Wednesday, February 25, 2009

MUM ARRIVES ON UTILA



this is my mums first visit from england to utila and i'm hoping it won't be her last . after yet more rain this week (this has to be the longest rainy season on record), the sun is finally showing its face again. despite the wet days, time is flying by and my mums three + week visit will be over, too soon.  we've been swimming and fish watching (her highlights so far have included squid and octopus), had lunch on the cay and we have walked to utopia resort for dinner a couple of times (mum got a ride home through the jungle on an atv, a first for her). she loves our house on the beach, this week i'm in charge of cooking and mums in charge of tidying up (works for me). beautiful star gazing from our pier last night, mum is looking for a shooting star as she's never seen one, i think we can probably arrange that. in ten days we travel by road across mainland honduras to the mayan ruins at copan, should be an adventure! 

Thursday, February 12, 2009

THE THREE AMIGOS COME TO VISIT aka "welcome to hondo"





i've just wrapped up a weeks visit by three of my oldest and dearest friends, David, Mark and Buzzy (or Arturo, as he likes to be called on the island) . great fun was had by all(shame about the weather, the rainy season has lasted two weeks later than last year), David kept fit by running the length of the island and back every day and taking photos but actually he seemed rather relaxed which was exactly what he needed. Buzzy discovered a love of snorkeling , saw many spotted eagle rays and got some great video of an octopus one night (i shall say no more about Buzzy, i'm saving the rest for a book or "a family event") and Mark....well Mark made the week. he was sozzled from sun up to sunset and is probably going to experience the d.t.'s when he gets home (he set a record at Utopia Resort for the most shots ever consumed). a witty raconteur, Mark WANTED to rake the beach and sweep the verandas everyday, bonded with my construction crew even though he speaks no spanish and left his room cleaner and better furnished than when he arrived. it was like watching him set up our huge trade show booth in the old days.  a great week, the first time we've all hung out in at least two years. my current business partner Roger, was amazed that after all these years and all these business', the four of us were still such great friends.  i hope they'll all return soon .  i'm exhausted now, feels like leaving after a week in vegas, not utila.  i guess i just can't party like i used to.......but i ain't giving up! 
   rated p.g. for language... Buzzy got every excited. 

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

THE RETURN OF SPOTTED DICK.


most days last year at sunrise and/or sunset a spotted eagle ray came to feed at treasure beach. often he'd be in the shallowest water and would come within a foot or two of the beach, it was so predictable that friends would sometimes come by to see him in the late afternoon. i hadn't seen him this year and was getting a bit worried that maybe he'd met an untimely end. yesterday afternoon the sun finally came out and the wind shifted to the east, so i went to sit on the pier and enjoy the sunset. the water was calm and very clear but i noticed an area by the pier that was very cloudy and knew that meant only one thing: something was digging in the sand. for the next thirty minutes i got to watch "dick" foraging for shrimp, crab and lobster. he's grown a bit since i last saw him and his tail must be six feet long now. cheers, nice to have you back dick.

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 !