Monday, February 14
13 Feb, Sun.
Sun, 13 Feb.
alarm off at 6:30am again ... it was raining and we went back to sleep .... no diving today either! it rained all morning and most of the afternoon.
since it cooled off quite a bit, Abi and Nicole baked brownies. in between storms, i went to the store and bought ice cream and chocolate syrup. it was a special day :)
most of the day i worked on my blog and underwater photos. in the evening Nicole, Chris and i went to get something to eat, then Abi joined us a the 'theatre'. a cute little theater in the village. we watched the movie, Black Swan. WoW ... that was a confusing and exhausting movie. still not sure what happened.... what was real, and what was imaginary ?
right after we got home, it started pouring again. we've been really lucky not to get caught in it .... yet !
12 Feb, Sat.
Sat, 12 Feb.
alarm went off at 6:30am for Abi and i to go diving. it rained all night last night and it's still raining. we decided it was a 'no go' for us. we'll be here awhile, we don't HAVE to dive when it's raining :). By the Way, this mentality was reinforced by my father when he came to Michigan one summer, we had set up a golf day. it was raining that day, but i thought we'd go anyway, i was still working and had taken a precious 'vacation day'. But he informed me, "Donna, i'm retired; i don't HAVE to play golf in the rain". so i felt justified in our decision! by 7:30am the sun was shining .... whoops .... oh well, too late now, and we reinforced our decision that with all the wind and rain, visibility wouldn't be that good anyway. i went to pick up my laundry and stopped at my new favorite bakery to have a piece of quiche. it was very good. came back and got snorkel gear around for our day at our own little private island, Water Caye. Water Caye is a small uninhabited island off the west coast of Utila; a 'must do' according to the guidebooks. with a little luck, we'll have the island all to ourselves ... especially since the weather still looks threatening. we met Payton and Stephen at their hotel; they had secured the services of Capt Jake, and were still game if we were. we grabbed some sandwiches to go.
Capt Jake already had the boat at the dock waiting for us. it was a small boat and Capt Jake was very quiet and sweet. on the way to Water Caye, he threw out a line, literally .... and a few minutes later was asking Stephen to pull it in, he had a fish!
he pointed out a beautiful piece of property (that now has a home on it), on the south side of the island, with sandy beaches and lapping waves. he said his grandmother owned that and sold it for $4,000, over 20 years ago; today it's worth millions. he said that $4,000 was a lot of money back then and didn't seem to have any hard feelings about it. i love listening to the local Utilians here. they have a wonderful accent that is so soft, rhythmic, and calming. i was told by a woman i met at the Vet Clinic that has been coming here for 20 years that when they started coming here the entire island was caucasian Utilians, quiet and wonderful.
we arrived at Water Caye in about 30min, it was a nice smooth dry ride. what a perfect little island.
this side is sandy, Capt Jake pulled the boat up here.
this is the north end of the island, complete with palm trees.
and me, 'owning' the island.
this is the side the coral reef is on, you can see the variations in color. snorkeled here the whole time we were here ... no surprise, huh?
unfortunately, there is a lot of dead coral here too. wish i would have found this reef 20 years ago. i'll bet it was absolutely beautiful with colorful corals of all types and shapes.
here are a few pictures of what a few nice parts looked like; but mostly it was gray and dead.
The other day Pamela was explaining how Fire Coral can 'invade' other corals on the reef. the Fire Coral here is brown with white tips. You can see it (small) in it's original form, on the rock on the bottom left. Here is an example of how it has just taken over what was a beautiful purple Fan Coral. you can see the white tipped spikes are growing on the Fan Coral which is now totally brown. and you can see on the left, the next Fan Coral victim is already turning brown. and the one on the right will be next.
a small Butterfly Fish.
saw this large Stingray. it kinda reminds me of Darth Vadar. you can see on either side of the ray a cloud of sand that it is making while it 'roots' into the sand looking for food. this cloud of sand can become so large that visibility goes down to zero.
or ... it reminds me of an elephant's ears.
the weather started looking threatening, so we got in the boat and got rained on just a little; but made it back pretty dry. we went home, cleaned up and then met the guys at La Picante. a nice restaurant over the water .... Mexican of course. when Abi and i walked in, we saw 2 people from the Dive Shop. they informed us that they got in the water 3 times with the Whale Sharks this morning .... :( ...i put this fact out of my mind.
we had a nice Mexican dinner, nachos were awesome, ... and complete with Margaritas, with our new friends.
they were leaving on the 6:30am ferry in the morning. and Abi and i said we might dive at 730am ... so we bid farewell and safe travels to Stephen and Payton. you meet such nice people traveling !
