Sunday July 26th 2009
Sleep refused my company last night. Today was much a blur. The morning was lovely. My father woke us with coffee and OJ delivered to our van in the parking lot of the Many Glaciers Hotel. We woke slowly and then joined them on the deck overlooking a azure blue lake with pinacles and rocky spires dressed in glacier white. We chatted with the parental units and their friends over coffee and microwave breakfast sandwiches. It couldn't have been better. The rest of the day was for napping in the car as Ahnna drove us south through Montana. Before sleep overtook me I remember Driving through the foothills south of glacier. The sparcley pined hills were frosted greenish brown with grasses and bespeckled with rocks as tall as five or six feet that seemed to have been sprinkled over the hills as candy would be sprinkled on a cupcake. We pulled over early to sleep at 5pm. We drove up a dirt road looking for a lake that was on the map, but which we never found. The misquitoes were worse than I have seen in many years and we learned to rearrange our van for sleeping accomodations while in it without opening the doors. We watched a movie entitled Lesbian Vampire hunters. Thats, Lesbian Vampire Hunters, not, Lesbian Vampire Hunters. It was everything it could have been and recognized its own idiocy and we laughed heartily. We slept well.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
USA RoadTrip Journal #1
Saturday July 25th 2009
We lie in our mini-van home for the first night of our great American adventure. The rumble of thunder roles over the mountains around us as the sky blazes with the blue grey illumination of the lightning. We are in the parking lot of the Many Glaciers Hotel. The rain drums the roof with recklas abandon. Our day has been a slightly hectic one. Of course we forgot something at home when we left yesturday to begin our journey by traveling to Uncle Johns (where we were treated to frog leg appetizers and a half a chicken BBQ dinner); the battery charger and extra battery for our camera. Rather necessary for a journey through such incredible landscapes as we have planned.
We waited ths morning as my amazing grandmother brought it to us and then joined us for breakfast. We finally set out at 10:30. Some beautiful view points along Lake Pond Orielle, then driving through the valley of the river by that same name looking up at rocky mountains and piney bluffs. Arriving at Glacier around 6pm we took the Going to the Sun Road, upon entering the park we saw a black bear along the side of the road and then raced the shadows as they crawled up the mountains and watched as the sun decended beyond the horizon over the Glacial Mountains, lighting the sky with mild yellows and pinks. I was slightly worried when the gas guage showed less than a quarter tank on the way up the moutnains. Luckily it was more a product of the slope of the road than an actual decrease in gas. My pitiful words could never capture the immense beauty of the those rocky cliffs and spires, Have a look at our photobucket page, or on facebook, but i warn you, its nothing like being among them and feeling how small you are in comparison.
We lie in our mini-van home for the first night of our great American adventure. The rumble of thunder roles over the mountains around us as the sky blazes with the blue grey illumination of the lightning. We are in the parking lot of the Many Glaciers Hotel. The rain drums the roof with recklas abandon. Our day has been a slightly hectic one. Of course we forgot something at home when we left yesturday to begin our journey by traveling to Uncle Johns (where we were treated to frog leg appetizers and a half a chicken BBQ dinner); the battery charger and extra battery for our camera. Rather necessary for a journey through such incredible landscapes as we have planned.
We waited ths morning as my amazing grandmother brought it to us and then joined us for breakfast. We finally set out at 10:30. Some beautiful view points along Lake Pond Orielle, then driving through the valley of the river by that same name looking up at rocky mountains and piney bluffs. Arriving at Glacier around 6pm we took the Going to the Sun Road, upon entering the park we saw a black bear along the side of the road and then raced the shadows as they crawled up the mountains and watched as the sun decended beyond the horizon over the Glacial Mountains, lighting the sky with mild yellows and pinks. I was slightly worried when the gas guage showed less than a quarter tank on the way up the moutnains. Luckily it was more a product of the slope of the road than an actual decrease in gas. My pitiful words could never capture the immense beauty of the those rocky cliffs and spires, Have a look at our photobucket page, or on facebook, but i warn you, its nothing like being among them and feeling how small you are in comparison.
Friday, May 29, 2009
All Shook Up
So, we´ve been here for 3.5 months and i´ve finally finished my divemaster. To be fair to myself i have only been working on it for two of those months. I could have finished it faster i´m sure, but that doesn´t seem to be my style. Two year college took me four, it took me 7 years to get my bachelors so half pace seems to suite me quite well. I did partake in the snorkle test, which if you don´t know what it is, ask me when you see me. lets just say i don´t remember much about that night but i apparently flashed an entire room full frontal and slapped my best friend on the island in the face. It was a good night. The last thing i really did for my divemaster was to lead a dive. i had done this before but never been graded on it. I went to my instructor and asked if i could lead his dive to the halliburton (the wreck here on utilla), it would have been so easy, descend to 120 ft. swim arround the wreck, follow the chain back to the surface and there´s the boat. Thats all you have to do to pass your lead, check everyones air once, don´t loose anyone, and find the boat at the end. Unfortunately my instructor wanted to lead that dive and insisted that i lead his night dive that night... not so easy. I had only ever been on one night dive before that, but i did know the site quite well.
We got on the boat at 5:30 and were at the sight by 5:35. we had to wait while the sun went down. i sat on the roof of the boat and watched the Advanced Openwater diver students that i would be leading get ready. Its funny to realize that you are suddenly that guy that just a month or two earlier you were looking to for advice. As i reveled in that feeling the sun hit the horizon behind me and cast a bright pink light onto the clouds infront of me which reflected a brilliant purple on the surface of the dark blue water. All i could do was take it in. I managed to find the boat at the end of the dive and even found a small sting ray to show the class i was leading. i got a perfect score and my mentor told me that it was generally not a practice to make a DMT do their lead on a night dive because no one usually passes. I felt pretty proud.
