Back home

After some great weeks "off" on Utila, which got better and better the longer I´ve been there, I´m now back home. It´s been really nice to see my family and friends again and to be back in my apartment, which feels like the first real home after my parents house.
Tomorrow is the first day back at work, I´ll see how that goes...

Open Water

Finished my open water dive course today, just sat the exam.

Diving course!

Hola,
I've moved - from a small island (Utila) to a tiny island (Jewel cay).
I'm doing a diving course (open water, Padi - if I make it...) and did my first dive today. Not in a pool but in the sea....it's too windy to practice in shallow waters.
Such a weird feeling!!!!
I'm the only one on the course, pity my poor (and apparently very good) instructor.
And though i guess I did everything wrong I'm a bit proud of myself course I didn't panic, though we practiced stuff like flooding your mask, being out of air...
Well, I' m a bit afraid I will never be able to remember all the stuff you need but I'm very happy that I could remain calm under water today, in spite of the waves and everything.
See how it goes...

bat rush hour

us, walking (or stumbling) through the mangroves - the habitat of the Iguanas this project is about. Moskitos also think it´s a great place to live!

Just when the rain starts - at least once a day now - there´s an invasion of flying termites

this is how Utila deals with the growing waste problem:
Well, who am I to judge? How much Carbon dioxide dit it take to get me here?

Some more pictures of "our" nectarivorous bats at the station

Day off

Today the four of us hiked to Pumpkin Hill (74 m, highest elevation on Utila), tried to find some freshwater caves along the beach (and didn´t) and managed to get a glimpse of the bat caves!

View from Pumpkin hill over the north (mainly uninhabited) side of the island

Entrance to the bat caves - it´s a bit of a climb!

Inside- it's pretty big but hard to fotograph (and squeeze into)

Saccopteryx bilineata, I´m pretty sure

hiking along the "beach" over the old coral reef, trying to find some freshwater caves

the long way home - this is Utilas main road, by the way.

P.s.: There´s a baby gecko running over the keyboard right now, a bit larger than a key :)