A long trip home, but arriving just in time ...

My flight back to the Caribbean left Nashville at 6:00 a.m. It is an international flight so they say you should be at the airport two hours early. My experience has been that at 4:00 a.m., there is absolutely nothing open in the Nashville airport, including the airline ticket counters and kiosks. But I still had to get gas and return the rental car so I left Murfreesboro about 3:45 a.m. Ugh.

I was flying United again so it was with some trepidation that I handed over my bag to be checked.

The first leg of my flight was to Houston, then hustle from one terminal to another for the next leg which was Houston to San Pedro Sula. I again, when making the reservations had faced the problem of if I flew into San Pedro Sula on any day other than a Saturday I couldn't get a flight back to Utila, so I would have to take a bus and a ferry and likely stay overnight somewhere, so I booked a flight to Roatan instead.

At the time it made sense, Roatan is another of the Bay Islands, I can on a clear day see it from the dive boat. How hard can it be to get to Utila from there?

I arrived in San Pedro Sula at about 11 a.m. Here is where things get worse. Every flight to Roatan from Nashville included a LONG layover in San Pedro Sula. Mine was about 21 hours. I tried to convince myself and anyone who asked that it wasn't going to be that bad. I've spent lots of hours in airports and while not great I have music, books, games on my myriad of electronics and a computer with all that time to write.

The problem with San Pedro Sula Airport is that there is almost nowhere to even sit. There are some tables and chairs at the restaurants but when the place is busy it is tough to find a seat, and I usually try to avoid taking up a seat at a restaurant if I'm not a paying customer. Before you go through security, which you can't do until a couple of hours before your flight, there is one five seat bench not at a restaurant. The other problem for me is there are almost no electrical outlets. I asked if there was one and was told by the customer service people that there was nowhere to charge a phone. I found a plug against a wall finally and spent some time just sitting on the floor charging my phone. My luggage had arrived safely but again, until two hours before my flight to Roatan I could not check my bag in so had to lug it with me around the airport as I looked for somewhere relatively quiet and comfortable to wait it out.

Many hours sleeping sitting up -- or at least sleeping while trying not to fall over.

I had attempted to make arrangements for a boat ride from Roatan to Utila, on a ferry called the Lady Julia. Unfortunately, the day I wanted to travel they didn't have enough customers so the ferry was not running. No one had a flight going to Utila so I took the only other option. I caught a ferry going from Roatan to La Ceiba (back on the mainland), then a second ferry from La Ceiba to Utila. The ferry rides are reasonably cheap but it added more hours to my long travel days.

Once again it had taken me two days to get back to Utila.

I left Nashville at 6:00 a.m. on the 26th of August and stepped off the ferry in Utila at about 5:00 p.m. on the 27th. But I immediately knew I was "home". David from Pirates Bay Inn was at the Ferry Dock to meet potential new guests. He helped me with my bags and offered me a ride in a truck they had at the dock.

The first whaleshark in four weeks or so had been seen couple days before so I was anxious to try and get in the water. I scheduled a dive for the 28th.

We completed the fist dive of the day, it was really beautiful and I was so glad to be back in the water. Then during our surface interval Captain Louis started driving out towards the open water. He was watching for the tell tale signs that start with  a lot of birds at the surface. As we got closer he looked for the "Tuna Boil", large schools of tuna near the surface jumping out of the water and feeding. It really does look like a big pot of water at a rolling boil.

All of us on the boat got our fins, mask and snorkels on and waited on the back of the boat. Louis watched the water, slowly moving around the three separate boils we had come to. Suddenly Louis yelled, "there it is, right next to the boat, get in, get in!!" We all slid into the water and there it was.

Most people are lucky at times like this to spend a couple minutes close to a whaleshark. This whaleshark was probably around our boat for 15-20 minutes. The experience was absolutely incredible and the whaleshark was magnificent.

Hard to tell but all that mess at the top of the water? That is birds diving in and fish jumping out.

Tuna, lots of them, these ones just looks so calm, but imagine this multiplied by hundreds all racing around and jumping out of the water.

They estimated this whaleshark to be about 7 meters long (about 21 feet). Most graceful huge animal ever.

