On a typical Wednesday afternoon the boys; Chase, Conal and DJ decided to start the nite out right by doing Jaeger shots at 4pm. Kala and I had our fresh handmade lime daiquiris and we all met up at the shop. Along the way Noelle joined us and the boys decided that Red Bulls and Vodka are the way to go and thus we brought them to the Double Docks. At the docks a party was already rocking. Bisch and Joe had their guitars and Pam and Erna were playing the harmonicas. A few others joined in and soon we were singing and literally rocking the Double D’s. The song sung was “You can’t always get what you want”. Then we thought it would be a great idea to go to Kala and Joes for a little impromptu party at the Pink Palace. They are getting kicked out soon and it’s an amazing place with a pool and a private deck looking over Mangrove Bite. We had to stop at the Marlin first because Noelle had to change out her car with Fou and Rita and we had to get the scooters at the Marlin. Never before have I been on a scooter as much as I have here in Roatan.
At the Marlin we met up with some recently certified divers Charming Billy and his friend. His name wasn’t Billy, of course, but charming he sure was. Charming Billy bought us all a round of shots, which is always a great idea and then our whole gang, Charming and friend, in 4 scooters, one truck and one suv headed to Kala’s. We went out to the deck and then the wind started picking up so everyone, besides Charming and I, decided to play a drinking game called and Kings. I have absolutely no idea how the game works, I tried for a while but it seemed too complicated and talking to Charming Billy was more captivating at the time; especially when talking about the Buddha float.
What is a Buddha float? In diving one of the skills in open water certification and a foundation for diving is neutral buoyancy. Neutral buoyancy is when you float and control our buoyancy by your breathing by not sinking or rising, but staying at the same level. You’re neither negatively buoyant by sinking or positively buoyant by rising. A lot of divers while practicing the skill will assume the crossed leg position, the lotus, with hands on their knees, a Buddha like position. When you achieve it for the first time you get a certain Zen feeling as well. Well, Charming Billy and I were talking about the characters that you meet in life he said to me that there are people who are on a Buddha float neither aspiring or reaching for something more nor are they sinking down; people who are on their Buddha float.
After the game of debauchery, the Kings game, slumped off into a Buddha float neither progressing or digressing; everyone decided to jump into the pool. I was getting ready to head home; Charming Billy and his friend wanted to go back to the bars, it was in the direction of my house (otherwise a half hour walk home) and I caught a ride on the back of the scooter with Mr. Billy. They decided to stop at the cigar bar so the friend could find a guy that he had been talking to earlier who may or may not been on his own Buddha float and they asked me to join them. Just for a bit more. I told Charming that he was charming all nite, and that he reminded me of this book I had read once called Charming Billy. It was one of the books that my mom reads; I think it was by the same author who wrote the Pilot’s Wife. Well so the name stuck, and then Charming said that we should maybe make out on the beach. Always a great idea right?
So we had been making out when we hear a startling noise. It’s two policemen. My stomach drops. “What you were doing was indecent, please show us your identification and you’ll have to come with us to the police station for 24 hours.” (All in Spanish of course.) I don’t have my identification and my phone is dead so I can’t call anyone. Lovely. It’s my turn to be charming. I work on my best tourist Spanish, a lot of times saying no entiendo, because really they were mumbling and the conversation was quite confusing and not going anywhere. Charming is sitting next to me and luckily had his drivers license and sometimes during the interrogation came up with a quip, sometimes answers in his best broken Spanish (which I find out later that he understood everything) and tries not to get in more trouble. I am not spending the nite in any Honduran jail and Charming Billy leaves for the states the next day. At one point I ask the policeman closest to me what we have to do to get out of it; I swear he said pagame- which means pay me. When I reach out the 12 lempiras that I have in my pocket which amounts to 60 cents and say this is all I have, 12 lempiras the policeman looks at me and the money then says we don’t take bribes. Later on in the conversation he asks me why I gave him the money, I tell him it’s because I thought he asked me to give him money so we wouldn’t go the police station for 24 hours. Thus begins another 10 minutes of talking about how they don’t take bribes. 5 minutes after that they agree that they can take a volunteer donation if we would like to give it, but absolutely don’t take bribes. Charming Billy pulls out $20 and we hand it to them. Volunteer donation I tell them, they ask me to say that they don’t take bribes, which, I repeat to them, I thank them for their kindness. I write my name in a notebook with my telephone number in it, they give Billy back his ID and we walk away from the beach laughing under our breath. A half an hour or more with the police all talking in circles, my Spanish trying to understand how we get out of going to the police station, pay them but not asking if we can pay them, trying not to be too much of a pushover to the cops and not too sassy, trying to charm them and in the end it all cost $20. The situation definitely felt it wasn’t going anywhere for a while, neither getting into worse trouble or getting out of it I felt like I was floating, but it definitely wasn’t a Buddha float. No Zen about that. Lesson learned: don’t make out on the beach (at least where they can see you) and cops don’t take bribes, but they may take donations.
