fun for the most part. I've now completed my Rescue Diver course, and I'm ready to begin Divemaster training. The rescue course was awesome; just like lifeguard training, but with scuba gear. My exam went well, I accidentally let someone bleed out (that mistake will now NEVER happen again), and my partner and I performed the fastest search and rescue our instructor has ever seen. Training is fun because you get to dive and look at pretty things, as well as challenge yourself physically and mentally.
Not a whole lot else to report from here, really. I've been so busy and tired from my rescue course that I haven't managed much other than eating, sleeping, studying, and diving. Now I have a few days until I start my Divemaster training on Monday. I think I'll go on a few dives, explore the island a little more, and do a lot of napping in hammocks.
I'm having a blast here in Utila. Sometimes life seems painfully slow, because not a lot happens, but it's a lot of fun for the most part. I've now completed my Rescue Diver course, and I'm ready to begin Divemaster training. The rescue course was awesome; just like lifeguard training, but with scuba gear. My exam went well, I accidentally let someone bleed out (that mistake will now NEVER happen again), and my partner and I performed the fastest search and rescue our instructor has ever seen. Training is fun because you get to dive and look at pretty things, as well as challenge yourself physically and mentally.
Not a whole lot else to report from here, really. I've been so busy and tired from my rescue course that I haven't managed much other than eating, sleeping, studying, and diving. Now I have a few days until I start my Divemaster training on Monday. I think I'll go on a few dives, explore the island a little more, and do a lot of napping in hammocks.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Snail Soup
Well, conch soup to be precise. It's a specialty here on the islands, and a few of us turned up at a bar that was serving it last night. I, torn with indecision about how to define my vegetarianism, decided to eat it. It was extremely tasty, made with coconut milk, sea snail, rice and lots of vegetables. Admittedly, I only had half of my bowl (which was rather large); though I'm not sure whether it was lack of appetite or psychological disturbance that stopped me from finishing it.
This morning I went on a couple of dives. Saw some sea turtles, eels, and lots of angel fish and the usual. It was lots of fun, and great to be back in the water. My Rescue Diver course was meant to start this evening, but the Emergency First Responder course ran too long so I'm forced to wait until tomorrow morning. I'm bored out of my mind waiting to have something to do, while everyone else around me is taking dive courses. The island is very laid back, but I'm still trying to slow down after a term of full-time studies and working two jobs. Clearly, I need more practice lying in a hammock and sleeping.
Not surprisingly, I've already got a sunburn (on hands, feet, and face -- everything ELSE was carefully covered), and I'm being eaten alive by mosquitoes. For now I'm off to cover myself in insect repellent and aloe, and try really hard to do a lot of nothing. Perhaps I just need better books to read...
This morning I went on a couple of dives. Saw some sea turtles, eels, and lots of angel fish and the usual. It was lots of fun, and great to be back in the water. My Rescue Diver course was meant to start this evening, but the Emergency First Responder course ran too long so I'm forced to wait until tomorrow morning. I'm bored out of my mind waiting to have something to do, while everyone else around me is taking dive courses. The island is very laid back, but I'm still trying to slow down after a term of full-time studies and working two jobs. Clearly, I need more practice lying in a hammock and sleeping.
Not surprisingly, I've already got a sunburn (on hands, feet, and face -- everything ELSE was carefully covered), and I'm being eaten alive by mosquitoes. For now I'm off to cover myself in insect repellent and aloe, and try really hard to do a lot of nothing. Perhaps I just need better books to read...
Friday, May 1, 2009
Landed
So... time to test out blogging for the first time. It won't be so different than my email journals, I don't think; you just won't be forced to read this by having my liturgies turn up in your inboxes all the time. This way, it's entirely upon you to choose to come and see what I'm up to.
After a lovely 27-hour journey, I made it to San Pedro Sula, Honduras on April 29. Got lost in town, spent the night, and headed towards La Ceiba the next day. The plan was to go straight to Utila, but the local bus took much longer than expected, and the last ferry of the day was missed.
This morning, bright and early, I made my way to the ferry with a number of others from the hostel, and took a very rocky ride to the island. I'm now set up at a hotel for the next week (free with my dive course), set to go on my first dive tomorrow morning, and I'll be a Divemaster before I even know it. Just catching a glimpse of the water from the dock of the dive centre was enough to leave me pining to be in the water.
Now I'm off. But check in again, and maybe I will have bothered to write some more...
Adios!
After a lovely 27-hour journey, I made it to San Pedro Sula, Honduras on April 29. Got lost in town, spent the night, and headed towards La Ceiba the next day. The plan was to go straight to Utila, but the local bus took much longer than expected, and the last ferry of the day was missed.
This morning, bright and early, I made my way to the ferry with a number of others from the hostel, and took a very rocky ride to the island. I'm now set up at a hotel for the next week (free with my dive course), set to go on my first dive tomorrow morning, and I'll be a Divemaster before I even know it. Just catching a glimpse of the water from the dock of the dive centre was enough to leave me pining to be in the water.
Now I'm off. But check in again, and maybe I will have bothered to write some more...
Adios!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)