Island Time...

Hi all,
Sorry for not updating everyone yesterday, internet issues and some power problems have prevented me from using the laptop. The power company is showing up within the hour so hopefully I can spend more time writing. In the meantime...

Well the trip from San Pedro Sula to La Ceiba wasn't as bad as it could have been. We made it in two and a half hours running into very little traffic. La Ceiba is on the northern coast of Honduras and where I spent my first night. It was a nice hotel, nothing special, but clean, quiet and cheap! The drive was spectacular to see.
This is halfway from San Pedro to La Ceiba. I have too many pictures of the trip to post but this was the best of the bunch.












When I checked into the hotel I asked about an ATM - time to get some local currency. Limps (short for Limpeiras) is the local currency and is taking some getting used to. Not so much that they are odd bills or in Spanish, but the exchange rate is throwing me off. I see things for 30L and I'm thinking cents. WRONG. Don't get me wrong, things here are cheaper, just not as cheap as I had thought. Bottle of water 80 cents, coffee and a donut, $1.50, dinner $10. So figure about a 40% discount of US prices - kinda like Canada used to be. Anyway, as I follow his directions to the ATM I rounded the corner and BAM! Here I am, thousands of miles away from home in this remote corner of Central America and there it is, at times like a shining beacon of light and civilization, but today a reminder that no matter how far from home you are it is still just around the corner.


Dunkin and Baskin Robbins, and to the left out of the frame is Citibank and HSBC. I looked to my left expecting to see a Starbucks, Costco and a Wal-Mart, but thankfully they were missing from the landscape. Probably on the next block ;)

However tempted I was to pass on this staple in my life I could not as time was short. I had 30 minutes to get ready for the taxi to take me to the ferry. Gotta grab a cup and have my morning coffee jolt. Well, maybe I can at least sit down and enjoy it...



OK, it was off to the ferry. This massive boat was a shock to say the least. Tall, sleek and more powerful than I imagined.



However, upon closer inspection it says Roatan on the transom... Well, if this isn't my ferry, then where... ah, there it is, just to right and slighty smaller....



The Utila Princess in all her glory. Oh well, still a power cat and she was fast. Got to the island in just over one hour and 10 minutes. Now I was getting used to Island Time, but the Princess did not abide by those laws. I glanced at my watch and it was exactly 9:30. I figured we'd be leaving in the next ten minutes or so, but the engines revved, lines were dropped and we were on our way. Odd, impressive, but still odd. Regardless, I have arrived in Utila! I'm at my house and getting my feet under me. After a relaxing afternoon unpacking I went to town for dinner and had a great BBQ Chicken Breast with boiled potatoes, carrotts and cauliflower. (Yes mom, I ate my vegetables). I then walked over to the Tranquilla Bar to see what was happening. I saw the caretaker for my rental, Harris, and he called me over to meet some folks. I met his fiancee, the owner of the local Indian restaurant and a London couple that retired here four years ago. Nice. We had a nice chat and I grabbed my drink, wished them well and walked to the end of the bar looking at the boats, watching the night sky, listening to the waves crash against the shore.... peace. Tranquility. Relaxa... What was that? A noise from behind me... I turned looking for the source of that wondrous phrase. Where was it coming from??? I must have misheard, brain is probably fried from the long trip. But then I heard another yell, another laugh and the all too familiar sound of... could it be, was I imagining things, NO I wasn't... there they were, I had walked right past them to look at the water, but there they were. Two rectangular tables sitting 10 feet apart. 10 people sitting around them, laughing, yelling, arguing, you name it. Two tables covered with that dark rich color that is akin to money, nature, peace and the best of them all - POKER! I had found a poker game within 12 hours of being in Utila. Could this get any better!?!?!? I asked if there was a seat and as one player busted out they welcomed me with open arms and open wallets. We played for hours, I laughed, I cried, it was better than Cats. Finally the trip was starting to wear on my body and it was time to call it a night. I bid farewell to my new friends, said I would see them Thursday and cashed in for my 100Lps. A day in Paradise complete.

Until next time everyone!