I felt so fortunate to have the opportunity to be in the water with this amazing animal.

After about 20 minutes the tuna boil had dissipated and the whaleshark had returned to the depths. We then left to get to another dive site for our second dive.

The second dive was gorgeous but hard to compare with what we had just experienced.

My friend and dive buddy Laurent.

Butterflyfish

Gray Angelfish peeking out from behind a sea fan

Since then I have been on the boat a couple more days. The visibility has gotten a bit worse and last week the seas were a little rough but still gorgeous dives. Up until now I've always just worn my 2.5mm Spring shorty wetsuit but I think I'm about  ready to start wearing my full 3mm suit during the rainy season.

With every bad situation there is always something good ...

When last I left you I was complaining about the difficulty in getting from here to there  -- or there to here I guess it is now. But you know what I mean.

But even when I thought I had it figured out there was still another glitch. From my June trip I knew that one, Belize dollars could not be exchanged at a bank in Honduras. They could only be exchanged right when you get off the ferry and you don't get the best exchange rate. Trust me, in June I lost about $200, the moment I stepped off the boat. Water under the bridge as they say. But, the banks in Belize will only exchange limited amounts of Belize dollars for US dollars, $250 USD to be exact per day.

So this time, thinking ahead, smart cookie that I am I decided I only really needed about $400 US to get me where I needed to be and give me some cash until I could get to a Honduran bank to get money. And, based upon my June experience, I knew I could get a ferry ticket, on the ferry, the day I traveled.

Off to the bank I went, got cash from the ATM and went to the window. I explained I wanted to exchange Belize dollars for US dollars. The very nice woman behind the counter explained to me, again, that I could only exchange a limited amount. I explained that I understood. She then went off to talk to another person behind the counter, her supervisor I assume. Then she comes back and says they don't have the ability to exchange any more Belize dollars that day, that their central banks decides how much they have to exchange and when they reach their daily limit they can exchange no more. Huh. This was on Wednesday, giving myself some wiggle room just in case there was a problem, I asked if Thursday morning I could then exchange money. She said, she wouldn't know until Thursday morning when the central bank told them.

I quietly left the bank and headed down to the other end of the main street to a different bank. I didn't just fall off that turnip truck. I stood in line and when I got to the window I explained I wanted to exchange Belize dollars for US Dollars. Here the teller tells me that I can only exchange the dollars if I am leaving the country. Hooray, I have the right answer here, I am leaving the country. She again explains that I can only exchange the $250 USD amount and that I need my passport and my ticket to leave the country. Well wait, I tell her I don't have a ticket, I'm taking the ferry, and getting my ticket on the day I leave. Nope, sorry, gotta have a ticket and she proceeds to tell me that I can go to one of the tour operators on the sidewalk and buy my ticket today.

Breathe.

So I head down the sidewalk to the appropriate tour operator. Surprise! They are closed.

I decide I have a better idea.

I think a beer is in order. It is really hot and I am really tired and really really frustrated. I walk to the Pickled Parrot, and visited Eugene and Lynn and had a Belikin. I told Eugene my troubles and he asks how much money I'm trying to exchange. I tell him I want to get $400 USD and he says, wait a minute, goes inside and comes back out and hands me $400 USD in 20's. My savior. I drink two beers then head for home to finish packing.

I got all my belongings -- well almost all, a few items I just could not find a way to stuff into one of my suitcases but I could not bear to give up, and left with someone in Belize to be picked up later --  into three large suitcases. Friday morning my friend Cruz drove me and my luggage first to Above Grounds Coffee for my last cup and donut and then to the ferry, I buy  a ticket and they load my bags.

I'm off! At about 9:30 the ferry leaves Placencia, and after a 15 minute ride we stop in Independence where we wait for Immigration. The schedule says we leave Independence at 11. At about 10:45 the Immigration officer finally arrives and it takes about 45 minutes to stamp all the passports and collect the exit fee. Now we're off. It is a reasonably uneventful ferry ride to Puerto Cortes, Honduras but because we left so late I already know my chances of making the afternoon ferry in La Ceiba were somewhere between slim and none. But I knew I still didn't want to spend a night in San Pedro Sula and if I wanted to take a bus I would have to take a taxi to San Pedro Sula then a bus and wouldn't arrive in La Ceiba till rather late. My plan remained to take a taxi and make the trip as quickly as possible.

