Wowza I went on the boat for one week and eight weeks later ended up working six, having dengue for one and Hurrican Felix mucking up the other. All and all everything is fabulous now. Time really flies when you're on 24/7 for 6 weeks and you really learn a lot. Courtney and spent last week working together and now he is on with another new guy. I'm pretty sure we're testing the captain and the first mate's patience with the learning curve. Next week it is going to be all three newbies so I'll let you all know how that goes. A typical day on board is jumping in at 7:30 to tie up the boat then an 8:00 dive then deck duty, then serve lunch. Move and tie up again, deck duty, and dive for the afternoon. If you are the night diver you get eat dinner with the guests and typically you skip your afternoon dive. With taking pictures both topside and underwater, cleaning, and generally keeping the guests happy your day is full. Needless to say I sleep really well and I've only woken up once in the galley 'sleep eating' some bread and another instance in which I fell/ jumped out of my bunk during a nightmare. The chef, steward, and the 2 divemasters all stay in one cabin about the size of most people's bathrooms with our toilet and shower next door. It is literally impossible for us to all be standing in our cabin at the same time however we have just enough space for sleeping and storing our stuff. Fortunately the chef and steward are really friendly and we have been getting on really well. Diving has been incredible and we got to swim with dolphins, whalesharks and manta rays. Putting so much time in underwater you start seeing things that you never spotted before which is amazing for oneself and keeps guests happy. Week before last we had a underwater photography school on and I got to sit in on lessons that people were paying big bucks for which was a bonus. Soon I will Photopro all on my own and resposible for taking all the photos for the week.
Courtney is taking this week off from diving but working the deck wearing finger protection. He is hoping next week he will be in the water. He had an x ray this week and there is some nail growth which no one expected! Gotta run but hope to write more this week while I'm off. Hope all is well with everyone!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Utila - High and Dry
So we are both out of the water in Utila.
My hand is coming along well, it went out on it's first drunken night and didn't get hurt, a big bonus and due to a lack of funds at the moment, it won't be happening too much.
But Meagan, she, the poor gal, has had a bout of Dengue Fever. Doesn't that sound like fun?! A few people have had it, and luckily it seems to be a milder strain than the Colombian horror stories I'd heard about. You basically end up in bed for a week or more with a crazy fever and then get a bit cranky and itch for the last few days. So the poor girl has not been the best at all, but she is definitely on the mend.
Internet is down at our shop on the island as well so all those skype calls I promised will have to wait a little bit.
We really don't have too much news, all we've done is bum about and rest up. We did have to try and dodge hurricane felix. Utila was evacuated and then the hurricane just puffed itself out and was no problem at all. It actually looked like for a moment that the place we had evacuated to, where my doctor was, was going to be flooded worse than the islands as the hurricane changed directions, but never fear it all worked out okay.
well best be off, much love to all
My hand is coming along well, it went out on it's first drunken night and didn't get hurt, a big bonus and due to a lack of funds at the moment, it won't be happening too much.
But Meagan, she, the poor gal, has had a bout of Dengue Fever. Doesn't that sound like fun?! A few people have had it, and luckily it seems to be a milder strain than the Colombian horror stories I'd heard about. You basically end up in bed for a week or more with a crazy fever and then get a bit cranky and itch for the last few days. So the poor girl has not been the best at all, but she is definitely on the mend.
Internet is down at our shop on the island as well so all those skype calls I promised will have to wait a little bit.
We really don't have too much news, all we've done is bum about and rest up. We did have to try and dodge hurricane felix. Utila was evacuated and then the hurricane just puffed itself out and was no problem at all. It actually looked like for a moment that the place we had evacuated to, where my doctor was, was going to be flooded worse than the islands as the hurricane changed directions, but never fear it all worked out okay.
well best be off, much love to all
Sunday, September 2, 2007
no more hand modeling
So we're both back together (yeah!) in Utila and Meagan is on the Aggressor this week while I am on some extended shore leave; I blame meagan's laziness for not blogging in the last week. She just bummed about Utila town and as she is not able to read this blog for a week, or so, i'll get away with saying this.
