Caribe Bay and Punta Sal, Honduras
Our Zodiacs rose up on the tops of the large swells as we nosed our way into and along the breathtakingly beautiful shore line. Giant metamorphic rocks arched upwards and hung with frayed pelmets of roots and lianas. The stately cohune palms seemed to form monotypic stands and dominated this region. They provided a deep mulch of frond litter, which provides a constant nutrient source. We entered the bay on a path of green and black glass. A little green heron perched on a snag, studying the algae-colored shallows. Just below the surface, several comb jellyfish drifted by, their cilia combs reflecting iridescent greenish blue lights. Cumulus clouds had been thickening overhead in the early morning and the charcoal sky suddenly emptied itself. Howler monkeys, off in the distance, roared their displeasure loudly. Crusty oysters tightly gripped the knobby knees of the red mangrove trees. The rain dripped from the tips of giant heart-shaped leaves as we continued to explore the beauty that surrounded us.
After a brief respite, we headed ashore to a secluded beach of black sand edged with high walls of jungle. The pendulous nests of oropendolas hung precariously from the ends of the green coconut leaves. The green hills of water crashed on shore and swept back out, leaving white suds of foam that quickly dissipated in the waning sunlight. Sampling an afternoon delight of sour sop ice cream while stretched out in a hammock, golden light streaming through the green tropical almond leaves was an option. Many chose to do just that after climbing the six-hundred or so steps through the jungle to the top of the cohune ridge.
Memories of this day and many more will linger for a long time as this day ends and another unfolds. Tomorrow we bid the Sea Lion and its crew a fond farewell.
Our Zodiacs rose up on the tops of the large swells as we nosed our way into and along the breathtakingly beautiful shore line. Giant metamorphic rocks arched upwards and hung with frayed pelmets of roots and lianas. The stately cohune palms seemed to form monotypic stands and dominated this region. They provided a deep mulch of frond litter, which provides a constant nutrient source. We entered the bay on a path of green and black glass. A little green heron perched on a snag, studying the algae-colored shallows. Just below the surface, several comb jellyfish drifted by, their cilia combs reflecting iridescent greenish blue lights. Cumulus clouds had been thickening overhead in the early morning and the charcoal sky suddenly emptied itself. Howler monkeys, off in the distance, roared their displeasure loudly. Crusty oysters tightly gripped the knobby knees of the red mangrove trees. The rain dripped from the tips of giant heart-shaped leaves as we continued to explore the beauty that surrounded us.
After a brief respite, we headed ashore to a secluded beach of black sand edged with high walls of jungle. The pendulous nests of oropendolas hung precariously from the ends of the green coconut leaves. The green hills of water crashed on shore and swept back out, leaving white suds of foam that quickly dissipated in the waning sunlight. Sampling an afternoon delight of sour sop ice cream while stretched out in a hammock, golden light streaming through the green tropical almond leaves was an option. Many chose to do just that after climbing the six-hundred or so steps through the jungle to the top of the cohune ridge.
Memories of this day and many more will linger for a long time as this day ends and another unfolds. Tomorrow we bid the Sea Lion and its crew a fond farewell.
