Blogs from Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras, Central America Caribbean - page 4

Rain greeted us as we arrived in La Ceiba port, which was our gateway to the Bay Islands. We were warned that rain would be very much a part of our stay here at this time of year, and since it was rainy season, this wasn’t shocking news, but we took the positives, and figured at least it wasn’t cold when it rained here. We decided that out of the three Bay islands Utila would be the best choice for us, as it is the island generally frequented by backpackers like ourselves for the main purpose of diving. The reason most backpackers come here to dive, is because it is rumoured to be the cheapest place to dive in the world….. a statement I have no back-up for, however it is pretty damn cheap compared with ... read more

Our travel day to reach Utila started at 4:30am, we packed up our hostel to catch a bus leaving at 5:00 to San Pedro Sula. As we got down to the hostel's main level we were shocked to find out we were locked in. After searching for some plans to jump out of a window or something else (our search was unsuccessful) a person that worked at the hostel came out of a room and opened the door for us. Luckily we made the 5:00 bus, it was L130 per person to San Pedro Sula (about $7) and the trip took about 4.5 hours, a bit longer than the 3 to 4 hours they had said it would take. From the start we knew it would take longer as the first 10 to 20 kilometers we ... read more

Utila is a tiny island 29km off the north coast of Honduras and is home to around 2800 permanent residents clustered around a half moon shaped bay. Originally a British colony the local (largely white) Utilians still speak an English dialect with a heavy Caribbean twang; in 1859 Utila was ceded back to Honduras by Queen Victoria and the issue still occupies the local consciousness, my landlady asked me bluntly "why your queen give us away, we no want be given away. Fifty most important men on the i-land wrote to her - includin' my great gran daddy - but she no listen." I apologized for my former queen's lack of judgment & she seemed satisfied. The island is changing rapidly, Latinos from the mainland make up an ever increasing part of the population, probably drawn ... read more

So Blair and I decide to visit the Key Islands. They are a group of islands a short boat ride away from Utila. They have have amazing snorkeling - just what we are looking for! So we book a trip through our hotel. The boat picks up at 830 the following morning. Its a neat little rustic boat with a local fisherman driver. We hop in. Riding along, enjoying the sites when we hear the fisherman excitedly say "Fish!". He proceeds to pull the fishing line in, reel a big fish in and pull it off the hook. Then he asks us to move aside so he can throw it in the front of the boat full of rope and other fisherman paraphernalia. This fish is bleeding from the mouth and flopping around for dear life ... read more

Greeting from Utila Honduras!!! We are having an amazing time so far. 4 planes later and a sleep at the San Antonio airport and we rolled into San Pedro Sula. We caught a really sweet VIP bus to La Ceiba where we stayed with Omega Tours in a really amazing mini cabin over a creek. We hooked up with a couple from Boston and took a cab to the ferry. The ferry ride... wow. Rolling waves - a total roller coaster. It was kind of fun until all the kids that were sitting up at the front started barfing! Once the smell hit everyone's noses it turned into a puke party. I barely made it off the ferry, clutching a plasitic bag in case I got sick. It was quite the ride. We made it same ... read more