¡Honduras!

So, we recently spent a week in Honduras to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary. We first went to a town called La Ceiba on the Carribean coast and stayed in a jungle lodge next to Pico Bonito National Park. Here we did a half day crazy rafting trip on the Rio Cangrejal which was beautiful. It was non-stop rapids and everyone but Brenna (including both guides) got thrown in at one point or another. Following are a few pics of that area.

Here is the national park, pure rain forest, with the Rio Cangrejal running through. Pictures never do a place justice.
A view from across the river of the lodge where we stayed.
I, Mason, also went on a zip-line canopy tour through the jungle with some Brits and Aussies. It was a really cool way to see a forest. This picture is a guy named Rob from England.

After the jungle, we caught a ferry out into the Carribean to spend the rest of our time on Utila, one of the Bay Islands. There are 3 islands that cater mostly to SCUBA divers, as they are all surrounded by an immense reef systen that reaches all the way to Belize. Utila is the smallest and cheapest. It is geared toward backpackers and people who want to get certified to dive cheaply. It is generally the least expensive place in the world to get certified. Utila reminded us of a mountain ski town witha different sport. Everyone is there only to dive. Your bartenders and waitresses are also divemasters. I think the oficial language is English, although not like any other English you have heard. Everyoe who lived there seemed to speak both English and Spanish. There is also that cool Afro-carribean feel to it to. Cool place.

Here is Brenna on one of the only 2 small beaches on the island. Look at that water. The town sits on a cove and you can see the other end of town behind her.

I went diving a few times and since it had been a while since I last dove, I went with a Divemaster the first time and we went over a few things underwater before swimming around to check out the sites. This is Tom from London, who was my divemaster on 4 dives, double checking my gear. Aren't wetsuits sexy on me!

Unfortunately, I don't have an underwater camera, so the above picture is the closest you get to my diving experience. The reefs were beautiful, fish colurful and plentiful, and swimming with a turtle for a few minutes is a wonderful experience. What a mellow creature.

We spent a night or 2 at a nice little hotel hotel on the beach where this cat (we named him Bruiser) quickly became our friend. There aren't cats this big in Nicaragua.
Here is Brenna in front of the beach hotel. The houses reminded both of us of the southern US.
One day we rented bikes and rode to the north end of the island where no one lives. The old dead coral chunks are everywhere, likes rocks on a country road. This is the end of the island where there are waves (no surfing though) and most of the better dive sites are here as well.
Obligatory beach/coco shot.

There is a really cool hotel/restaurant/bar/work of art on Utila called The Jade Seahorse. It is beautiful and odd and really a fun place to look around. We spent one night there. Above and below are pictures of the grounds. Every litle detail is artistically decorated. Amazing.

Part of the gardens and a little gazebo.
Old coral built into a walkway.
Here is the walkway from the treehouse bar to a seating area.
Here we are enjoying a sunset on our last nigh on the island.
We spent a good amount of time sitting on docks looking at the beautiful water.

There you have it. We really had a good time in Honduras and it was great to get away for a week and see a different Central American country. I can honestly say that I didn't think about my schools or my town or really about being a Peace Corps volunteer while we were away. Pure relaxation. Aren't vacations great...