Ahnna and i are flying home on the 6th. we will be at the airport at 5:30pm. i woke up the other morning and suddenly and intensly wanted to be home. we are now just hanging out and hiding from the sun which has become oppresively hot this past week. to make life more fun, our landlady decided to jack our rent for the last few weeks we will be here, so we decided to move out of that place. we decided to move in with Harrison, the aformentioned best friend on the island. we packed up over a few days and then settled in for out last night in our first appartment we have ever had as a couple. little did we know...
i love that phrase, ¨little did we know¨, its so ominous! anyway. we had been out drinking that night, not alot. i had maybe 3 drinks. I mention this because thats exactly what i thought, i had like maybe three drinks tonight, what the fuck!, as i stumbled excessively crossing the floor to join Ahnna huddleing in terror in the door frame. As i huddled there with her and my sleep addled head started to clear i realized that i was quite sober and that the floor had been moving about two feet between when my foot left it and when i attempted to put it down. The earthquake measured 7.4 on the rictor scale (spelling?) and lasted almost a full 5 minutes on Utilla. It was an incredible and humbling experience. Afterwards Ahnna was shaking like a 5 year old after a quad shot latte . I was more tired than shaken having gone to sleep 1 and a half hours before. I tried to sooth her and eventually got her back to bed where she sat and started to pass back out. about 15 minutes later with a ominous creek and a huge BOOM, the entire buiding settled about 2-4 inches and Ahnna was out the door again before i could even get up. it was a long and tireing night after that. We evacuated to a school on the hill in case of tsunami and then lugged all our stuff down to Harrison´s. we have had 17 official aftershocks, but they have been pretty insignificant.
so there you have it. another trip, a few adventures. i wonder what will happen next year. maybe i´ll keep up the blog as Ahnna and i road trip across the USA this summer. we´ll see. Thanks for reading.
We got on the boat at 5:30 and were at the sight by 5:35. we had to wait while the sun went down. i sat on the roof of the boat and watched the Advanced Openwater diver students that i would be leading get ready. Its funny to realize that you are suddenly that guy that just a month or two earlier you were looking to for advice. As i reveled in that feeling the sun hit the horizon behind me and cast a bright pink light onto the clouds infront of me which reflected a brilliant purple on the surface of the dark blue water. All i could do was take it in. I managed to find the boat at the end of the dive and even found a small sting ray to show the class i was leading. i got a perfect score and my mentor told me that it was generally not a practice to make a DMT do their lead on a night dive because no one usually passes. I felt pretty proud.
Ahnna and i are flying home on the 6th. we will be at the airport at 5:30pm. i woke up the other morning and suddenly and intensly wanted to be home. we are now just hanging out and hiding from the sun which has become oppresively hot this past week. to make life more fun, our landlady decided to jack our rent for the last few weeks we will be here, so we decided to move out of that place. we decided to move in with Harrison, the aformentioned best friend on the island. we packed up over a few days and then settled in for out last night in our first appartment we have ever had as a couple. little did we know...
i love that phrase, ¨little did we know¨, its so ominous! anyway. we had been out drinking that night, not alot. i had maybe 3 drinks. I mention this because thats exactly what i thought, i had like maybe three drinks tonight, what the fuck!, as i stumbled excessively crossing the floor to join Ahnna huddleing in terror in the door frame. As i huddled there with her and my sleep addled head started to clear i realized that i was quite sober and that the floor had been moving about two feet between when my foot left it and when i attempted to put it down. The earthquake measured 7.4 on the rictor scale (spelling?) and lasted almost a full 5 minutes on Utilla. It was an incredible and humbling experience. Afterwards Ahnna was shaking like a 5 year old after a quad shot latte . I was more tired than shaken having gone to sleep 1 and a half hours before. I tried to sooth her and eventually got her back to bed where she sat and started to pass back out. about 15 minutes later with a ominous creek and a huge BOOM, the entire buiding settled about 2-4 inches and Ahnna was out the door again before i could even get up. it was a long and tireing night after that. We evacuated to a school on the hill in case of tsunami and then lugged all our stuff down to Harrison´s. we have had 17 official aftershocks, but they have been pretty insignificant.
so there you have it. another trip, a few adventures. i wonder what will happen next year. maybe i´ll keep up the blog as Ahnna and i road trip across the USA this summer. we´ll see. Thanks for reading.
Monday, May 11, 2009
More photos posted!!!!
Ok so I just spent another two and a half hours posting pictures so I don't really feel like typing a big long blog (this is Ahnna). The pictures I posted are mostly of our two days and one night at Sandy Caye, our own personal island. Also there are pictures of when we rented a couple golf carts and went exploring around the island. We found tons of picture opportunities! We found a creepy mini golf course that was completely empty of all people and not completely finished yet. We raced our golf carts on the airstrip (no planes fly on sundays). Chris and John climbed out to the sea over a bunch of sharp rocks. Over all tons of fun! We also made some new friends. I started and finished my open water course and am now a certified open water diver...though I'm not sure if I like it yet, still makes me a bit nervous. Hope you all enjoy the new photos, love you lots and miss you!!! :o)
Thursday, April 30, 2009
no time no interenet
Hey everyone, sorry i've been so bad about posting on here. life is good. still making slow progress on my divemaster, i should have had it done by now, but i'm going to be here for a while and so i don't see any reason to rush through it. i'm going to try and take a few more tests this weekend.
Life is still awsome down here. the night before last ahnna, myself and a bunch of friends from the diveshop rented one of the Cayes for a night and had a party on our own island. it was amazing!!! Sandy beaches all the way around the island which was maybe the size of a football feild. we strung up hammocks between the palm trees and lounged around all afternoon sipping on rum and coke. There was a decent sized house with a great livingroom and kitchen and we prepared and BBQed pork, calamari, chicken and burgers. Sam and the people from the Utila Center for Marine Ecology showed up and went on a dive. i grabbed my snorkle gear and went with them. lots of parrot fish and a few barracuda. it was fun, when they started to leave the shallows i followed for a bit, then dove down to where they were and tapped sam on the foot, got his attention and asked how deep we were, he showed me his computer and it read 33 feet, not to bad for a free dive and i had a few seconds to hang out down there before i raced back to the surface.
That night we settled in for some good old fassioned drinking and debauchery. i think between the 14 of us we pollished of 8 bottles of rum. we started a camp fire and sat around it and chatted and had a few laughs that lasted until out sides and faces hurt.
well, i've got things that need doing, but i'll try to make a point of getting on here more often.
i love you all and look forward to seeing you when i get back.
Life is still awsome down here. the night before last ahnna, myself and a bunch of friends from the diveshop rented one of the Cayes for a night and had a party on our own island. it was amazing!!! Sandy beaches all the way around the island which was maybe the size of a football feild. we strung up hammocks between the palm trees and lounged around all afternoon sipping on rum and coke. There was a decent sized house with a great livingroom and kitchen and we prepared and BBQed pork, calamari, chicken and burgers. Sam and the people from the Utila Center for Marine Ecology showed up and went on a dive. i grabbed my snorkle gear and went with them. lots of parrot fish and a few barracuda. it was fun, when they started to leave the shallows i followed for a bit, then dove down to where they were and tapped sam on the foot, got his attention and asked how deep we were, he showed me his computer and it read 33 feet, not to bad for a free dive and i had a few seconds to hang out down there before i raced back to the surface.