All is great with our new job, i loved my time on the vessel and i know meagan will do as well.
The only major hitch we (actually, just I) have right now is that i smashed my fingers in a weather tight door after just a couple of days and am out of work for two months. Even the doctor said I did a good job of it.
So although i am typing one handed i will try to give a little story for those that want to know other wise it is pretty safe to say that i am lucky to still gave the ends of my middle and ring finger on my left hand.
Early in the morning i went up to the wheel house to talk to the captain, opened the big metal door, was knocked off balance by a little wave put my hands out to steady my self and then... bang! the door slammed shut on my fingers. So i found my fingers jammed in hinge side of a door that is designed to have nothing come through it in even the biggest of storms.
I'll take photos soon and put them up on the blog...or maybe not.
So we headed to the nearest hospital, about 90 minutes away, where they did nothing but scare me at the level of service and expertise. So my lovely boss had his plane fly out and pick me up, fly me to San Pedro Sula, have a friend pick me up and drive me to another hospital where his surgeon friend did a great job of piecing the ends of my fingers back together. I was very very very grateful for his help. It was the only time i got a bit teary, when Shara (a co-worker from the boat) was describing all that had been organised and was about to happen. I felt tears well up in gratitude and then they soon abated before leaving my eyes as the bills started to get written up.
After 5 days in hospital, surgery, a bunch of drugs and bandages; my hand is still bleeding a little bit but i have all my fingers. What is going to work and what it will all look like is a bit unknown, but it will depend on making sure that i don't get an infection and i stay still and relaxed. I thought about coming home.... and then realised that i'd probably just be more bummed about not being able to drink, hike, party and shave fisky, baz and wises eyebrows off.
So i'll be here for a bit, in and out of hospitals and reading and studying about fishes. Probably trying to improve my spanish as well.
I hope everyone is good, i don't have much to do over the next few weeks so if you have a skype account or a phone number send it to me and i'll be in touch, cheap internet phone calls, and bad movies will dominate my life for the next little while.
much love to all,
Courtney
PS - i won't be here when the hurricane (Felix) hits, and meagan will be safe with the boat, so don't worry too much... but still throw an odd pray in for the hurricane to lift and head north.
All is great with our new job, i loved my time on the vessel and i know meagan will do as well.
The only major hitch we (actually, just I) have right now is that i smashed my fingers in a weather tight door after just a couple of days and am out of work for two months. Even the doctor said I did a good job of it.
So although i am typing one handed i will try to give a little story for those that want to know other wise it is pretty safe to say that i am lucky to still gave the ends of my middle and ring finger on my left hand.
Early in the morning i went up to the wheel house to talk to the captain, opened the big metal door, was knocked off balance by a little wave put my hands out to steady my self and then... bang! the door slammed shut on my fingers. So i found my fingers jammed in hinge side of a door that is designed to have nothing come through it in even the biggest of storms.
I'll take photos soon and put them up on the blog...or maybe not.
So we headed to the nearest hospital, about 90 minutes away, where they did nothing but scare me at the level of service and expertise. So my lovely boss had his plane fly out and pick me up, fly me to San Pedro Sula, have a friend pick me up and drive me to another hospital where his surgeon friend did a great job of piecing the ends of my fingers back together. I was very very very grateful for his help. It was the only time i got a bit teary, when Shara (a co-worker from the boat) was describing all that had been organised and was about to happen. I felt tears well up in gratitude and then they soon abated before leaving my eyes as the bills started to get written up.
After 5 days in hospital, surgery, a bunch of drugs and bandages; my hand is still bleeding a little bit but i have all my fingers. What is going to work and what it will all look like is a bit unknown, but it will depend on making sure that i don't get an infection and i stay still and relaxed. I thought about coming home.... and then realised that i'd probably just be more bummed about not being able to drink, hike, party and shave fisky, baz and wises eyebrows off.
