I'm a certified diver! Yoohoooooo....

Finally, I finished the diving course... it just took my ages I have to say because I got the flu in the middle of it and delayed the whole thing with a week as it is not nice to dive with a cold. But I had 2 great instructors, Dave and Diego, who let me dive whenever I wanted. A big cheers to them! SO now I have my PADI open water diving certificate!

Diving is just amazing. There is this whole other world down there that is just so beautiful and fascinating. You float around like you are in space, depending on the air supply you have and just follow the life underneath the water. I saw quite some different fish and corals like a sea cucumber, lobster, box fish, and a whole lot of nemos :)

We dove as deep as 22m at one point and saw this ship wreck on the bottom of the sea, pretty cool! When you think about it, 22 m is pretty damn deep but under water you really don't feel or have a clue how deep you are unless you look at the meter.

Utila has been amazing. This is definitely a place to go to if you want to relax, have fun, party, dive, swim, snorkel, sunbath and eat good good food. After being here a bit more than 1 week I feel it is time to move on down south. Haven't yet decided if I will leave tomorrow or not... I tell you it is so easy to miss the ferry and stay another day... " I missed the ferry..."

Will def keep you updated in some days on where I am..... maybe at the bottom of the ocean in the ship wreck. :)

Still in Utila.....

... I might have got stuck in Utila.... Life is just too good here.

Wiiiiiiiiiieeeiiiiieiiiiiiii! :)

How life would be without sand flies...

-It would definitely be less itchy.
-You skin would be silky smooth at all times.
-There would be no need for repellents.
-There would be no heated debates about sand flies.
-You wouldn't be able to google sand flies to find out what their existence really is for.
-At sunset, you would be at total peace.
-You would curse way less.
-You would probably drink less.
-You would maybe smoke less (if you're not a backpacker).
-Hmmm... maybe life wouldn't be so good without sand flies...

Back to school....

... and time to get down and dirty.

After years of snorkling I finally decided that it was time for me to take my diving licence. And where else to take it in the world that on this beautiful island of Utila in Honduras. Here, they have one of the most amazing reefs and it is one of the cheapest places in the world to take the licence, so basically, I didnt even have to think twice about doing this or not.

I have settled pretty well now at the Underwater Vision Diving Center and hostel after a couple of days of sunbathing and drinking rum... so it was about time to get behind the desk and start reading my thick book about diving that my hilarious instructor Dave gave my late last night in between the drinks. So no more rum for a while....

We have quite some theory and videos to go through before we get to do the fun stuff of actually diving. I am really looking forward to discover the underwater world and to offically have my PADI open water diving certificate. http://www.padi.com/scuba/ and go diving wherever I am in the world.

Yoohoooooo.....

Loving the sun and the sea in Utila, Honduras

Finally I have reach the utila in Honduras and I am loving it. Staying at a very nice hostel and diving center with so sweet people. We are like a big family.

We have had really good weather now so the days are spent on the beach or on the piers sunbathing, swimming in the clear caribbean sea and reading. Loving it!

Once I am here I am also gonna take the PADI open water diving certificate. Really looking forward to that.

Jag triva jattebra har pa Utila i Honduras. Livet kudne inte vara battre. Vi har haft soliga hotta dagar med plus 34 grader.... sa skont efter kalla kvallar i Guatemalas berg. Sa dagrana gar till att solbada simma och lasa min bok. AAaahhhhhh...

De har grillad kott ikvall pa menyn och jag e urhungrig sa ska ga och se var min tallrik ar.

xxoo

Garifuna cooking

Had a blast last night cooking the local Garifuna dish called Hubut. Basically a coconut soup with fish and mashed plantains on the side. We made everything from the very basic scratch like opening the cocnuts with a masheta and scouping out the coconut, which we then grined, put in water and squeezed the cocnut milk out of it in the water.... It was quite an interesting cooking class with Rastamesa, drumming, singing, cuba libres, dogs and kids running around in the kitchen hut.... and we got so full eating it all!

One more night.....

Living it in Livingston

After 11 days companionship with the two UK gringos we said our goodbyes this morning as our road has come to an end. They headed up to Belize while Im heading for Honduras. It was a fun time guys. I hope you had a fab time in Caye Caulker and dont forget to go to the Split ;)

As for me I am staying in Livingston for a couple of days. Came here yday with a speedboat up the river through the impressive ¨mongroves¨ and forest. Livingston is an intersting place, somewhat Mayan, somewhat Caribbean. You get the black garifuna people and the Mayan looking Guatemalans all in one place. It is defintely a place to relax and not do much. Hence, my time on the computer today (plus is it kind of rainy today).