Abi and i got in just before it started pouring !
Capt Jake already had the boat at the dock waiting for us. it was a small boat and Capt Jake was very quiet and sweet. on the way to Water Caye, he threw out a line, literally .... and a few minutes later was asking Stephen to pull it in, he had a fish!
he pointed out a beautiful piece of property (that now has a home on it), on the south side of the island, with sandy beaches and lapping waves. he said his grandmother owned that and sold it for $4,000, over 20 years ago; today it's worth millions. he said that $4,000 was a lot of money back then and didn't seem to have any hard feelings about it. i love listening to the local Utilians here. they have a wonderful accent that is so soft, rhythmic, and calming. i was told by a woman i met at the Vet Clinic that has been coming here for 20 years that when they started coming here the entire island was caucasian Utilians, quiet and wonderful.
we arrived at Water Caye in about 30min, it was a nice smooth dry ride. what a perfect little island.
this side is sandy, Capt Jake pulled the boat up here.
this is the north end of the island, complete with palm trees.
and me, 'owning' the island.
this is the side the coral reef is on, you can see the variations in color. snorkeled here the whole time we were here ... no surprise, huh?
unfortunately, there is a lot of dead coral here too. wish i would have found this reef 20 years ago. i'll bet it was absolutely beautiful with colorful corals of all types and shapes.
here are a few pictures of what a few nice parts looked like; but mostly it was gray and dead.
The other day Pamela was explaining how Fire Coral can 'invade' other corals on the reef. the Fire Coral here is brown with white tips. You can see it (small) in it's original form, on the rock on the bottom left. Here is an example of how it has just taken over what was a beautiful purple Fan Coral. you can see the white tipped spikes are growing on the Fan Coral which is now totally brown. and you can see on the left, the next Fan Coral victim is already turning brown. and the one on the right will be next.
a small Butterfly Fish.
saw this large Stingray. it kinda reminds me of Darth Vadar. you can see on either side of the ray a cloud of sand that it is making while it 'roots' into the sand looking for food. this cloud of sand can become so large that visibility goes down to zero.
or ... it reminds me of an elephant's ears.
the weather started looking threatening, so we got in the boat and got rained on just a little; but made it back pretty dry. we went home, cleaned up and then met the guys at La Picante. a nice restaurant over the water .... Mexican of course. when Abi and i walked in, we saw 2 people from the Dive Shop. they informed us that they got in the water 3 times with the Whale Sharks this morning .... :( ...i put this fact out of my mind.
we had a nice Mexican dinner, nachos were awesome, ... and complete with Margaritas, with our new friends.
they were leaving on the 6:30am ferry in the morning. and Abi and i said we might dive at 730am ... so we bid farewell and safe travels to Stephen and Payton. you meet such nice people traveling !
Abi and i got in just before it started pouring !
10 Feb, Thurs.
Thurs, 10 Feb.
today was our first day in 'jail', no, really, it felt like we were back in grade school ... being monitored by the nuns! we all sat at one table from 9am - 12noon and did our work. my little brother reminded me that it could be worse, (thank you Wonnie). i could be sitting in Michigan in 1 degree weather with snow up past my door so high that my sister had to step DOWN to get into my house. this seems impossible to me, but it is probably no surprise to most of you! it is important to look on the positive side!
after that, i gathered some of my dirty clothes and took them into 'town' to Annie's Laundry. i can pick them up tomorrow afternoon all nice and folded. :) then i continued to work on my projects. i am still trying to find local producers or distributors of bio-degradable products, without much luck. so i had an idea. i am contacting all the resorts in Central America who 'claim' to be "Eco" resorts; and asking them who they get their products from. now we'll see who is really "Eco" ...
