Scuba Fun in the Caribbean

I open my eyes and see the bluest of all blues around me. I see corals and fish, eagle ray and shrimps. The sea is filled with life.

I’m diving in Utila, one of the Bay Islands of Honduras. Or I was diving. I spent nine days in Utila, enjoying a relaxed and laid-back Caribbean lifestyle with no worries in the world. Even the lack of working internet didn’t bother me. I was able to check my e-mail every now and then, and it was enough.

What can I say about diving? I feel like I’m drugged. The underwater world has bewitched me. I always knew I wanted to be certified as a diver, but never could imagine how it would be like. You always hear people praising diving and telling cool stories and you think it just can’t be that cool. Well you know what: it isn’t. It’s way cooler!

I completed PADI Open Water and Advanced Open Water courses. I’m now certified to dive to 30 meters.

Nine days and 13 dives. I did my deep 30 meter dive on a ship wreck. Absolutely amazing. I got to do a night dive during full moon; even more amazing. The nightlife in the sea is quite different. And as my last dive I was cave diving: can’t really decide which of these was most fun.

But diving is not just about diving. It’s also about meeting new people and making new friends. Divers are very laid-back people, they have very mellow rhythm of life. All divers seem to be getting along great, having fun under the surface and enjoying the night together after diving.

Unfortunately my time in paradise had to end sometime. I’m currently on my way to San Pedro, Belize. I’m spending the night in Omoa, a small Honduran town close to Guatemalan border. I was very happy to notice that after speaking only English in Utila, my Spanish has not disappeared. I was able to have a full conversation with a local guy while having dinner. And I think this town doesn’t see many Western girls traveling alone, since I was greeted with a lot of interest.

Apparently it’s common for older, married men to invite themselves to the same table. Oh well, even though it was little bit uncomfortable to eat my grilled fish when some stranger was staring at me all the time, I managed. The conversation was interesting though, although it took me five times to explain that Finland is not a neighboring country to China.

I have so many great stories that I would love to share with you, but I’m just way too exhausted. Have to hit the bed to be able to continue my travels again tomorrow. Maybe next time.

"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever."

- Jacques Cousteau

Two weeks of Solitude

I have gotten myself stuck in a calm and peaceful life here in Honduras. And I quite enjoy it. My days pass by quietly, with Spanish lessons in the morning, relaxing and reading in the afternoon. I rarely go out except to buy groceries. I find myself loving the solitude this place grants me. I do not miss the company of others, although I do enjoy the encounters with my lovely neighbor, Ale (the Brazilian).

Ale is the kind of girl that you just can't help but liking. She is sweet to everyone, always so happy and smiling. Plus she cooks great (although only vegetarian) and often invites me to eat.

Since last time I wrote I have found out that in the apartment below mine live two nice girls, Liza from the States and Joelyn (not sure how to spell) from Belgium. They work in café ViaVia, which is the gringo place to go around here.

Yesterday all of us girls went out to have pizza together. We were accompanied by Alejandro, are friend of the girls. We had a nice time and I did enjoy having company for a change. But it frustrates me that I am not yet able to construct complicated sentences in Spanish. I understand almost everything I hear, but talking is annoyingly hard. I don’t have enough vocabulary.

I have long been able to easily manage all daily things with my Spanish. But now I am at the point where those things are not enough anymore. I want to be able to talk about politics, history, health care and what kind of book I was reading last week. I want to be fluent in Spanish. But big news, as easy language as it is, it does not happen overnight.

In my peacefulness I have not succeeded in taking a lot of pictures. For this reason I have not posted them either. I would love to show you what a wonderful little town Copán is, but you will just have to wait until I get my inspiration. And it will come, before I leave. I am sure of it.

My Spanish school has a bookshelf with tons of books in English. I remember many times back in Finland, when I was complaining how I don’t have time to just read books anymore. Well, now I do. I have time to read as many books I want, while relaxing in a hammock, sweet dog next to me, having the warm Honduran sun make me feel like in paradise.

The peacefulness around here has a limit, though. And that limit is ten o’clock in the evening, when I usually go to bed (lame, huh?). That is exactly when all the dogs in the neighborhood start their two-hour barking contest. And after that, around four in the morning, the roosters start their serenade. But I got kind of used to that in Mexico already.

I am not yet sure of my future travel plans, but I am hoping to make it to Utila, one of Hondura’s Caribbean islands known as Bay Islands, to get certified as a diver. Utila is the cheapest place in the world to get certified, plus they have the second biggest coral reef in the world. Wish me luck.