Envie d'une lecture au coin du feu ? J'ai la...
Lire l'articleTo put you in the mood, we had been warned that reaching Utila from Livingston in one day was doable but difficult, that you had to bet a lot on luck. Stephane, decreed that he would do it in 1 day at all costs. On the travel side, I am much cooler and resigned. Most things are out of my control, so I assume I will get what I get. At least I am never disappointed.
The epic begins at 5am. We rush to take the first lancha leaving for Puerto Barrios. She is full. it is cold, it is raining. I had the good idea to take a jacket with me. Despite that, it is cold. With the speed of the boat, we take the rain head on. The day starts rough. I hide behind my backpack to protect myself as much as possible. Stephane took nothing. he arrives soaked and in a bad mood on the other side.
A taxi offers us his van for a high price, but my companion at the time has already said yes. That is ! Let's go! I will never understand these travelers who believe everything they are told and above all never negotiate anything. Too early to fight, let's go! The trip is smooth until the border where a mega extra long line of trucks is waiting. Our van overtakes everyone and lands us at the border post.
Compulsory test with QR code, I rush into a tent that gives me that damn it! The Madame scratches her nose, strums on her computer and in 5 mins flat, here I am relieved of 250 qtz (28 euros) and provided with a paper stipulating a negative. A big joke! A prefab, intended for health control, is placed there in the parking lot just before the checkpoint. It's a mess, there are people. We learn that completing the form is mandatory and not recommended; what started this queue because everyone is trying to get in order at the last minute. Clearly, crossing borders is always a sketch! Rare where everything is simple and hassle-free. With little or no internet connection, everyone does the best they can. I manage to create an account on their platform. However, Microsoft has just blocked my emails for security having detected a new country. Unable to receive unlock code. As a result, I cannot confirm my registration on their site. Difficult situation ! I lose 30 mins to nothing. No way to get help because Stephane blocks the prefab goalkeeper for himself. He gets all the help he needs at everyone's expense; which creates tension with some, the tone rises between them. Mouai! Not cool my partner at the moment. He finally manages to comply and rushes to the checkpoint. He just ignores me. I am still trying to unblock my situation. And then thin, it stuffs me. I give up, we'll see. I have my test stamped and go straight for the rest. Quick and easy exit from Guatemala. Stephane has just finished on the Honduras side. I see him not turning around and disappearing behind the building. Dumbfounded, I watch him disappear leaving me purely and simply there without a word. A Dutch couple in front of me, who had spotted us, witnessed the scene and challenged me. Your friend is leaving? Stunned but dying of laughter, I tell them that it looks like 😂 We continue the queue on the Honduras side, it is moving pretty quickly. Comes my turn, everything is good BUT I have to fill this damn form. Smile, charm, explanations, little pout, the controller calls on his superior who finally gives his approval. YES😁
I pay the obligatory tax of 3 dollars and here I am in Honduras.
The bus is there but does not leave until it is full. Hum will have to wait because there is only this one. So, I wonder how could have done Stephane? 2h30 of waiting later (endless), the bus finally leaves. So the Dutch are traveling with me. Super nice, we chat and laugh a lot. Like me, they travel relaxed. The Stephane anecdote makes us laugh. 4 hours later, we arrive in San Pedro at a huge bus station with a guy armed to the teeth in front of the barrier. We rush into the building to buy our tickets for the next bus. It is a huge mall with a long line of everything and nothing to sell you the tickets. A happy mess ! But finally, we find our tickets. The seller informs us that the bus is leaving immediately. So, no time to buy food. We arrive on the platform, and guess what ! Who he's sitting there all alone in his corner? Stephane of course!!! Happy to see us reunited – yes, it is ironic. I stop and say to him “Ah well, here you are ! You had disappeared ”. Crappy excuses ensue, the redder you die. In short ! Shame for him. All that for this. Must believe that his method did not make him going faster. Ashamed, he remains alone in his corner while I am in good company.
In the bus, we see that the Hondurans all travel with pizza and all kinds of dishes. I am starving but I say nothing. My neighbors, all Hondurans, are eager to discuss with the French. They love strangers. Adorable and talkative, they are quick to share with me what they have. These people touch me it is incredible. All around feed me. I am having a great trip. The Dutch are laughing at seeing me alone at the back of the bus stuffing myself, chatting with everyone. 5 hours later, we arrive at La Ceiba.
