One Week Down!

It's a sunny Monday morning on Cayos Cochinos Grande; the water is three hues from a zesty blue-green, to a baby blue, to a royal blue at the horizon. It's been a week now that we've had the opportunity to look out into this scenic Caribbean view, and I still find myself catching my breath as I gaze out towards the shadows of the mountainous mainland. So far, we had some snorkeling lessons, have hiked to a nearby village, seen all kinds of tropical organisms, and climbed up five hundred feet in the air for an insane view off a retired lighthouse! This post just captures some of the highlights of the week so far.
The views from the rooms at Turtle Bay are incredible! Every day I wake up to shades of green and yellow, chirps of unseen birds, and the ruffling of leaves and animals in the island. Of course it's less fun when your trying to make your way up to your room at 10 pm and it feels like everything on the island is waiting to jump out and scare you. Nonetheless, it's completely worth it and I know I will miss lounging on my bed and looking out the window immediately after leaving the island. 

So far in our stay, my peers and I have encountered tarantulas, snakes, crabs, hermits, iguanas, geckos, spiders, and all kinds of other locals of the island. 

Of course, Kona is our favorite local of the island! The only dog I have ever met to swim so fast and jump off the dock to fetch coconuts! 

Found this little guy perusing our room! Hard to tell here, but it looked like a black widow. 

One of the flowers from the nearby village, the texture of the petals was wrinkled and hard like paper. 

If you haven't read Andre's post on the Tower of Terror, you should! We joined Kasia for a hike and decided to climb up this very old and sketchy looking tower. 

The climb up was not easy! My arms felt like limp noodles two-thirds of the way through but once you get to the top, it's 120% worth it. 

Getting ready for the climb back down! The tower sways so much with the wind, I think Andre and I were either in awe of the view or half-scared-half-laughing at how crazy it felt to be up there. 

I was surprised to find that the climb down seemed relatively easy! I didn't feel like I had to hug the rails for dear life and spotted a few lil lizards hanging out in the ladder cabin. 

It wouldn't be me if I didn't include a post of the orchids seen on the island! So far this is the only variety seen on Cayos Cochinos, though the colors range from a lighter almost pale pinkish green to this more intense tone! Additionally, here is a typical image of what it looks like in the late mornings when people are going out to snorkel. 

Last night's sunset was quite the treat! Almost sweeter than the apple cake we ate while watching it go down. Of course Kona seemed to care more about playing fetch with us than looking out into the horizon herself. Gotta say, it's been a pretty blessed week. Here's to plenty more Kona pictures for the next two left on Cayos Cochinos!