4 Mar--First Dive--Making Friends

Sun, 4 Mar .... up and ready for my FIRST dive this year in Utila !!!!!!!! ... i felt pretty comfortable after my You Tube lessons last night, and all of my Dive Master friends were on the boat this morning, .... L to R is Laura, Ashley, Greg, Corine ... and Chad in front ... and our super Boat Captain, Seth i asked Chad to help me and check to make sure i did my set up right. Greg was the Dive Master for my group and i told him that this was my first time this year and to 'watch over me' .... i felt good getting into the water ... i used to have trouble 'sinking', and was always apprehensive about it; ....which kind of makes you hold your breath, which is the exact opposite of what you should do when you are try to descend.... you should exhale all the air OUT of your lungs) .... but i pretty much figured that out last year; so i was happy that i was able to descend without any problems. we had a nice dive at Stannis Point ... there was a 'wall' and we went down to 60ft, which is the limit for an Open Water Diver (which is the first certification you get) ... and that's me .... :) i stayed pretty close to Greg ... early in the dive we saw this Green Moray Eel a Squirrel Fish Yellow Tail Damsel Fish there were a lot of these very large Barrel Corals ... this one was about 3ft in diameter ... after the first dive, one of the Dive Instructors, Chris, said he had heard that i was interested in getting my Advanced Diving Certification. i had been in the Dive Shop a few days ago, and said i wanted to get my Advanced. there was another girl on the boat, and he was trying to talk her into getting her Advanced, and it would be better to have more than one person in the 'class'. i said that i did want to. he was all excited and said we would meet in the Dive Shop after this dive and we'd set it up. our second dive was at Eagle Ray Alley. .. we did not see any Spotted Eagle Rays :( ...but it was a really pretty dive site, with lots of nice corals to look at. ..... i had a hard time focusing on anything, because something else kept catching my eye ... lots of vase corals Heather speared a LionFish and put it in this PVC tube for safe keeping ... that was pretty exciting ! so, after cleaning up our gear, Staci and i met Chris in the Dive Shop and got signed up for our Advanced class. we had to fill out a questionnaire about our health. there was question: 'has anyone in your family had a heart attack' ... i was honest and answered 'yes' ... well because of that, i had to go to a Dr before 7am tomorrow morning, ...and have him examine me and sign off that i was healthy enough to dive .... even though i just finished 2 dives :( i wasn't very happy about this. after much discussion as to where i would find a Dr on a Sunday afternoon; the one Dr only speaks Spanish, but would understand the form; another Dr didn't work on Sunday; ..... i understood that a Dr here at the Lodge could do the verification. today being Sunday ... was Funday Sunday at the Dive Shop. it started with the Fun Dives we did in the morning. then in the afternoon, everyone meets out on the dock for cheap beers and they have inflatable floating toys and everyone swims, drinks, and relaxes. i went back to my room and downloaded my photos and then went to the dock with my paperwork to find the Dr. i guess i misunderstood, they wanted me to try to go to the other Drs offices first before asking the Dr here...... so, while everyone else was relaxing, drinking, swimming, and partying ..... i was walking through town in the heat to find a Dr. .... there was a sign on the door ... Cerrado ... that's 'closed' in Spanish. ...back to the dock party with the news; and they told me to go to this other place where another Dr might be .... out i go again to the street in the heat ... while everyone is .... you know ..... i was beginning to feel like this was some kind of 'club initiation' .... there was no Dr there either, so i ended up back at the Dock Party and asking the Dr that was here in the first place to help me :( so, we went to a clinic room and i got an exam ... and he said he didn't see any reason why i couldn't dive :) i went back out to the Dock Party and saw that everyone was just finishing up their Chocolate Mousse ! ....poor me :( ..... shortly thereafter the party was over and i went back home to do my Homework ! i read my 2 chapters for tomorrow's 2 dives. there are 2 mandatory 'skills' that we need to do, and then we can choose 3 other skills for a total of 5 to qualify for our Advanced. one of our mandatory skills is Deep Diving ... of course ... they talk about the dangers associated with diving to 100ft and what you should and shouldn't do. this is really an elaboration of what you were taught when you first learn to dive. but i read it, it was a good review, and i answered all the questions at the end of the chapter. the second skill was Navigation ... now this one was a little more difficult. it is designed to teach you how to go on a dive (with a buddy, but without a 'guide', i.e. Dive Master) and be able to find your way back to where you started. ... yeah ok ... that's an important one! ..... when you're 100ft down, looking at fish and coral, and taking photos, you tend to not pay attention to where you are, where you're going, or how to get back. ....so, this was new material for me. this was a big day ... Sunday Funday ... we need more of these !!