675 NHL (24.00€), 1 heure en ferry
The last ferry having left for a long time, we ask a taxi to find us a nice and cheap hotel. Done, we dine together and we give RV the next day to take the 9am ferry. Everything is going as planned, sitting in the boat, we watch the passengers board one by one. And once more ! Who do I see coming? Our Stephane😁
Officially, the mask is compulsory in closed places but unofficially, everyone does what he wants. On the islands, we live without.
The temperatures are pleasant all year round. They range from 28° (January) to 32° (May). ... To visit, the months of November to April are recommended. Overall, I had mostly sunshine.
Utila island is the third largest island in Islas de la Bahia (Bay islands) in Honduras, after Roatan and Guanaja. It is located in a region of the Caribbean that marks the southern end of the Mesoamerican coral reef, the 2nd largest in the world.
This is one of the best places, cheapest in the world to dive and to obtain the international diving certification, the PADI.
What to do in Utila?
The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, about 1000 km long, stretches from Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula to the Bay Islands of Honduras. Also commonly called the Great Maya Reef, it is the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world after Australia. Considered the pearl of the Caribbean, the reef is home to over 65 species of coral and over 500 species of fish. It provides habitats and food for hundreds of species of fish, sea turtles and sharks. On the banks, the mangroves welcome the fish and birds of the coast. They protect coastal areas from the damage that hurricanes and severe storms can cause. There is a spectacular fauna of manatees and seabirds (frigates, red-footed boobies, pelicans, cormorants, etc.). Several threats weigh on this region such as tourism, large-scale agriculture, climate change and overfishing. For 60 years, lobster has been the economic backbone of coastal fishing communities in the region. Its scarcity has led to the establishment of a ban on lobster fishing during the breeding season.
Thanks to its environmental balance, the UNO declared Utila the best place in the world to dive. The island has 60 dive sites where you can see great marine life like nurse sharks, rays, seahorses, angel fish and many colorful minnows. Whale sharks are one of the great attractions of diving on the island. In theory, you can see them all year round, but the best months to see them are still March, April, August, September.
If you do not have yet a diving certificate, Utila is considered one of the cheapest places in the world; this is the main reason why people flock to the island. For my part, I chose Underwater Vision. I spent 2 weeks there during which I validated 2 certificates.
Known as the party island or the island of perdition by Hondurans, tourists dive there during the day and party at night. I arrived on December the 24th, as much to tell you that it was celebrating every night, really too much for my taste. That said, I would not have been alone for the end-of-year celebrations, which is a good thing. New Year's Day took place on Bando beach with several DJs taking turns playing electro music all night long. That evening, fireworks are fired from multiple locations on the island. I admired them from the beach, it was magical. I can tell you that in Europe we are small players in comparison. A great surprise !
For my part, I have a sacred objective to achieve. Being claustrophobic, diving is a real challenge for me. I have to tame my mind and it is not easy every day. Emotionally and psychologically, I have a hard time. The dives follow one another, the anxiety attacks too, not to say panic. The days follow one another, I continue despite everything the dives, I am determined. Marta and the group encourage me. Victory: I finally got over the problem. Happy to have pushed back my limits, I explore the depths with delight. I finally have access to this hidden world which reveals its colors to me a little more each day. The life that takes place there is fascinating (seahorses, angel fish, barracudas, cow fish, squid, various rays... ) I can see myself tracking this couple of small fish with shining blue sapphires anchored to their backs. How could nature have created something so beautiful? Excited by this new world that is offered to me, I decide to continue my conquest of the depths by passing the Advanced Certificate. I find myself diving to 30m. Martha, our teacher, brought an egg that she breaks to this depth. The pressure works in such a way that we can toss the yolk between us like we would toss a ball. Unbelievable ! And funny ! We visit a wreck, it is like in the movies. Then comes night diving to get this diploma. This dive must end with the extinction of the flashlights in order to observe the bioluminescence. I dive, worried but motivated. The session seems endless, I feel really bad, I fight to overcome my anxieties. It is the new moon, you cannot see anything down there. The surrounding darkness increases my stress. I feel trapped and confused. I maintain everything while concentrating as much as possible. After 25 minutes of an endless struggle, my brain races. Like a galloping racehorse, I go into panic mode. I grab Marta gasping, trying to contain me. She energetically shakes her head no, shining her light on her. The vision is downright horror movie. My ultra-rapid breathing makes me go up like a balloon without me even noticing it. I suddenly realize that I am on the surface of the water, alone, searching below for Marta while trying to understand why she is abandoning me. My neurons are at a standstill, I do not understand anything. The reality is that she has no choice but to secure the group by entrusting it to the other instructor and to respect the decompression stop. Everything derailed so quickly, I imagine her fears. From my side, I am just going to end up suffocating in my hyperventilation. In short ! A desaster. She ends up reassuring me and calming me down. Results of the races: I spent the regulatory 20 minutes, I got the certificate but my morale was down. I saw this moment as a failure, a personal regression. Two weeks to progress every day to end miserably on this stage. I made the boat trip back to the bottom of the hole. Marta is a sweetheart, she is infinitely tender with me. I thank her very much for that. She will do everything possible to value my efforts and my successes. I fall asleep on it. Anyway I am a pitbull, when I grab the calf, I do not let it go. As the saying goes: "when you fall off your horse, you have to get back in the saddle right away". The next day, I leave determined to do my 2 free dives. No way I am ending there. I dive in, regain control of myself and manage to overcome my fears again. Admittedly, I cannot dive at night, but is that so important? I pushed my limits and that is the main thing. It is in this state of mind that I end my internal battle. I will leave Utila stronger than when I arrived, head held high with my 2 diving certificates. Goal achieved !