Abi was feeling better, so we walked to Alton's Dive Shop and booked ourselves for a 2-tank dive at 7:30am, Sat morning.
on the way back we stopped at The Jade SeaHorse. i saw this place my first day here and took this photo of the entrance, with the promise to return to see what it was all about. The Jade SeaHorse is the result of the efforts of a couple from Los Angeles in the late 1990s beginning with a restaurant. in 2000 they began working on the structures.
WoW! i had no idea what to expect, but nothing to this degree. this is the first structure that you see, ...bottles, glass, tiles, plates...
arch to the stairs, leading up to the cabins.
this is one of the 6 cabins that you can rent. 2 double beds, 24hr hot water, tile all the way to the ceiling, and the most unusual decor that you'll never forget.
a world of art, unframed ... i couldn't help but think of all my 'artsy' friends and how much they would enjoy and appreciate this unusual garden.
i knew it was a mosaic masterpiece, but never expected it to be on this scale.
these steps aren't finished yet, .. still a few at the bottom uncompleted.
detail of one of the walls.
there was this walk-through cave with the ceiling filled with coral and shells and blue and green colored glass; which gave it a feel of an underwater cave.
the botanical gardens themselves are something to be jealous of, it's like a tropical paradise. this is going into the 'underwater cave'.
door to the 'Ladies Room' , all glass and tiles.
lotsa crazy little figurines, dolls, and toys stuck in the designs.
not even the men's bathroom escaped decorating.
there is also the Tretanic Bar, a 'ship' wrecked in the branches of several mango trees. this view is taken from the top of this bar. here you can get a really good look at all the plants and the full layout.
it is a fairy land of mosaic of marbles, bottles, fused glass, stone, plates, shells, toys, etc. .... all organized and planned out in grand form. it goes on and on, and with each turn, you can't believe your eyes.
another set of stairs.
down the street, sits this unusual structure, built by the same man. it was funded as an art gallery, built, ... and now stands vacant and empty .... ? i guess he got too busy with the Jade SeaHorse....
WoW! i had no idea what to expect, but nothing to this degree. this is the first structure that you see, ...bottles, glass, tiles, plates...
arch to the stairs, leading up to the cabins.
this is one of the 6 cabins that you can rent. 2 double beds, 24hr hot water, tile all the way to the ceiling, and the most unusual decor that you'll never forget.
a world of art, unframed ... i couldn't help but think of all my 'artsy' friends and how much they would enjoy and appreciate this unusual garden.
i knew it was a mosaic masterpiece, but never expected it to be on this scale.
these steps aren't finished yet, .. still a few at the bottom uncompleted.
detail of one of the walls.
there was this walk-through cave with the ceiling filled with coral and shells and blue and green colored glass; which gave it a feel of an underwater cave.
the botanical gardens themselves are something to be jealous of, it's like a tropical paradise. this is going into the 'underwater cave'.
door to the 'Ladies Room' , all glass and tiles.
lotsa crazy little figurines, dolls, and toys stuck in the designs.
not even the men's bathroom escaped decorating.
there is also the Tretanic Bar, a 'ship' wrecked in the branches of several mango trees. this view is taken from the top of this bar. here you can get a really good look at all the plants and the full layout.
it is a fairy land of mosaic of marbles, bottles, fused glass, stone, plates, shells, toys, etc. .... all organized and planned out in grand form. it goes on and on, and with each turn, you can't believe your eyes.
another set of stairs.
down the street, sits this unusual structure, built by the same man. it was funded as an art gallery, built, ... and now stands vacant and empty .... ? i guess he got too busy with the Jade SeaHorse....
