A Gringa No Brasil

For Semana Santa (Holy Week), a couple of my Honduran friends suggested going to Utila, one of the Bay Islands. I had just been in Roatan a month earlier, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to head back for more scuba diving. Utila is completely different from Roatan. It's much more afforable because it caters mostly to backpackers rather than wealthier vacationers looking for all inclusive resorts. It's also a lot smaller. The inhabited part of the island (known as Utila Town) consists of two roads pretty much - one running along the bay and the other perpendicular, heading inland to the small airport. It's a really international community, and it's rare to hear people speaking Spanish. Some of the locals so, but a lot of them speak Garífuna or some kind of Creole English instead, which might as well be a foreign language because the thick accent is almost impossible to understand.

A friend of mine from Tegucigalpa had moved to Utila a few months ago to work at Alton's Dive Shop as an instructor and to do some kind of marine research. So my friends and I made our reservations with them and I signed up to do the Advanced Open Water Dive Course. The course involved a total of 7 dives including a wreck dive, deep dive (down to 115 ft), and a night dive. The wreck dive and deep dive were both very cool, but short since it's dangerous to stay that deep for long periods of time. The night dive was just so-so because the current was pretty strong. I didn't really get a chance to relax and enjoy it since I was fighting to keep from being swept into my dive group and the reef. Highlights from the other dives included a sting ray, a moray eel, and a pod of about 10 dolphins that swam past! The dolphins were so incredible to see, but they're super quick so it was a brief encounter. The course went really well, the instructor was great, and I'm in love with diving. I want to continue on with other dive courses, but for now I'm out of money (and out of vacation days). Too bad diving isn't a cheaper hobby.

Other than the diving, it was nice just to hang out with my Honduran friends and other PCVs, enjoying the sun and the food. Definitely a vacation well spent!