So i'll be here for a bit, in and out of hospitals and reading and studying about fishes. Probably trying to improve my spanish as well.
I hope everyone is good, i don't have much to do over the next few weeks so if you have a skype account or a phone number send it to me and i'll be in touch, cheap internet phone calls, and bad movies will dominate my life for the next little while.
much love to all,
Courtney
PS - i won't be here when the hurricane (Felix) hits, and meagan will be safe with the boat, so don't worry too much... but still throw an odd pray in for the hurricane to lift and head north.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Turtle Love
Well I thought I best write to you all with news of turtle love. Congratulations! You all have an adopted turtle to love. You don´t need to donate money, or anything really, but Meagan and I thought that buying everyone a turtle was far better idea that just some stupid fluro pink Panama singlet top. Although I know that some people maybe gutted that they won´t get the top. Kathy particularly.
So you´re turtles name is Ashima. It´s from the book The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri (I know I must have spelt her name wrong), a wonderful read and a talented author (her book of short stories, Interpreter of Meladies, is as equally brilliant). Now this name, Ashima, means something very cool in Bengali, but I can´t remember what. Someone read the book and get back to me can you.
The Turtle is a female Green Sea Turtle that was tagged in 2004. If you want to check out the work of the organisation doing great work here and in other areas of the caribbean, check out www.cccturtle.org, I have a certificate and everything!
The past few days have been long with travel and rich with experiences. Last night I saw a female green turtle laying eggs and then waddle and puff back to the ocean. It would have been even better if it weren´t for the 6 israeli´s that would not shut up. Be especially annoying as it was all in deep gutteral hebrew.
This turtle was huge, about the size of two Svenos. No joke. For those of you in Tasmania you´ll realise how big this is and as I´m sure sveno will never read this, I´m sure I´m safe in saying so. Honestly, it was massive. Even the young gal from california beside me at one stage said... "Like, Oh my god! That thing is totally huge. Is that its head up there? No way! It must be like at least 400 pounds." Unfortunately God/Nature/Allah had not endowed her with 400 brain cells (or looks to make up for it, before some of you ask).
Aside from having to hang out with twits, the nature side of things was awesome. I got to look in as the turtle layed the eggs, covered it´s little nest, then covered and disguised it´s 2 metre wide body hole, before hauling her worn out and completely non-terrestrial self back to the ocean. Then today and yesterday on the boat rides, plus the canoe tour at 6am this morning; I saw... Crocodiles, Caimans, Toucans, Herons, Iguanas, a River Otter (!!!!!), Spider Monkeys, Howler Monkeys and my favourite, the three-toed sloth. No doubt I have forgotten some creature but this is all I could remember and I just had to write and tell you all. Especially the poor souls in a Tassie (or Victorian) winter right now.
Well, quite obviously everthing is just fine and dandy with me. Heading back up to Honduras right now, it´s going to take a couple of days. I´m looking forward to work and getting in the water. Hope everyone is well, all my love and cuddles.
Cap´n Turtle Courtney.
So you´re turtles name is Ashima. It´s from the book The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri (I know I must have spelt her name wrong), a wonderful read and a talented author (her book of short stories, Interpreter of Meladies, is as equally brilliant). Now this name, Ashima, means something very cool in Bengali, but I can´t remember what. Someone read the book and get back to me can you.
The Turtle is a female Green Sea Turtle that was tagged in 2004. If you want to check out the work of the organisation doing great work here and in other areas of the caribbean, check out www.cccturtle.org, I have a certificate and everything!
The past few days have been long with travel and rich with experiences. Last night I saw a female green turtle laying eggs and then waddle and puff back to the ocean. It would have been even better if it weren´t for the 6 israeli´s that would not shut up. Be especially annoying as it was all in deep gutteral hebrew.
