Day 57

     Looking for a change of pace, we had heard about a great fishing village nearby called Sambo Creek.  Sambo is well known for its white sand beach and Garifuna residents.  With excitement, we arrived to find neither a good beach (muddy from the recent storms) nor culture (only drinking).  Still, we hung out for a while and had overpriced shrimp for lunch. 
     On the way home, we accepted a ride from an ex-pat who turned out to be both crazy and drunk (although not necessarily in that order).  He gave us lots of advice about life, love and travel.  Given our lifestyle, I doubt Lady and I will ever have any use for any of it.

Expenses: 
Hotel $10; Food $18; Transportation $4; Random - internet $5
Total $37

Day 58

     Getting back to the safety of the more established gringo trail, we took the ferry from La Ceibe to Utila.  The smallest of the three Bay Islands, Utila is the budget backpackers island.  Because it is also the cheapest place in the worlkd for scuba certification, most people tent to sttay for a while.  So after an hour of looking, we felt lucky to find a room behind the best restaurant in town.  An even better discovery that morningwas the baleada, Honduras' contribution to the burrito.  A baleada has beans, sauteed onions and cheese spead into a huge, warm folded totilla.  Bought on the street, baleadas are delicious and a bargain at 5 lempiras. 
     We went swimming in the afternoon, ate baracuda for dinner, and had a few drinks at Bar Modesto.  Later something really funny happened while we were walking home on mainstreet.  Unfortunately I have promised not to write about it in the journal. 

Expenses:
Hotel $5; Food $16; Transportation $21; Random - movie $2
Total $44
    

Day 59

     Lady had a great day shopping, reading and visiting with other gringos.  I went diving.  This was my first real dive and it was quite a feeling to be breathing underwater with the fish.  It really is a whole other world down there.  The only downside was getting seasick(as usual).

Expenses:
Hotel $5; Food $25; Random - fun dives $44
Total $74

Day 60

     We woke up this morning covered with red bumps.  Bed Bugs!  Coupled with the existing smattering of mosquito bites, we looked like we had chicken pox.  It itched like it too. 
     Not unrelated, we decided to leave Utila on the next ferry to Roatan.  Roatan is the largest, more touristy and most expensive of the Bay Islands.  It also earned our vote for Best Beach in Central America (so far).  West Bay is a small crescent shaped beach with soft, white sand, maybe 1/2 mile long.  The water has three beautiful shades of blue, absolutely no waves, and is refreshingly cool.

Expenses:
Hotel $15; Food $24; Transportation $40; Random - internet $7, itch cream $5
Total $91

Day 61

     Beach.  Tried unsuccessfully to not spend a lot of money.
    
Expenses:
Hotel $15; Food $23, Transportation $6
Total $44

Day 62

     Beach.  Great conch dinner with rice and beans.

Expenses:
Hotel $15; Food $13, Transportation $3
Total $31

Day 63

     Wanting more culture and less leisure (sounds crazy to us now too), we took the ferry back to La Ceiba.  On the way, the boat stopped twice and incredibly rescued two men from the sea.  Their boat had capsized in a storm the night before and they had spent over 12 hours in the water.  The men were dehydrated and cold, but otherwise alive and lucky.  Our boat was electrified by the rescue.
     On a high, we had lunch and ran errands in town.  Leaving the bank, we saw a small crowd forming in the parque central.  Not wanting to miss anything, we joined in.  We found a boy just shot in the back and apparently dead.  We gawked as if he was a part of a carnival show, never thinking to try to help.  It took a few moments to sink in - horror at seeing a violent death, sadness for a lost life, and shame for our inaction.
     Seeking distance between us and the park, we took the next bus out of La Ceiba, ultimately leaving Honduras as quickly as possible.

Note:  The shooting made the front page.  The boy, Aldo Noel Padilla, age 20, was killed in revenge for an earlier murder. 

Expenses:
Hotel $7; Food $13, Transportation $35; Random - internet $7, movie $2
Total $64