Vacation Time!

So perhaps this will make no sense and perhaps you will think I'm a traveling snob, (after all, we have only be gone for 2 months) but we needed a vacation!

Ok, let me explain as it seams so silly.  We arrived in Utila nearly 2 months ago.  For the first 2-3 weeks I felt completely content and happy to stay here for a very long time (as was our plan) and just chill out.  However, when we started to encroach the 2 month mark, we both started getting antsy.  Utila is a small place and there is only so much you can do here.  There is a phrase here, one that is probably shared throughout the world in popular, relaxing, traveler hotspots.  It's the 3 lies about Utila: 1) I'll only have ONE more beer, 2) I'm leaving tomorrow, and 3) I love you.  It's true that there is a draw here, and backpackers who planned to stay for 3 days, easily stay for 10.  And I realize now that when we first arrived here, we needed 2-3 weeks of staying put, and if we had traveled someplace else first instead, we would have needed it there.  Now though, we are ready to explore!  So like I said, we needed a vacation!

Brandt mentioned taking a trip to Roatan since we are so close, and we had heard that the diving was better there.  With the timing of his divemaster (DM) training here, and Semana Santa (Holy week leading to Easter where stuff gets crazy and busy) we weren't sure how to swing it.  But we decided "we are here now, so even if it is expensive, it will be less expensive than coming back another time".  The decision on timing became easy when we learned our dear friend, Luna, was going for a week as well.  We planned things so that we would all be there at the same time and hopefully be able to dive and hangout together. 

So we spent a nice 5 days in Roatan!  We totally got scammed on a Hotwire Hot Deal and over-payed for a hotel.  But it had a queen bed without springs poking through and A/C, so in the end, it was a luxury we enjoyed.  We both agreed that the diving was better than Utila.  The reef seemed bigger and thriving - lots of really BIG fish!  One time I chummed the waters (violently vomited on our dive) and attracted tons of schools of little guys and at least a half a dozen ginormous groupers!  I guess it was worth the discomfort of underwater puking.  On another dive we saw dolphins swimming on the surface.  Usually you don't see them ABOVE you!  Pretty cool!  Also the water was just a different beautiful shade of deep blue, and luckily our visibility was excellent.  

Another pretty awesome dive experience was going on a SHARK DIVE!!!  We were able to go with our friend Luna.  This was a crazy cool experience.  The cons: you are in Honduras so remember there are no rules.  17 of you squish like sardines onto a boat that arrives 1 hour late.  Hopefully you are an experienced diver because there is no instructor or DM to observe your descent (or ascent) or share air when you run out.  Also, you REALLY push those no decompression limits (i.e. surpass them).  The pros: 11 Caribbean Reef Sharks swim right up in front of you, over you, swim with you, and holy cow, you are swimming with sharks!  I am not afraid of sharks (don't be) and thought it was just incredible to see these animals in such a close encounter.  They ranged from 4-7 feet long, all females I am told.  For us, this way a new kind of dive and we definitely enjoyed it.  I would recommend it to other experienced divers, just know what you are getting yourself into - don't expect the dive shop to get your gear together and unfortunately, to even take you to your 3 minute safety stop (you're on your own there too).  

Since we were on vacation, we also spent time indulging in Netflix (House of Cards Season 2), and had a great dinner at our friend Luna's house.  Luna is an incredible lion fish hunter!  Lion fish are beautiful pests.  They have no natural predators and are killing lots of fish and changing the reef habitat, so people are allow (and encouraged) to hunt them and eat them!  Luna spear hunts them and then makes incredible ceviche!  So we enjoyed a lovely dinner of lion fish ceviche and curry.  YUM!

It was expensive to get to Roatan (we went by plane), and expensive to stay and eat and dive (however, diving costs about the same as here.  Just more expensive than say, not diving), and we probably spent as much in 5 days as we would in 4 weeks here (eek!).  But we needed a change of scene and had a good time!   Aside from the diving and having our friend there, we weren't that thrilled with Roatan in general.  We stayed in the West End which is supposed to be one of the more affordable areas.  Everything is priced in USD$ and geared towards cruise shippers, not backpackers.  If you are looking for a week of good fun dives and lots of them, come to Roatan.  If you are looking to get some certifications, stay a while, and save some cash money, then you better come to Utila.

Next we are off to Copan!  From there, our wedding!!!!  And from that point forward, our pace will pick up so 1) no more vacations and 2) more things to blog about!  Sorry for the long wait!

*Please excuse any typos as I learning a second language causes regression in my primary one