MY UTILA LIFE: November 2009

Thursday, November 12, 2009

RAINY SEASON/DIVE MASTER BEGININGS

Well rainy season is upon us, last week three days of torrential rain and more of the same this week. However when the rain stops and the sun comes out i get to see this view again and it never gets old. I've spent the last two weeks working on my padi dive master course which has been a lot of fun and i even got to assist Juca teaching a padi advanced open water course. I'll be hitting the books while i'm back in Chicago and will pick up the practical part of the course again when i return to Utila.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

OUR FIRST BANANAS

We planted some young banana shoots (donated by our night watchman "El Pastor") in February and they've just sent out their first fruit. Really beautiful and i had no idea that each baby banana had a flower on it, kind of like a courgette (zucchini). Hopefully we'll be around when they are ripe, i love bananas and the potassium stops me getting leg cramps when i dive!

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.