Parental Adventures – Part 4 (Utila)

We ended our fabulous week with the parents in Utila, one of the 3 Caribbean islands that make up Honduras’ Bay Islands.  If you are the cruising type then perhaps you have heard of Roatan, the biggest and most developed of the 3 islands, where several major cruise lines dock.  Utila is smaller, less developed, and more budget friendly but no less beautiful I’m sure!  The Bay Islands are known for great snorkeling and affordable scuba thanks to the world’s 2^nd largest barrier reef which is located here.  Utila is also famous for the whale sharks that hang around off the coasts.

Before we could watch the sunset over the Caribbean with our margaritas we had to actually get to the island which was no small feat.  The ferry ride from La Ceiba to Utila lasts a mere hour but if you are prone to motion sickness (like me and David’s mom) it just may be the most miserable hour of your life!  Somehow we all made it to the island without losing our lunch like many of the other passengers.

Here are some of the highlights –

Sunrise from our deck

Waking up to clear skies on the first morning with the view of the mountains on the mainland across the ocean.  Wow!

Seeing the reef a mere 30 feet offshore from our deck; kayaking around said reef.

David and Dad kayaking (mountains of Ceiba in the background)

Snorkeling!

Among other things, we saw barracuda and parrot fish

A crazy boat trip to Water Cay which is a tiny, uninhabited island surrounded by crystal clear water.  Captain Rolando took us out in his 30+ year old carved, single piece, mahogany lancha.  It was really cool to see the rest of the island that is not accessible by land as well as the tiny cays spotting the water.  One of the cays consists of a bustling little town that took up every square inch of visible land – I’d hate to be out there in a storm!  We enjoyed the day on what felt like our own private island, until a rather loud group from NY threatened to ruin the mood; luckily they got bored quickly and took off.

El Capitan on our private yacht

View from Water Cay

Cooling off in the Caribbean

Reading Congo in the shade

When it was time to head back to the main island we were expecting the same relatively calm ride we experienced on the way out, but it was not to be!  Obviously that journey is notorious for the waves and the spray because we saw several women on other boats desperately clutching umbrellas to prevent getting soaked.  With zero ocean boating experience I was convinced we were caught in the Caribbean version of The Perfect Storm but Rolando didn’t even bat an eye as our tiny little boat got slammed by wave after wave.  Eventually we made it through the rough patch and although we were thoroughly soaked we were not swimming for land which was the important part.

The calm before the storm

Private house on one of the cays...

We also had a wonderful moment with Jean, a local restaurant owner who was born in the Congo and later became an American citizen.  When we told Jean we were Peace Corps volunteers he told us how impressed he was as a child by the volunteers he saw in the Congo (these would have been some of the very first classes of PCVs, in the early 60’s).  Jean also said that seeing those volunteers in the middle of the jungle, trying to better the lives of others, showed him the power of democracy and made him want to live in America.  After the civil war in Rwanda he was admitted to the States as a refugee and later gained his citizenship.  A few years ago he fell in love with a woman and followed her back to her native Utila and began the restaurant El Picante, which has great food and is one of the only restaurants actually ON the water.  To top it off Jean threw in a round of Imperials (our Honduran beer of choice) on the house, what a guy!

El Picante

Our island getaway ended too soon, as vacations usually do, and soon we were heading back to the mainland.  Reluctantly we took the parents to the airport and said our goodbyes.  It was great to have visitors and show them a little bit of what our life is like here in Honduras!

Local wildlife. We also saw a group of rays feeding near the reef in front of our house.

Sunset over the lagoon