Bye Utila

Well, it’s time to say goodbye to another chapter in my life. Utila Dive Centre. I had a great time these past 31 days. I met some fun people with good hearts. We were all literally in the same boat to support each other, getting through the exams, skills and dives. We encouraged each other to keep going when times were tough. It was a good bonding experience. All in all, I had no drama, no issues and a lot of laughs. There’s a party every night...whether is a beach party, trivia night, tequila night or celebrating someone passing a course. The camaraderie is well felt. Utila has a small island feel, with a handful of bars and restaurants. Just walking down the street, I run into so many people from different dives shops or UDC. Everyone knows everyone. It’s relatively safe, I didn’t feel too uncomfortable walking alone at night and if I did, I would get a ride with someone that I knew. My place was on the outskirts on the beach. Each morning, I would walk to the dive shop, watch the Macaw birds play in the trees, swim with the fish, Morray eels, and if we were lucky - dolphins chasing the boat! I would dive at night, dawn, morning, afternoon, whenever there was a boat going out. There’s a bar and eatery at the dive shop that hosts someone at all hours of the day/night. It’s a very friendly place. The only thing about Utila is if I’m not diving, I’m bored. There’s really not much else to do but dive and drink. It’s geared to that lifestyle and really fits it perfectly. But one month is enough. Each night lately, there’s been some lightening and thunder, not much rain, but storm clouds come through. I do enjoy watching the sky when the warm, Caribbean winds come in. The mosquitos are getting out of control. It’s very annoying. I wake up with big bites all over. And at night I can hear the big crabs walking in the brush next to the road as I walk home, it’s kinda creepy. The electricity goes out at least once a week or so on the whole island. Or if I don’t pay the electricity, it runs out. Oops, that happened once where I was out for 2 days and had to stay at a friend’s. I was teaching yoga regularly 3-4 days a week on the deck over looking the sunset. It’s really quite lovely. I know I’ll find something just as nice. Roatan is next. I am catching the 6:20am catamaran tomorrow. I have a dive shop I’m hooked up with out there. I’m staying in a private room with A/C, cable and hot water for $100/week. It’s a 2 min walk from the beach and right in the center of town. I hear it’s even more beautiful than Utila. Looking forward to the next adventure! And now I can say I’m a Divemaster!!