i'm thinking i should move to that little apartment ...
i am REALLY missing the peace and quiet of PAW and Caye Caulker ... it is
so LOUD and NOISY here ... no cars on this island, but taxis, motorcycles and those 4-wheel things everywhere, speeding up and down the road ... the concrete is about a 2 car width, with steep ditches on each side. ....so when someone parks on the road, there just isn't room, and there are no sidewalks, so i really feel like my life is in danger everytime i go out.
i am staying where i stayed last year ... i felt safe here and it is centrally located... it is RIGHT on the road, but it wasn't too bad last year.
but, this year .. it seems so much worse, maybe i am getting too old for this ... AND .. the nice little garden that used to be next to my room has been turned into a park ... no, .... it's a playground ... with KIDS ... and big kids that shouldn't be there ....noisy, shouting, screaming, swearing (fuck fuck fuck every other word kids) ... and, they are doing construction here at the hotel ... so all that put together has put me over the edge. and as i read what i am writing .... sounds like i'm not so happy here ... :( so, i've decided i'm moving.
i never heard back from the guy i thought i might be staying with, (strange) so i found a little apartment on the other side of 'town' that is a bit back off the road, and it's on a lagoon ... further away than i'd like to be, and more expensive, but, that's where i'm going. you never know till you actually stay at a place so i hope i'm making the right decision, coz i paid for 3weeks :(
some history: some of you probably don't know that, since i learned about the Whale Shark when i was in Australia in 2000, it's been a 'dream' of mine to swim with them. when i was here in 2011 i volunteered at the Whale Shark Oceanic Research Center (WSORC), going out on the Encounter Boat to try to find one and then people get in the water and snorkel with them. but unfortunately, i never was able to get in the water with one. i returned to Utila in 2012, they had actually seen and been in the water with several of them in January before i got there; so i was hopeful that i would be luckier that year. i volunteered again, and actually 'ran' the program for awhile, because they didn't have anyone to do it. i was there for almost 2months, and not one Whale Shark was sited the entire time i was there. that was unheard of ... usually there are Whale Sharks around Utila frequently ... or at least 1 or 2 are sighted .... i was beginning to think i was 'the jinx' or, that Whale Sharks were just a 'myth' :(
so, i went to the Whale Shark office this morning and talked with Lucie, the girl that is running the program now. they have been seeing Whale Sharks lately and were in the water with one last Thursday.... yeahhhhhhhhh! ...she said she could use some help a couple days a week to sit in the office so she could do some administrative work. and they might have an Encounter boat today if it's not too windy, and to check back at noon ... when i checked back at noon, she said they are going out ... and, a Whale Shark was seen this morning, .... but i cannot go :( she asked me to come back tomorrow at 1:30 for my orientation.
i 'pouted' for a minute, :) ....then got my snorkel gear together and headed West. i stopped at the Caribbean Dream and booked myself into an apartment, then stopped to see if Jana and Ed were there, they had spent the last 2 days cleaning up and throwing away almost everything from their home and were just on their way to the beach. we went to Bando Beach, they relaxed and i snorkeled.
it was a long journey through mucky grassy water, strewn with pieces of dead coral and possibly sea urchins to step on ... (luckily i have neoprene booties with good soles on them) .... i finally reached a point where i could submerge myself.
and underwater, this is not a very 'pretty' area ... lots of dead corals ........
but there are a few fishes. .... and i was happy to be in the water snorkeling again :)
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| dead coral and rocks and some ParrotFish |
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| a school of Doctor Fish |
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| Indigo Blue Barred Hamlet |
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| 1" Juvenile Sergeant Majors |
i came across a 'platoon' of Caribbean Reef Squid. this one was out in front, protecting the troops...
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| Caribbean Reef Squid |
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| 'letting it's hair down' :) |
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| 3 Caribbean Reef Squid |
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| Blue Tang |
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| Small Fan Coral ... good to see new life here ! |
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| Sea Urchin |
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| Stoplight ParrotFish |
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| this doesn't even look real ... |
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| incredible colors on this fish ! |
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| i found the ParrotFish hide-out :) |
so colorful ... so just a couple more ...
i ran into the squadron of Caribbean Reef Squid again .. with the same Captain in charge ...
the ParrotFish are a very important part of a healthy reef system. they eat the algae, and then 'poop' out sand :)
here is a short video from today:
it takes awhile to get ready to go snorkeling, but it takes longer when you get home. i spent the next hour cleaning up: rinsing the salt water out of everything, including my body and hair, soaking my camera in fresh water ... hanging things the line, etc., .... but it's worth it.
by then, it was time for the sunset ...
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| from the Utila Lodge Dock |
i walked to Pizza Nut, a little bakery here that serves pizza at night. it was really thin crust and good, ... and HUGE .... i tried to eat it all, but still took some away with me.
i went to the Movie Theatre .... watched Last Vegas ... cute, funny movie ... i really enjoyed it.
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