The next day is my first day leading a dive. We have some students in the morning and in the afternoon I lead the dive with Conal and Chase at Moonlight. Before leaving for the dive DJ stops by to say hi, then his scooter doesn’t start. We are all chuckling from across the street. DJ has had more problems with his brand new scooter and he has had his own run in with the law. A couple weeks ago he was driving into West End with a girl hitching a ride on the back when there was a police stop. They already had some one stopped so he zipped through. Chase, Kala and I were following in a car and then the lights of patrol car go on. There is a police chase after DJ in West End, the gal jumps off at the Blue Marlin and the cops stop him, they take his license and registration. The laws he broke were not stopping at the police stop and having a passenger not wearing a helmet. The helmet is required outside of West End, but not in West End. And then there may or may not be a law requiring your passenger to wear one too. He had a helmet, but the girl didn’t. It’s like you can make out in public but not on the beach? Ok, maybe a stretch. Well it ends up that DJ pays a fine and alls good. A few days later his bike is stolen. At the police station the next day they say they have found his scooter. So back to DJ’s scooter not starting, they think it’s out of gas. Chase offers for DJ to take his scooter to the gas station. Chase’s scooter doesn’t start. We are all laughing now at the spectacle. Little Max is there chiming in Chase scooter broken, DJ scooter broken. Finally Eddie gets Chase’s to start and then after gas in the scooter DJ’s starts. Oh scooters!
So Chase, Conal and I go diving, Kala and Mo each have their own students who are doing their certification. The two things I am most worried about leading the dive is #1 finding the boat on the way back and #2 finding cool stuff to point out. We head out to the reef wall and there a millions of fish everywhere, we immediately see a huge trunkfish with a remora on it, which is a sight to see because usually the trunkfish are much smaller and very shy, Chase finds a very small eel the size of a thumb sticking it’s head out of it’s little nest, it was an amazing dive and I found the boat! We get back on the boat and have to wait for Mo and her student for a bit and when they surface in the distance I see a fin. Is it a dolphin? Yes! It’s a pod of dolphins! We quickly get Mo and her student on board and chase after the dolphins. It’s amazing; I love finding dolphins! Definitely a positive high- my first leading a dive and dolphins.
That nite I’m supposed to get online with my friends and talk to them via skype. The internet stick needs to be filled beforehand. I go to the internet café, they aren’t selling the refill today, I have to walk to the gas station. The lady fills the card. Back at my place the internet works for a bit and then less than a minute into talking to them it fails. My lovely friends, I miss them so much but can’t see them because the people who are suppose to bring the video camera aren’t there yet and then my internet fails. Total fail. The wind is picking up and I think that it must be the reason why the internet isn’t working. I call DJ who is in Sandy Bay at his house with the crew having dinner and ask if their internet is working and it is. So I catch a cab to Sandy Bay and get online. More of my friends than I expected are together to talk but none of them brought the video camera. They can see me, but I can’t see them. It was good to hear their voices, but I was pretty bummed I couldn’t see them. It’s a bit confusing when talking in a group to figure out who is talking when you can’t see them. Well, we will try it again. I’m trying to stay positive that my internet will work without having to pay again and that they will remember the video camera next time!
This Buddha float has been fun, but I’m pretty sure there’s change in the wind, and I think it’s for the positive because you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you’ll find you can get what you need.
No comments:
Post a Comment