Utila – A Pirate’s Paradise

If diving, partying, and pirates is what you crave, Utila is the spot for you. This weekend we visited the beautiful island Utila, located just an hour from La Ceiba by ferry. After spending just 3 days here, I need about a week to recover. Utila has its very own culture, like Jamaica meets the movie, The Beach. English is the dominant language on the island, but mostly everyone is bilingual. Caribbean dialects flood the island, “Get me dat fish der,” “Me feet tired from walking all day” and “We gon to da beach.” Everyone is just talking it nice n’ easy; opposite to New York where everyone is in a rush. When dining out, we almost waited an hour for each meal. The cook probably went for a walk first, and then decided to cook our meal… an hour later. Chillin on the beach, eating mangoes, in the highest form of relaxation I’ve known, lying under a tree, catching some shade from the burning sun. Days spent diving, nights spent partying. Then the pirates… people from all over the world flooding into Utila, just for a taste of paradise. I have never felt in a place more international. Diving with Spaniards and Czechoslovaks, partying with Canadians and New Zealanders… chatting with Germans, Argentinians, and the French…. all on this one tiny island… Utila!

Can't pay for that sunset...

Me and Heide ready for our first dive... so awesome

After 45 minutes underwater, we made it back!

Partying at night (Natalie, Me, Heide, and Tom)

We all took huge bites out of that super beleada

El Lagoon de Cacao

In the middle of nowhere, there happens to be this lake, and if you ever make it this so-called lake, be sure that you know how to get back, or you will not live to tell the story…

On Saturday, we had the brilliant idea of going to visit Cacao Lagoon. It’s approximately 24 kilometers east from La Ceiba, roughly about a 90 minute trip from El Porvenir. So after a night of partying in La Ceiba, we woke up early in the morning for an adventure at the lagoon. Btw, hangovers and chicken buses do not mix. Lol. We got off on the stop to for the bus, and saw that the sign for the lagoon said 2 km. So we thought, let’s just start walking, and we will stumble upon it. We walk, and we walk, and we walk, still no lagoon. So I flagged down this SUV that was headed the opposite way, and asked for some help. Luckily he spoke English. His name was Dell, a Honduran-American from New Jersey, who’s family runs a nearby orphanage. Their setup is similar to SOS, as the children are not adoptable, and they can live at the orphanage until they are 18 years old. Dell offered to drive us down to the Lagoon, which btw was NOT 2 km from the bus stop.

Heide and Emily

Delmar searching for the monkeys

Upon our arrival, we met Delmar, our tour guide. After some price negotiation on the admission, we headed out into the lagoon on a dugout canoe. Mangroves surround the water and provide shelter to tropical birds and howler and white faced monkeys. We saw two monkeys hanging out on the tree ad we passed by this huge tree. The lagoon is named for the nearby tropical cacao plants, once used as money in pre-Columbian times, now used in the manufacturing of chocolate. The lagoon was for sure beautiful. Delmar knew everything about the lake, from the animals that inhibit it, to its seasonal water cycle. At the end of the lagoon is the beach, where the boat tour ended and we decided to lay out for several hours. Clearly I was chillin under the umbrella .(We borrowed Anne's Canadian umbrella and hauled it all the way there...lol) From the beach there was a fabulous view of the lagoon on one side, and Cayos Cochinos on the other side. We were the only ones out there, so it was pretty much our private beach for the day.

The Canadians landed in Honduras.... thanks Anne

Delmar... he's so cool

The way back is another story… since we had no Dell to give us a ride, we had lunch at Delmar’s house, and then walked back to the main road to catch the bus back to El Provenir. Another Honduras adventure…

Partying in La Ceiba… Las Fiestas en La Ceiba

Friday night we went out to La Ceiba and partied like crazy people. La Ceiba is the party capital of Honduras, so we knew we were in for a night of fun. Reminds me a lot of New York… there is always someone out, and there is always someone partying…

The night started at the Spanish School in La Ceiba

The there was a congo line

More congo...

Then partying under the stars at Manhattan night club... the irony.. lol

Adiciones Nuevos… New Additions

We have some new additions to the house… check them out

Ana, our new roommate, hails from Bristol, England. She works in the Provenir English Program, which is basically right next-door to our house. She is great with the kids! She is hilariously funny and loves to party! Gotta love the Brits!

Ana, Heide, and Me

Benji, is our new adopted puppy. The owner distributed the puppies among the neighborhood, and gave one to Jorge and Romelia. Jorge allowed Natalie to take of him for a few weeks. I am not sure she plans on giving him back…

Benji.. aka Tiny as Natalie has nicknamed him

Alvin, Simon, Theodore, and Steven are our new baby chicks. Henrietta had them a couple of weeks ago, and I was finally able to snap a photo of them. Originally we thought she was only going to have three babies, so we chose to name them after the chipmunks. When four came, Ana named the blondie Steven. He is my favorite, but he is such a mama’s boy! Btw, we do not find out their sex for another 2 months; the point when one can determine a chicken from a hen.

Hondurenismos… Honduranisms

I thought it would be fun to expose my blog readers to some Honduran vocabulary. Some of the words are generally used across Latin America, but most of them are specific to Honduras.

Baleadas – yummy tortillas, stuffed with sour cream, refried beans, and cheese, you can buy these on the street for less than a dollar

Burro - someone who doesn’t pay attention – the kids say it often at school when teasing, for example, "You're a burro," or "Hey burro, pay attention!"

Busito – a little bus – we catch a busito to SOS everyday

The SOS Busito - That's Carlos, our driver, in the front seat

Cheque – cool, alright, everything is good, okay (My favorite Honduran slang word)

Chichi – baby

Desyauno typico – typical breakfast (beans, tortilla, cheese, and plantain) It’s so good!

Gringa – foreigner, someone who does not speak Spanish – the kids see us in the street and say “Hey Gringas!”

Two Gringos aka Heide and Ben walking on the beach

Jalon – a ride – hitchhiking is very popular here… jump in the back of the truck and feel the wind in your hair… or sometimes the rain

Licuado – a popular drink made by blending sugar and fruit with water, orange juice, or milk. You can by them off the street for 1 lempira, which is equivalent to like 5 cents… It comes in a plastic sandwich bag with a straw stuck through it. Very good on a hot day, which is almost everyday!

Mami – a hot mama

Pulperia – a small store, like a minimart/bodega – We always go to Funez Pulperia right next to our house

A Pulperia - aka Funez

San Cudo – a mosquito; There is a Native Tribe in Eastern Honduras called the Moskitos, so because there are actually people called Moskitos in Honduras, they called the insect San Cudo

Vaya pues – okay, understood