3 Mar, Sat

Sat, 3 Mar ... in the morning i took a walk up the hill from town. it's quite different up there from down on the main street. here is a small residential 'road' it's nice and quiet ! and some nice homes i found a orchid on a tree trunk that had been cut down and discarded. i brought it back to put in the garden next to my hotel, coz they don't have any orchids there. this garden is between my hotel and where i work. it's really overgrown and they haven't maintained it in a long time. i was thinking about asking if i could take on the project. but it would be a huge project and i hadn't decided if i wanted to tackle it or not .... but, no worries ... this morning i heard the sound of someone raking outside my window , .... it had to be in the garden. ...i went out to investigate, and yes, there were 4 guys in there, very busy cleaning up .... again, i thought i should volunteer to help prune some of the bushes ... but again, i waited too long. i went to work, and at lunch when i came out .... OMG, ... they had hacked and sawed and annihilated it ... i was horrified at what i saw .... you could hardly see the gazebo before they cut all the trees and bushes down .... but i have to remember that this is the tropics and it will grow back quickly .... it just looks so sad and naked now :( i'm glad i hadn't gotten around to putting my orchid on a tree limb ... coz that tree limb is no longer there :( ... i'll have to find somewhere else to put it.... i had to take another picture of Shark Bait ... he is so comfortable here i was in the Dive Shop and Dive Master Greg asked me if i wanted to go on the Dive Boat in the morning. he said a lot of people were going and there was room if i wanted to go. i said i'd love to, so he put my name on the board ... i'm going diving tomorrow .. yipee ! the Barefoot Band is playing tonight at Coco's ... but i heard from one of the band members that they probably wouldn't get started until around 10:30pm .... so i decided to eat and then come back and take a nap and then get up and go listen to them. i went to Skid Row for pizza and sat at the bar with Debbie, one of the Dive Masters from EcoMarine Dive Center that i did my 'refresher course' with last year. it was nice to have someone to talk with while i was eating my pizza. then i came back to my room, set my alarm and laid down. i guess i turned the alarm off and didn't wake up until almost 11pm. i jumped up and walked down to the bar, a little late, but they would still be playing .... well, i was wrong. i walked in, and the place was packed, but the band was not playing .., they had just quit for the night :( ...the owner wanted them to start earlier, and so they did and i missed them. i decided to get a rum and coke and then go home. i was standing at the bar waiting to get served; when a guy gives me a big hug and asks me 'are you following me again ?' ... OMG, it was Kyle! ...the guy i met 2 yrs ago at Madi's, and saw again at Madi's this year; and then again in Guatemala on the street in San Pedro ... and now we were meeting again in Utila! .... i actually thought i saw him a few days ago, but 'knew' that he was supposed to be in Nicaragua in Spanish School. ....well, he had met a group of kids and they were having so much fun together that they all changed whatever arrangements they had made; ...and decided to just travel together. he came to Utila with that group and got scuba certified and was leaving the next day. ...small world!!!!!! ...how great it is to be young and flexible enough to just change plans and go ... makes me wish i would have done something like this when i was in my 20s .... :( i wasn't really tired when i got home, so i spent time looking at You Tube videos of how to assemble my scuba equipment since it's been a year since i have done it ... and i never really got the process cemented in my head last year. usually when you go diving, the Dive Shop prepares all your equipment for you ... you show up, they put it on you, check everything, and help you into the water. but here on Utila, it's a 'Dive School' Island; so they teach you how to do everything and it's up to you to take care of yourself. ...which is ok, if you've just completed a diving course .. but if you haven't assembled your equipment since last year ... it's a bit intimidating ! ...and i was nervous .... by the time i finished, it was late, i felt prepared, and i was tired.