Sunday, February 13
11 Feb, Fri.
Fri, 11 Feb.
we were back in our offices this morning, when Abi got a phone message .... that's strange, no one calls us...... it was WSORC, they were going out on another Whale Shark Excursion and needed our help again. 'proper procedures' still had not been worked out for us helping them out, ... so there were more tense moments and discussions. but again, we were released with the promise that it will be handled differently in the future. but this is something that WSORC and BICA needs to do, ...not us. so Abi and i took off, excited and hopeful! our Dive Master and WSORC did most of the work this time, things were much better organized and i was more comfortable since i was now 'experienced'. at 1pm we head around to the north side of the island this time. after about an hour we saw a small 'boil'and birds. we all lined up in the back of the boat on the floor, 'tobaggan style' one behind each other with our fins, mask and snorkel in place. ....and waited. Capt Willy could see the Whale Shark in the distance from his vantage point up in the 'crows nest' of the boat. but it never came close enough, nor surfaced again. so, we got back to our seats and took off again towards Roatan. at about 3:30 we headed back home, ....skunked! we had been seeing some threatening skies all day but it wasn't rough. now, the seas had dramatically changed since going out, it was rough, choppy, and there were huge swells. we were in a big boat, but the waves seemed bigger. we were all totally drenched by the time we got back. once we got into the 'bay' it was calmer of course, and we picked up a pod of dolphins. they were swimming in front of the boat, right against the hull. strange ... with Janny and Alex off Pine Island, they usually surf the wake at the back of the boat. so, all was not lost, at least we saw some marine life. ...and there will be more opportunity to see Whale Sharks :)
Abi had made friends with 2 guys that were on the boat trip from Texas. we all decided to get something to eat. ....but first, that hot tub on the end of the dock would feel good. ....it was empty :)
but there were these cool 'fish' chairs out there next to the hot tub, that was not.
so we decided to watch the sunset .... there was none :(
next plan.... we got a drink from the bar, and headed to get something to eat. RJ's is way at the other end of town, has been on Utila a long time and has a reputation for good beef. we all decided to have fish :) i just can't bring myself to eat beef here; but what they had on the grill smelled pretty good.
Payton, on the right, has done a lot of missionary work and is currently working in Honduras. Stephen came here to visit him from Dallas. we had a great time with them.
so much fun, that we decided that in the morning, while we were diving; they would secure a boat to take us to Water Caye for the afternoon. we got a plan!
we left the guys and got home just as it started pouring .... first rain since i've arrived.
so we decided to watch the sunset .... there was none :(
next plan.... we got a drink from the bar, and headed to get something to eat. RJ's is way at the other end of town, has been on Utila a long time and has a reputation for good beef. we all decided to have fish :) i just can't bring myself to eat beef here; but what they had on the grill smelled pretty good.
Payton, on the right, has done a lot of missionary work and is currently working in Honduras. Stephen came here to visit him from Dallas. we had a great time with them.
so much fun, that we decided that in the morning, while we were diving; they would secure a boat to take us to Water Caye for the afternoon. we got a plan!
we left the guys and got home just as it started pouring .... first rain since i've arrived.
Thursday, February 10
8 Feb, Tues
Tues, 8 Feb.
this was an interesting day. ... a day of 'conflict and confrontation' ... two of my most avoided scenarios.
the Whale Shark Oceanic Research Center (WSORC) is one of the places i was checking into volunteering with, but i stopped getting emails from them, i eventuallly signed up with BICA and am very happy to be here. the other day, i got a response to an old email from Lisa at WSORC ... they've been without a director and so have been closed. they said they could use me if i wanted to volunteer. i sent an email saying i was here on Utila with BICA, but would stop in to say 'hi'.
our boat is being fixed this week, so we had no scheduled activities, just our regular projects to work on. i wanted to meet Lisa, introduce myself, and see what they were doing; so Abi and i stopped at the WSORC office. Lisa was very happy to see us, said she had talked with Trish (our director) about BICA volunteers helping them out, coz they have none. Lisa was leaving in the morning and needed someone to take charge of their Whale Shark Encounter trip tomorrow. yeahhh, maybe we'll get to snorkel with a Whale Shark! we returned home, so excited; but it was short-lived. we found out a meeting had been scheduled and we would not be available to help them out. hummmmmmm..... i felt terrible to leave Lisa without help when we told her we would be there. a lot of discussion followed. we finally came to the agreement that the meeting would be moved up, so we would help them out; but in the future we should follow proper procedure. we did not mean to do anything wrong, we were just trying to help where we could.
at 7pm we went to the Whale Shark presentation at WSORC. great informative presentation .... what an awesome creature!