So the title of this post ... clearly things were not going as planned but there was a bright spot.

While on the ferry ride to Puerto Cortes I chatted with three people. One was a young woman from Australia on her "gap year" -- the year between high school and college. So I figure that likely made her 18 or maybe 19. How was she spending her gap year? She was spending seven months traveling, alone, through much of Central America and volunteering at different places. She had been in Guatemala for a month, volunteering with kids. She was in between assignments when we met, had spent some time in Caye Caulker in the north part of Belize and a couple days in Placencia, was on her way to Honduras where she would stay in Puerto Cortes a couple of days and hoped to get to the Copan Ruins, then would be headed to  Costa Rica where she would be volunteering for a few weeks. I kept looking at her with such awe. She was so self assured, confident but still a fun-loving young adult. Then I also looked at her as a mom, I don't know that I could have let my daughter go off alone to Central America with just an general idea of a plan but without family or friends for support in each different country she would visit.

The other two people I chatted with were a couple from Holland. He, Rogier, is in his final year of residency in Amsterdam as a Urologist/Surgeon. She, Kelly, was a nutritionist/dietitian but then went back to university and got her masters degree and now works in Senior Health Care Management. They just got married and are on an 11 week honeymoon. They traveled to Canada and Alaska, then to Isla Holbox in the Yucatan, then spent about 4 days near  San Ignacio in Belize. They were traveling to Utila. Turns out Rogier is a huge music festival fan and the weekend we arrived was Sun Jam and annual music festival held on one of the Cays off of Utila.

We decided that Rogier, Kelly and I would share a cab to La Ceiba. With the delay at Independence we didn't even arrive in Puerto Cortes until almost 3, then the half hour with Honduran Immigration and we got into a taxi about 3:30. Last ferry leaves La Ceiba at 4:30 and it was a 3.5 hour drive. But we were enjoying each other's company, Rogier speaks pretty good Spanish and we headed off. We decided if we could talk the cab driver into it we would stop somewhere that had wi-fi, on the way and choose a hotel from Trip Advisor. There was a minor problem in that we now were going to hit "rush hour" on the way which would delay us even more.

We stopped along the way at what really was a bar, we used the facilities but they had wi-fi and we found a hotel.We all planned to catch the early ferry, and were tired so we decided the three of us would share a room to save some money. We chose the Hotel Partenon. We finally arrived a bit after 8 p.m., had dinner at their outdoor restaurant next  to the pool and on the ocean. Not bad. A really nice and comfortable hotel, and our room included Breakfast in the morning.

Next morning started with a taxi ride to the Utila Princess the ferry to take us to the island. We arrive and there is a very long line waiting to buy tickets. We get in line. Interesting thing about Honduras; making things run more smoothly or more quickly is not really high on their priority list. They have one person selling tickets and for each ticket they must scan your passport as well. It is not necessarily a quick process. When we get to the window to buy our tickets we learn that the early ferry has already left because it was full. It is about 10:00 now and they said there would be another ferry very soon. So we sat to wait.

My new friends and travel companions, Rogier and Kelly

And we waited. They said the ferry would be there by noon, but noon came and went. The lady at the ticket window told me that there was a problem with the ferry in Utila and they had to fix it but it was now on the way. Finally about 2:00 p.m. the ferry arrived, we got on and headed to the island.

I got a tuk-tuk (taxi) from the ferry to Pirates Bay Inn where I got a lovely room and signed up for several days of diving. More about that in the next post.

Despite all the problems with trying to get from  Placencia to Utila, I was so thrilled to meet Rogier and Kelly and they were wonderful traveling companions and I hope we will stay in touch. I'm considering it all a positive experience. Not one I really want to repeat any time really soon, except the part about meeting new friends.

You almost can't get there from here ...

100 miles, as the crow flies.

