Blast from the Past

It has been 11 years since we visited Utila, Honduras. Although we kept a detailed blog during that 6 weeks, I thought it would be nice to go down memory lane and highlight a taste of what we saw back just over a decade ago..

Utila is one of the Bay Islands off the north coast of Honduras. To get there, we first had to fly to Roatan and then catch a small charter plane to Utila. The runway in Utila is very small and, as were coming in for a landing, we saw a plane wreck that had been dragged off to the side. When asked about it, the pilot simply said "Vaca." This is the Spanish word for 'cow' and we couldn't believe that a cow was on the runway when that particular plane was trying to land. It didn't end well for the cow and it was evident that the plane suffered as well. Thankfully, there were no cows the day we landed!

We actually made two trips in 2013. The first time was in January for a scuba dive trip/reconnaissance mission so that the grownup members of TraveLLLers3 could find out whether or not a 7 year old and an 18 year old could survive there for 6 weeks in the summer. At first, we were unsure. The little island was pretty laid back. Very few vehicles were used and most people got around on tuktuks, scooters, golf carts, quads, or bicycles. Despite having a small population, the narrow streets still seemed to be very busy.

Utila had a beautiful reef, a public beach, some good restaurants, a couple of small grocery stores, and several quirky bars. One of our favourites was called Treetanic. It is a large tree house that sits above a lovely garden that is adorned with a ton of mosaics and ceramic beasts made from salvaged materials. It is very unique and should be explored if you ever go there.

At the end of our week in January, we decided that there were a number of things available to keep our future young companions occupied. We enticed another family member who had just graduated high school to join us with the promise of scuba lessons/certification. We began planning our long summer stay that would last 6 weeks all through July and the first half of August.

We experienced a lot during our time there and encountered a variety of sea life, insects, animals, plants and people. In fact, the people watching was best during the island’s Carnaval festival. Rather than lining up with the timing of Lent, Utila celebrates in July to highlight its indigenous heritage and promote it to an international audience. At the end of week-long festivities, a parade down the main road and a huge street party take place. It is easy to get caught up in the island-wide festive spirit!

Some of our favourite things from Utila include the Iguana Station (a rescue organization that tries to save the endemic iguana called the Swamper), Skid Row Bar and its amazing rum lemonade, cinnamon buns from Lidia’s Bakery (go early or you will miss them), and getting our fresh produce from Captain Ronie on Mondays and Thursdays (the ferry only delivered twice a week so we had to plan accordingly). Captain Ronie’s daughter also made an amazing Island Cake. However, our absolute favourite activity was scuba diving, particularly shore diving on the reef near our accommodation.

About half way through our stay, we chartered a small plane to take us to the mainland, roughly a 20 minute flight. Why fly when there is a ferry available, you may ask. Well, our 7 year old was prone to motion sickness and the ferry earned a nickname among some locals who had to use it. We decided "The Vomit Comet" was probably going to be a tramatic option and chose the more direct route instead.

The nearest city to us was La Ceiba but we hired a driver to take us to a wonderful spot up in the mountain and stayed in a fantastic tree house. English is not widely spoken on the mainland so we hired a bilingual guide to take us on a river tour where we were able to see a variety of birds, howler monkeys and a local Garifuna village.

When we travel, we try to give something back to the community we visit. This time, we saw a notice posted by a fellow traveler, Tasha, who was organizing a beach cleanup. We joined the group and spent a day gathering up bags and bags of garbage brought in by the tides off Pumpkin Hill Beach, a turtle nesting site. Unfortunately, one time is not enough and islands like Utila need a lot of people to pitch in and do regular cleanups. Keep that in mind if you have the opportunity to lend a helping hand.

Utila proved to be a great place for a longer stay. However, there is one thing to be mindful of when visiting this little island ... its biting insects are voracious! Pack insect repellent and use it. Take it from me, you do not want to be caught off guard. I tried several remedies after the fact and nothing but time could help with the awful itches.

If you want to experience a Caribbean get away but do not like crowds, Utila may be the place for you. It has undergone a lot of development since we stayed there and has appeared on the TV show "Island Life" more than once. Check it out, you are bound to enjoy your time there.