Whale Sharks 101:
they are not whales, they are not mammals, ....they are fish. they are in the same family as the Nurse Sharks, .... the ones that have no teeth and suck their food in. they do have 300 rows of tiny tiny teeth, but their throat is the size of your fist, (no chance they're going to eat you), even though their mouths open to 5ft wide. (which i'll admit might be a bit intimidating). they suck in their food with water, then expel the water out of their 5 gill slits on either side. very little is known about them, it was only recently when they were classified as a fish, when a harpooned one was dissected and found to have about 300 eggs and 15 babies ready to be born inside her. they are born alive, up to 2ft long, and the mother has no further responsibility for them. they live deep down in the ocean (2,300ft), migrate, traveling the seas, coming to the surface to feed on tiny fishes and plankton. they grow to 40ft long and 23ft around, and are thought to live to be 70-100yrs old, with sexual maturity around the age of 30. they are still hunted and killed in some Asian countries for their fins, which are a status symbol. they also use their liver for waterproofing. their meat is tasteless and is discarded. education is necessary to inform that they are worth more alive (for the tourist industry) than dead. but unfortunately, cultural traditions have no logic and die slowly. :(. they are generally very acceptable of humans 'invading their space', as long as there isn't splashing or loud noise. each and every Whale Shark has a unique 'finger print' in the design of spots on their left side just before their dorsal fin. the same technology that NASA uses to map constellations is being used to 'connect the dots' of the Whale Shark for identification purposes. there is a whole data base available through ECOCEAN that you can upload photos to ... maybe i'll be able to do this!
there is a great YouTube video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO2k-l4yRz8&feature=related
i wish and hope that before i leave this could be me!
i originally became obsessed with the Whale Sharks while i was in Australia. they were just arriving in the area, i had one day scheduled, but none were sited. i've wanted to snorkel with one every since ... that's been 11 years ago! this could be my magic year!
Whale Sharks 101:
they are not whales, they are not mammals, ....they are fish. they are in the same family as the Nurse Sharks, .... the ones that have no teeth and suck their food in. they do have 300 rows of tiny tiny teeth, but their throat is the size of your fist, (no chance they're going to eat you), even though their mouths open to 5ft wide. (which i'll admit might be a bit intimidating). they suck in their food with water, then expel the water out of their 5 gill slits on either side. very little is known about them, it was only recently when they were classified as a fish, when a harpooned one was dissected and found to have about 300 eggs and 15 babies ready to be born inside her. they are born alive, up to 2ft long, and the mother has no further responsibility for them. they live deep down in the ocean (2,300ft), migrate, traveling the seas, coming to the surface to feed on tiny fishes and plankton. they grow to 40ft long and 23ft around, and are thought to live to be 70-100yrs old, with sexual maturity around the age of 30. they are still hunted and killed in some Asian countries for their fins, which are a status symbol. they also use their liver for waterproofing. their meat is tasteless and is discarded. education is necessary to inform that they are worth more alive (for the tourist industry) than dead. but unfortunately, cultural traditions have no logic and die slowly. :(. they are generally very acceptable of humans 'invading their space', as long as there isn't splashing or loud noise. each and every Whale Shark has a unique 'finger print' in the design of spots on their left side just before their dorsal fin. the same technology that NASA uses to map constellations is being used to 'connect the dots' of the Whale Shark for identification purposes. there is a whole data base available through ECOCEAN that you can upload photos to ... maybe i'll be able to do this!
there is a great YouTube video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO2k-l4yRz8&feature=related
i wish and hope that before i leave this could be me!
i originally became obsessed with the Whale Sharks while i was in Australia. they were just arriving in the area, i had one day scheduled, but none were sited. i've wanted to snorkel with one every since ... that's been 11 years ago! this could be my magic year!
9 Feb, Wed
Wed, 9 Feb.
today i woke up excited about the possibility of seeing a Whale Shark! Abi, on the other hand, woke up with what i had on Sunday. she was going no-where today. in talking to the Dive Master on the boat, i learned that the 'flu' is going around the island. with half the island infected. i am actually happy to learn that it was the flu that i had; and not that it was something i ate. i didn't like feeling skeptical about everything i ate the rest of my time here. i did get a flu shot before i left Kzoo, so perhaps that prevented me from being sicker than i was. yeahhh for American drugs ! :) .
we had our morning meeting ..... and the result of yesterday's misunderstanding: all volunteers will now be required to be IN the 'office' from 9am to 12noon working on our projects; and we need to work through the proper channels for any other activities. these 'office hours' are new. during our initial orientation we were told that we were responsible for getting our projects completed.
