Wednesday, September 24, 2008

THE THRILLER IN UTILA


hugh "chef boy ar blaze " vs skipper " pretty boy " leonard


what better way to celebrate honduran independence day,  than a boxing challenge ? 

  • chef hugh and dive boat skipper leonard have been talking about this day for months .  would they actually go through with it ? a hush came over the crowd as they pushed their way into the ring : a gringo vs. local match up. this was either going to be very entertaining or very sad. 

  • the ferocity of the opening salvo took us all by surprise (there'd been a lot of bravado in the months leading up to the fight but they are friends) . with both guys standing toe to toe in the center of the ring and swinging hard it looked like chef hugh was going down and going down hard.

skipper leonard kept chef hugh on the defensive with a wicked series of combination punches that had chef hugh reaching deep into his gut for the strength to continue . 
just as the still placid crowd had expected, looks like the gringo's gonna go down and out in the first round. 




out of nowhere and from down low, hugh unleashed a wicked right cross,  shocker....... "pretty boy" leonard hits the deck ! 
the silent crowd erupted and with them still ringing in his ears leonard was back on his feet in a second, THIS WAS GETTING GOOD ! 


with the crowd ignited by the surprise knock down and chef hugh 
taunting him with the muhammad ali shuffle, leonard came back fighting like a man possessed . ain't no gringo chef gonna take out the "pretty boy" from sandy bay. 



coming in low to avoid a roundhouse left , leonard gets inside . 





hugh didn't 
even see the right cross coming  but he felt it ! 
time for skipper leonard to take cooking
 boy to school.




chef hugh hit the deck hard , down and bloodied ............but not out . 
up in a flash , sporting a cheeky grin and once again doing the ali shuffle , hugh continued to taunt leonard as the crowd egged him on . two knockdowns and we're still in the first round ,
the "thriller in utila" is living up to the hype .

  •                                                                                                                                                                

  • and then the unthinkable , out of nowhere a torrential rain storm and the ref called the fight. the ring is too slippery.

  • rumor has it , an eccentric fight fan had put up a substantial purse which neither pugilist can collect on .................... until the rematch .




hemmingway would have enjoyed independence day on utila. 




UTILA : MY TOP TEN PICKS FOR FOOD & DRINKS

  • DRIFTWOOD INN - great for a cool breezy lunch on the dock, bruce on the b.b.q. at night (his brisket is famous on the island but i like the beer battered snapper). a favorite amongst the expats, horse shoes on the sand & u.s. sports on t.v. sunday afternoons.
  • LUNCH AT THE CAYS- wether you choose beau's "fishburger" or mr. hermans "cay view", no trip to utila is complete without lunch on the cays. everyone goes for the fish burgers but i prefer the chicken or lobster (in season). great places to spend a surface interval, bring your camera.
  • MANGO INN-best pizza on the island, authentic thin crust italian style from the brick oven. beautiful gardens, watch the hummingbirds feed by day, bats at night.
  • THE INDIAN WOK- consistently good indian/asian cuisine, a welcome new addition to utila.
  • THE PURPLE PELICAN-my new favourite place for lunch. located at pine point one of utilas prettiest beaches. nice food, beach chairs and lovely water (i've never seen so many starfish). stay for a couple of hours, eat, drink, swim and relax.
  • THOMPSONS BAKERY- the place to stop on your way to that first dive of the day. great coconut bread and cinnamon rolls.
  • TRANQUILLA BAR- a favorite of backpackers and locals, great place to sit on the water and watch the sun go down. an eclectic music selection fuels the party as the evening progress', an institution on utila.
  • TREETANIC BAR- located in a treehouse on the grounds of the jade seahorse. atmospheric , hip bar thats a favorite of the divemasters and younger expats. things usually get going around 10pm,. nice crowd, good vibe.
  • ULTRA LIGHT - great falafel sandwiches and chicken schwarma . very reasonably priced, quality middle eastern food.
  • UTOPIA RESORT- for a special evening out of town, chef hugh prepares the best food on the island (probably honduras), his menu changes daily . try the blackfin tuna if its available, amazing ! accessible only by boat from town, contact the hotel to make reservations and transportation arrangements.

About Me

My photo
my adventures in island living . after visiting utila as a diver for four years (it reminds me of ambergris caye belize, 20 years ago) i bought some beach front land in 2005 and built a home for myself in 2007. i'm located on the beautiful southwest shore opposite the utila cays at treasure beach. now i'm in partnership with my builder Roger, designing/building beautiful homes for our clients (we've completed 5 so far) and living my island dream !