That night we settled in for some good old fassioned drinking and debauchery. i think between the 14 of us we pollished of 8 bottles of rum. we started a camp fire and sat around it and chatted and had a few laughs that lasted until out sides and faces hurt.
well, i've got things that need doing, but i'll try to make a point of getting on here more often.
i love you all and look forward to seeing you when i get back.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
an update
Hey everyone! Sorry its been so long again, i havn't felt very motivated to write. Life has been pretty good. A little less than Amazing for the past week or so due to a nasty respiratory infection that is circulating the island. I havn't been diving in a week as of this morning so i'm a little upset about that. Also ahnna and i had to move out of our nice appartment for the week of Semana Santa so we are living with the owner of Cafe Mariposa at the moment. Its a nice big house and there is interenet, but its always a pain in the ass to move. we were going to go to belize for this week. We decided to stay because it was going to be a pain in the ass to leave and because semana santa is a huge party on this island, not that we have been able to go out for any of it seeing as how we have both been sick. tonight is supposed to be a big night though, bbq's and beach parties so i think we are going to go out and see what its all about. we heard people going home this morning at 7am loud and drunk so it should be a good time. My divemaster training is still coming along slowly. i have one more assist to do and now i'm going to start taking the tests. I'm hoping to be done in the next 3 weeks.
Oh yea, incase anyone doesn't know, Ahnna and i canceled our tickets for the 14th of april. we are now planning to come home sometime in june. We'll see though, i'm trying to do this with as little debt as possible. our tickets are open at the moment. we have a year to decide when we want to come home so i suppose it depends on wether or not i can get a divemaster job when i am done with my training. I recently got a job bartending at a bar that just opened up i don't get paid squat really but i get free beer and food and it's bartending experience so i'm willing to work a bit. It started as a favor to my friend Harrison, now we just hang out there and goof off. The bar is dead most of the time, which sucks for our tips, but great for us to just hang out and drink and eat for free.
Oh and before i finish up this little update, We did see a Whale Shark. Yes, it was Awsome! maybe 18-20 feet long (half as big as they can get). The second time i got in the water with it i got to swim right above its tail for quite some time and when it dove i dove with it and the camera man that was with us got a great shot of me and the whale shark which ended up in the DVD for that open water class which i bought. Also the next week all the divemasters went out on a boat with dan the video man and goofed off and staged an underwater battle and did all the stuff that rolemodles arn't allowed to do when there are students around. i also bought that dvd, and i will share those with you as soon as i can figure out how to do so.
Its been a good time down here, sorry i havn't been writing more often, i'll try to force myself to write more frequently so i can keep you guys up to date. Take care of eachother!
Oh yea, incase anyone doesn't know, Ahnna and i canceled our tickets for the 14th of april. we are now planning to come home sometime in june. We'll see though, i'm trying to do this with as little debt as possible. our tickets are open at the moment. we have a year to decide when we want to come home so i suppose it depends on wether or not i can get a divemaster job when i am done with my training. I recently got a job bartending at a bar that just opened up i don't get paid squat really but i get free beer and food and it's bartending experience so i'm willing to work a bit. It started as a favor to my friend Harrison, now we just hang out there and goof off. The bar is dead most of the time, which sucks for our tips, but great for us to just hang out and drink and eat for free.
Oh and before i finish up this little update, We did see a Whale Shark. Yes, it was Awsome! maybe 18-20 feet long (half as big as they can get). The second time i got in the water with it i got to swim right above its tail for quite some time and when it dove i dove with it and the camera man that was with us got a great shot of me and the whale shark which ended up in the DVD for that open water class which i bought. Also the next week all the divemasters went out on a boat with dan the video man and goofed off and staged an underwater battle and did all the stuff that rolemodles arn't allowed to do when there are students around. i also bought that dvd, and i will share those with you as soon as i can figure out how to do so.
Its been a good time down here, sorry i havn't been writing more often, i'll try to force myself to write more frequently so i can keep you guys up to date. Take care of eachother!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Another note from Ahnna...
Arrggg. Computers. :op. I have been attempting for the past hour and a half to upload about 30ish photos...and it is taking forever. I guess that just means that I need to do this more regularly with less photos right?...right. Anyways soon hopefully they will all be uploaded for your viewing pleasure.
So, I promised a note telling all about my expiriences down here on the island of Utila, Honduras, Central America:
It's hot! And I love it. People continuously ask me 'you're not diving???...then what are you doing HERE?!!!' To which I reply 'well I could be sitting at home...working...in the cold...honestly what would you choose???' Crazy. So no I'm not diving, what could I possibly be spending my time doing on a diver's island?...good question. A whole lot of nothing! And it's wonderful. I do have some things to keep me busy. The cafe upstairs is always wanting a hand and the people I hang out with up there are lots of fun. I have painted a mural for the cafe and will be posting a picture of the almost complete painting (if this stupid internet ever decides to walk or run instead of crawl, grumble, grumble). I've already had about five other buisnesses/people come up to me and ask if I would paint them a sign as well. One lady offered me Kite-boarding lessons in return which I think I just might take her up on, sounds like fun.
I've been able to get on dive boats and go snorkling, though I've found that there are really only a few good places around here to do so. Most of the places that the boats go to are too deep to actually see anything interesting, and I haven't perfected my free diving yet. Also there are tons of jellyfish that like to hang out on top of the water this time of year, so I think I might be investing in some rash guards or some kind of long sleeve shirt to keep of their stings. They are just little guys and it really doesn't feel any worse than stepping through a patch of stinging nettles and doesn't even last as long, but still makes the expirience a bit unpleasant. I haven't really seen anything except tons of fish, which is cool, but I would love to see a turtle or ray or something, though it seems the wildlife here is fairly sparce. The one amazing thing that Chris and I both got to see were WHALE SHARKS!!! I wont write too much about it, because I'm sure he will want to tell you all about it, but since I was there too I'll just have to say that it was pretty amazing! I went out on one of the morning boats with the divers and we went in search for them because our captain had a friend who had spotted a couple Tuna Boils. This is where the tuna herd all of the little fishes and cril into an area and feed on them. The Whale Sharks also show up for this to snack on the little fishes...yum. So we found the Tuna Boils and then we saw the whale sharks. Our boat went right next to one of them and I could see all of it's 15ish feet down below in the water. Only 8 people are allowed in the water per whale shark and you are only allowed to snorkel, not dive, so when it was my turn to snorkel I slipped into the water and one of the whale sharks was swimming right underneath me. It was about 20 or more feet down or so but the water was clear and I could see all of it. I was able to swim above it for about 30ft before it went down into the blue and I couldn't see it anymore. Chris got to swim even closer to one on his turn in the water. It was pretty amazing!
