STILL CAYOS COCHINOS
Plantation Beach Dive Resort at Cayo Grande in the Cayos Cochinos is the kind of dive resort Dan and I visited a few times in the way long ago. We bought a great dinner there and met the dive instructors and “hold down the fort team”; knowledgeable, young people from England and the US playing Jack of all Trades while having a scientific background and love for the beauty of the sea and land of Cochinos. Plantation had the same quality establishment kind of feel we recalled from Posada del Sol a place Dan had enjoyed diving and I snorkeling but also the fabulous accommodations and nature trails. Last month we sailed through Guanaja to Graham’s Caye and passed the property of Posada del Sol, situated on the coast of Guanaja. Residents told us Posada had closed, as many businesses did, “after hurricane Mitch” in 1999. Since dive is King on the Bay Islands, I think some divers who would like a quieter atmosphere than Utila or Roatan usually provide with their tacky shops and mediocre accommodations should take the time to check out Plantation Beach Resort as this lovely spot has lots of unique sea life; turtles, rays and great variety of colorful corals.
Isla Chachaute is a small habitated island in the Cayos Cochinos. Our visit there was by dinghy from the Cochino Grande anchorage and so very different from the tranquility of the snorkeling and hike we did near Plantation Beach Resort, that I thought I would mention it separately. Garifuna people are inhabitants of that island and many of the mainland areas of Honduras. The Garifuna are the descendants of slaves or escaped slaves who settled along the Caribbean coast. I have no real information about their culture, but from what I have read it is said these people black skinned people are proud, reclusive and make music and dance as part of their culture.
Cayos Cochinos, being a National Marine Park, limits fishing to three to five miles around the area; three miles for non-motor powered vessels and five for fishing boats with motors. I’m not sure if the Garifuna have special privileges for taking fish within the park so since 1993 there must have been great impact on their usual fishing lives. It seems to me that the Garifuna of Chachaute with its brilliant blue waters, sandy beach, and close coral reefs has filled the gap in subsistence island living. They allow tourist visits; providing typical restaurants and a good time for folks who take the tour boats from La Ceiba, or the Bay Islands. Boatloads of very pale folks for whom sunscreen can’t control the rays at noon, visit a different culture, swim and have a great, relatively inexpensive lunch, where they are treated to a walk around the island to view the palapa-style palm frond roofed homes behind the painted, wooden planked restaurants. In about two hours they reenter the boats and return-maybe to tour ships. Dan and I enjoyed our visit. Our lunch was freshly cooked on an outside wood fire, whole “red snapper”, served with beans and rice- and gawking at the other tourists. Here are some pics of the tiny, busy island and the dance show.
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| Isla Chachaute |
INLAND WITH OMEGA TOURS
From the Cochinos we sailed to the city of La Ceiba on the mainland of Honduras. We chose to take a marina slip at Lagoon Marina, a friendly place with better than usual services and to take a trip further inland with a tour company we heard and saw advertised. Ryan from Omega tours picked us up at the marina and drove us to the Omega Jungle Lodge. We had explored their excellent website and had hoped for the “Creek Cabin”, a rustic cabin built right over a running creek. As was the case with many tourist areas the number of guests was low so we were able to choose the cabin we wanted.
Dan and I had discussed this particular resort because it is on the Rio Cangrejal and the Pico Bonito National Forest and is known for its river rafting trips. The advertisements suggested that they had an all day trip which includes class lV and V rapids (quite advanced) but there was a half day trip which was lV and lll level rapids. We figured we would go to the lodge, look around and if one of their trips seemed right for us we would add it to our walking and birdwatching. Here are some pics of the Omega Jungle Lodge Resort owned and operated by a friendly and accommodating German couple Udo and Sylvia, who obviously care for the beautiful Honduran countryside and who support efforts to preserve the lands and cultures as envisioned by the increasingly environmentally aware local population.
