Our national airline Cayman Airways usually sets its compass in a northern direction with such destinations as Miami, Tampa, New York and Chicago or east to our Sister Islands of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Now we also have twice weekly flights due west to Honduras.
Honduras is an amazing country for anyone seeking an above average adventure. It is a traveller’s paradise, unrivalled in our shrinking world and home to the largest biological preserve, reef diving, jungles, waterfalls and the most interesting Mayan city (Copan Ruinas) in this hemisphere. The Honduran Bay Islands of Roatan, Utila, Guanaja are places where the living is easy and vacations are cheap.
My favourite island is Utila, the smallest of the Bay islands with a population of around 2,700, it lies about 18 miles off the northern Coast of Honduras accessible by small aircraft or a daily ferry from La Ceiba to East Harbour. There is a strong legacy between Cayman and the island of Utila. Cayman was once considered the islands that time forgot; we all know it can no longer claim such a title. Utila however seems lost in a tropical time warp. On a recent trip I shopped at Bush’s Grocery Store and met political candidate Troy Bodden, then later visited the community graveyard where Thompsons and Jacksons were laid to rest and according to the gravestones many were born in Cayman and passed on in Utila.
Numerous Caymanians settled in the Bay Islands region around the early 1800s. The Cayman-Utila connection is predominantly obvious on Pigeon and Jewell Cays which is home to about 200 inhabitants, mainly fishermen and their families. The small cays lie off the southwest coast of Utila, some no more than a hundred feet across and two feet above sea level. Where Utila is charming and appealing the cays are quaint and unspoiled, especially through the eyes of a barefooted recluse such as myself.
Along the coast small fragile looking dwellings are draped with fishnets and laundry drying in the sun. Past the coastline there are discarded dorys and wobbly decks where fishermen can be seen cleaning their daily catch while old folks play dominos. I purchased a mix of fresh grouper and mutton snapper for our evening meal. The snapper cost me $2.30 per pound, the grouper was a bit more expensive at $2.50 per pound – that’s US Dollars.
One of the first things a resident of overpriced Cayman will notice in Honduras and the Bay Islands is the inexpensive, budget pleasing costs of just about everything. In Eastern Harbour a cold local beer at a hot local night spot will run you around $1.40 and dining in one of the many island restaurants the price for an good meal is easy on the pocket. For example, one evening at one of the better establishments, four of us had an appetizer of calamari and fruit salad followed by a main course of freshly caught whole snapper with side trimmings. This washed down with wine and beer and a few after dinner margaritas – our bill came to $52.43.
The lack of bureaucracy, red tape and superfluous planning regulations can’t be missed on Utila. Seaside Babalu Bar and Grill is built on stilts and it feels as if the entire structure will give way before you finish your shrimp in garlic sauce. The shaky, uneven deck appears to have been super glued together over the years, this gives the place an extraordinary relaxed, nonchalant atmosphere. Shoeless customers can be seen drinking fine Chablis and the tattooed barmaid has a head of dreadlocks which would make Bob Marley turn over in his grave. (Girls, don’t plan on wearing heels – ever).
Skid Row is another one of my favourite hangouts. In Cayman the place would be condemned before it was ever allowed to open, however in blasé, hassle-free Utila such a shabby facility is a magnet for the budget vacationers, displaced x-pats and locals whose mindset is “you don’t need a lot- where little will do.” Skid Row makes a New York soup kitchen look like a five star bistro. Come in, take a seat (if you can find one) and enjoy super cheap drinks, great food and the best pizza on the island! Love this place.
The island is friendly on the wallet, especially for divers. Utila is known worldwide as being perhaps the most inexpensive place to scuba dive, whether you are looking to do a few fun dives or an advanced certification course. And then there’s the big fish: the whale shark, the largest fish on the planet, I wanted to swim with this docile monster. Whale sharks make regular appearances in the waters around Utila, which is in a unique position being situated close to a large, deep trench that creates upwelling of nutrients into the sunlit zone of the ocean, whale sharks can grow to a length of 13 metres (approximately 40 feet).
To swim along the side of such a magnificent creature must be a super adrenaline rush. Not sure if my old heart can take it, but I’m going to give it a try. Many list such an experience as the most amazing animal encounter ever. Whale shark paintings cover nearly every wall and fence in East Harbour and young unconventionally dressed x-pats sell trinkets along the main road. WARNING ! When strolling through East Harbour make way for the golf carts, bicycles and dirt bikes, here pedestrians do not have the right of way.
Top 20 islands
During my stay I lodged with friends and family at Coral Beach Village. They were in quest of property for their retirement. Utila has been rated by ISLANDS magazine as one of the top 20 islands to live on in the world. The Coral Beach Village development is still in its juvenile stage yet offers a unique opportunity to live a special Caribbean lifestyle and like everything else in Utila, the real estate and building costs are cheap, cheap, cheap.
Located at what’s known as the South Shore, the Coral Beach Village community offers a sublime, secluded setting accessible by boat through a tarpon filled lagoon which is encircled with mangroves and home to variety of water-birds. Here you can indulge your pioneering spirit with a true “away from it all” experience, complimented by an inviting beach club, marina, and other resort-style amenities. When not eating out , Coral Beach’s chef Brian prepared amazing curry dishes with sides of salsa, tortillas and fresh shrimp. Breakfast consisted of huge heaps of fresh fruits (a watermelon cost 50 cents) fresh mountain grown Honduran coffee (two 12 ounce bags of coffee cost $7) and of course, more tortillas. The week went quick, now I find myself on a small commuter plane back to La Ceiba to meet Cayman Airways flight No. 881 back to Grand Cayman. In my hand I held a $5 bottle of rum and a whale shark carved out of driftwood by local Utila artist Gunter Kordovsky. The souvenir was much smaller than the real thing, yet a memory of the fish encounter that never happened. Just as we gained altitude the pilot pointed below and there they were, two huge whale sharks slowly cruising in the translucent ocean below.
“Do you want to go back?” asks the pilot.
I said “Yes – but time said No.”
Oh well, this just gives me a good excuse to return another day.
For more info on Utilas Coral Beach Villas call – From the U.S.: 1 (213) 687-6737 (General Information) 1 (850) 588-1030 (Real Estate Information ) or E-Mail: [email protected] / For Cayman Airways’ flight schedules go to – www.caymanairways.com/ When not travelling G.(Barefoot Man) Nowak can be heard performing at theReef and the Wharf.
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