We've met a really wonderful lady that lives here on the water who has offered to teach me to dive through one of the other dive centers that she is affiliated with. She told me that it would be a one on one class and I could take as long as I wanted to get comfortable with every step. That's been one of the main deters that has made me not want to dive. I've heard the stories of how most places just want to get people in and out and collect their money. I'm definately not comfortable with the water and do not need to be rushed into breathing under it....it's just not natural...;op. so there is a good possibility that I will be taking her up on her offer before my time is done on this island.
I have also been painting my own art...though definately not as actively as I should be. It's easy to get into the island life: well today I bought water, read a little bit, drew a flower, and ate some dinner....all in a good days work! haha. It's easy to be lazy here...I'll have to work on that.
We've met some really cool people here, however one of the sad things about staying in one place while everyone is traveling is that the cool people you meet always travel on to newer places and people. There are a few people that are Utila 'lifers' and a few people that are sticking around for at least as long as we'll be here, so there are some stabilities which is good.
I enjoy the nightlife here, however I've never been a huge partier. I can do it for one night and then the next night I have to stay in. Most people here just keep going, and going, and going...it's exhausting! As much as I love to have fun and dance, I like my sleep as well! Everything in moderation right?
Anyways...that's pretty much it. I love the location of the apartment (right on the water) though not crazy about all the kids that like to poke their heads in and observe our everyday living or run around screaming their heads off. Also it's kinda annoying having to keep quiet as a mouse or leave the house every time Chris gives a massage. It would be nice if there was something other than a flimsy sheet dividing his work space and our living space...ah well. Anyways, Chris is diving at the moment and I have the apartment to myself so I think I am going to head home and attempt to start on a new painting project of my own design. Starting is always the worst part, after that it's no problem and quite enjoyable. Oy only 5 more photos to upload...maybe I will be here for another half hour! haha. I love you all and miss you! Wish you were here!
So, I promised a note telling all about my expiriences down here on the island of Utila, Honduras, Central America:
It's hot! And I love it. People continuously ask me 'you're not diving???...then what are you doing HERE?!!!' To which I reply 'well I could be sitting at home...working...in the cold...honestly what would you choose???' Crazy. So no I'm not diving, what could I possibly be spending my time doing on a diver's island?...good question. A whole lot of nothing! And it's wonderful. I do have some things to keep me busy. The cafe upstairs is always wanting a hand and the people I hang out with up there are lots of fun. I have painted a mural for the cafe and will be posting a picture of the almost complete painting (if this stupid internet ever decides to walk or run instead of crawl, grumble, grumble). I've already had about five other buisnesses/people come up to me and ask if I would paint them a sign as well. One lady offered me Kite-boarding lessons in return which I think I just might take her up on, sounds like fun.
I've been able to get on dive boats and go snorkling, though I've found that there are really only a few good places around here to do so. Most of the places that the boats go to are too deep to actually see anything interesting, and I haven't perfected my free diving yet. Also there are tons of jellyfish that like to hang out on top of the water this time of year, so I think I might be investing in some rash guards or some kind of long sleeve shirt to keep of their stings. They are just little guys and it really doesn't feel any worse than stepping through a patch of stinging nettles and doesn't even last as long, but still makes the expirience a bit unpleasant. I haven't really seen anything except tons of fish, which is cool, but I would love to see a turtle or ray or something, though it seems the wildlife here is fairly sparce. The one amazing thing that Chris and I both got to see were WHALE SHARKS!!! I wont write too much about it, because I'm sure he will want to tell you all about it, but since I was there too I'll just have to say that it was pretty amazing! I went out on one of the morning boats with the divers and we went in search for them because our captain had a friend who had spotted a couple Tuna Boils. This is where the tuna herd all of the little fishes and cril into an area and feed on them. The Whale Sharks also show up for this to snack on the little fishes...yum. So we found the Tuna Boils and then we saw the whale sharks. Our boat went right next to one of them and I could see all of it's 15ish feet down below in the water. Only 8 people are allowed in the water per whale shark and you are only allowed to snorkel, not dive, so when it was my turn to snorkel I slipped into the water and one of the whale sharks was swimming right underneath me. It was about 20 or more feet down or so but the water was clear and I could see all of it. I was able to swim above it for about 30ft before it went down into the blue and I couldn't see it anymore. Chris got to swim even closer to one on his turn in the water. It was pretty amazing!
We've met a really wonderful lady that lives here on the water who has offered to teach me to dive through one of the other dive centers that she is affiliated with. She told me that it would be a one on one class and I could take as long as I wanted to get comfortable with every step. That's been one of the main deters that has made me not want to dive. I've heard the stories of how most places just want to get people in and out and collect their money. I'm definately not comfortable with the water and do not need to be rushed into breathing under it....it's just not natural...;op. so there is a good possibility that I will be taking her up on her offer before my time is done on this island.
I have also been painting my own art...though definately not as actively as I should be. It's easy to get into the island life: well today I bought water, read a little bit, drew a flower, and ate some dinner....all in a good days work! haha. It's easy to be lazy here...I'll have to work on that.
We've met some really cool people here, however one of the sad things about staying in one place while everyone is traveling is that the cool people you meet always travel on to newer places and people. There are a few people that are Utila 'lifers' and a few people that are sticking around for at least as long as we'll be here, so there are some stabilities which is good.
I enjoy the nightlife here, however I've never been a huge partier. I can do it for one night and then the next night I have to stay in. Most people here just keep going, and going, and going...it's exhausting! As much as I love to have fun and dance, I like my sleep as well! Everything in moderation right?
Anyways...that's pretty much it. I love the location of the apartment (right on the water) though not crazy about all the kids that like to poke their heads in and observe our everyday living or run around screaming their heads off. Also it's kinda annoying having to keep quiet as a mouse or leave the house every time Chris gives a massage. It would be nice if there was something other than a flimsy sheet dividing his work space and our living space...ah well. Anyways, Chris is diving at the moment and I have the apartment to myself so I think I am going to head home and attempt to start on a new painting project of my own design. Starting is always the worst part, after that it's no problem and quite enjoyable. Oy only 5 more photos to upload...maybe I will be here for another half hour! haha. I love you all and miss you! Wish you were here!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Living the Dream
Sorry its been so long since i posted, life is crazy here! house parties, pig fries, near weekly barbeques, not to mention the diving. The real challenge is making yourself go home and rehydrate when you have a dive the next day. alot of people have been working on their divemasters for several months because they just end up partying all the time and not getting anything done.