This turtle was huge, about the size of two Svenos. No joke. For those of you in Tasmania you´ll realise how big this is and as I´m sure sveno will never read this, I´m sure I´m safe in saying so. Honestly, it was massive. Even the young gal from california beside me at one stage said... "Like, Oh my god! That thing is totally huge. Is that its head up there? No way! It must be like at least 400 pounds." Unfortunately God/Nature/Allah had not endowed her with 400 brain cells (or looks to make up for it, before some of you ask).
Aside from having to hang out with twits, the nature side of things was awesome. I got to look in as the turtle layed the eggs, covered it´s little nest, then covered and disguised it´s 2 metre wide body hole, before hauling her worn out and completely non-terrestrial self back to the ocean. Then today and yesterday on the boat rides, plus the canoe tour at 6am this morning; I saw... Crocodiles, Caimans, Toucans, Herons, Iguanas, a River Otter (!!!!!), Spider Monkeys, Howler Monkeys and my favourite, the three-toed sloth. No doubt I have forgotten some creature but this is all I could remember and I just had to write and tell you all. Especially the poor souls in a Tassie (or Victorian) winter right now.
Well, quite obviously everthing is just fine and dandy with me. Heading back up to Honduras right now, it´s going to take a couple of days. I´m looking forward to work and getting in the water. Hope everyone is well, all my love and cuddles.
Cap´n Turtle Courtney.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
By myself
You know you are on the caribbean coat when they put coconut milk in the rice and beans. Well I'm in Costa Rica right now, traveling by myself. It's definitely a different feeling, but I was blessed enough to be traveling with a cool crew of people I met on the farm and we stuck together for about a week.
But first, the farm. It was hysterical at worst. Between making friends with the town drunks, milking cows with Ronald and hearing one of americas finest state that "I thought only the old school people spoke french in Canada" (there's actually a whole provence that tried for independence); i definitely laughed very very hard. a lot. deep laughs that were very very good for me. The farm was a great place and apparently i loved it so much i donated my trusty head lamp. bugger. But at least it is in a good place.
From the farm I set forth with Josh, Karissa y Francais. To the caribbean coast we went and a fun time we had. Free avocados dictated our diets, and whilst Francais tried to recruit people for his french separatist movement back in Quebec , the rest of us enjoyed the beautiful beaches and chilled out atmosphere. Puerto Viejo was great fun we rented bikes (francais crashed his, and nearly had the rest of us die in laughter) and snorkeled a beautiful beach in Manzanillo.
After a few days on the coast we headed to Bocas del Toro for a few more days of relaxation, whilst francais tried to grow his army. We had a great time there on little Basimentos. Great food and any tropical island with 50 cent beers gets my vote of approval. the coco bread, pan dulces and cheap lifestyle was a welcome retreat from Costa Ricas stupid high prices. Damn gringos. We also saw strawberry poison dart frogs!! Unfortunately we heard news of MASSIVE development projects attempting to get underway on Bastimentos right now and i fear this little paradise will soon look like the big isla, isla colon or any other stretch of Costa Rican beach front property... over run with horrible trashy homes. The beaches there were gorgeous, but maybe the frogs won't last much longer; in vain irony to just how splendid an environ they wallow in.
So now i'm back in the land of high prices and really looking forward to tomorrow. I'm heading up to Tortugero a national park where a bunch of turtles come to nest each year. I will be one of many whitey touristas but it been is something i've been looking forward to for a while. I know meagan will really miss this bit, so i won't talk about it too much.
I've laughed a lot over the past few days and life on the road has been fun, but only a week before i meet up with Meagan again... and that i am looking forward to a lot. It was great to travel with Josh, Karrisa and Fran; but new adventures await in Honduras. I can't believe the new job opportunity. Sorry Alpal, you're right I'll be swimming in bath water whilst you are trotting to work each morning in more clothing than i have with me.
hope everyone is well. If you get the chance, buy, borrow, steal or loan out a great book called "three cups of tea" by greg mortenson and some other author dude, a brilliant read and idea in todays tough world with the "war on terrorism".
