We are all enjoying our last few hours on the beach together so of course no one wants to drag themselves to the computer to write a lot! But rest assured that we have been enjoying Roatan and all it has to offer. We are all now officially scuba certified, so a few of us took advantage by going on a night dive last night and/or a shipwreck dive this morning with our scuba instructor Tony whose skill in the water is surpassed only by his ripped body. A few days ago we had a photographer come underwater with us so those pictures are attached. Points to whoever can identify who is who! In between dives we have been putting the final polish on our tans, enjoying our last smoothies and shrimp meals at our favorite restaurant Earth Mama and having some closing activities/discussions to prepare us for the SHOCK of seeing all of our loved ones at home. We have our final supper on the beach tonight and then tomorrow it’s to the airport to begin our odysseys home. Thanks to Carpe Diem, Allison and Benji, and all of the people who have supported us from afar on this three month journey!

It’s crazy that we are on our last adventure here in Roatan Honduras. The trip has been awesome and we have all learned so much. Now here we are in our final days getting scuba certified. We all love it so much thus far. We’ve already been on three dives and seen so much including three sea turtles! We also saw a green moray eel and many more fish and coral. It honestly feels like being Nemo when you swim off the coral shelf into the empty blue water I can’t even describe it. We are all looking forward to seeing the familiar faces at home but are having a great time this last week scuba diving. We have also really enjoyed trying the different smoothies around here. Our rooms are right on the water and all have hammocks. We are in such paradise that we can’t be on the computer bye!

Blake and Ana

Our week at the turtle project is officially over after one turtle sighting and lots of sightings of other critters, including a scorpion in our dorm room last night. Our day in Samara was ideal, allowing all of us to enjoy swimming in some calm ocean water until the high tide chased us off of the sand. After visiting what is now our favorite chain smoothie joint, we headed back to Camaronal and hung out for the rest of the night because our last patrol had been on Saturday night. This morning, we departed for San Jose after some surprisingly sad goodbyes with the new friends we had made with the volunteers and staff at Camaronal. Not only were they a lot of fun to hang out with, they answered all of our turtle related questions so helpfully and taught us a lot about patrolling and protecting the species. So not sighting of the giant baula, or leatherback turtle, but a good week nonetheless.

We are in San Jose now, spending a few days in the big bustling city before departing to Roatan. We thought we had until Thursday to see San Jose and the surrounding areas but we are actually leaving on Wednesday so we have to scrap our plans to climb a volcano. Instead we will enjoy our awesome BUG FREE hostel with a great kitchen for us to cook group dinners and plenty of hammocks. For those who haven´t heard, hammocks have become a big concern among our group. When the supply of hammocks is small, the demand seems to be very high and it is a fierce fight to get a spot. Thankfully, that shouldn´t be a big worry here in San Jose.

Sorry we´ve been off the map for a few days…we have been on a turtle conservation reserve on a relatively remote beach for the past week. Although our conditions have been a bit rustic, we´ve really been enjoying helping out the project. During the day, we do various work around the project- painting fences, tending to the volunteer center and garbage pickup. Then the fun starts at night! Each of us is assigned to a 2-3 hour shift each night during which we patrol the beach for turtles or their nests. We help identify and record anything we see and if we get there in time, move the nests to protect them from raccoons or poachers. There are four types of turtles that lay eggs on this beach- black turtles, olive ridley, leatherbacks and hawksbills. We have learned to identify them based on the number of nails they have on their fins and the number of scales they have on their backs. This is the low season though, so there are rarely more than 3 or 4 turtles a night. Despite our best efforts, only Kira and Jessie have been lucky enough to see a live turtle- they saw a large black turtle last night. The rest of us have only seen nests and tracks.
However, there is no shortage of wildlife on this reserve. Our dormitory is populated by a herd of purple and red crabs and the occasional lizard. One night, Jessie, Allison and Jana saw a dead possum washed up on the beach – possibly one of the ugliest creatures of all time. There are also a herd of cows that live near the beach, an old wild horse who hangs around, and a few frogs every night. And of course, there are mosquitos…there are always mosquitos!

We are spending the day today relaxing in Samara, a nearby beach town where the waves are NOT six feet tall. (On the reserve, the waves are huge and powerful…let´s just say that now we know what clothes in a washing machine feel like!) Tomorrow, we are leaving for San Jose for a few days of exploring the city and climbing a volcano before it´s on to Roatan for SCUBA!

Hey everyone!

Our stay in Monteverde has been quite fantastic. Yesterday we all went ziplining over the cloud forest, a total of 15 ziplines including one called SUPERMAN in which we sped high above the forest suspended in a superman-like position. It was the closest we will ever come to flying, or most of us anyway. The highlight was a 120 foot drop at the end, notoriously named the Tarzan Swing. Although some of us have an intense fear of heights, we all made the precarious jump and instantly felt the awesome effects of adrenaline. It was definitely a good team building exercise; the fear of peeing your pants always brings people together. It was also hilarious to predict and hear everyone’s scream, or lack thereof.