This is not the case for yours truely. I'm making slow but steady progress towards my Divemaster. I have assisted on one open water class and i will start on my second today. Assisting on the classes is the most time consuming part of the training. Each course lasts 4 days or so and you have to assist on 2 open waters an advanced and a rescue course. once i get that done finishing up will just be a mater of studying and taking a few tests and exhibiting a few skills. i'm really enjoying my diving. i've seen spotted manta rays, moray eels, sea turtles, tons of awsome fish, and cool coral. i had a meter long baracuda swim a foot from my face the other day, he looked me strait in the eyes and opened his mouth, their teeth are wicked! i've done cave swimthroughs at 41.3 meters, thats like 133 feet. The other day i swam up to one of the northside dropoffs i swam right off the edge of the cliff, expelled all of my air and extended my hands over my head and dove down 60 feet into the blue as fast as i could go. it was awsome!!!
Speaking of awsome, not only are there alot of private parties through UDC, but the bar scene here is incredible. everyone starts at Tranquila where they play a no limit texas hold'em cash game on tuesdays, thursdays, and sundays. its a cool bar on a dock on the water there are usually people dancing under the stars when it gets late enough. from there everyone usually goes to TreeTanic which just got notice that it will be in the lonely planet's list of the top 100 bars in the world. I was there the night they were taking pictures for their spot in the book, so hopefully you be seeing my mug front and center in a lonely planet sometime soon. i wish i could describe treetanic better than to just say its a bar in a tree because its sooo much more than that. its this incredibly huge work of art. you have to see it to beleive it. On Wednesdays and Fridays its bar in the bush night. this place isn't that special of a location, but they have cheep drinks, dancing music and they open up when all the other bars close at about 12-2. everyone is wasted and its basically a shit show till 4 or 5 am. i've been there twice and it was fun to dance with ahnna, but not really my scene. they serve nitros baloons on wednesdays. thats right boys and girls, whipits. a dollar per balloon. kind of a low value way to do brain damage if you ask me, but the kids seem to enjoy it.
So anyway, what else is there to tell??? i'm planning to stay until june. thats something. things have worked out down here rather nicely so we don't see any reason to rush home. I'm still loving my apartment and missing my friends. I hope all is well with everyone stateside and elsewhere around the world. please drop me a line by whatever means available to you, i miss all my friends and family so keep me updated.
This is not the case for yours truely. I'm making slow but steady progress towards my Divemaster. I have assisted on one open water class and i will start on my second today. Assisting on the classes is the most time consuming part of the training. Each course lasts 4 days or so and you have to assist on 2 open waters an advanced and a rescue course. once i get that done finishing up will just be a mater of studying and taking a few tests and exhibiting a few skills. i'm really enjoying my diving. i've seen spotted manta rays, moray eels, sea turtles, tons of awsome fish, and cool coral. i had a meter long baracuda swim a foot from my face the other day, he looked me strait in the eyes and opened his mouth, their teeth are wicked! i've done cave swimthroughs at 41.3 meters, thats like 133 feet. The other day i swam up to one of the northside dropoffs i swam right off the edge of the cliff, expelled all of my air and extended my hands over my head and dove down 60 feet into the blue as fast as i could go. it was awsome!!!
Speaking of awsome, not only are there alot of private parties through UDC, but the bar scene here is incredible. everyone starts at Tranquila where they play a no limit texas hold'em cash game on tuesdays, thursdays, and sundays. its a cool bar on a dock on the water there are usually people dancing under the stars when it gets late enough. from there everyone usually goes to TreeTanic which just got notice that it will be in the lonely planet's list of the top 100 bars in the world. I was there the night they were taking pictures for their spot in the book, so hopefully you be seeing my mug front and center in a lonely planet sometime soon. i wish i could describe treetanic better than to just say its a bar in a tree because its sooo much more than that. its this incredibly huge work of art. you have to see it to beleive it. On Wednesdays and Fridays its bar in the bush night. this place isn't that special of a location, but they have cheep drinks, dancing music and they open up when all the other bars close at about 12-2. everyone is wasted and its basically a shit show till 4 or 5 am. i've been there twice and it was fun to dance with ahnna, but not really my scene. they serve nitros baloons on wednesdays. thats right boys and girls, whipits. a dollar per balloon. kind of a low value way to do brain damage if you ask me, but the kids seem to enjoy it.
So anyway, what else is there to tell??? i'm planning to stay until june. thats something. things have worked out down here rather nicely so we don't see any reason to rush home. I'm still loving my apartment and missing my friends. I hope all is well with everyone stateside and elsewhere around the world. please drop me a line by whatever means available to you, i miss all my friends and family so keep me updated.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Quick note from Ahnna
Ok, so my plan was to actually write a little blog here so that everyone could get some of my perspective. However I just spent time setting up a photobucket so that everyone could finally see some photos of our trip and now I'm starving and need to go find some food. So...here is the link to my photobucket: www.photobucket.com/ahnna_chris2009. I will be back later today or tomorrow to post an actual 'this is what I've been doing' blog. Love you all!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Dive Master Training
So i finished my rescue diver and advanced diver training and have started my Dive Master Training which will last as long as a month or more. Ahnna is enjoying her job at the Cafe Mariposa. we met an awsome couple from northern california and have been hanging out with them when we have time. they leave tomorrow though so we'll have to find some new friends. I'm enjoying all the people at the utila dive center, frank is my "mentor" and he's from guatemala but looks like a poster boy for abercrombie and fitch, i don't know what i think of him yet. Rob was my instructor for the advanced and rescue cources, he is a big happy british guy with a voice like a fog horn and a laugh like a braying ass. He's awsome. my fellow DMTs are Natalie from New Zealand, Marie from Quebec Canada, LaBosh from the Czeck Republic and Teresa from Wisconsin. they are all pretty cool. I'll be sad to see Fichael (pronounced Michael with an F) go. He is a Comercial pilot from germany who was in the rescue diver course with me. He'll be hangin around for a bit, but he won't be diving with us. Anyway, i have shopping to do, hope you all are doing as well as i am! drop me a line, im having a great time here, but being away from everyone makes me miss you all.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Settling in
So we have been in our new place for a few days now. I still love it, but there are some definite down sides.
Pro's:
-On the water!
-Lots of space
-Central Location (great for buisness and close to everything
-Beautiful building and area
-No Roomates
-Right underneath Cafe Mariposa (where ahnna works and i will be trading massage for great food.)