But first, the farm. It was hysterical at worst. Between making friends with the town drunks, milking cows with Ronald and hearing one of americas finest state that "I thought only the old school people spoke french in Canada" (there's actually a whole provence that tried for independence); i definitely laughed very very hard. a lot. deep laughs that were very very good for me. The farm was a great place and apparently i loved it so much i donated my trusty head lamp. bugger. But at least it is in a good place.
From the farm I set forth with Josh, Karissa y Francais. To the caribbean coast we went and a fun time we had. Free avocados dictated our diets, and whilst Francais tried to recruit people for his french separatist movement back in Quebec , the rest of us enjoyed the beautiful beaches and chilled out atmosphere. Puerto Viejo was great fun we rented bikes (francais crashed his, and nearly had the rest of us die in laughter) and snorkeled a beautiful beach in Manzanillo.
After a few days on the coast we headed to Bocas del Toro for a few more days of relaxation, whilst francais tried to grow his army. We had a great time there on little Basimentos. Great food and any tropical island with 50 cent beers gets my vote of approval. the coco bread, pan dulces and cheap lifestyle was a welcome retreat from Costa Ricas stupid high prices. Damn gringos. We also saw strawberry poison dart frogs!! Unfortunately we heard news of MASSIVE development projects attempting to get underway on Bastimentos right now and i fear this little paradise will soon look like the big isla, isla colon or any other stretch of Costa Rican beach front property... over run with horrible trashy homes. The beaches there were gorgeous, but maybe the frogs won't last much longer; in vain irony to just how splendid an environ they wallow in.
So now i'm back in the land of high prices and really looking forward to tomorrow. I'm heading up to Tortugero a national park where a bunch of turtles come to nest each year. I will be one of many whitey touristas but it been is something i've been looking forward to for a while. I know meagan will really miss this bit, so i won't talk about it too much.
I've laughed a lot over the past few days and life on the road has been fun, but only a week before i meet up with Meagan again... and that i am looking forward to a lot. It was great to travel with Josh, Karrisa and Fran; but new adventures await in Honduras. I can't believe the new job opportunity. Sorry Alpal, you're right I'll be swimming in bath water whilst you are trotting to work each morning in more clothing than i have with me.
hope everyone is well. If you get the chance, buy, borrow, steal or loan out a great book called "three cups of tea" by greg mortenson and some other author dude, a brilliant read and idea in todays tough world with the "war on terrorism".
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Back home again in IN
Crazy, exciting, and unexpected opportunities have come our way. The dive shop that we did our divemaster and assistant instructor has offered jobs on their live aboard boat the Utila Agressor! It is still all just sinking in as we prepare to start on August 25th. We will have some amazing work schedules. Courtney being on the boat for 5 weeks and off for 3 and mine being more flexible but something similiar maybe 4 on 4 off. Besides getting to dive everyday in the Caribbean we are planning to travel in our breaks. At the moment I am feeling like one lucky lady because I also got the opportunity to come home before work and visit with my family. I got to meet Kylee my new cousin (who is absolutely adorable) and road trip with family from California and Texas. We drove from Indiana to Wisconsin and for those of you who don't know Midwestern US geography it is a good haul. Well worth the journey to watch cousin Justin play in the collegiate summer league.
For the time being I'm soaking up Midwest life... a little slower, more humid, and more consumer driven than I remember (I swear malls are starting to surround my home). Naturally I've been taking advantage of the family garden and cooking all sorts of fresh food with the novel ingredients you can only get in the developed world. All I have left to do is get ready to go back to Honduras on the 21st. Hope everyone's summer/winter has been treating them well and everyone is taking a little time for themselves. Keep us posted by leaving a message, much love to all!
