It seems unreal to be brainstorming research
topics while swinging in a hammock overlooking the Caribbean Sea. The
water is clear, the misty views of the mountains are impeccable, and playing
cornhole with Kona (resident dog and friend) is the icing on the cake.
Though we arrived just a few short days ago,
there have already been several highlights that I know are worth
remembering. The first would be the boat trip from La Ceiba to the
resort on Cayo Cochino Grande. After the captains kindly helped us
load all of our over-packed baggage onto the two boats, we left the channel and
headed for the islands. It was a bumpy ride (to say the least), and
baggage was scarily close to falling out of the boat at times, but that's what
made it so much fun! When watching the water change into different shades of
blue with mountains on the horizon, the only thought that kept running through
my mind over and over again was: “wow I’m grateful to be here, wow I’m grateful
to be here…” and so on.
The next standout memory was shortly after our
orientation and unpacking at the resort, when Lauren, Andre, Natali, Jaci, and
I decided to hike/climb along the coast (post-hike photo
attached). The end goal was a huge rock at the end of the bay, and
though the voyage was a bit nerve-wracking at times (complete with very
slippery algae, falling rubble, and not enough sunscreen), the view was among
the best that I've ever seen.
The last of my favorite moments thus far have
been snorkels in the bay/on the house reef with Natali, Lauren, and Jaci (self
proclaimed "adventure buddies"). Highlights have included: a
hawksbill sea turtle, octopus, squid, spotted drum (one of my favorite fish!),
christmas tree worms, juvenile queen angelfish, trumpetfish, scrawled cowfish,
and spotted trunkfish -- I also have really enjoyed breaking out the reef ID
books post-snorkel. These few times in the water have shown just a taste
of the beautiful reefs here and make me very excited for the snorkels/boat
dives to come!
The first couple of days on the island have been
remarkable, and I'm excited to share more thoughts and photos in the coming
weeks. Much love to Mom, Dad, Dee Dee, and K, and I’ll conclude this post
with my favorite quote of the trip so far, courtesy of Dr. Gilchrist: “Some of
these corals around here are at least 10,000 years old. Respect your
elders.”
Thanks for reading,
Dara
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