Cayos Cochinos

Last weekend was our friend Jenna's 31st birthday. To keep the tradition alive (since we did the same thing last year), we stayed at Helen's Hotel in Sambo Creek for the night and then got up early to head out to Cayos Cochinos, an archipelago in the Bay Islands which is a Marine Biological Reserve off the moutnainous northern coast of Honduras...literally a 45 minute boat ride from La Ceiba (lucky us) http://www.cayoscochinos.com/.

Yesterday, Ken and I got our beach gear ready and headed out to Helen's to spend the day with the rest of the crew. There were about 10 of us that got together to spend the afternoon, evening there enjoying the sunshine and of course some rum and cokes. It began as a cloudy day but luckily the clouds rolled away and the sunshine was able to peak through for most of it.

This could be a "wish you were here" postcard for sure

storm clouds are rolling in

amazing skill.

(insert crazy sound here)

This is legit.

He's flying!

Haha Luke had issues jumping...

The boys being silly.

Then this morning we left the mainland around 8 AM and got to Cayos by 9. We were able to snorkel a bit near one of the big islands which was fantastic. I got to see a few new fish that I had never seen before (one was green and yellow and it had a pattern like a maze...it also looked like it had green eyebrows and its tail was really skinny and long but the rest of the body was fat...I swear...)

(I actually found it online at this website: http://scuba.about.com/od/marinelife/ss/Reef-Fish-Identification-Guide-20-Common-Species-Of-Florida-And-The-Caribbean_14.htm

It's called a Scrawled Cowfish.....YESSSS! )

The whole group :)

Zonked from snorkeling

Carla

Jenna and Elio

Dan

What a beach babe

 After snorkeling for about 45 minutes we walked over to the main island where the pink boa is indigenous to the area. It is supposedly only found on Cayos Cochinos as well, no where else in the world. We were able to see two small ones up in trees which was super cool.

Searching for pink boas

He was a pretty good sized boa

There he goes slithering away

He's staring at you...

Crazy tree with spikes

Can you see it right above my head?

We were able to snorkel at another location before heading to the Garifuna village for lunch of fried fish, rice and beans, and plantains. Most people decided not to go back out snorkeling but me and a few others did. We were the smart ones because I got to see a HUGE stingray! It probably had a span of about 6 feet and it was dark blue/black with blue polka dots. Its tail was REALLY long too! It was probably the biggest one I've seen yet and the closest one. I'm glad it was swimming in the other direction honestly. Lunch was delicious, as always, and afterwards we headed back to La Ceiba before the water got too rough.

This could be a coca-cola commercial...

Me and Carla (she finally made it to Cayos!)

Picture perfect view (I was making a picture with my hands...)

It was bittersweet coming home today knowing that will probably be our last trip out to Cayos but we are fortunate enough to have gone 3 different times and each time we were able to see some really great stuff. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place and so close to all of these natural wonders! I don't think we could have chosen a better place to live these last 2 years.

Sunday Dinner #3

I decided to make tacos tonight but not ordinary tacos....but lettuce cup tacos. We eat tortillas all the time so I felt like something different and out of the ordinary. It was a really simple recipe that I found at www.multiplydelicious.com thanks to pinterest. Here is what you do:

Ingredients:
1 pound beef
1 bell pepper, diced
2-3 green onions, diced
Taco Seasoning (see recipe below)
Lettuce leaves, washed and dried
Fresh Guacamole and Salsa
Cilantro, green onion, and bell pepper for garnishing

Taco Seasoning Recipe:
1 1/2 TBSP chili powder
1 1/2 TBSP ground cumin
1 TBSP paprika
1 TBSP onion powder
1 TBSP garlic powder
2 TSP oregano
1/8 TSP red pepper flakes

Add all the above in a small bowl and mix to combine. (I would recommend using some salt and pepper as well)

Instructions:
1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat cook beef until no longer pink.
2. Add bell pepper and green onion to beef and stir. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until veggies are slightly soft.
3. Add Taco Seasoning and stir until evenly distributed.
4. Scoop beef mixture in to lettuce leaves and garnish as desired.
(If you don't feel like making guacamole, because I didn't, I just added fresh avocado to the top! Sour cream is always great too.)
5. ENJOY! :)

An adventure with my Dad

Last weekend my Dad and I traveled to Utila for a long weekend together...just the 2 of us! Ken was nice enough to hang back so that we could have some quality father/daughter time which was long overdue. It's hard to get all of that one on one time when you are only home for a few weeks at a time in the states around the holidays when everyone else is home too. I was so fortunate that he was able to come hang with me in Honduras for a few days.

We left on the ferry Friday morning and arrived in Utila around 10:30. After finding a hotel to stay in and grabbing some lunch we began exploring the island together (the one long main road that is). My dad became accustomed to the distinct smells of Utila rather quickly as well as the numerous run down buildings that line the streets. It is a nice island however the 4-wheelers and motorbikes overtake the small road making it hard to walk in peace. We relaxed at the beach for part of the afternoon before heading to a dive center for my dad to take a "crash course in diving" class for his discovery scuba lesson. We planned on going out for a few dives the next day together so that he could try scuba diving and see if it was something that he would enjoy doing. Dinner that night was at a great fish fry place called RJ's which is only open 3 days a week. We got lucky that it was open once when we were there. I got to try a king fish and my dad had the barracuda which both were delicious! It was also a full meal with rice, beans, salad, and of course some Salva Vidas.

Enjoying some rays

La Ceiba in the distance

Daddy/Daughter love

The next morning we got up early to head out to the dock for our dives. We left around 7:30 and were in the water by 8. My Dad quickly learned that scuba diving wasn't for him. He had some trouble equalizing his ears which makes it very difficult to descend underwater but he did finally make it about 15 feet under to practice some skills with me. The second dive I went on was just me and the instructor and it was very relaxing. A bit disappointed though that I didn't get to see anything outrageous, especially since some people got to see a HUGE sting ray (about 8 feet long they say). I just wasn't at the right place at the right time. The rest of the day was devoted to relaxing, napping, and eating. We went to a few different restaurants for some drinks while the sun was setting over the Caribbean before ending up at a great little italian restaurant for dinner. It was an early night once again for us since we both aren't night owls.

Getting the gear ready to dive

Woohoo!

View at lunch from the bakery

What a sunset!

On Sunday morning, our last day, we woke up early and walked to the other end of the main road to an old double story dock. The snorkeling is amazing here and we had the whole place to ourselves since it was so early. Although it was a bit wavy, we were able to enjoy ourselves in the water and we saw so many fish. It was the most I had ever seen. There were so many different types that I had never even seen before which was really cool. My dad also swam over a sting ray without knowing it and I was lucky enough to see it since I was behind him. It was really cool! It was a crystal clear day and you were able to see everything! We headed back on the afternoon ferry through all the waves (yuck!) but luckily neither one of us got sick (just keep your eyes on the horizon...thanks dad!).

It was an awesome weekend getaway and I had such a great time with my dad. Now I can't wait for my mom and John to visit us in 4 weeks!!