I thought I'd write a few words about Utila today. As previously mentioned, it is part of Honduran Bay Islands group and is the second largest behind Roatan. Roatan tends to attract the more affluent tourist interested in hotels boat tours and recreational diving. Utila is a dive spot for backpackers pure and simple (with reputedly better dive sites) and accommodation and facilities tend towards the lower end. The cost of the basic 'Open Water' PADI qualification is $269 and that includes accommodation, theory papers, dive equipment and two free dives at the end of the course. It takes 3-4 days all told, so added up, it's a pretty cheap place to learn how to dive.
There is one Main Street in the only town of consequence in Utila and it's about wide enough for one car in some places, generally narrower though. It's basically a concrete path for Tuk-tuks and bikes. There are a bunch of hostels, cheap hotels, bars and restaurants along the path so the evening can get pretty lively.
I've been staying adjacent to 'Skid Row Bar & Grill' which is pretty much as it sounds. Bandanas and tattoos essential. Actually, it's a pretty hostile place and I consider myself something of a specialist when it comes to rough bars. It's not all fighty but if you're not smoking weed, playing pool and into Death Metal, the regulars are pretty unfriendly. Still, there are plenty of other options close by. The road runs out just beyond the dive shop and then you're onto boat only access. It pretty rural but actually perfect for the circumstances and the locals fit the mold to a tee. One bar owner I saw was sporting a pair of suit trousers tailored into shorts complete with ancient beer/food stains rubbed concienscously onto the rear. I rather liked the look and may adopt upon my return to the real world.
You don't have to travel very far to see some cool stuff. Just sitting on the edge of the dock Pelicans swoop for food and I've seen Seahorses, Stingrays, a thousand different fishes and an Eagle Ray.
If you choose to stick your head under the water, it just goes crazy. I haven't done my fish recongnition stuff yet but the colours are incredible and the sort of stuff flashing by is the stuff of David Attenborough documentaries. I'll cover that in another post.
Oh, and just one more gruesome story to tell, apparently a couple of Canadians got their chips on a boat boarded by pirates last year off Utila. No information is on flintlocks, parrots, number of limbs, or eyepatches, but I have produced my own mental image of the affair.
Trunk fish in the confined pool
Seahorse on the ropes
Stingray by the dock
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