My first wild monkey and a trip to Roatan

Yesterday was my last day in La Ceiba, and what better way to spend it than kayaking through a lagoon looking for monkeys! After spending about an hour trying to find an ATM machine that would take my MasterCard (taking Visa next time), I jumped on an old school bus (the most popular mode of transportation in La Ceiba) jam-packed with Hondurans and headed out to the small village of Cacao. From the main road, it was a 2km walk down a dirt road to get to the village. Joel accompanied me until we met the lagoon guide (who didn't speak any English). He grabbed his homemade wooden paddle, and we headed for the lagoon. On the way, he climbed up a cacao tree to get a fruit down for me. The cacao seeds are used to make cocoa. The fruit tastes nothing like chocolate but is quite sweet. 

The "kayak" ended up being a hand-carved canoe, and the guide sat in the back and paddled for me. Unfortunately, it was a bit late in the morning, and it was quite windy, so the monkeys had all retreated to trees further from the water. However, I got some great pictures and did get to see a small monkey family looking for food, some interesting birds, and a creepy looking spider. According to the guide, if you go to the lagoon at night and shine a light on the shore, you will see snakes slithering along and crocodiles surfacing. 

I have to interject for one moment because as I am sitting here writing this blog entry, this creature walked right in front of my chair and startled me. Apparently, I am sitting right in front of his home. He didn't realize I was sitting here, and I think he was more startled than I was. 

After my trip to the lagoon yesterday, I headed to Dunkin' Donuts for A/C and lunch and then off to the mall to get some final souvenirs. After dinner, I packed everything up and hung out with the other volunteers I have met while in La Ceiba. 

This morning, I bade farewell to my host family and took a taxi down to the harbor for my ferry to Roatan. It was a bit of a bumpy ride, but I soaked up the sun and enjoyed the cool breeze. I chatted with a headmaster from Tegucigalpa. He got to practice his English - and I, my Spanish. Once I arrived at Roatan, I was picked up from the ferry by the hotel staff for a 30 minute drive to West End where I am staying tonight and tomorrow night. Lost Paradise Inn is a beautiful place on the outskirts of the town near the path to West Bay (which is famous for its amazing coral reefs). I have my own little building right on the beach, and it's a quick walk to several restaurants and stores. 

I rented some snorkeling equipment in town and took a swim out to the coral reef. It was quite a ways out, and being by myself, I didn't want to stay too long. I did see some really colorful fish and coral, though. My plan is to snorkel some more at West Bay in the morning. I also want to try out the dolphin encounter and check out a park with exotic birds. 

Dinner was at this neat place over the water called "the Barking Monkey." I was the only person there, and they were playing a song on repeat the while time, but the coconut shrimp was delicious!

Well, it's off to bed soon for me so I can get an early rise and take advantage of what should be a great day tomorrow! 

Buenas noches!