Today we went to the beautiful reserve of Monteverde. The cloud forest was incredible and we all got up at 5:30 am to get the best experience possible. Apparently, the earlier the better in terms of animal sightings. Included in our repitoire of animal sightings were a female Quetzal bird, Guan birds, and millipedes. We were mostly silent to appreciate the beauty around us. Tomorrow we set out for Playa Samara to participate in the turtle conservation project. We hope to see turtles!
Only 16 days left, it’s actually unbelievable.
Until later,
Jessie and Meg

We began the week traveling from Leon, Nicaragua to Playa Potrero, Costa Rica – beginning our day at the fabulous Pan y Paz Bakery in Nicaragua before crossing the border by foot into Costa Rica. This week we planned our volunteer project and activities without the assistance of the leaders. We have been volunteering with an organization called Abriendo Mentes, helping with the English classes in the afternoon with children from kindergarten to sixth grade. It has been a welcomed change to transition from the role of student to teacher, especially after daily classes in the almost unbearable heat of Leon.

This week we are staying with families once again, which we have all enjoyed. Lunch isn’t provided so we have been doing some culinary experimentation with the local produce. It is amazing how many days a bag of vegetables can get you through. Yesterday, some of us participated in a yoga class at one of the hotels along the beach. All who were there began the day both relaxed and invigorated by the practice which becomes that much more enjoyable when there is a beach view and the sound of the ocean.

Today is Friday Fun Day at the school where we will participate in Easter themed activities, including a water balloon hunt and bunny ears. Since our Easter in Leon was a bit lacking, this is our opportunity to engage in activities that truly highlight the spirit of Easter… hunting random objects and pretending to be rabbits. Kidding aside, we are really looking forward to the day and the possibility of sunset yoga tonight with the instructor from yesterday.

Tomorrow morning we will head to Monteverde for a few days, where we will zip line and explore the reserve.

Meg & Jessie

It is Semana Santa this week! We have all been settling into our host families here in Leon and are enrolled in our new school Dariana Santa for this week. There was a procession featuring Saint Benedict on Monday which most of us viewed from afar. Our days here consist of school in the morning until 12 and then free time to participate in activities such as museum time, spanish movies, yoga, and exploration of the city. It is the second hottest city in Central America, so a siesta in the afternoons are almost always necessary. Most of have fans in our rooms and use them during all times of the day. There is a French bakery near the school complete with crossaints, chocolate mousse cake, and delicious tortes. Until later,
Jessie and Blake

After a long and complicated day of travel (some of us flying through three different countries), we arrived in Managua, Nicaragua. From there, we traveled by land to Parque Maderas in San Juan del Sur. The family style meals at Tyler’s place has been nothing short of spectacular or, as Yuri describes it, “heaven.” Favorite dishes have included grilled chicken, chicken parm pasta and an amazing assortment of cooked veggies (including a curried version).

We have been volunteering daily building a structure that will store tools and recycling bins at a local sports park. New skills include manual concrete mixing, hammering, sawing and using power tools. Sometimes there isn’t enough work for everyone, so Yuri leads the group in a tough ab workout (formally known as camp Yuri or Yuri boot-camp) or we go for a quick swim. In the afternoons, we have been spending time relaxing and learning to surf at the beach. Morning yoga has continued at Parque Maderas and we spent time touring Tyler’s property and learning about sustainable living.

We are sad to find that our time here has been going very quickly, but we’re excited to get back to Spanish school in Leon.

Until next time,
Meg & Yuri

It´s officially our last day in Guatemala- we´re off to Nicaragua tomorrow. Although we will all miss Nicaragua, we are also excited to explore a new culture.

We definitely made the most of our last few days in Guatemala. On Thursday, we bought some paint and headed out to a rural community to help paint the basketball court at the local school. We worked alongside the students to paint the lines and our resident artists Allison and Jessie even painted an awesome Tazmanian Devil in the middle of the court (in case you were wondering, the design was chosen by the teachers at the school). In the meantime, Ana and Jana also joined in a futbol game with some of the local men- we think we showed them that girls can play too!

On Friday, we went to Tikal, Guatemala´s number one tourist site. Tikal was one of the great Mayan sites, and the ruins were awesome to explore. Besides the numerous temples and acropolises that were helpfully explained by our guide Edin, Tikal is teeming with wildlife. We got to see crocodiles, rare tropical birds, and the bravest among us even held a tarantula. However, the highlight was definitely the howler monkeys who ¨enjoy defecating on the heads of tourists in order to prove their dominance.¨ While we avoided that treat, we are definitely all convinced that they are really the second loudest animal in the world. Their howls sound more like a lion than a primate!

This morning we did our early morning exercises for the first time and exchanged goodbyes and gifts with our host family. It is always so sad to say goodbye to people who have treated you with such kindness and caring. We took a bus ride out to Yaxha, a more remote Mayan ruins. To be honest, most of us liked Yaxha as much or better than Tikal- it´s definitely not as humid and there aren´t as many other tourists. We spent a relaxing day walking through the jungle and climbing among the temples, and now we are back in Flores to spend the night before our flight to Nicaragua early tomorrow.