Eating,
Living and Working on Utila
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Utila
is a small island in the Caribbean surrounded by rich
coral reefs. I found out that living on an island this
small has its ups and downs:
Ups: you get to know
people and see familiar faces each day, everything is
close by, it has a really relaxed atmosphere
Downs: if you don't
like someone it's hard to avoid seeing them, supplies are
limited, you can get bored really easily Once I got on
the island, a Swiss girl told me that there are 3 common
lies told on Utila:
1. I'm
not drinking tonight, I have to dive tomorrow.
2. I'm
only staying for a few days.
3. I love
you.
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I can say that
I've said, "I'm leaving in a week or two" everytime
someone asks how long I am going to stay. Well, that "week or two"
has become 8 weeks!!! Time seems non existent here, no one is in a
hurry to do anything. Many people end up staying here for months
or even years. The only thing I can complain about Utila are the
freakin' sand flies that constantly bite you if there is no wind
around. The bites itch and stay for days if you scratch.
What's
really cool about the atmosphere on the island is that everyone
comes here for the same purpose - to dive! So it is really easy
to meet people since you will have at least one thing in common
and you can strike up a conversation with almost anybody. You
will meet people from all over the world.
Unbelievably
Good Food!!
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food on the island has got to be the best food I
have eaten for a long time. Anywhere you go you can get a
great meal for under US$5. It can be meat, fish, or
pasta. There is a lot of variety and flavours on the
island. From restaurants to baleada stands. *The picture
on the right is of a Baleada, a tortilla with beans,
cheese and onions. For only US$0.33 you can get a fast
and filling snack. I eat 2 of these things almost every
day (with fried chicken for US$1. There really
isn't any reason to cook on your own or eat rice and
beans all the time. The food here is so amazing and cheap
that it will be on of the things I will miss most.
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Living
at Cross Creek
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Staying
at Cross Creek was cool. I was within 50ft from the
"Best Stocked Bar in Central America". That
bar had every liquor you could imagine. When I had to
stand-in bartend, I mad eup my own drinks. I got creative
sometimes; the drinks weren't always good but I always
had fun. They also had satellite TV with tons of
channels (but no Simpsons!). There was also a restaurant
with a good cook a few steps away.
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Top Ten Favorite Past Times at
Cross Creek |
| 10. |
Pissing in the lagoon whenever
we need to go. |
| 9. |
Eating the same buffet meal
every day at Mermaid's |
| 8. |
Being miserable and complaining
to ourselves about why our lives are so pathetic. |
| 7. |
Writing long emails in the
air-conditioned office. |
| 6. |
Watching nothing of interest on
satellite TV |
| 5. |
Telling other people about our
whale shark, manta ray, sea turtle, and dolphin
sightings. |
| 4. |
Competing with other guys to try
to score with every good-looking girl that's on
the island. |
| 3. |
Bitching to ourselves about how
we got shot down by some girl the night before. |
| 2. |
Hanging out at the bar and
drinking too much. |
| 1. |
Diving of course! |
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After
staying at Cross Creek for such a long time, I have seen
many people come and go. It feels weird to hang out with
different groups of people and then see them leave, every
4 or 5 days. 
Cross
Creek guys celebrating a birthday.
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Working
on Utila
Among
all the divemasters here on the island, there was one webmaster -
me. I got my first job redoing the web site for Cross Creek.
First, I showed the boss my resume and asked him if he needed a
versatile computer guy. He said yes and put me to work right
away. I fixed up a bunch of his computer problems and then
started on the web site. Eventually, I did three more web sites:
one for a Diving School, one for a upscale diving resort, and one
that represented the Utila Dive Supporters. While I was working I
got free accomodations, free use of internet, free diving, free
use of kayaks, and snorkel gear. My wages also helped me cover my
living expenses and my dive courses, so I didn't end up spending
much for my whole time there.
