An Underwater Experience in Honduras

So my departure from Belize was pleasant though it would be 2 days of travel to the Bay Islands in Honduras.  My first day was a bus trip to the southern port of Belize, Punta Gorda where I spent the night.  I did get to sample a piece of chocolate filled with coconut rum from a store that professed itself as the Chocolate Center of the Universe.

I made my way in the morning by boat crossing the Belize/Guatemala border.  It was an hour boat ride in a 10 person boat across the sea.  We got rather wet from the rain and waves splashing in the boat and fortunately met up with two women from Atalanta going in the same direction as me. A combination of taxi, bus, walking and a few border crossings and I was in Ceiba, Honduras.  I had one issue crossing into Honduras since I did not have 3 dollar bills to pay a border fee and they were not accepting my twenty dollar bill since they had no chance.  Fortunately I was able to borrow a dollar from my newly met travel buddies from Atalanta.  A night in Ceiba quickly passed, I'd gotten there at 8pm and went to sleep rather shortly.  In the morning it was a quick taxi ride to my ferry which would be my last transport to my destination.

Notice the two ferries. I took the one on the right, not the left.  My 100 person ferry runs to Utila, my island destination, while the 500 person ferry on the left runs to Roatan, a more developed island.

In an hour and a half I was on Utila and in my dive center.  This is the main road that ran along the island.

I'd chosen Alton's Dive Shop as it was laid back, distant from the bars so noise wasn't a problem, and I had heard good things of them.  The following day I would begin my Open Water dive class, was incredibly excited of course.  It was a 4 day course with a mixture of classroom movies, book reading, knowledge reviews, quizzes, a final test, and a good amount of skill practice underwater. Setting up our gear, clearing water from our masks, not holding our breath underwater, dropping and then finding our regulators, the breathing piece, were several we practiced consistently.  My favorite however was buoyancy control or "hovering'.  We did just that during this skill and it is quite an awesome feeling to be floating in space underwater.  Practiced this on my own without direction it was so fun.

 Each course is completed by a group, mine just so happened to include 3 other Americans, all from California.  The 4 of us would study together, dive together, and in the evenings go to dinner as well.  Basically a bunch of dive buddies learning to dive and then enjoying the island after course training.  

Of course it was not all learning and practicing.  There were fun dives and exploration to be had and we rented a camera for two of those dives.  The following are a few of the images we took.

Hard to see but we spotted an Eagle Ray, one of the more coveted creatures to spot.  Did not see the most sought after Whale Shark though, unfortunate but I had no room to complain.

Just me, flipping around underwater.  Such an incredible, truly different feel to be underwater and neutrally buoyant.

Spotted another turtle, Hawksbill Turtle this time.  Our guide Jesse, a 20 year old from Spokane oddly, had swam past it and I was able to get his attention.

A Lionfish which actually isn't welcome in the waters. People hunt these to control their population and protect other naturally found species.

I forget what this guy was called but we saw it.  I'd need to check my dive log for the technical name but it's buried in my bag.

Just a shot of coral, which I found very pleasant to look at, just fields and long stretches of coral like this.  Untouched and swaying with the current, quite a sight to see.

Unfortunately my time on Utila had to come to an end.  I had debated about doing another course and more dives but it was time to move on.  A great stay for about a week, diving, chilling, swimming in the sea.  Not to mention some delicious food.  I was introduced to the Honduran Baliada, which I would describe as a lazy burrito.  Its very similar ingredients, mix in some sauces, and then fold the tortilla in half rather than rolling it.  Very delicious none the less.  I departed Utila by morning ferry and after a 6 hour bus ride found myself in the city of Copan.  I'd come here to visit the Mayan ruins of Copan, known for the sculptures and carvings more so than the temples.

Having no guide limited my knowledge and history of the site but I could still greatly appreciate the detail in the work.

These structures, or stellas as they are called, were everywhere on the ruins site.

This would be the hieroglyphic stairway, the longest Mayan hieroglyph.  It had been damaged but archaeologists have been working together to restore it and it remains covered by a tarp and roped off to visitors.

The most famous monument of the Copan site which depicts the first 16 rulers of Copan.  Four on each side of course.  All this knowledge I pulled from the trail map at Copan, it actually came in handy.








There is so much more to the Copan site as far as sculptures go.  It wasn't like previous temple sites where each picture felt somewhat the same.  I found myself taking so many photos, basically one of each Stella and any original sculpture I may find around the ruins.  I cannot compare this with Tikal as they are two different venues and both offer different experiences.  My time in Copan city would not be as long as my stay in Utila.  Only a few days but I did get to try some chuletas, basically a barbecued piece of meat on a stick.  Also a funny small fruit, about the size of a strawberry and reddish greenish.  Imagine if hairs grew on it though, you cut it open and have a fruit a little tougher than a grape, similar taste and there is a pit the size of a cashew.  That is the fruit I had, and enjoyed as a desert.
Next stop on this journey would be El Salvador which I had passed through previously en route to Bryce in Guatemala.  I looked forward to a more authentic feel of people, food, and city life.  I had not found that in Copan or Utila.  Both great places to visit, yet very geared towards tourism.  Not to mention I had heard El Salvador has the best food, and I love food as well as trying different things. Espero que todo esta bien. Tenga cuidado.

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