2 Mar, Fri

Fri, 2 Mar ... worked awhile off and on in the morning ... early afternoon i walked up and visited with Gordo Gato again :) late in the afternoon, Seth, our Boat Captain had a party to raise money for the birth of his child. it was an all-you-can-eat grilled fish dinner, and of course, all the beer you can drink too. everyone from the Dive Shop was there. left to right: John, Seth, Heather, Chad left to right: Greg, Kelly, Laura happy group, huh? the mountains on the mainland were very visible this evening ... most days you can't see them, ... and we watched a colorful sky Seth made his own BBQ sauce and basted and grilled fresh tuna ... it must have been a big fish coz there was plenty to everyone ... i had 2 large pieces ... and brought my own rum and coke. then decided to go to the cinema. the movie Puss n Boots was playing. this time i went online and checked the reviews since my last movie experience was less than enjoyable. it was a great film. it was animated and kind of spin-off from Shrek (which i am not really familiar with). Antonio Banderas was the voice for the main character Puss ... a cat. i love listening to his voice, so i suppose i would have liked listening to the movie, even if i didn't enjoy the visual presentation. but ... i did enjoy it all. it's amazing how you can 'see' Antonio Banderas in the facial expressions of the cat ... well, maybe it's just my imagination, but i could see him 'in there'. it was a cute film and i recommend it. after Seth's party, everyone moved to the Lodge Bar ... for Friday night Karaoke. after the movie, i joined them there. Ashley brought in the hoola-hoop that she made and a lot of people gave it a try. that was entertaining ! it's a fun group, and they all take turns participating in Karaoke with the microphone, ...and, i actually did a song too ... but i asked Greg to sing it with me ... :) i sang 'She Drives Me Crazy' by the Fine Young Cannibals. a song i love because it reminds me of the good ole days of being in Cancun with my bestest friends, Jamers, Holly, and Janny :) ....those were really good times! it was a fun night !

