Island Paradise Day 11

Today I wanted to write a response to a comment I received on my blog. By the way, I do appreciate comments - thank you. It is really nice to get feedback as it encourages me to write more, and makes me feel like there is some value in what I am taking time to do. I blog because I have a memory like a sieve, and recording is how I remember my adventures. And one day, I hope to inspire my grandchildren to travel the world, because for me, it has been a remarkable education.

Anyway, the comment said, “Good for you and Stefan, I could not do it.....I need some creature comforts and you seem to have few and being in a remote area with no easy way to escape would feel much too confining.”

One may have as many creature comforts here as they can afford. There are million dollar homes here that have every comfort available that you would have back home. People with money have boats and drivers to take them anywhere they want, whenever they want. They have maids and gardeners to do all the ikky jobs. They fumigate regularly, so bugs are not an issue, and they need not be hot and sweaty because they can afford to run air conditioning all day and night.

That said, we are in a premier location, in a lovely home with quality furnishing, good mattresses and linens, and even decent cooking stuff, and a to die for two story dock complete with shower. This home rents for about $450 a night - and for an additional $65 a day, you get a private boat and driver. Our “two star retirement” limits us to a budget of $3000/month Canadian plus rent, which has varied from place to place. For the most part, I believe we live very well on that. For us, the key to keeping costs down has been to stay put in each place for a few months. That way you avoid high nightly and weekly vacation rental prices. By staying longer, and in the shoulder season, we are paying a fraction of the "rack rate" for this place, and we passed on the private boat.

Also, as renters, we have little control over our environment. If I owned a home here I would fumigate once a month, I would add solar panels and a generator, and I would ensure I owned a boat and an ATV. Then, all of the things we are currently dealing with would be non-issues. But the truth is - the tropics is the tropics and regardless of how much money you spend, there are some things you just cannot change - like the constant corrosion of anything metal, the crabs, the snakes, the bats, and the bad vegetables.

That is the only thing that really is driving me crazy: the quality and availability of vegetables. I always thought living in the tropics would be great because you have a year round growing season. Well, most veggies won’t grow here – there are just too many pests, too much humidity, and too much salinity in the soil. In Oliver, B.C. we could plant a rubber boot and it would grow! I so miss that.

Yesterday we spent an hour getting into town to buy some parsley or cilantro, neither of which I could find, so I ended up buying celery so I could use the leaves. Well check out the best celery I could find...

As someone who enjoys cooking, I realize that if I am to survive here, I would need to do what the locals do: ensure I know what produce comes in and when so that I can be at the store when the boat arrives with the produce and fight my way to the front of the line and grab the good stuff before it is gone! The full time people here have it down to an art: Fresh veggies come into Bush's at 11 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The little green store gets good spinach on Tuesday's at 11, but it is gone by 11:30. Occasionally a certain place has mushrooms, and sometimes bags of fresh mixed greens come in from a hydroponic operation on Roatan! Today my property manager came out to the south shore for a party we were at, and bless her heart she brought me bag. I could have kissed her. Actually, I did kiss her!

Fortunately tropical fruits do grow easily and there is always plenty available. My neighbour Susan has quite a selection growing behind her house where her garden is protected from the sea spray. Avacado, mango, lime, pineapple, sour-sop, star fruit, and another I cannot remember the name of that grows on a tall tree, looks like a long pod, and apparently makes the best french fries!

Utila may not be a “foodie” paradise, but if you love the water, you could not find a better place to hang your hat. The snorkeling and diving are some of the best in the world, and the views here are just stunning. Yesterday for the first time since we have been here the haziness in the sky cleared and we saw the beautiful mountains of mainland Honduras across the water! Believe me, when I stand out on my deck in the morning and stare out at that pristine aquamarine water, I certainly do not feel I am roughing it. I truly am in paradise.