I have arrived...

"Florida thrusts like a guiding thumb
To the southern islands of rumba and rum
To the mystery-cities and haunted seas
Of the Spanish Main and the Caribbees" - Don Blanding

I know I didn't just arrive, but I feel like I have now arrived. It has taken me a week to get settled into this island for several reasons. One, and the reason I have not updated in a week, power issues. The power here goes off quite frequently. It is what makes Utila a non-resort destination, which I like, but also makes it difficult to have the life to which I have become accustomed. The internet goes out randomly also making updating a difficult task to say the least. These two luxuries that we have taken for granted for so long on the mainland have me feeling like an addict going through detox. It was so strange to not have the internet at my fingertips. I'm so used to just knowing... If there is something I don't know, Google. Some actor I see on TV and know I've seen him before, IMDB. Weather tomorrow, etc, etc.. 48 hours without internet access may seem like a welcome respite from the hustle of our lives, but to me it was mind blowing. So I have decided to update when I can but at least once a week. It may be short, it may be long, but at least you'll know I am still here! And guess what, did you know that there are other things to do besides email and TV? I must have missed the memo, because I plum forgot that there is an entire world out there to explore and savor. I may not be able to see it all from here, but let me take you through my little piece of the Caribbees.

Quick note: The formatting was really tough, so I made the pics smaller. You can click on them to see full size if you want.

The day I arrived it was absolutely gorgeous. The sun was out, a light breeze and I thought this is perfect. Turns out it was the only nice day in four days and the last nice day for the rest of the week! The rainy season seems to have lasted a tad longer than it's supposed to, but this too shall pass.


Big storm came through last week and all the boats double checked their anchors and headed into town for drier and safer accommodations. I didn't get my sunset shot, but it did make for a very cool evening pic.























Of course there is always one.... Here is the storm from my balcony early in the morning. If you look closely to the left you'll see Capt. Vin (I think that's his name) doing his daily sail from Utila to Roatan. Normally any kind of weather seems to ground everything in or out of the island (including power) so seeing him out there was a bit of a surprise.





Here is a zoomed in photo of the brave/insane Capt. Vin


And yes the storm did pass shortly after the sun was coming up and it gave way to my first sunrise on the island! Really amazing - even had a rainbow behind the house




This house is called the Round House and is situated just across the road from me. Turns out the Google Earth images are just a tad out of date. According to Google my house is the only one on the cove. Not anymore, there are now seven and two more being built.

I just thought this was the coolest shot around. Now, most of you may know I'm not a morning person, but working at Signature changed that, well kinda. I really did enjoy waking up and seeing the world come to life. My house faces East so this is what I see every morning. Especially since I don't have blinds on the bedroom windows. That has been a challenge, but they are going to be installed today... supposedly. Island time.... might be tomorrow. No worries though, it's all good. I am getting used to things happening late, or perhaps not at all and am not going nuts about it.

Once the rain cleared it was time for me to explore. It wasn't the best weather still, but over the week I got some good shots, had some great food, met a bunch of people and have tried to adapt to the Islan' way of living. Yesterday was the first day of actual sun! An entire day! Maybe the rainy season is finally ending. So I took the opportunity to give you a quick tour of Utila. There are two main roads. One goes from just past my house to the other side of town and the other runs from the ferry dock to the airport. Anything else requires your feet, a bike or a really good ATV. I'm no Lance Armstrong so my choices of transportation were limited. From my house to the center of town is about 1.5 miles - walking is out. ATV and golf cart are too expensive to rent.

So here it is, my Utilian Chariot. Nice little scooter to get me around town. Now it's nothing flashy, nothing souped up, but it only takes me about 5 minutes to get to the center of town and I can carry groceries and supplies back easily enough. It's just what I need.

Ok, all ready to go? It's technically a two seater so I'll make room. Ok, here we go - once we pass this really nicely groomed dirt road, we then need to get through the not so nicely groomed dirt road, the road filled with rocks, the road with dead coral and finally the billabong. Now, it's not technically a billabong, but I've been here for a week now and that thing hasn't dried out YET! It's basically a small pond. Ok, maybe not for people, but to an ant it would look like Lake Eerie.



We have gotten to the "concrete jungle" of Utila. From here on out were are on paved roads with speed bumps every 100 yards. Now here is where things change a bit from what I had read. I was under the impression there were three cars that were just for deliveries. Well, that's sort of true. There are cars for deliveries, but more like fifteen cars. I thought it was more like thirty but people tell me I just keep seeing the same ones over and over....