That is how far Utila is from Placencia, Belize. So one would think getting there should not be that big a problem. One would be wrong.

When I met my friends in Honduras in June for our trip to Utila, I posted about my ferry/taxi/plane/ferry/bus/taxi/ferry/bus ride from Placencia to Utila and back again.  I made the trip that way partly for the adventure and partly to save a little money. I didn't save that much  money, but whatever.

Here I am, less than a week away from moving to Utila permanently and again I have to figure out how to get there. Add in that two weeks after I arrive I'm  heading to the U.S. for a shark diving trip that leaves out of West Palm Beach, Florida.

This time, I am still hoping to not spend too much money, but more importantly is trying to avoid overnights in places like San Pedro Sula (apologies to Hondurans who love their city).

Let me add that I have to take into account that I'm schlepping everything I own, once again, to another country. I really wanted to pare 4 suitcases down to two but that just isn't happening. Now I'm trying to be happy with three bags.

This is how it feels ...

So let's consider the options ....

Flying: There are no direct flights to Utila, so I have to fly either to Roatan or San Pedro Sula. But there are no direct flights from Placencia either place, that means first flying to Belize City then taking a flight from there to one of the Honduran cities. Because I'm moving  to Utila each of these flights would be one way, adding to the cost.

The other thing that I have to consider is baggage. Remember, these planes are like 12 seaters. The baggage regulations will allow two checked bags, the third bag they won't promise you can take, depends on if they have room,and then you pay extra baggage fees. If the plane went to my final destination that might be okay, I could just have my extra bag arrive on a later flight. But since the flight goes somewhere else, that means I either stay and wait for it or have to make a return trip to wherever to pick up my bags.

So we are back at the ferry idea. I can take the D-Express Ferry from Placencia to Puerto Cortes, Honduras. It only runs that route on Friday mornings. Then I could take a taxi to San Pedro Sula to the International Airport and fly to Utila. But they only fly on Saturdays .... we're back at an overnight in San Pedro Sula.

Okay, I can take the ferry from Placencia to Puerto Cortes and take a bus to La Ceiba then the ferry from La Ceiba to Utila. But wait, the bus would not get me to La Ceiba in time for the late afternoon ferry so that means an overnight in La Ceiba.

Again, I could suck it up and do an overnight but one, it adds cost, and two, I am dragging three huge suitcases and my backpack around.

So maybe it isn't quite this bad but ....

Am I sounding grumpy?

So here is what I've decided, the D-Express Ferry on Friday the 1st to Puerto Cortes, a taxi from Puerto Cortes to La Ceiba (about a 3.5-4 hour drive), and the afternoon ferry from La Ceiba to Utila. The taxi ride will be pricey but no more so I don't think than an airplane ride and I skip the overnight.

I finally felt like I had it figured out, but then I started trying to make reservations for my trip to the U.S. I had originally planned on a "multi-city" trip, Utila  to San Pedro Sula to West Palm Beach to Nashville to San Pedro Sula to Utila. When I need to be in West Palm Beach and when I can get to San Pedro Sula .... that just doesn't work without a couple of overnights. I've split it into two distinct trips ... and I'm leaving out of Roatan. Cheaper out of San Pedro Sula but my time and sanity are worth something. So it will be Roatan to Nashville, round trip. And then a separate trip Nashville to West Palm Beach round trip.

I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

It seems that with my plans finalized everything should be perfect. But Murphy's Law is always there, and there has been a tiny wrench thrown in for fun. The deal for Greg's house fell through last week. I've been trying to secure another rental and I have some promising leads which I'll  have to finalize when I arrive in Utila. I have set up staying at Pirates Bay Inn again for the first week I am there. My birthday gift to myself, a week of diving ... Welcome to Utila. Hopefully Greg will be able to find the perfect house, either the original deal can be tweaked and revived or a more perfect house will come on the market. My fingers and toes are crossed that he finds the perfect retirement home in Utila. Please send positive vibes, good thoughts, prayers, whatever it is you do for Greg to find the house he really wants and wants me to rent! (The last part was me being greedy, really let's just hope for Greg to find exactly what he really wants so he can retire and live the good life in the Caribbean.)