Swimming with nurse sharks and rays

Todays read for you finds me in Caye Caulker. This area is famous for the blue hole for diving and you can't come here and not snorkel or dive so I signed up for a half day tour.

There was one girl on the trip beside me and she was a really nervous girl. One of the worst things I find is when people talk about how nervous they are as it makes others nervous...frig I'm a new swimmer myself!

We get to a really beautiful spot for our first stop for snorkeling. On the 1st stop couldn't control my breathing and basically hung out on the boat....down but certainly not out!

The 2nd stop had nurse sharks and rays immediately I was not only excited I wanted in there. I got in the water and we had an opportunity to pet sharks and rays let me tell you this they feel weird. Swimming with them was an incredible experience maybe one of the most incredible I just hope the pictures turn out! I bought an underwater camera and am excited to see the pictures. Lots of people tell me they find snorkeling harder than diving which makes me feel good about myself.  Once I am more comfortable I will give diving a shot....for now I just had an incredible fish dinner and am swaying in a hammock.....

My life
My choice
My time

Tuna Tom

More Pics to come they need to be developed

Wonderful hammock time with a tasty coconut

back from the jungle

2nd attempt
Good morning hopefully the weather is good as I have had a few days under 30 :(
I am writing from the island of Caye Caulker on the Caribbean side of Belize (amazing rum here)I was in the jungle for a few days with limited access to internet. Everyone talked to me about this place called Semuc Champey and how beautiful it is there. It was a 8-10 hour shitty drive to get there lots of narrow dirt roads. The hostel was amazing right in the jungle and there was no windows in the rooms just all open even the shower had an amazing view with no glass windows just open. To get to Semuc we were in the back of a pickup truck hanging on for dear life where we got the most amazing test of our forearm grip...
There were kids there that were very aggressive they were maybe 3-6 year olds pettaling beer and chocolate very sad to see. They got in your face and would ask Want a beer? Maybe later? Then they would tell you My name is and only buy from me. There were caves to go through which I didnt do there was a bit of a hike up to a view point and you could swim in the water - can you sense my enthusiasm? I wasn't that impressed but that is because of all the time I spend in the mountains.

Because it is a beautiful day out hard to do this from my phone I need to find a hammock

Take care
Tuna Tom

View from the bathroom

View from the shower

View of the jungle from the room

Semuc Champey

Fat Tuesday - Antigua style

The article at the end of this will give you some more information. After spending many nights in Antigua and making friends with the locals you get to know the real city and the non toursity kind of things. We started the day by going to the market to make our purchases for the day. This day was hotter and the idea to have have mojitos came up and since we were in the market why not get some fresh mints and blackberries for our mojitos. You know if you were here on a hot day you would want a tasty drink like that too. After a few mojitos and face painting we were on our way to an Antigua tradition.

On Fat Tuesday the day before the start of lent there is a tradition in Antigua Guatemala to gather in the central park and throw painted eggs at each other these eggs are filled with confetti but some people throw gold dust or flour. We were trying to not hit the kids that were involved but they were probably the deadliest and they would really sneak up on people and smash them with their eggs. It was a quick little event and a lot of fun and these are the things that make travelling truly special.

Of course after doing battle in the park with our eggs we had to show off our battle scars (flour, confetti, egg shells) so we proceed to do a hostel pub crawl. A few of us are rather a quiet bunch........after proceeding to other hostels I realized I made the right choice in my hostel as many of the other ones were lots of people sitting around and not actually enjoying their day. I understand the irony of saying it amazes me how many people who travel can't seem to disconnect from the cyber world.....yes I am online and sometimes we all have things to do online such as banking but many people can't seem to have any kind of a conversation unless it is online. With that I think it is time for me to enjoy my day a little more.

Tuna Tom

http://antiguadailyphoto.com/2012/02/21/colorful-eggshells-for-the-guatemalan-carnival/#.VOSTLpETHJt

Utila Island - thinking about my old life

Hello all of my readers. Today is a sunny beautiful day in Copan Ruinas just waiting to head back to Antigua. It was a little cold this morning as I was walking around in my tshirt and shorts I almost needed to put on a long sleeve shirt. One thing I do find hard getting used to is all of the cold showers if you are lucky warm showers however; today I am heading to Jungle Party Hostel in Antigua where they have the best showers in all of Central America.