This bridge connects the eastern part of the Island to town.



And here is town! The two shops on the left are Utila Dive Center (UDC) and Underwater Vision - my current top two candidates for my diving certification. I've gotten a lot of advice on shops and when to start. I'm going to wait until the storms stop and give the seas a couple days to calm down, that will allow for better visibility.






As you can see the streets are a little narrow for this much traffic, but everyone seems to get by just fine. There are motorcylces, trucks, cars, mopeds, golf carts, bikes, bikes that have been converted into delivery vehicles, you name it - it's here.



At the main dock in town when the Ferry isn't arriving the supply ships, rather ship, comes in. Everyone goes down to the docks if they are delivering, expecting something or, like me, just to watch the organized mayhem.

Depending on when the boat arrives depends on when the goods arrive at the stores. This ship came in around mid morning so that afternoon...


Fresh produce and veggies. I haven't figured out how they determine who gets what, but it seems that the smaller shops have more fruit and veggies than the supermarket. I bought onions, tomatoes, garlic and avocados. Some places post prices, others don't, but the one thing I have noticed here is that there does not seem to be a local price and a tourist price. That is fantastic!

Let's keep moving I have dinner plans and need get a shower in - it's HOT today. Let's get a nice breeze and head to the public beach. Chepes beach is on the complete opposite end of town from me and is free. The other beach is Bando Beach, just down the street from me, and there is a $3USD charge to use it. I went to both and if they were reversed I'd be at the public beach all the time, but alas, it is on the other side of town and not just the hop, skip and a jump in I was looking for. Now before you tilt your head to the side like the RCA dog and ask, "Isn't your place waterfront?" Yes it is, but the winds have been so severe that it is extremely choppy in my little cove. Not the safest place to be relaxing. So I opted for the pay beach which is protected from the wind and has a very nice place to relax.

On the way to Chepes is a smaller town dock, presumably the Old Town Dock and the current place that kids like to play and jump into the water.





Chepes Beach is really quite nice. If it wasn't for its proximity to me it would definitely be a regular hangout. I have been there twice and seen people I have met earlier in the week. It seems to be a really nice place to have a drink and enjoy the quietness of the harbor.

You can't see the sunset from here as the beach faces easterly, but it is a really nice spot and people bike/atv/moped there and just pull up to the sand, hop off, grab a beer and enjoy the end of the day.



To compare it to Bando beach is tough. Bando is nicer, but someone paid a lot of money to make it nicer and keep it private. They have chairs, palapas, a bar and it gets raked every day. Not a bad way to spend $3, but that's a once in a while place. Not a Utilan hangout, just tourists.

Ok, a quick shower then it's off to town again to meet my neighbors for dinner. We're going to Dave's Restaurant, also known as the Island Cafe. Seems like every place has two names. Not sure if it was called something else before and changed owners or the owners wanted to get in with the tourists and started using those beach bar names like Outrigger, Beachcomber or the Island Cafe.Anyway... This couldn't be beat. It was herladed as the second best BBQ on the island. The first is JR's and was really good, but I really haven't had a bad meal yet! Here is the BBQ at Dave's. I had the pork chops and my choice of sauce - Curry, Peach BBQ, a couple others and a Rum and Garlic in cream sauce. Can you guess what I went for? If you said the Peach BBQ stop reading, slap yourself on the wrist and try again. Of course the Rum. I mean, Rum AND Garlic. It never occurred to me to combine them, but there it was, staring at me. Pork, rum, garlic. Throw in some mashed potatoes and I'm never leaving! Turns out that is just what they had in mind. I had one and half huge pieces of pork on the bone, mashed potatoes, salad, rice and beans. Note: Rice and beans come with just about everything here. The plate was overflowing with food. All for 110Lps (roughly $5.83 USD). Tack on 2 rum and cokes at 25lps each and I had a great meal including tip for just over 9 bucks! Can't go wrong with food that good and prices that low. Well, it is time to call it a night. I head on back to the homestead and look at the night sky. The first time it has been real clear all week. I bring out my telescope to look at the moon and get an idea that's so crazy it just might work! I put the camera to the eyepiece and well.... look for yourself - amazing!

Until next time everyone!