Living on Utila

So you’ve either decided to stay here longer, got stuck here, or you’re curious about the possibility.  No sweat!  Here are some of the basics that haven’t already been covered. Shopping:  Give up on “good shopping.” There are no malls or big stores here.  Delco is the island’s version of Walmart.  You’ll find it heading down Main Street as if you were headed to the public beach.  It’s...

Read More

Diving in Utila

Okay, let’s face it. You probably wouldn’t be coming here if you weren’t interested in diving.  Utila isn’t known for its white sand beaches.  Sure if you want a slow pace this is a wonderful location, and one of the safest places in the world.  But it is also home to some of the cheapest diving in the world as well, especially if you’re considering becoming a diver or taking your current certification...

Read More

Eating on Utila

Ok, so now you’ve arrived on our little island. Where’s some good food? People know me for my sometimes blunt honesty, and we’ve lived here for 7 months so I’ll be perfectly honest again:  Don’t expect haute cuisine.  Most food is just average, some is quite good, but you won’t find food here that knocks your socks off.  Unless you’ve spent a LOT of time in Central America away from places...

Read More

Visiting Utila

When one sees advertisements about Utila, even though they are very rare, a common phrase associated with it is “The way the Caribbean used to be.”  I don’t think truer words have ever been printed.  Utila is part of the Bay Islands of Honduras, the others being tourism and cruise ship hotspot Roatan and underdeveloped, seldom-visited Guanaja.  I’ll be doing a Roatan/Utila comparison post soon as they are 2...

Read More

Living Better With Less

Before we left the States to begin our new life, one of my minor concerns was how I would handle living long-term in third-world countries.  I’ve visited them before, even spent 3 months in Ecuador, but there’s a big difference between spending a couple of weeks or months somewhere and living there for possibly years.  I wasn’t worried about Tigger as much because children seem to adapt well to their environment and...

Read More