Isla Timone and The Cochinos.

There is a chain of islands off the coast of Honduras called Cayos Cochinos. These are unrelated to the Bay Islands (Roatan and Utila), and they are much smaller and also much closer to La Ceiba. In general, we have found that Honduras doesn't have the same caliber of tourism industry as other countries in Central America do, and Cayos was no different. There is no way to fly to any of the Islands, they are only reachable by boat, either from the mainland (ie La Ceiba) or from the Bay Islands.

We rode out to the Islands on a small fishing boat early on Wednesday morning. The seas were rough for such a small boat, we couldn't imagine how the even smaller boats we saw along the beach could make it. We would climb each wave and come down hard and with a spray of salt water in our faces. Soon however we made it to Isla Timon, a 2 palm tree island with a spit of white sand jutting into the "Impossibly" blue water. We snorkeled and found a star fish, N octopus, blue-head wrasse cleaning stations, and little dispersed coral heads. We also played a game of Bocci, final score Chris 2, Kimmy ~2, Jordan 3, Rebecca ~4. No one really keeps track on uninhabited islands.

But then we were hungry, so we got back on the boat went to another tiny island covered with Garifuna homes, restaurants, and pulperias (small convenience stores). We ate fried WHOLE fish, fried plantains, and coconut rice with red beans. Then all the other tourists came, and the tiny beach-side restaurant we were relaxing at turned into a cabana of sunburns, kids, missionaries, and more vendors and their turtle-shell jewelry. When we express our disappointment in seeing turtle-shell earrings, the vendor replies that its, Ok, because these turtles were either very old or by-catch from the fisherman. Both excuses are not really excuses as far as we're concerned.

We spent a long time on the island, we outstayed the other tourists in fact. Probably putting off the ride back to the mainland. But the way back ended being much more physically comfortable and dry... instead it was just terrifying. The captain was very good and surfing down the backside of giant waves. Right before it seemed as though the bow would nose dive into the surf, the captain would turn and we would glide parallel with the wave. We made it home to a falafel, corn on the cob, and chocolate covered grapes pot luck with additional El Sause friends, Stefanie and Jana

Copan

Copan is the most famous of the Honduran Mayan Ruins. Unlike other Mayan ruins we have seen, Copan is full of sculptures, totem-pole like statues, and color. Similar to Tikal, the streets in the town of Copan were cobblestone, with many shops, restaurants, bars, and tourists. Chris's Mom, Nancy, was in town visiting, so no hoStel for us. We stayed at a very unique hotel overlooking the ruins. The Hacienda San Lucas runs on solar power alone, so at night the rooms were lit by candles, and kerosene lamps outlined pathways that took you from the outdoor entrance of your room, to the restaurant, and though the beautiful gardens.

Cocktail hour at Hacienda San Lucas. Inset shows the Mayan ball court visible from the hotel.

Here is one of the many sculptures in Copan. Notice the traces of red paint.

Here is Chris and the famous old man god, Pauahtun.

There is a bird sanctuary near Copan that we went to after the ruins. They had around 30 different species of birds there, most of them from Honduras and other parts of Central and South America. We got to one area of the tour and our guide basically threw a handful of parrots on us all!

Kimmy a little scared by the birds

Congratulations Shosh and Owen!

Two of our very best friends got engaged this past weekend, and we could not be more excited for them. Congratulations Shosh and Owen!

Rio Cangrejal

One of the best parts of living in La Ceiba is the close proximity to Rio Cangrejal (Crab River). At least once a week we walk 15 minutes towards the mountains, away from town, and across a bridge. There, we catch a jalon (hitch hike), usually in the back of a pick-up truck, which takes us up the river on a windy gravel road. We pass by small mountain villages with thatch roof homes, chickens, horses, and pigs running wild, and a few pulperias. Usually we just hang out on the river, soak up the sun, and cliff jump, but last week we had two new experiences at the Rio.

There is a man who lives in our neighborhood who owns and runs one of the largest insect museums in all of Honduras. He has species from all over the world, but specializes in Honduran butterflies and moths. His name is Robert (or Butterfly Bob as Karine and Tom call him). Butterfly Bob is always on the lookout for new bugs for his collection, and he also trades with many other collectors, which is how he has such an extensive collection himself.

Chris capturing a bug as school children look on

Naturally, when Chris found out that there was an entomologist of sorts in the neighborhood, he knew he had found a friend. Last Thursday, while Brian was in town, we all went collecting for the night just outside the town of Rio Viejo (at the confluence of three rivers that form the Rio Cangrejal). This night was chosen because there was no moon to distract insects from our own light source lures (mercury vapor light bulbs). Once it was dark, insects began to accumulate on white sheets that we had hung behind our mercury vapor light bulbs. A few new species were caught for Robert's collection, along with numerous other fascinating specimen (if you're into that sort of thing). We took lots of photos but also captured some and killed them for preservation. There are two methods for this. For smaller, non-delicate specimen, putting them into a jar with a cloth soaked in ethyl acetate is sufficient to kill and preserve them until they can be dried and pinned up. However for the larger moths, beetles, and butterflies, we injected the ethyl acetate directly into the specimens with a hypodermic needle. Although Brian and Kimmy were happy to see Chris so elated with each new insect that landed on the white sheet, the massive amounts of flying bugs were a little too much for us to handle.

Brian with an unidentified beetle on his shoulder.