Rafting
Yes, the next morning at 8:30AM we had breakfasted and were off on a modest rafting adventure with two young guides from Omega, Ryan from Maine and Sam from Australia, both licensed rafting guides with lots of previous experience. Our day was not the fastest the river had run but after a quick lesson from Sam in “wear your helmet and life jacket, if you fall out try to stay with the boat but here’s how the throw rope works, paddle forward, now back paddle, work together- good! You got it.” We made our way into the beginning pool, got wet; the water was wonderfully warm, but not hot and not salty as we had been snorkeling in elsewhere-so this was a treat.
Ryan went first all the way to check ahead in his tiny, skirted kayak. When he stopped and beckoned we were off for a three hour trip down the rocky windy, river. Sam gave us instructions and we paddled, “rested”, “leaned” and all went well approaching huge slippery boulders, sometimes backwards, with no roll-overs or even fall outs. Dinghy riding really does teach you some balance skills! Sam did a maneuver where he paddled us back nose into a water fall with an eddy at the bottom where the boat filled up and we felt the pressure of the water surging down into our faces as we back paddled out, Ryan standing by in case of trouble. I laughed and gasped at the huge surge, took in a mouthful but made it out with just a little sputtering. I think he held us there about 30 seconds, but I’m not sure. Dan and I had fun and Sam really did all the “work”. While paddling a lower section of the river we looked up into the high mountains surrounding us and saw a soaring white and black King Vulture. Then we were shown what the term “wave chain” is. A really fast bumpy ride over the tops of rocks!
Then Sam carried the raft up a rocky climb to the road while Ryan ran back to Omega because someone forgot to be at the end to pick us up. Lunch and a $20 rebate on our cabin came with the adventure. In the afternoon I enjoyed the fresh water filled swimming pool and Dan and I did some walking around down the road with our binoculars. We’re still working on identifying a smallish brilliant blue and black bird we saw.
Horseback Riding
Next day I decided to get on a horse for the first time in about twelve years. Two other inexperienced gringos, Sylvia and I took a trotting walk along the road and into a trial through the fields and forests to a swimming hole where we picnicked and then returned our sore butts to Omega for later Happy Hour. I’m not complaining but my horse really didn’t like traffic. A few trucks and busses went by us when we were on the road and he, Burro” kept shying by moving backwards into the road. Sylvia had to take my reins a few times to prevent Burro from bolting but it was really fine. She is an excellent horsewoman. I never realized that what little riding I had tried was Eastern saddle and she told us all to stay glued into our saddles. You don’t try to post with the horse, just lean back and straighten your legs to hold in the saddle. She felt something must have happened to scare him because he never had tried that behavior before. Again, I had just enough excitement to push the envelope a little bit.
I've got to tell you the story about the hummingbird Dan photographed. At Lagoon Marina there was a cage with wide, wire mesh. Rumour was that a monkey and then a pair of parrots had lived there- but here it was, vacant, and this smart little bird built her nest on the swinging rope, where she happily and safely-as there were at least two cats, rats, cruiser dogs and who knows what other predator- incubated her tiny, little egg!
It seems she was only bothered by camera lenses and not really too badly, as she didn't fly while Dan took about four photos. Really cute!
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| Fun Omega |
Leaving the Bay Islands and Honduras
From the Lagoon Marina in La Ceiba we had a 20nm sail to the Bay Island of Utila to check out of Honduras. We retraced our steps to save $100.00 on the check out as La Ceiba is much more expensive for some reason. We then sailed to a beautiful bay, Escondido, where we spent two nights before following two boats we had just met, Second Priority and At Last to the tourist town on the mainland of Honduras of Omoa. After dinner and a night in Omoa we motored on to Tres Puntas and Bahia Gracioso overnight. We then sailed the last 11nm into Livingston, Guatamala and have reached our destination of the Rio Dulce. More on the Rio next blog.
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| Leaving Honduras |
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