living the dream..

for real.. woah. this place blew me away each day with another breathtaking scene or three.. no camera skills necessary to get a postcard perfect shot. i have come to the realization that attempting to write about things chronologically is likely why i stop writing, eff it. one of those days, we went on a catamaran for a tour of the beaches [and to swim with sharks and stingrays of course] but anyway, i couldn't get enough of the view from the top of that boat. i felt like i was on top of the world..

..and the beaches were gorgeous, white sands and blue skies.. amazing. i'm still having a hard time adjusting back to the fact that one needs many layers before exiting the house in the morning, the memory of the island heat keeps me warm [momentarily]. i definitely hope to spend more days in places like these.

seeing white herons [egrets] everywhere was a plus, such beautiful birds. my first experience with one was one of the first days on the island, i could see it hiding in the wetland reserve that's right in the middle of the resort. it was maybe ten feet away from me, barely visible, watching me walk the path to the beach. beautiful birds, it seemed as though there was always one around. definitely added to the dreamy feel of the scenery. what a world.

fly away once more..

i never thought i'd travel to a place like this, but i also never thought i'd travel to the southern states or willingly get on an airplane, and all of the above have happened this year. even as the plane approached the island and we could see the coastline and the jungle and the mountains it was still hard to believe. like traveling to another world.. even the clouds looked different, beautiful.. i couldn't get enough of the view from the little window.

when you arrive at the airport, you step out of the plane right into the open air and it hits you in the face.. the humidity is intense and the heat was almost overwhelming, until i was suddenly distracted by the fact that the airport looks like nothing more than a village of palm leaf huts and a strip of asphalt in the middle of the jungle. there isn't much for walls, and you can smoke tobacco and crack open a cold beer just about anywhere.

the heat didn't much matter after a little while. everyone quickly accepted that a constant layer of sweat comes with the territory. the first thing i am taken by is the vegetation.. i was that weirdo walking around checking out all the plants, touching the leaves, sniffing the flowers.. it took a couple days to get used to the fact that the plants we buy for indoors and greenhouses are their garden plants and shrubs here on the island.

it was so refreshing to walk around and check out all the gardens. coconuts, bananas, passionfruit.. so many different amazing things growing right on the resort! and the wildlife was interesting too. instead of squirrels and flies there are big fuzzy spiders and lizards everywhere. the maintenance staff squishes them like bugs! we were much happier to befriend them than to swat them with a sandal. they're so cute!

i have hundreds and hundreds of photos to sort through, everything was so vibrant and beautiful it was hard not to snap it all up. my mind is still buzzing with how amazing the journey was and we've already been home for a week, every time i sit down to sort through my files and pick a few more to upload, i feel as though i'm back there closer to the sun.

i'm far too exhausted now to write anymore, i have neglected my blogger account since a week before the trip. i suppose i just wanted to stop in and get the ball rolling, 2013 was such an incredible year, i should have tons to write about throughout the winter to keep me warm.