I just spent the night in Copan Ruinas which is a stop over from Utila Island the smallest of the Bay Islands in Honduras. Utila is a divers paradise for it is very cheap to become certified and an excellent spot to potentially see Whale Sharks. Although I am not a diver I could see why you would want to. I did try snorkelling on the island it is important to get a mask and breathing apparatus that fit properly otherwise you will have salt water up your nose and taste it as well.

Utila is an interesting island as there is a strong Jamaican influence/accents there. They do speak mostly English but some of them speak more Spanish and others Spanglish. The local drink is called rum-enade and it hits you hard and fast they are really tasty little buggers! My first day on the island I spent trying to get a rum punch which is a personal favourite of mine and after asking 5 different bars a local finally told me they don't drink that shit there as it is "a touristy drink"......I had to bite my lip and not tell them that their beer is some of the shittiest beer and their rum isn't exactly top notch if you are in Central America or the Caribbean and have bad rum then you have to be doing something really wrong! One thing I was really disappointed in was the lack of local cuisine and the complete and total lack of seafood why travel all of this distance to eat burgers and fries.When you are on an island you kind of expect lots of seafood.

Sometimes I think about my old job and really it seems like it was a lifetime ago or like it was someone else's life. I think back to the times when there was stress or issues and ask "why". If you are stressed or upset at a situation ask yourself this "will this make a difference to me in 5 years from now". I am only 2 weeks into my trip but it feels like I have been travelling for quite awhile now. I do wonder how long I will indeed be able to travel for or what I will be doing after. It is nice to have the option of where to next and how long.

I still can't speak Spanish very well but I am trying my best and some things are coming out a little more fluently now. I am at least trying to make an effort. It is amazing how a little effort with another's language or culture makes all the difference in the world. I do wonder if someone was in my situation in my country if I would be as patient?

One of my favourite backpacker meals tin of tuna with green special sauce

Tuna Tom

Perspective on cultures a little heartbreaking and maybe a little judgemental

Ok where do I start with this one? I just came back from a supper and feel a little embarrassed but before I get into it I need to back up. After San Pedro (a little more on this to come at a later time) I returned to Antigua and was there to catch a bus to La Ceiba and then onto Utila Island. I woke up at 3:15 am (suddenly you guys are not jealous of travelling are you) and I was catching my shuttle to Honduras at 4:00 am. It was a 6 hour ride to Copan Ruinas where I had 4 hours to kill until my next bus to La Ceiba. I bought 3 of the most delicious mangos for fifty cents a piece I then waited longer and longer for the next bus….I was supposed to be catching a very high end and nice luxury bus but alas someone led me astray and I got stuck on an old shitty greyhound where I thought I was going to be stabbed….one thought occurring through my head was I wonder if this is how white people die in foreign countries? Finally at 10:00 pm I arrived at my destination and a hotel was literally right there I checked in and thought to myself I hope I don’t get robbed and stabbed tonight…...honestly there was no chance of that seriously it was safe just a little overly cautious. There are police and military all over (some police being tourist police literally!) they are all there to protect the tourists.

I went to bed and woke up several hours later refreshed and was on my way to catch a ferry to Utila Island. I spent sometime hanging out and having a few beers, having a siesta and then went to supper….this is where things get a little sad, disturbing and breaks your heart a little. I have seen it before and will see it again and I have been told you never want to be that guy - old fat North Americans with (local foreign ie Thai, Guatemalan) women young enough to be your daughter. As I was sitting there it is possible he married her as it looked like they had a kid together and he seemed to know everyone but it still disgusts me to see this kind of sugar daddy or sugar momma arrangement. When the server came up to me in plain English with a plain English menu I suddenly felt embarrassed for every traveller who doesn't know the language, try the language or care about the culture and it also made me realize what is wrong with parts of the world.

Many people come to North America, Australia, Europe etc in search of a change yet they want elements of their world to be in our country…...before I go off into some tangent it made me realize I need to do my part as a traveller to better get into the countries culture that I am visiting. I knew my perspective of things would change for the better and they already are that is what happens when you travel and learn. Am I sad, depressed or mad at the things I saw….no I am not it is just the realization that I need to find out how each and everyday I could make a change for the better to this world not just for my own selfish needs.

With that it is late and I want a drink so please when you read this ask yourself this....what did I do today and what will I do later today to help someone out or to do something that is right?

We all have the ability to do something right.

Tuna Tom

The road to San Pedro - a change in plans - chicken bus - hit by a car

After Antigua I was going to travel to Honduras but many people said they were going to the lake so I figured why not.