The quality of the lessons is excellent. There is a very good atmosphere there. I loved Marta, my instructor. I highly recommend her.
Dormitory bed (for 4 people) included in the course package. Otherwise, it costs only 6 dollars. I shared it with a French guy for the first 4 nights then I was alone the rest of the time. Why ? Because they fill in ascending order and since I was in the last dorm, number 16, the one near the beach…
I really like the "Let it snow" sign on a background of palm trees in 30 degrees. 😂
To my left, here is Rudd, Dutch adventurer in his thirties. He kept one van in the country and got rid of the rest. He has been traveling the roads of Central America for a few months. Being part of my diving group, this one supported me a lot in my difficulties. He will not stop congratulating me on my success, it warms my heart. I decide to migrate to the center of Honduras near Lake Yojoa where I hope to have a more authentic experience of Honduras, to share with the locals. Utila is mostly shielded with foreigners to the point that English and the dollar take precedence over everything. Rudd also goes there. So we decide to go on the road together.
I find here Niels, met at Puerto Escondido in Mexico. He had started a world tour four months ago, when my path crossed his. After 3 days spent together, he had resumed his journey south until he reached Utila. This young man fell in love with the island, among others, but especially with Marta. So he simply abandoned his project to make his life here. It's nice ! Having stayed in contact with him, I learned the news and naturally came to this place to pass my diving certificates. He is now taking courses to become an instructor in the field. Beautiful story !
Utila Island kept me the time to obtain my 2 diving certificates and to spend the end of year celebrations; i.e. 2 weeks. For my part, I did not fall in love with the place but that is certainly explained by the fact that I was in psychological difficulty with diving. At this specific time of year, being away from my children has not helped either, I miss them dearly. I went through this period like an ordeal. The end leaves me smiling and it is with a feeling of victory but also of weariness that I leave this place. I'm tired. It is therefore in search of calm, nature, simplicity that I go to recharge my batteries.
Next destination: Lac Yojoa – Honduras.
Ses plages immaculées, son eau turquoise, son métissage culturel, son...
Lire l'articleUn safari au cratère Ngorongoro est un incontournable. Trésor naturel...
Lire l'articleOne of the offerings to the gods consisted of a drink made from cocoa beans. The officiants who participated in the rituals (they were volunteers, yes, just like with human sacrifices) used to make cuts or punctures in the tongue or the earlobes using cactus thorns, the tail of an obsidian stingray or knives. Once the incision was made, they let the blood run over the cocoa beans, then mixed them with the drink that would be offered to the gods. I don't know about you but personally, I find it fascinating !
2 Comments
Heurtevent Magalie
Je te reconnais bien dans ce périple. Je te vois avec ton sourire jusqu’aux oreilles. Toujours charmeuse pour avoir ce que tu veux (petite tête sur le côté, jouant avec tes cheveux et ton beau sourire)
Profite ma Ouma, tu me manques…😘
Marjorie Guillaume
Je fais toujours aussi bien ma Nabila 😂. Toi aussi tu me manques ma Mag 😘 Nos délires au café le matin mouahaha. Je reviendrai à Maurice 😉