Con's:
Central Location (can hear the music from the bars when they crank it at 2am)
Cockroaches and Ants (a problem everywhere you go down here)
Right under Cafe Mariposa (where they play music from 10am to 10pm)
the music coming from mariposa is always pretty chill and we barely hear the baseline, so thats not really that much of a problem. All in all the Pro's by far outweigh the con's but the honeymoon is over.
I am working on my Rescue diver course at the moment. I finish it and my Advanced open water course on monday and start my DiveMaster Training that same day. I also open for buisness that day, so its going to be a crazy week, but after that first week i get to pick when i want to dive and when i want to work, so things will chill out then. Hope you are all well, feel free to comment on the posts, i love hearing from you all.
Pro's:
-On the water!
-Lots of space
-Central Location (great for buisness and close to everything
-Beautiful building and area
-No Roomates
-Right underneath Cafe Mariposa (where ahnna works and i will be trading massage for great food.)
Con's:
Central Location (can hear the music from the bars when they crank it at 2am)
Cockroaches and Ants (a problem everywhere you go down here)
Right under Cafe Mariposa (where they play music from 10am to 10pm)
the music coming from mariposa is always pretty chill and we barely hear the baseline, so thats not really that much of a problem. All in all the Pro's by far outweigh the con's but the honeymoon is over.
I am working on my Rescue diver course at the moment. I finish it and my Advanced open water course on monday and start my DiveMaster Training that same day. I also open for buisness that day, so its going to be a crazy week, but after that first week i get to pick when i want to dive and when i want to work, so things will chill out then. Hope you are all well, feel free to comment on the posts, i love hearing from you all.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Got Da Hookup!!!
I don´t remember what exactly i wrote last but i think we left off with Ahnna and i in a crummy hole in the wall hotel room with a very nice Italian girl named Martina, and i was about to go look at a room in a house. I did see the house and it was very nice. Hard wood floors, fully furnished. We would have been living with one of the instructors at the scuba school i´m diving with. His name is Marvin, but everyone calls him Bob Marvin, picture dreaded red hair and deeply tanned skin with a spatering of freckles. He keeps his house very clean, and we would have had a large room with a full sized bed and a bunk bed and penty of space. I told him we were going to take it because it was only 200 dollars for the both of us and the only other place we had looked at was a VERY nice studio for 600. But the universe apparently wanted us to have the very nice studio to ourselves so it worked things out for me. Here´s how that story goes.
Ahnna and i were walking back to our hotel after i had chosen my dive shop and ahnna says to me ¨I may just have to take up midday drinking¨ apparenty she had seen a little sign for ¨the best margarita on Utila¨ so with my encouragement we retuned to the sign and followed the little pathway off the main street under small intermitent aches that opened into a nice tropical setting and a large yellow building overlooking the bay. We went up the stairs to the Cafe Mariposa and sat down. The seating is all on a covered deck with a spectacular view looking northwest over the bay. I said to Ahnna, ¨wouldn´t it be cool to work here¨. She replied in the affimative, so when the waitress came over with menus i asked if they were hiring. she said she would ask, and just then the owner/manager of the restaurant walked up. His name is jeff and he´s from seattle. He sat down right then and there and asked ahnna a bunch of interview type questions. I did my best to be a fly on the wall and keep my mouth shut. Then he had the lead waitress come over and continue interview while ahnna thuroughly enjoyed her margarita. the end result being ahnna will work 2 shifts with no pay (though she keeps any tips wich is where the real money is anyway) and if ¨she is half of what she says she is¨ she will get a few (2 or 3) shifts per week. Later, as we were trying to finish one of the best plates of nachos i´ve ever eaten, Edie, the kitchen manager, came and sat down and had a little talk with ahnna and I. When we had been talking with Jeff earlier we had mentioned that we were looking for an appartment, and that was when he told us about the studio just under the restaurant that was available for 600 dollars. Edie told us that he had just talked to the owner of the buiding and she said we could have it for 450. still too much but we went and had a look in the windows. the place is big! (keep in mind i just moved out of the trailor) all open space with a kitchen and a bathroom in the corner, a leather sofa and a rack for hanging clothing. there are wooden pillars at intervals throughout the space which i think is 30X40. the front door opens onto the deck overlooking the water. I will post pictures later tonight maybe. anyway, we are trying to be frugal so we turned eddie down. Later i was walking and thinking about where i could do massage in the house and i realized i proabably wouldn´t do any massage there and bringing my table down would have been a waste, so we returned to the Cafe Mariposa to find Shannon, the owner of the building cleaning the place. i proposed a deal, she knocks off 100 dollar of the rent and i give her 10% of any money i can make doing massage out of that space. Its set up perfectly to hang some sheets between the wooden posts to separate an office space from the bedroom space and kitchen space. she agreed and we started hammering out the details. everything seems to have worked out for everyone. I am paying 350 per month for ahnna and I to have a beautiful waterfront appartment as well as a work space. Shannon has a new source of income. I will be charging 30 per hour, 15 per halfhour US. Shannon will be my receptionist so she can keep track of everyone i work on and knows that i am paying her the 10% and she has inscentive to help me advertise around the island. I already have my first appointement when i open for buisness next week. I´m going to talk to Jeff about working on him and his staff at a discounted rate in exchange for a free lunch every day. I´m very excited for the possabilities.
So i know this is getting really long, but i can´t leave without telling you about my dives! I signed up for the Advanced open water class and have done 4 dives already. The first dive we did was our ¨deep adventure dive¨down to 100 feet to experience the effects of nitogen narcosis. we went to a cliff face that descends 7000 feet into the abyss. It was AMAZING. as we descented through a soft coral forested trench we emerged into the cliff face and i was face to face with The Big Blue open ocean. we did some mental and motor skills testing and then enjoyed touring along the cliff, then back to the shelf at the top and up to the boat. Our next dive was less fun but quite informative, we did underwater navigation using compases and counting our fin kicks to move in a square and a strait line. then we swam away and had to use landmarks to find the boat. Then that same night we went out for our Night dive. I was a little nervous about being in the water at night, it was cold(for the carribean) on the boat, but once we got in the water i forgot all about fear and cold. we dropped down with our flashlights on and did a few tests then we went and found a small wrecked fishing boat. there were lots of enemenies out, but the real treat was the octopus. maybe 3 feet long if you had spread out its tenticles all the way, it ignored us as it moved from coral formation to coral formation sucking its food from their homes. One of my fellow divers, a dready kid named Luke Olson from California had his digital camera with him and got a great video of the whole thing. later we turned out all the flashlights and thrashed the water around to see the phospherescence. it was cool, but not as bright as i was expecting, apparently if you want the water to glow like i was expecting you should go to the sea between the baja peninsula and the mainland. but it was still cool to see some, and to be in the total dark of the night-time ocean. I went on one more dive the next morning, the naturalist dive, where i got a chance to identify some of the awsome fish i had been seeing the whole time. i also got to see a several hundred pound snapper of some kind. BIG FISH! all in all its been an amazing experience. Unfortunately, i´m having some trouble with my sinuses and getting nose bleeds when i surface, so i´m taking a few days off, i go out again tomorrow at 1:30 we will see if it clears up. Thats it for now. I´ll come post some pics later so you can see where i am... maybe i can get that video of the octopus to show you all too.