For the time being I'm soaking up Midwest life... a little slower, more humid, and more consumer driven than I remember (I swear malls are starting to surround my home). Naturally I've been taking advantage of the family garden and cooking all sorts of fresh food with the novel ingredients you can only get in the developed world. All I have left to do is get ready to go back to Honduras on the 21st. Hope everyone's summer/winter has been treating them well and everyone is taking a little time for themselves. Keep us posted by leaving a message, much love to all!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Scorpions and Hospitals
Well, you know how we usually write and say that well not much has really happened bla bla bla, well after the last blog we were walking through a park and i was stung by a Scorpion. Some how it was on my jacket right near my chest/heart area and i didn't see it when i went to unzip it a little. Damn it hurt. A real intense throbbing, deep ache and then swelling so as i couldn't move my finger. Thankfully it was just my finger. It was a big bugger too and I had no idea what to do. We took off for the nearby pharmacy which gave us directions to a nearby clinic. There, we were in and out in under an hour and a half. In that time I was registered, seen by a doctor, given two jabs, one in the butt and one in the arm, and handed a bunch of drugs. They treated me with spanglish speaking doctors and pharmacists.
The worst thing about it all was that when i was told i was going to have to have the injections we went to the pharmacy and Thought that one of the two hot young pharmaists was going to have to jab my butt, but luckily there was a nice little older nurse, and my ego is still intact (I write as if it was ever in danger).
At the end of it all I asked the lovely lady doctor where do i pay and it was all for free! The Australian and most definitely the American medical systems could learn a huge thing or two about efficiency, service quality and cost. I'm thankful this happened in Costa Rica.
And i'm okay, the drugs made me all weird (or just weirder i guess) and then i went to sleep.
So yeah, not much has been happening, just cruising around, safe and well. Hope the rest of you are just as well. Take care everyone, love to all
Hensley, when the hair starts falling from my head and accumulating on my back and shoulders in the density of your own body, or when Cleo lists you as one of Australia´s hottest young professionals, then i´ll listen to your advice about vanity and hair styles.
Wescombe, I think the fact that you are still talking about goon bags and trying to do your phD means that maybe i shouldn't listen to you at all, ever. And as for manning up? Unfortunately I've hand to punch or shove a bunch of weird guys in Nicaragua either grabing at meagan or our pockets. Meagan tries to kick them but her legs are too short. So that's where the angry rugby player is. Like the brilliant first 3 minute foul against fisher in 2000, i can still go from focused to overly angry in under 2 seconds.
love you both
The worst thing about it all was that when i was told i was going to have to have the injections we went to the pharmacy and Thought that one of the two hot young pharmaists was going to have to jab my butt, but luckily there was a nice little older nurse, and my ego is still intact (I write as if it was ever in danger).
At the end of it all I asked the lovely lady doctor where do i pay and it was all for free! The Australian and most definitely the American medical systems could learn a huge thing or two about efficiency, service quality and cost. I'm thankful this happened in Costa Rica.
And i'm okay, the drugs made me all weird (or just weirder i guess) and then i went to sleep.
So yeah, not much has been happening, just cruising around, safe and well. Hope the rest of you are just as well. Take care everyone, love to all
Hensley, when the hair starts falling from my head and accumulating on my back and shoulders in the density of your own body, or when Cleo lists you as one of Australia´s hottest young professionals, then i´ll listen to your advice about vanity and hair styles.
Wescombe, I think the fact that you are still talking about goon bags and trying to do your phD means that maybe i shouldn't listen to you at all, ever. And as for manning up? Unfortunately I've hand to punch or shove a bunch of weird guys in Nicaragua either grabing at meagan or our pockets. Meagan tries to kick them but her legs are too short. So that's where the angry rugby player is. Like the brilliant first 3 minute foul against fisher in 2000, i can still go from focused to overly angry in under 2 seconds.
love you both
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