One of the guys at the hostel seemed to know his way and it was going to require taking chicken buses (chicken buses are old North American school buses painted in colourful decorations). Chicken buses are always an interesting experience you have a driver and one or two helpers. The helpers do things like collect money or while the bus is moving jump on top of a moving bus to tie off the luggage and then jump through the emergency exit while the bus is in motion. While getting off one bus I got hit by a car barely but enough to be like "oh shit". I hopped on the back of one bus with barely enough time to get on before it was moving. Next it was the bumpiest boat ride to our destination.

The first night was a lot of rain. Now I am sitting here after being awoken by singing children from a school nearby. I then spent time taking pictures of the beautiful lake town known as San Pedro.

Tuna Tom

P.S. yes mom I know becareful
And yes Dave - don't die was in the back of my head

Guatemala city partying

Guatemala city is a dangerous city but a couple of the locals took us out in a private shuttle for a night or clubbing. Every bar we went to was incredible. Walking into one bar a local Guatemalan asks if I want a shot ok sure then asks if I want a drink ok sure.....at this point I am thinking I have to pay for this guys drinks but no its just the owner looking to have a good time. Next we are in an area where a band plays and you can tell a bunch of tall white North Americans are not supposed to be standing there as all of us are crouching down. The next bar was a lot of dancing on the bar with the bartenders I'd never do that back home. For such a dangerous city it was a fun night out. It helps when you are friends with locals.

Tuna Tom

Volcano explosion

For days there was a noise in the morning which sounded like a pounding or a rumbling noise. Yesterday there was a haze in the air and ash coming down.  You can hardly see the volcano now and although there seems to be no danger you need to have it in the back of your mind. You could see people and cars full of ash. The volcanos are very active and I will find some information on the history but an experience anyways.

Tuna Tom

first few days - time - meeting people - Spanish class

My old job seems like it was a lifetime ago considering it was just last week I was sitting at my desk. When travelling you meet all sorts of people from all over the world. I think the people you meet are based on yourself and what you are searching for. Meeting people is so much easier to do when you are travelling as your biggest agenda is to experience things and it can be hard to explain travellers are a very different kind of people. I enjoyed travelling when I was working but now it is different as time has almost no meaning. Most of the people I have met so far are younger in their teens or early 20s but we all seem to have the same goal to travel for longer. Some of the people I meet are like me they were working for a career and decided they needed a change. It is funny when you meet people and you tell them you are in accounting, marketing or whatever and they tell you "oh that's cool" but then when I tell them now I quit my job and want to travel they have a very different tone when they talk to you and will instead say "that is awesome" and they mean it! When you are travelling you let down a lot of your guards and that makes it easier to meet people but it is your choice you could choose not to talk to people at all. The easiest way to meet someone is smile and say hello (well say anything really!). When I travel I have a very different smile.

Yesterday I was sitting on a terrace (patio) and having lunch I saw another none Guatemalan and said hello before long I made a new friend from Italy. We talked about all kinds of aspects of life. In my past life I wouldn't talk to a random person in a bar well not normally. A lot of travellers are by themselves and just looking for someone to talk to. As I was sitting there I realized I had no idea what time it was. It is a nice feeling when you don't know or don't care what time it is. I do however keep trying to look at my watch and see what time it is but my watch isn't there. Now I can eat when I am hungry sleep when I am tired not just because it is "the right time". 

I have been taking Spanish classes this week and I am getting my butt kicked in them. You have loads of information thrown at you so quickly I would say too much......part of the problem could be mucho cerveza. I took a Spanish class so I could try to learn a little bit and so I would know what my students would be facing. 

One last thing everyone I meet now wants to go to Calgary for the Stampede.

Tuna Tom

the adventure beings....finally

I started Spanish classes today my teacher is pretty amazing. I actually now understand French somewhat French and Spanish are similar languages and if you can speak one you will be close to being able to speak the other language - so how can I understand French now when I am taking Spanish classes honestly don't ask because I don't even know. It costs 120 USD for private lessons for 1 week 4 hour a day Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 12:00 pm (so yes I am still getting up early). Although I have been telling people I an unemployed and just travelling the world I think it will take sometime to realize this is my new life. The first hostel I am at is Jungle Party Hostel - swings and hammocks everywhere perfect for good chill time especially to get over hangovers. You don't pay for anything up front its all on a tab and you can 1 litre pints! :)

This will be shot and sweet as I need to go get lost in the markets and have a few beers.

If you are ever in Central America you need to go to Pollo Campero - truly awesome fried chicken.