I am staying at Casa de los iguanas with a dozen other backpackers just chilling and relaxing and having a buff or two. This is like green heaven... my gosh. Little a´dam indeed. It is cool though....

Tonight I signed up for a Garifuna cooking class and we will make the local dish called Tabado, which is some sort of seafood stew in coconut milk. Will be interesting and mmmmm so good to eat! Last night I had BBQed shrimps and that was just delicous....aaaaah I have missed seafood. Love it!

Rio Dulce, still in Guatemala

The days just fly by. I have now travelled with the Uk gringos for 8 days or so and we have had a really good time I have to say. A lovely Ossie has also joined us from Languin and now we are 4 people travelling. With this pace we will soon be 10 people :)

It is interesing how you meet these random people and connect with them and then go off your own way after a while. I really love backpacking. It is really the kind of life I want to live. You just go wherever the winds take you (or Lonely planet, LOL) stay for as long as you want and you get to see some many things, experience the beautify of the nature and the people and meet so many interesing and like minded people. Ahhhhhh, I like.

So now we are in Rio Dulce, getting closer and closer to the Caribbean sea again (which I truly enjoy), and we are staying at this hostel out on the river/lake. Once can nly get there by boat. It is quite a cool place but run by two grumpy old Swiss guys... However, I enjoyed a really good nights sleep after a buff of ganja and a very soft mattress.

Today we went on a day trip to Finca Paraiso, a beautiful waterfall 1h away. This was by far the best waterfall I have been to in my whole life! Not because it was the highest I have ever seen nor the most beautiful but because the waterfall itself was hot spring water coming down from the mountains into this cold river floating by, so you got the best of both worlds, the ying and yang of waters. We spent a good 3 to 4 hours there just lying under the waterfall enjoying the hot water pouring down on us and once in a while we cooled off by a dipp in the river. AAAAAhhhhhhhhhhh...sooooooooooo relaaaaaaaaaaxing. It was like spending a day at a SPA, a natural spa. Absolutely loved it! And now I am so relaxed that I will sleep like a baby tonight.

Muy Bueno :)

Languin and Semuc Champay, Guatemala

It has been quite a while since I posted anything, I guess I have been busy enjoying life :)

After climbing volcanoes in Antigua me and my two UK gringos took the bus up to Languin. However, it started to rain and got dark so we never reach the village in time and decided to stay one night in Coban. Really not much to do there except for trying to find a good restaurant. Without any luck we ended up in the Guatemalan version of KFC... Pollo Campero. Oh well had to try it ones.

After a cold nights sleep we took the local colectivo (minibus) to Languin and settles in backpacker's heaven El Ritero. This was an amazing hostel located right next to the river with its own sauna, restaurant, and plenty of bungalows. Of course I had to straight away head for the sauna, which was just fantastic! I loved it. Hadn't been in a sauna since October when I was back home in Finland, and with a cold dip in the river it was just perfect. Ahhhhhhh.....

In the coming days, we went bat watching in dark caves, swimming in the river, enjoying some Guatemalan rum, had some wonderful BBQs, discovered some amazing water caves with candles in our hands, went to the beauuuuutiful Semuc Champay where we were swimming and relaxing in natural pools in the middle of the jungle while listning to the monkeys howling like crazy. My friends did the big jump (10m) from a cliff, while I decided to just watch.

I must say Languin and Semuc Champay was one of the best stops so far in Guatemala. I could have stayed there easily for 1 week...

Bless!

Antigua, Guatemala

After a very very very relaxing time in San Marcos and San Pedro at Lake Atitlan, I am back in reality in beautiful Antigua. Met some nice gringos from the UK and the US on the chicken bus to Antigua that I am staying with at the moment at the Black Cat hostel in town.

Antigua is a pretty relaxed place with plenty of gringos walking around. Not too big of a city. REminds me if San Cristobal, just a bit warmer (thank God).

Tomorrow we will climb the famous Pacaya Volcano and hopefully I wont fall into the lava.

I will keep you updated.....

Oh by the way, my new years resolutions this year: To laugh more :)

Happy New Year 2010! Gott Nytt Ar!

Onskar er alla ett aventyrsfullt och relaxande nytt ar!

Wish you all the very best for 2010 :)

My new years was spent at The Flying Pig dancing to the best reggae and enjoying some Cuba Libres while glaring at the Full Moon.

Bless!