No Tampons?!?

109 days to go.....  guess who's counting        :o)

So I got an e-mail from Andy with Utila Dive Centre today, answering some questions that I had about my arrival, packing, etc....  and Andy was kind enough to send me a response to all of my questions as well as a  document with tons of information including an outline of the course schedule and a packing tip list.  (Very Helpful!)  I'll elaborate more in a moment, but let's get to the interesting part...  Listed under the "What is not available on Utila that you may need." section is Tampons......  Tampons?!? Seriously!?!  No Tampons?!?  I apologize to the sensitive men reading this but SERIOUSLY, NO TAMPONS?!?  It's a DIVING Island....   I just don't get it   Needless to say, I've now made mental space in my luggage for enough tampons for myself (which I'd planned on brining anyways) and for the unfortunate female that I may meet who didn't know.....  They are small and don't take up much space anyways.  :o)

So on to the stuff that the rest of you may find interesting.   Once I land in Utila I'll take a $3 (approx) cab ride (which I suspect will be on a golf cart) to the Mango Inn to check in to the dorm room that I'll be staying in for the first few nights. Once I get that over with I'll find my way down to the Utila Dive Centre, and Hopefully as mentioned before, I'll be able to get a dive in that day! Andy confirmed that I should wait till I'm on the island before finding an apartment. I guess it's best to see them in person and also see where they are in relation to the Dive Centre.  I'm sure that my motivation to find an apartment will be high, so I'll probably spend my first few days doing some fun dives and finding a place to call home for a while.

The Utila Dive Centre & the associated Mango Inn have some great facilities!  All three of their classrooms have air-conditioning and access to internet. There are 4 dive boats as well as they have their own 24-hour back-up generator.  The Mango Inn has a lovely deck and a pool (which we can use), restaurant and more internet   :o)

The Dive Master course schedule itself runs for approximately 4 weeks, Monday through Sunday, which I do believe means 7 days a week... Days begin anywhere between 7:00am and 10:00am and go from anywhere between 5:30pm and I think around 8:00pm (even later if doing night dives)  There seems to be plenty of down time and fun-dives worked into the schedule, so I'll be able to enjoy the island while studying and working as a DMT (Dive Master Trainee).

The Island is also home to the Utila Centre for Marine Ecology and other Marine Study Projects, so I will also have the opportunity to join in on boat survey trips looking for the rare Roughed-Toothed dolphins and WhaleSharks!! (yup! I said WhaleSharks!!!) I'm sure that I'll find lost of ways to fill up my limited free time!