1 Mar, Thurs

Thurs, 1 Mar .... WoW .... it's March already ? ....must be Spring in Kzoo, huh? ... but i guess you guys really didn't have much of a winter this year... let's hope it's summer weather by the time i get back in April :) ... i'd like that! today i walked to the bank before i went to work and ran into Ronnie. he offered to pick me up this afternoon and go snorkeling again. i went to the office and worked on more documents. i have been having difficulty with this old Word program that came with this PC ....... not to mention i'm working on a PC again and not a Mac! .... i keep saving documents and then not being able to find them! John stopped by and i snagged him to help me try to find them. ...he is 'backing out' of this work, since he has some other projects to finish up before he leaves next week... he is really intelligent, an Engineer, and good with computers .. i'm learning a lot from him. i thougtht i had a meeting at 10am with the Manager; but at 12:00 Ronnie stopped in and i still hadn't seen her. he said he would pick me up at 1pm. i found the Manager eating lunch, she apologized and we rescheduled. Ronnie picked me up at 1pm and we walked down to The Driftwood to get something to eat. Bruce, the owner was there, of course, and so was Jungle Jim, two of my favorite people!. .... i introduced the guys and we got some lunch. i'd been wanting Nachos and Ronnie had a shrimp salad ... he's obviously a healthier eater than i am ! before we left, one of the guys from The Barefoot Band walked in. Ronnie started talking with him because he also plays the guitar. the Band is going to play at CoCo's Bar, and he invited Ronnie to sit in with them. i'll be sure to be there! we walked back to my place and got on his motorcycle ... again ... this is getting to be a habit with me :( ..... and we headed back to the East side of the island to snorkel. we started to walk out a ways into the reef when i decided it was too rough and too many waves breaking over the reef to attempt snorkeling there today. the problem is getting into the water, over the reef, and getting your fins on, without getting bashed around by the breaking waves and getting cut on the coral. ....coral cuts do not heal quickly! ...and lately, i've been hearing people say that it isn't even healthy to go in some of the waters around here because of the sewage that goes in there ... and that if you have a cut, it could get infected .... really? ....now they tell me ... that is sad and alarming to hear !!!!!! i hear that the island that i took the boat out to the other day, .... is one of the worst places to snorkel because they have NO sewer system out there at all :( .....and i spent all day in the shallow waters right up on the shore .... :( anyway... enough of those depressing thoughts! .... we ended up walking down the beach a way to where the waves weren't so strong. there is a house there that has built a lot of canals for the sea water to come in and go out again ... with little bridges, and cabanas ... it's a wonderful spot. Ronnie knows the people, so we were able to walk around there and i snorkeled in front of their place, which was a little more protected .. but still plenty of waves. again, i didn't spend much time out there since he was waiting for me on shore, and the visibility was pretty poor with all the sand being picked up by the waves. i'd really like to return there some day when it's not so rough.... here are a few photos the 'jury is still out' on what kind of fish this is .... it has such pretty markings on it's face .... but it looks like several in the book and i think this is a Tobacco Fish .. but the other day i saw something in the book that looked like it as well ... so ... ? he brought me back home ... on the bike ... :) ..after cleaning up, i went back to work to see if maybe John was there .. he was not. so i came home and eventually walked down the street looking for some place to eat. ....it seems my biggest decision each day is where to eat dinner ;0 ...i picked a place that i've pass all the time and there are always a lot of people there. ...i know why .. good food, and cheap; ... shrimp pasta with cream sauce for under $5 .... i brought my own rum in my coke bottle, so it was a cheap dinner. came back home, sat outside in the walkway coz the internet service is stronger out here and there is a nice breeze blowing through it. soon i heard the familiar ring from Skype ... i had a video call from Jolene and Lonnie and ... Kathy and Mitzi were there with them .... i got to see all of them ... that was so wonderful ... it made my day !! thank you guys! :)