Ahnna and i were walking back to our hotel after i had chosen my dive shop and ahnna says to me ¨I may just have to take up midday drinking¨ apparenty she had seen a little sign for ¨the best margarita on Utila¨ so with my encouragement we retuned to the sign and followed the little pathway off the main street under small intermitent aches that opened into a nice tropical setting and a large yellow building overlooking the bay. We went up the stairs to the Cafe Mariposa and sat down. The seating is all on a covered deck with a spectacular view looking northwest over the bay. I said to Ahnna, ¨wouldn´t it be cool to work here¨. She replied in the affimative, so when the waitress came over with menus i asked if they were hiring. she said she would ask, and just then the owner/manager of the restaurant walked up. His name is jeff and he´s from seattle. He sat down right then and there and asked ahnna a bunch of interview type questions. I did my best to be a fly on the wall and keep my mouth shut. Then he had the lead waitress come over and continue interview while ahnna thuroughly enjoyed her margarita. the end result being ahnna will work 2 shifts with no pay (though she keeps any tips wich is where the real money is anyway) and if ¨she is half of what she says she is¨ she will get a few (2 or 3) shifts per week. Later, as we were trying to finish one of the best plates of nachos i´ve ever eaten, Edie, the kitchen manager, came and sat down and had a little talk with ahnna and I. When we had been talking with Jeff earlier we had mentioned that we were looking for an appartment, and that was when he told us about the studio just under the restaurant that was available for 600 dollars. Edie told us that he had just talked to the owner of the buiding and she said we could have it for 450. still too much but we went and had a look in the windows. the place is big! (keep in mind i just moved out of the trailor) all open space with a kitchen and a bathroom in the corner, a leather sofa and a rack for hanging clothing. there are wooden pillars at intervals throughout the space which i think is 30X40. the front door opens onto the deck overlooking the water. I will post pictures later tonight maybe. anyway, we are trying to be frugal so we turned eddie down. Later i was walking and thinking about where i could do massage in the house and i realized i proabably wouldn´t do any massage there and bringing my table down would have been a waste, so we returned to the Cafe Mariposa to find Shannon, the owner of the building cleaning the place. i proposed a deal, she knocks off 100 dollar of the rent and i give her 10% of any money i can make doing massage out of that space. Its set up perfectly to hang some sheets between the wooden posts to separate an office space from the bedroom space and kitchen space. she agreed and we started hammering out the details. everything seems to have worked out for everyone. I am paying 350 per month for ahnna and I to have a beautiful waterfront appartment as well as a work space. Shannon has a new source of income. I will be charging 30 per hour, 15 per halfhour US. Shannon will be my receptionist so she can keep track of everyone i work on and knows that i am paying her the 10% and she has inscentive to help me advertise around the island. I already have my first appointement when i open for buisness next week. I´m going to talk to Jeff about working on him and his staff at a discounted rate in exchange for a free lunch every day. I´m very excited for the possabilities.
So i know this is getting really long, but i can´t leave without telling you about my dives! I signed up for the Advanced open water class and have done 4 dives already. The first dive we did was our ¨deep adventure dive¨down to 100 feet to experience the effects of nitogen narcosis. we went to a cliff face that descends 7000 feet into the abyss. It was AMAZING. as we descented through a soft coral forested trench we emerged into the cliff face and i was face to face with The Big Blue open ocean. we did some mental and motor skills testing and then enjoyed touring along the cliff, then back to the shelf at the top and up to the boat. Our next dive was less fun but quite informative, we did underwater navigation using compases and counting our fin kicks to move in a square and a strait line. then we swam away and had to use landmarks to find the boat. Then that same night we went out for our Night dive. I was a little nervous about being in the water at night, it was cold(for the carribean) on the boat, but once we got in the water i forgot all about fear and cold. we dropped down with our flashlights on and did a few tests then we went and found a small wrecked fishing boat. there were lots of enemenies out, but the real treat was the octopus. maybe 3 feet long if you had spread out its tenticles all the way, it ignored us as it moved from coral formation to coral formation sucking its food from their homes. One of my fellow divers, a dready kid named Luke Olson from California had his digital camera with him and got a great video of the whole thing. later we turned out all the flashlights and thrashed the water around to see the phospherescence. it was cool, but not as bright as i was expecting, apparently if you want the water to glow like i was expecting you should go to the sea between the baja peninsula and the mainland. but it was still cool to see some, and to be in the total dark of the night-time ocean. I went on one more dive the next morning, the naturalist dive, where i got a chance to identify some of the awsome fish i had been seeing the whole time. i also got to see a several hundred pound snapper of some kind. BIG FISH! all in all its been an amazing experience. Unfortunately, i´m having some trouble with my sinuses and getting nose bleeds when i surface, so i´m taking a few days off, i go out again tomorrow at 1:30 we will see if it clears up. Thats it for now. I´ll come post some pics later so you can see where i am... maybe i can get that video of the octopus to show you all too.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
We Made It!
So we made it to Utila. We woke up at 4:30am yesturday to catch a taxi at 5 to the bus station where our bus left at 6. the idea being that we would catch the 9:30 ferry to Utila from La Ceiba. Ofcourse the bus was late, so our efforts were seemingly wasted until we started talking to the people sitting next to us and discovered that they had both been dive instructors on Utila for years and were currently on vacation. We spent the day with them while we all were waiting for the next (4pm) fairy. They informed me that while the bay island college of diving definantly has the best website and even the best fascilities on the island, the Utila Dive Center, where they both worked, was the most fun, and best managed. Because it has good management many of the instructors there have been working there and diving on utila for several years, whereas the other dive shops are constantly rotating through instructors.
We got on the fairy and met a very nice Italian girl named Martina who we are sharing a room with tonight and last night while we look for an apartment and she looks for another room. its been great talking to her because she doesn´t speak much english, but she does speak spanish, so we have had a chance to brush up a little.