Since Abi couldn't make it, Nicole was released to go with me to WSORC. i'll spare you the details by saying it was really an unorganized mess and i was 'in charge' of it. but we got everyone paid up, release forms signed, equipment fitted, ice water, glasses, and people on the boat by 12:55. the Captain leaves at 1pm sharp. it was a nice big boat and there were 15 of us. we headed out to the deep blue towards the island of Roatan. after about an hour, the Dive Master started yelling, 'put on your equipment, get in the water, Whale Shark' ! OMG, everyone was so excited! only 8 people are allowed in the water at one same time with the Whale Shark. i was in the first group, but the last one in the water. by the time i got in, it was gone :(. i saw a few real sharks, the kind with teeth, and some jellyfish, but no Whale Shark. we were in the water a total of about 8min and then we were back in the boat, .... searching again.
searching, this is the amazing part. all that water, and we're trying to find a Whale Shark. they are big, but so are the seas, and they only surface to feed. i don't know how he does it, but Captain Willy is one of the best in finding them. this is the scenario that he is looking for: .... a lot of birds flying over what they call "boils" because it looks like the water is boiling. the fish are jumping out of the water because a Whale Shark is coming up from the depths with it's mouth open to feed. and the birds are there to pick off the fish. it looks like this.
and the fish that are jumping are not the ones the Whale Shark eats, they are too big, but they feed on the smaller fish and plankton, so that's why they are there, and just trying to get out of the way.
Utila is the only place that the Whale Shark 'hunts' this way. usually it cruises along the surface with it's mouth open through one of these 'boils'. but here, the 'boils' are smaller in diameter, so it makes more sense for the Whale Shark to come up from the bottom to get them. ...pretty smart, aren't they?
the Whale Shark is the largest fish in the sea ... and it eats the smallest fish in the sea!
another hour later, and more than half the way to Roatan, (i could actually see homes on the island), the excitement started again. the second group got in the water ... almost on top of the Whale Shark. it was right there. they ALL got to see it. i was in the boat and this was all i saw, and took these 2 photos ... can you see it's fin ... i know, .... barely ... and it doesn't look very impressive for a fish that was 15ft long.
and the dorsal fin and tail fin in this one. i know, you have to look close, and use your imagination. :(
i was disappointed; but am hopeful that i'll have another chance before i leave. a 2hr ride back, cleaned up, and slowly walked home. no dinner out for me tonight. that was a long day.
and the fish that are jumping are not the ones the Whale Shark eats, they are too big, but they feed on the smaller fish and plankton, so that's why they are there, and just trying to get out of the way.
Utila is the only place that the Whale Shark 'hunts' this way. usually it cruises along the surface with it's mouth open through one of these 'boils'. but here, the 'boils' are smaller in diameter, so it makes more sense for the Whale Shark to come up from the bottom to get them. ...pretty smart, aren't they?
the Whale Shark is the largest fish in the sea ... and it eats the smallest fish in the sea!
another hour later, and more than half the way to Roatan, (i could actually see homes on the island), the excitement started again. the second group got in the water ... almost on top of the Whale Shark. it was right there. they ALL got to see it. i was in the boat and this was all i saw, and took these 2 photos ... can you see it's fin ... i know, .... barely ... and it doesn't look very impressive for a fish that was 15ft long.
and the dorsal fin and tail fin in this one. i know, you have to look close, and use your imagination. :(
i was disappointed; but am hopeful that i'll have another chance before i leave. a 2hr ride back, cleaned up, and slowly walked home. no dinner out for me tonight. that was a long day.