29 Feb, Wed

Wed, 29 Feb ... Use This Post, the other one was sent in error ... Leap Year ... what is supposed to happen in Leap Year ? ...i forget :) it wasn't a good night, ... i didn't sleep well, probably worrying about the boat trip tomorrow; .... and my nice quiet place to stay hasn't been very quiet the last couple of nights, ..... and last night there were a bunch of guys outside my door talking very loudly ... grrrrrrrrrr :( i woke up at 5am with stomach cramps ... pretty bad ones .... to the point where i couldn't stand up straight ... and i knew what these cramps would lead up to :( ...and i need to get a boat ready, be in charge, and be on it for 4 hours .... with no bathroom !!!!!!! i was hoping the 'process' would progress quickly and i would be ok by 6:30 ... but that wasn't the case. ...so i prepared some 'things' to take with me in preparation for the worst, ... and walked ... uh .... kind of 'stooped' my way to the boat. John (bless his heart) was already there; even though he didn't know about the early start time. i told him i wasn't feeling well .... but that wasn't necessary, because i was bent over and sweating and i'm sure looked horrible;... but i said i would be ok. i managed to get to my office and get all the stuff we needed from there, while he got the stuff we needed from the supply room, ...First Aid Kit, Oxygen Equipment, etc. luckily, Sue, (the woman who i met with that is going to help with the intern after i leave), showed up coz her daughter was going to go on the trip with us (which was also new news included in the late night email). she helped me get the fruit and drinks from the kitchen, which wasn't ready as it was supposed to be ..... and then John found out from Willie, our Captain, that we were leaving 1/2 hr earlier, ....which was like, ... right now .... so he didn't have time to give a 'quick training' to the new Dive Masters who were just arriving to help on the boat for their first time. we all loaded on the boat, i apologized, and thanked everyone; and Willie took off from the dock. on the way to Utopia, (i wish), i tried to brief the Dive Masters as to what i needed them to do, gave them the folders and info and let them review it. Willie called me up to the 'Crows Nest' where the Captain sits ... in my condition, i wasn't very comfortable climbing up that metal ladder on the back of the boat, as we bobbed and weaved in the waves, ...but i made it safely. he said the Manager was going to call back and wanted to talk to me. she called and wanted to know if i got her email and if i had brought the Release Forms ..... i said "yes, i have them, and we can't operate like this" .... (i actually had packed up enough extra forms yesterday before i left for the day ... just in case) back down the ladder, checked with my Dive Masters and the new John, and we were all set with who was going to do what, .... as i 'crouched' on the floor of the boat, waiting out my latest stomach spasm, ....this wasn't going to go away soon.... we arrived at their dock and they were waiting ... i sat on the dock (i couldn't stand) and had them fill out the Release Forms, they got their equipment and vests on, and did their swim test ... everyone was happy and got on the boat. Chad did the Boat Briefing and we took off. i asked the group to join me in the front of the boat because it was a little quieter up there. and i went through the procedures we would follow if we saw a Whale Shark, ...... how we would get in the water, .... how far we were to say away from the Whale Shark; ... and how we would get back in the boat. ....then i spent some time telling them about the Whale Sharks. they were very attentive and excited and hopeful. ...and i think i did pretty well for my first time, ...i was nervous and still having spasms ... this group was here for a wedding; ... the bride and groom are getting married tomorrow. so everyone was hoping we would see a Whale Shark for a wedding present. they were a fun group, ... unfortunately it clouded up and Willie did his best to dodge the rain, that we saw all around us, ....so we at least stayed dry; ... he is probably the best Captain on the whole island, and we were lucky to have him. we rode around, bouncing and crashing through the waves ... it was really rough out there; and we didn't see anything. one of the girls in the group got motion sickness and had to use one of our buckets, .....Chad, the Dive Master, was so sweet to get right up and get that bucket cleaned out for her .... everyone else was looking the other way ..... i applaud him for that! ... he also initiated conversation as to whether they wanted to 'call it quits'; they said they would do whatever the sick girl wanted; ... Chad climbed up to tell Willie and we headed back in .... we had been out there about 2.5hrs. it took us another 1/2hr or so to get to a snorkel spot, where we stopped and a few people got out to snorkel ... it was still cloudy, so most opted to stay dry. ....we dropped them off and headed back to our dock as the sun came out :) .... but we didn't see any Whale Sharks :( we cleaned out the boat, put things away, ... everyone helped .... and i went home, took a shower, and laid down for awhile ...... i was beat .... eventually i was hungry, but still not wanting to eat ... went to the store to get some soda crackers ... and do you know there is not one store on this island that has any yogurt ... not even Bush's that has a lot of 'American' products. came back, laid down again; then fixed myself some rice noodle soup and went back to the office to finish up some things i had left out. then came back and here i am ... telling you my day's story .... stomach still not normal ... i wonder if it was something i ate, or something i caught ...... hopefully something i ate, if so, i'll be better tomorrow. oh, i did get in the water and snorkeled a bit when the boat stopped; .... and ran into an entire ARMY of small 2" jelly fishes. ...i've been seeing them in the water, but i could not believe how many there were .... i should have taken a photo, but i was concentrating on swimming in the other direction .... faster than if i had seen a crocodile! ...it wasn't a very good snorkel spot ..... way too deep to see much .... i only took a few photos, none of them worth much ... here is one of a school of Blue Chromis swimming by ... underwhelming huh? i got an email from Marti, the girl that i'm going to stay with in Roatan. she just found out that an attorney that was handling a trust fund for her business has disappeared ... with the money :( poor her .... so she has delayed her trip to Roatan and plans to get there on the 8th. ....so that gives me a few more days here ... a few more days to possibly see a Whale Shark !!