Today i walked the island and went to almost all of the dive shops and asked questions about their opperations and prices. The last one i checked was Utila Dive Center and i´m definantly going to be working with them. the staff is very knowledgable and everyone seemed to be having a great time there, there were also alot more people there which i liked because it gives me a larger group to hang out with. Also, as it turns out, one of the dive instructors has a house on the island and is looking for someone to take over one of the bedrooms for 200 dollars a month, so ahnna and i are going to take a look at that here in 10 mins.
Another shiny spot on the horrizon, Ahnna may have gotten a job at a very nice local restaurant. we were pulled in by a sign with promises of ¨best margarita on the island¨ and the view was great so we asked if they needed anyone and they interviewed her right there on the spot while sipping a margarita. everything here is laid back, i love it. I´m starting to get really excited about my time here, and íts looking like i`ll probably be able to find a bit of massage work as well.
so there is your update, i´d better sign off so ahnna has time to e-mail before we have to go look at the house. I´ll do more posting later. Love you all.
We got on the fairy and met a very nice Italian girl named Martina who we are sharing a room with tonight and last night while we look for an apartment and she looks for another room. its been great talking to her because she doesn´t speak much english, but she does speak spanish, so we have had a chance to brush up a little.
Today i walked the island and went to almost all of the dive shops and asked questions about their opperations and prices. The last one i checked was Utila Dive Center and i´m definantly going to be working with them. the staff is very knowledgable and everyone seemed to be having a great time there, there were also alot more people there which i liked because it gives me a larger group to hang out with. Also, as it turns out, one of the dive instructors has a house on the island and is looking for someone to take over one of the bedrooms for 200 dollars a month, so ahnna and i are going to take a look at that here in 10 mins.
Another shiny spot on the horrizon, Ahnna may have gotten a job at a very nice local restaurant. we were pulled in by a sign with promises of ¨best margarita on the island¨ and the view was great so we asked if they needed anyone and they interviewed her right there on the spot while sipping a margarita. everything here is laid back, i love it. I´m starting to get really excited about my time here, and íts looking like i`ll probably be able to find a bit of massage work as well.
so there is your update, i´d better sign off so ahnna has time to e-mail before we have to go look at the house. I´ll do more posting later. Love you all.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
A New Year, A New Adventure
Well, its almost exactly a year later, and we find ourselves once again in Central America. For those of you who don't know, this years expedition is to a small Bay Island called Utila, off the coast of Honduras. Ahnna and I flew into San Pedro Sula today at noon after a grueling 15 hours of air travel that bounced us from Seattle to Los Angeles to Houston and finally to San Pedro Sula. I can honestly say that I have never had a worse flight experience. Both Ahnna and I seem to have come down with relatively minor sinus colds, nothing to worry about until you gain altitudes of 10,000 feet and greater and the slight preasure magnafies within your skull until you swear your eyeballs are going to explode out of their sockets and ricoche into you neighbors ginger ale. I think I had the worse time of it, ahnna's head didn't get as sharp, she just felt dull pain and stuffiness. The one saving grace was that for the first two flights we got the emergency exit rows so i had enough room that i could actually sleep without doing permanent postural damage to my neck. Anyway, enough bitching.
We are currently staying at La Posada B&B. It cost us 60 dollars US for a pickup from the airport and a night in a private room with AC and TV. The bed is amazingly comfortable (I'm sitting on it as i type, hurray wireless internet!) and the people have been very friendly and helpfull. Tomorrow morning we head to La Ceiba at 6am so we can try to catch the ferry that leaves from there at 9:30. its a 3 hour bus ride, so we will be cutting it kinda close. Once we get to the island we will head to The Bay Islands College of Diving where i am planning to enroll in a course to get my Dive Master Certification. From our Research it looks like once you choose a diveshop, there are many on the island to choose from, you get to stay at whatever hostel or hotel they are affiliated with at incredibly cheap rates, something like 2-6 dollars per night. I plan to do some asking around to make sure that the Bay Islands College of diving is the best on the island, but from my online research they seem to be the best outfit and the most involved in whaleshark research, which is one of the reasons i'm down here. This time of year is when they are migrating through, and i am hoping to get a chance to swim with and maybe touch the biggest fish in the world. I am concerned about my sinus issue geting in the way of my diving, but its rather minor like i said so hopefully it will be gone by the end of the week.
While I seach for a dive shop to affiliate myself with, both Ahnna and I will be looking for an apartment to rent for the two months we are planning to stay. Ahnna probably won't do too much scuba diving, but she hopes to get a job at a bar on the island and get some bartending experience and hopefully do alot of painting and being creative, not to mention plenty of reading and tanning and just plain relaxing and enjoying a break from the ratrace americans have come to call life.
So thats it for now, anyone who wants to can reach us through e-mail or skype. my skype ID is christopher.colwell my e-mail may be changing because Gmail seems to not like my new little computer. I'll post my new one if i decide thats necessary. Thanks for reading, we miss you all.
We are currently staying at La Posada B&B. It cost us 60 dollars US for a pickup from the airport and a night in a private room with AC and TV. The bed is amazingly comfortable (I'm sitting on it as i type, hurray wireless internet!) and the people have been very friendly and helpfull. Tomorrow morning we head to La Ceiba at 6am so we can try to catch the ferry that leaves from there at 9:30. its a 3 hour bus ride, so we will be cutting it kinda close. Once we get to the island we will head to The Bay Islands College of Diving where i am planning to enroll in a course to get my Dive Master Certification. From our Research it looks like once you choose a diveshop, there are many on the island to choose from, you get to stay at whatever hostel or hotel they are affiliated with at incredibly cheap rates, something like 2-6 dollars per night. I plan to do some asking around to make sure that the Bay Islands College of diving is the best on the island, but from my online research they seem to be the best outfit and the most involved in whaleshark research, which is one of the reasons i'm down here. This time of year is when they are migrating through, and i am hoping to get a chance to swim with and maybe touch the biggest fish in the world. I am concerned about my sinus issue geting in the way of my diving, but its rather minor like i said so hopefully it will be gone by the end of the week.
While I seach for a dive shop to affiliate myself with, both Ahnna and I will be looking for an apartment to rent for the two months we are planning to stay. Ahnna probably won't do too much scuba diving, but she hopes to get a job at a bar on the island and get some bartending experience and hopefully do alot of painting and being creative, not to mention plenty of reading and tanning and just plain relaxing and enjoying a break from the ratrace americans have come to call life.
So thats it for now, anyone who wants to can reach us through e-mail or skype. my skype ID is christopher.colwell my e-mail may be changing because Gmail seems to not like my new little computer. I'll post my new one if i decide thats necessary. Thanks for reading, we miss you all.
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