UTILA

My first thoughts upon arrival on the island was that I was glad no one took me up on traveling  down.  I forgot how rustic Utila is and how difficult it is to even get here.  It really is not for the faint of heart or for those looking for a fun, easy vacation.  The trip down was full of annoying mishaps. Delays, turbulence, missing the ferry, etc. We finally arrived on the island to a few days of heavy down pours!  And the rain brought out the humidity which brought out the sand fleas and mosquitos!! 

I have said before that I am not a tourist, but a traveler. Travel comes from the French word “travailler” which actually means “to work” It goes a step further to become “travail” which translate to labors or toil. There is a bit of insight in this. Travel can be a bit of work. It is the work of any kind that pushes us to grow and change and that is what travel does for me- challenges my reality and forces me to grow and change a bit.

I generally arrive at any new surrondings excited and full of anticipation, but after being here for a few days my mind, body and soul take in a big sigh and I relax into the atmosphere.  Part of this is the people you are surrounded with.  Almost everyone in Utila, locals and travelers alike, have a laid back aura, they don’t sweat the small stuff, heck they don’t even sweat the big stuff.

My kids and their partners were all here, as well as my 18-month-old granddaughter. We introduced her to the other Tamara’s 20-month-old son. A new generation! We have been coming to Utila for 40 some years so we feel a bit like family when we are here, and are treated like family as well. Other travelers who have been coming for a while are generally shocked when we say we have been coming for 40 years.

My son and his wife went out on the boat to snorkel on an afternoon that I decided to nap and came across a school of dolphins.  And of course, they jumped in for a swim and were delighted.  I may have mentioned in a previous blog how we came out year after year looking for whale sharks without success. But the one day I stayed back to clean the floors of the small house we once owned here, yes clean the floors, they saw and then swam with whale sharks.

The day after our arrival was the first Sunday of Advent and I decided to go to the local Methodist church where my old friend Esther is now the minister.  I met Esther 40 years ago on the Island. She is Utilian and was the only nurse on the island. The methodist church built the first medical clinic in Utilia where she worked. They sent a group of missionaries to oversee the project and she met her husband who came down to help.  

She got around town on one of the few mopeds to treat people and deliver babies. Today there are hundreds of mopeds, motorcycles and 4 wheelers on the small narrow roads.  I have to squeeze the side of the road just to walk around town.

Eventually she and her American husband moved back to the USA to raise their three children.  She practiced nursing for many years in the USA and retired from nursing.  About that time her husband became ill and passed away and she decided to go back to school and study to become a minister.  She then came “home” to become a minister in the church she grew up in.  Full circle of life.   

There was a group from the neighboring island, Roatan, visiting the church in Utila and the service was packed.  They sang the familiar church songs with a calypso twist, which was amazing. Years ago, the Black Caribs migrated north from the Antilles to the Bay Islands and they made a significant impact on the culture. “Go Tell it To the Mountains” with a calypso twist is something to behold.  The best part was watching everyone sway and dance to the music.  So different from my catholic up bringing.

I will be here the entire month so I will have time to go back to the cat house and of course visit the famous Dr. John!    Merry Christmas!!!

The Island

The Family

Esther after service

Posted out side the church. Great thought to live by.

Ladies from Roatan who sat in front of me at church. They could who could really sing and dance.

Better idea of where the island is. I have been to all the places in black in Honduras. Utila is about 17 square miles. It lays in the second largest barreir reef in the world which makes it very popular for divers.