Wednesday, February 9
7 Feb, Mon
Mon, 7 Feb.
at 7:30am we had to be at Capt Morgan's dock ... seriously, that's the name of it. Nicole, Chris and i met Pamela, Chel, and Jose to go out in the boat to check out the mangroves and lagoons to see if anyone has been cutting down the mangroves or building where they shouldn't be. it was a sad, frustrating morning .... and HOT and sweaty walking through the mangroves :) unfortunately, we found several areas where the mangroves were being cut down for development. the mangroves are VERY important to sustain life in the sea. they clens and filter the water, stabilize the soil, and provide homes for hundreds of species of baby fishes, as well as homes for iguanas and birds, including the migratory ones from Michigan !
this one is 'raping' the mangroves from the land side where there are already existing houses. you can see the house at the top of the photo. and where the mangroves have recently been cut, .... along with the trash that is being thrown there ... on what they will soon take over as their OWN property ..... i'm sure they will clean it up once they finished their illegal activities .... NOT !
and clear evidence of water or ? being piped directly into the mangroves.....
this lagoon has very recently had the mangroves all cut down and has been dredged to make a new marina. this project had been presented to the authorities, and was NOT given permission to proceed. it was discovered last week when they flew over the mangroves in an airplane.
.... how they have been able to get this far without anyone of authority knowing about it, is beyond me. it is located very close to the Chepes Beach where we went last week ... i mean just around the corner! they needed heavy-duty equipment to do this job! didn't anyone see or hear anything unusual?
and this area was also developed by cutting the mangroves and dredging, and is now home to a dive shop and resort. it also did not have permission to develop, ... is in the process of being sued, .... but is fully operational .... WITH a permit to operate! now go figure that one out!
this is another new project that is being developed without permission. after they raped the mangroves and destroyed any vegetations' ability to hold the soil, they installed BOARDS to hold the soil back ....
another very recent 'project' obviously underway. mangroves have been cut and a small stream has been dug out. we walked this 'stream' for about 35min, and never did come to the end of it .....
can you imagine what the DEQ, DEA, and EPA would have to say about this? and BICA has no authority to do anything about it. they can only bring it to the attention of the 'municipality'.
there was, however, a bit of beauty to our day. they call this the Tourist Tree because it's bark is red and it peels. haha
this beach is on the South Side of the island and has many nice homes on it for rent. the beach and snorkeling is right out front. it's beautiful !
the rest of the day i worked on my other projects. in the evening we went to the Tranquila Bar because it was their 7th anniversary; and they were serving 15Lemperia drinks .... that's less than 1USD. i think the entire island was there. we left at midnight, longer than i had intended to stay ... but the party was still rolling .... until 4am, so i hear.
i think this little one was spying on everyone !
and clear evidence of water or ? being piped directly into the mangroves.....
this lagoon has very recently had the mangroves all cut down and has been dredged to make a new marina. this project had been presented to the authorities, and was NOT given permission to proceed. it was discovered last week when they flew over the mangroves in an airplane.
.... how they have been able to get this far without anyone of authority knowing about it, is beyond me. it is located very close to the Chepes Beach where we went last week ... i mean just around the corner! they needed heavy-duty equipment to do this job! didn't anyone see or hear anything unusual?
and this area was also developed by cutting the mangroves and dredging, and is now home to a dive shop and resort. it also did not have permission to develop, ... is in the process of being sued, .... but is fully operational .... WITH a permit to operate! now go figure that one out!
this is another new project that is being developed without permission. after they raped the mangroves and destroyed any vegetations' ability to hold the soil, they installed BOARDS to hold the soil back ....
another very recent 'project' obviously underway. mangroves have been cut and a small stream has been dug out. we walked this 'stream' for about 35min, and never did come to the end of it .....
can you imagine what the DEQ, DEA, and EPA would have to say about this? and BICA has no authority to do anything about it. they can only bring it to the attention of the 'municipality'.
there was, however, a bit of beauty to our day. they call this the Tourist Tree because it's bark is red and it peels. haha
this beach is on the South Side of the island and has many nice homes on it for rent. the beach and snorkeling is right out front. it's beautiful !
the rest of the day i worked on my other projects. in the evening we went to the Tranquila Bar because it was their 7th anniversary; and they were serving 15Lemperia drinks .... that's less than 1USD. i think the entire island was there. we left at midnight, longer than i had intended to stay ... but the party was still rolling .... until 4am, so i hear.
i think this little one was spying on everyone !
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