Travel has a way of stretching the mind. The stretch comes not from travel’s immediate rewards, the inevitable myriad new sights, smells and sounds, but with experiencing firsthand how others do differently what we believed to be the right and only way. – Ralph Crawshaw

5:30am, and we have John Wayne knocking on our door for our wake up call to leave behind El Salvador for Nicaragua. When can anyone else ever say this exact same sentence as a factual statement? The first time I met John Wayne was at Parrots Dive Center in Utila, and, after a proper meeting of the enigmatic hilarious character that is often the center of our current group, I thought about Mike Vlad, who has a mancrush on the legendary actor that shares the same name of our own Honduran gunslinger, and I am reminded of all of the great times that have been shared in their home, especially the epic meals. Michelle and I are the first ones up, as Lindsay lays in bed staring up at the ceiling in the bed across from me. I just know she’s contemplating whether or not unicorns are real or if she can track down the exact secret location of Willy Wanka’s factory of magic. Just after collecting my scattered belongings from around our meticulously devastated room that resembles images of tornado alley, and, really is a true art form in the way the three of us have managed to have such controlled chaos confined to a single room, Julie pokes her head in to say good morning with her slight hint of a southern accent. Hailing from South Carolina, Julie is John Wayne’s girlfriend, still awesome to say, and they are traveling for the next month before heading back to the Bay Islands of Honduras.



