Utila, Honduras – Off the beaten path with hippies and scuba divers

Have you ever heard of Utila? Me neither. Utila is a small island in the bay off the coast of Honduras, less than 7 miles long and 3 miles wide, at its widest. The population of 5,000 (including between 1,000 and 2,000 tourists at any given time) resides primarily in the city of Utila, facing the sheltered port to the southeast.

Our trip to Utila began with a three-hour flight from Atlanta to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. As we were collecting our luggage, I saw a large, healthy man struggling to remove a gold chain and cross. He accepted my help and told me that crime is rampant in the city. After realizing that I was one of the few people to wear jewelry, and that my diamond ring was getting a lot of looks, I hid all my jewelry in a safe place.

Delayed and canceled flights are the rule rather than the exception with TACA, the local airline. They have earned their nickname, “Take A Chance Airline.” Rather than spend the night in crime-ridden San Pedro Sula and take a shot at TACA again the next day, we opted for a four-hour bus ride to La Ceiba (locals just say “say-ba”).

After spending the night in Ceiba, we boarded the Utila Princess the next morning for the hour-long ferry ride to Utila. She also earns her nickname: The Vomit Comet. TACA has flights to the island and we’ll take our chances next time and avoid the ferry.

However, once on the island, surrounded by laid-back scuba divers, hippies and hippie-divers, you’ll hear a hodgepodge of English and Spanish, as well as a host of other languages. People from all over the world, many of them in their twenties, flock to the island to attend the world’s cheapest scuba certification courses at one of the island’s many dive shops. I put my jewelry back on since crime is almost non-existent.

Although Utila is a mecca for divers, surrounded by dive sites and coral reefs, divers are not left out. At the west end of the bay, 30 Lempira “lemps” ($2.50) buy dock privileges for the day, and the reefs are just a few moments’ swim away. You can also rent equipment and purchase grilled lunches, as well as other snacks and drinks.

With narrow and congested roads, cars are a rarity. Most of the city of Utila can be explored on foot or by bicycle, scooter, motorcycle or golf cart. All are available to rent on the island.

Don’t let Utila’s infamous sand flies scare you. I saw a lot of pale people with the telltale red welts up and down their legs, but with proper preparation you can avoid this. Just bring repellent and use it. A long time resident swore by a thick coating of baby oil.

Hotels and rooms for rent are everywhere, and unless you arrive during the August Sunjam festival, you can wander around the city of Utila until you find suitable accommodation. Most are budget hotels aimed at the backpacker crowd. If you’re looking for an upscale, full-service resort, go to the neighboring island of Roatan, not Utila.

Restaurants are also everywhere and sometimes require a little detective work to find. Structures along the shoreline are typically three deep. A street side shop, a bar on the water, and an open air restaurant nestled in between. Signage is often missing or out of date. Indian Wok next to Tranquila Bar was good and Munchies Cafe was always busy.

Night life is abundant. Only a certain number can stay open late each night, so the bars coordinate with each other to level the playing field. I recommend Coco’s (formerly Coco Loco) next to the passenger dock (ferry).

It was at Coco’s that I met Sara, and it was there that my adventures in Utila began in earnest. Sara recently purchased Coco’s and I offered to accompany her to Shelly Mac’s, the plant nursery, to help her choose plants for the hanging baskets. There I met Shelby, her owner, who invited me to visit him at her 14-acre farm north of town.

The next day I went up Pumpkin Hill and found Shelby’s farm. I wandered around calling him until one of the young men tending the fruit trees pointed me in the right direction. Shelby didn’t warn me about her guard goose and my left thigh sported a blood blister for a few days!

After a quick snack of fresh bananas and mango, we toured the farm. I admired Shelby’s many fruit trees, medicinal plants and much more, such as pineapple, bananas, mango, papaya, limes and lemons… I never turned my back on the goose.

Shelby hosts the daily news from Utila’s only cable television station, HQTV. She asked me if she would be her co-host that night. The miracle fruit bushes were full of fruit and we were filming my first experience with them, as well as interviewing people on the street. How could I refuse such an adventure?

I tried the miracle fruit and then cut a lime. The miracle fruit changes your taste buds for several hours, making even the most acidic flavors sweet. The lime tasted like lemonade, delicious!

I got on the back of Shelby’s little motorcycle and we headed back to Utila Town, where we invited passers-by to taste miracle fruits followed by slices of lemon or lime, talking to them and recording the whole time. That night we watched my television debut in Utila at the Mango Café bar.

All too soon, another ferry ride back to mainland Honduras was imminent. We traveled one hour and twenty minutes on the Galaxy Wave to Roatan, which is three hours from Atlanta by air. It has also earned the nickname of The Vomit Comet. Although now without an appetite, we tried one of Roatan’s all-inclusive beachside resorts for the night and dreamed of Utila.