Island Paradise Day 3

Sleeping here in paradise has taken a bit of getting used to: besides the heat (more on that later), the humidity, and the ROAR of the ocean, we have special netting around our bed to keep out bugs (sand fleas here are notorious, and no-see-ums are so tiny they get through regular screens). Netting on a bed is not generally a problem - and quite romantic - but not so much if you get up to pee ten times a night...then they are just, well, a pain in the butt! Last night, as we were tucking in the edges of our netting when Steph spotted a ginormous spider on the wall next to our bed.

OK, I admit that spider does not look very big (can you see it up there near the ceiling by the beam???)...but that is a high ceiling, so it is really far away...really! Well at least it SEEMED bigger last night. Anyway...there was some debate about by whom and how this monster should be killed - but ultimately my husband stepped up. Now before you think that he is so brave - he is not. It is usually me who does the bug killing...Steph is a bit of a woos when it comes to spiders...but this spider was simply too high for me to reach! Truly. Anyway, there he was in his blue undies with a big brown shoe in his hand, balancing on the edge of the bed while I tilted the stand up lamp in his direction so we could monitor where the creature fell. It really was quite funny - especially when the shoe hit, then dropped, and Stephane screamed and we both ran for the kitchen! I actually have it on video, but the internet is not good enough here to upload it so you can't all mock us and giggle at my hubby in his skivvies!!

Today we headed down the beach in the other direction – away from town. It really is quite lovely. Unlike the beaches on the west coast of Mexico, there are a lot of trees, and many shady groves along the way.

So just about the time you think you cannot take the heat, you either enter a lovely treed area - which is about 10 degrees cooler than on the beach, or you come upon a lovely little area of sandy beach where the water is accessible and we could go in for a swim. It is funny, because when you come from Canada, you are all about the going south to find the sun! The idea of building in the shade is an abomination. But let me tell you, when you experience the tropics month in and month out, and you are here for more than week or two, and you have to pay for electricity which is .50 cents a kilowatt hour - you start to appreciate the benefits of having a home tucked back in the trees where you are shaded from the sun and can save on air conditioning.

There were many new homes being built along the south shore, but none of the areas were as nice as where we are. By the time we got to the end there was quite an established area of houses and docks – we had reached Treasure Beach - where I had tried to buy a lot 11 years ago. And guess what? The lot was still there! Undeveloped. All around it were beautiful new homes, but my lot was still there...complete with large tree - perfect for a tree house! (as an aside...it just goes to show you how stupid I was, and WHY you should spend time in a place for awhile before buying...it turns out the tree on that lot is the type of tree here that is considered a nuisance. They are dangerous and their branches snap off for no reason and can cause damage. The Honduran government wants you to cut them down! So much for my stupid tree house idea!)

I don't really like that area now and I would not buy there now – so I am kinda glad my deal fell apart back then. Another good reason for not buying on a whim in an area you don't really know.

We had been walking for at least an hour and we were incredibly hot, and having not thought to bring any water, we were truly parched. There are no stores on the south shore, and very few people, so stopping for a beer was not an option. Fortunately we came upon a gentleman cleaning a pool in front of his property. He had a beautiful home with a beach front pool, and he is one of the few people that live here full time. I marched right up and started talking to him – knowing by now that with so few people living on this south shore, anybody who was there was likely as starved for company as I was. Sure enough, as expected, “Tom” immediately jumped into conversation with us, and was not at all offended when I asked for some water. We ended up visiting for quite some time, and he gave us some useful information about how to get by living on the south shore.

We now know that if we go stand on our dock at 8 am in the morning, and put our hand in the air as the boat guy from the nearby cay drives by, he will stop and pick us up for 50 Limpira per person (about $2) and take us to Utila Town, and then he comes back at 11:30 - giving us enough time in town to buy food (and beer). And if we tell the people who live on the cay that we want to buy fish, they will start dropping by a few times a week with fresh caught fish for us to buy. So now, instead of walking to town, catching a ferry, and then walking again to a store that sells bad meat and fermented bananas, we can get fresh caught seafood off the end of our dock. Does life get much better than that?

We also went snorkeling today for the first time right off the end of the dock. We were not out long when I got caught up in some sort of current, and found it difficult to get out of. I panicked a bit, and had to swim hard – harder I think than I have ever swum before, and the harder I breathed, the less air I felt I had. I have one of those new full face snorkel masks (they are amazing), but if you breath too hard, or start to hyperventilate – they can be a problem. It was a bit scary, but I finally broke free of the current and made it back to the dock gasping and shaking and decided perhaps buying some fins was in order. And since the trade winds usually pick up in the afternoon, I will limit my snorkeling to the mornings when the water is calmer.

We also met our neighbours today, a couple from Alaska who moved here five years ago. They are the only people on this whole stretch of beach that live here full time. We spent a long time visiting with them and they showed us their beautiful property, and I was excited to see that you can actually grow things on the beach. Behind their house she had lime trees, papaya, pineapple, orange, and almond trees! She uses seaweed for mulch and composts all the dead leaves. It truly was an island paradise they have created. They gave us a pair of fins to use for snorkeling (as she also got caught in the current today) and invited us in for wine. We enjoyed our visit so much we ended up staying for supper. It was a delightful evening full of fun stories.

Hospitality abounds in areas where there are few people. It reminds me a bit of stories of the old west when people came across the prairies. Community was cherished and neighbours helped each other out. People depend on each other here – because they have to.. There is no room for narcissism. The south shore is a bit like the Wild West. You are on your own. In the rainy season, it can be days or weeks before you can get to town due to the 3 foot deep mud. In the summer, it can be days or weeks before you can boat in due to the strong trade winds. It is something to think about. I would hate to be out here if someone had a heart attack…

Tomorrow we are heading out with our realtor to see what $250,000 buys on this wonderful island paradise. Stay tuned!