Just Two blood-suckers hangn' out (left: Assassin Beetle right:Mosquito)! Assassin Beetles puncture their prey with a proboscis, liquefies their insides, and sucks 'em dry. Some species have been known to spread the Chaggas virus to humans.

A flea beetle and a wasp utterly confused as to why thy are sitting next to each other on a white sheet in the middle of the night.

A beautiful Tiger moth

On Wednesday, we met Kurosh at the lodge where he was staying for a couple of days (also up the river) and went white water rafting with him. We rafted some Class III and Class IV rapids, got thrown out of our boat, and cliff jumped. At the end of the trip is started to pour down rain, which was a highlight of the trip since were were completely surrounded by water. We ended up floating in the river for the remainder of the trip, since the river was warmer than the rain.

Utila: Home of Captain Morgan. Arrr...

We just got back from spending the weekend on Utila, one of the other Bay Islands, with Brian and Kurosh. Utila is much more compact and caters more to backpackers than Roatan. The island itself is fairly large, but the only built up part is around a small (maybe 2 mile) cove. It's easy to get from one end of the cove to the other, and on your way you pass street vendors with jewelry, restaurants, bars, and tons of dive shops. The only downfall to this island is the boat ride that takes you to and from Utila. We left in the afternoon and the ride was 1.5 hours of some of the biggest ocean swells ever.

The first night we joined a group of newly found friends on a beach for some Salva Vidas and Fourth of July fireworks. This island is populated by more expatriates than Hondurans, and we've heard that Hondurans love any excuse to launch fireworks anyway. This is the closest we've ever been to professional fireworks. They were much louder and brighter than we've ever experienced (We had to squint).

Besides scuba diving with turtles and flounders, eating Baliadas, frequenting many of the dock-side bars/restaurants, and getting searched by cops for no apparent reason, we also went kayaking through mangrove swamps to an isolated stretch of beach. The journey took us through a narrow, shallow channel, flanked by thick mangroves and palm forests. At some points there was a complete canopy of mangroves above our heads. This channel cut right through the middle of the island and dumped out into a reef-protected bay. We walked a mile down the beautiful thin strip of white beach, drank coconut water, swam in the bright blue water, and saw no other people.

Mangrove Canopy

Chris scaling a palm tree for some coconuts

Kurosh enjoying the fruits of his labor
Kimmy on a recovered skim board

Group photo at a photogenic palm

We might have been a little too adventurous on Utila, for when we got back we were all drained and useless for the rest of the day. Brian left La Ceiba to make a quick stop at the botanical gardens of Tela before catching a flight back to Los Estados Unidos. However we just heard from him that a taxi cab strike blocked the bridge to the gardens and forced him out of the car. A similar such strike occurred on a bridge in La Ceiba two weeks ago. We hear they are protesting high gas prices by refusing to give rides and using bridges (the main traffic arteries) to slow traffic trying to get through. Kurosh left for Pico Bonito where we will meet him tomorrow for some white water rafting.

But what about our night of insect collecting you ask? We'll save that for another post.

Meet me at 4'o'clock in the middle of that big field

Two widely different diving forms lead to widely different splashes, but equal surpluses of fun.

For the last week, SUNNY mornings cloud over and rain down on us at 4pm. It sneaks up on us. We are used to silence punctuated by cars honking "Holas" to each other, chaotic fits of barking dogs, and both birds and street vendors advertising themselves with sing-songy voices. But then a white noise creeps in from the tree tops and pans to the pavement with a loud crescendo and everyone/thing disappears from the street. Side streets fill up with water and become impassible. Plastic bags and frog-eggs alike ride the rushing storm water to the rivers and the sea. Its as though the loud drumming of tropical rain erases The Outside.

If we are in the living room we turn off the music and listen. If Ruby's dog friends are over they wrestle in the mud and dig indiscriminate holes. If Mercedes, the maid, is over, she worries whether the weather will keep buses from making the trip up the dirt highway to her mountain home. Once it caught Chris on a bike ride, so he stood in a park's gazebo with an eclectic group of Machete-wielding laborers, old men with thermoses, and an armed security guard. Yesterday it caught us on the edge of Pico Bonito park were we watched it from a restaurant's covered patio.

The city's above-ground storm sewers have swollen with water and life. On a walk with Ruby we saw frogs with puffed out chests conducted a call and response through a storm culvert. The stretch of stormwater drainage by the grocery store is filled with shredded plastic bags and car fluid, yet it is filled with aquatic insects, minnows and at least two different vivid dragonflies. Also with the rains come ticks. We have removed a total of ~30 ticks from Ruby.

Yet this isn't the rainy season. Or it is, depending on who you talk too. Most votes say it begins some time in August. Others say not till October. Still others say in May! The literature says that the rainy season is in August through November with a bad bout in January. March, April, and May are the reliably dry months, and now we are in a typical cycle of dry days and late afternoon thunderstorms.

We hope it takes a break Thursday night in the jungle, when we will be trapping and collecting insects with the curator of the local insect museum (Museo de Mariposas). But I suppose it can rain all it wants this weekend, because we'll be underwater with Brian and Kurosh in Utila. Though some beach time would be good.

Interesting Fact:

All of the pineapples that we buy twice weekly from the fruit/veggie stands, come from Guatemala. Though La Ceiba is surrounded by Dole's pineapple plantations, all the harvested Pineapples are sent to America. It is cheaper to transport "generic" pineapples from Guatemala. We hear that many other fruits and veggies fall under this same scenario.