Christmas came a day early for our divers. On the eve of Christmas, Utopia divers were given a gift, whale sharks! Although the gentle giants reside in our waters year round, it is not every day that our guests get to a chance to swim with whale sharks. They estimated the sharks to be approximately 35 feet in length. It was an amazing day for all. Happy Holidays and may 2010 bring global peace and a world without war. Happy New Year, we're holding a hammock for you.

12/8/09 Representatives for Honduras tourism announced this morning that the U.S. canceled all pending travel alerts to Honduras yesterday. The Department of State issued a travel alert in July, stating “The Department of State alerts U.S. citizens to the current unstable political and security situation in Honduras, and recommends that American citizens defer all non-essential travel to Honduras until further notice.”

The alert was issued shortly after Honduran military ousted President Manuel Zelaya and sent him out of the country. However, on November 29, the Honduran people peacefully elected their new president – Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo, who will take office on January 27. The United States and other countries have already expressed their recognition of President-Elect Lobo. Wholesalers have looked to the elections as a positive sign and are once again aggressively selling the destination.

It's a new dawn for Honduras. Last Sunday, Hondurans elected their new leader, President Porfirio Lobo of the National Party. We all look forward to a new beginning and emerging as a stronger, unified nation. Viva Honduras, viva Democracy.

Our multi-talented dive staff below, week of November 7, 2009.

Juan Carlos "JUCA" Utopia's manager of dive operations and latin rock star. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiqS7ZEzEFA

Roi Krispin, Utopia DM.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2mInuOhMZU

We'd love to host you and a friend at Utopia Village in 2010. Enter to win a week for 2 at the website below. Happy day.

http://intothedrink.tv/utopia/

Thank you Hurricane Ida for fizzling out and turning NE just in time for our dive group from the Boston area "Mass Diving" (and one token Texan's) safe and dry arrival. We had a great week of diving, waters were calm and visibility surprizingly good following Miss Ida's appearance earlier in the week. Our divers ranged in age from 13 to 75 yrs. I tell you, I'd be perfectly satisfied in life with half the energy of our wonderful new friend Pam who is 75 years young. Her positive spirit and youthfulness was contagious. We had some night time entertainment from some of our own. To the delight of our guests, Roi (DM) fire danced several evenings and our one and only "Juca" aka Elvis, strummed his guitar to his latin beat ....... and threw in a Presley medley for good measure and in step with his reputation. Juca is Elvis! Truly enjoyable week. The Honduran political mess seems to be finally behind us ....... we're holding a hammock for you!

Utopia Free trip Winner September 2009

The Utopia Team wants congratulate Cathy Whitlock from Houston, Texas our September FREE DIVE TRIP winner!   
Thanks to everyone that entered the first "Free Trip" contest on www.utopiautila.com.

Enter below to win a free trip to be announced February 2010.
http://www.utopiadivevillage.com/contact/free-trip-9-01-09.php

--
Angelika C. Lukacsy
President & Director of Business Development
Utopia Village
Calle de Suenos
The Bay Islands, Utila
Honduras, C.A.
Www.utopiautila.com
Honduras cell: 504-3-310-5224

Rated #1 Hotel on Utila by Trip Advisor!!
“Only resort on Utila to be the Recipient of the Honduran Environmental Permit”

While The Bay Islands are certainly feeling the drop in tourism due to the Honduran political "situation", Utopia hosted guests in July and August from a nice geographical mix. We had guests from England, Canada, Florida, Tennessee, Oregon, Mass., Texas, Illinois and D.C., to name a few. I've attached several photos of our new friends. Please continue to pass the word that Honduras is safe to travel, particularly The Bay Islands. Our country is struggling financially due to the termination of international aid and the loss of tourism. Please help support democracy by visiting Honduras and think of us for your next dive getaway. We are running some great specials. Happy day!

Tourism In The Bay Islands And The Current Political Situation

Dear friends, family, business associates and partners,

We felt the need to send this letter to all of you in hopes that it would clear up any confusion regarding the current political status in Honduras and the atmosphere in The Bay Islands of Honduras.  Since this situation began two weeks ago, there have been only peace marches on Utila with absolutely no incidents on our island.  The islands are insulated from any protests taking place on the mainland.  I have spoken with our attorney on Roatan and it is business as usual there as well.  Our travel agents have reported that all flights, both International and inter-island, have been running as usual, except Taca, who temporarily postponed their regular route to San Pedro Sula Airport.  

We hope that you will all help support us in this difficult time.  The economy has hit everyone this year, but the inconsistent reporting of Honduras’ current political situation has deeply affected the tourism business in The Bay Islands.  Below, I have summarized what occurred on June 28th in Honduras as seen by its’ people.  We hope that you will help our cause by taking advantage of the great deals most businesses are currently offering in order to keep tourism afloat in The Bay Islands.

We wish for peace and prosperity for all!

Angelika C. Lukacsy

A BREIF SYNOPSIS OF THE HONDURAN POLITICAL SITUATION:
We realize that the world media, especially CNN has been incorrectly reporting what happened here in Honduras.  As people living here we have known for sometime what has been transpiring between Mel Zelaya and the Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez.  Talk of the threat of Communism was a real and scary thing here in Honduras for a time.  On June 28, the events that transpired brought new hope to the majority of people in this Country.  The little country of Honduras, for the first time, stood up for what they believe in: Democracy and freedom!  People from every social class, economic level, political party and ethnic background combined their beliefs and have stood behind the removal of Zelaya from office.

On June 28, 2009 there was no forced Imposition of an unelected leader on Honduran people.  What transpired in
Congress, resulting in the naming of Roberto Micheletti (being the next elected official in the order of succession)
as the new President of Honduras was a legal and Constitutional succession of powers and involved the unanimous vote of all congressmen, which included members of four  of Honduras’ political parties, including Manuel Zelaya’s. 

On Sunday June 28, 2009 the Honduran Constitution and Democracy, were in DANGER due to Manuel Zelaya’s illegal actions,
knowingly undermining our judicial system, in order to pursue his personal ambitions to remain in power (he only
had 6 months left in government).  His goal was to change the Constitution so that he could be elected for more terms than the Honduran Constitution currently allows.  Thus opening the doors to a Dictatorship.

--
Angelika C. Lukacsy
President & Director of Business Development
Utopia Village
Calle de Suenos
The Bay Islands, Utila
Honduras, C.A.
Www.utopiautila.com
Honduras cell: 504-3-310-5224

Rated #1 Hotel on Utila by Trip Advisor!!
“Only resort on Utila to be the Recipient of the Honduran Environmental Permit”

Hello from sunny Utila. Wanted to provide a quick update on our political situation in Honduras. Talks are underway between Mr. Zelaya and current President Micheletti, led by several mediators. We are all praying for a peaceful resolution. A mandatory curfew is in effect (which includes the Bay Islands), although it appears that this will be lifted soon. A march for peace was held yesterday on Utila, which absolutely coincides with the feeling on the island. The Bay Islands tend to be insulated from any turmoil, so we continue with business as usual. We are offering great summer specials, please see our website for further details. We're holding a hammock for you! Have a happy day.

There's been a whole lot of shakin going on! Most of you probably read that The Bay Islands experienced a 7.3 magnitude earthquake in late May. I personally have never felt anything like it, something I will never forget. A few broken items from shelves, but no structural damage or serious injuries, for that we are grateful. We continue to feel tremors, one as large at 5.2 last week, but I am assured by a geophysicist friend that a 7.3 will never happen again in our lifetime. Below I thought I'd share some of his comments.

"You're sitting on the northern edge of the Caribbean Plate, which is moving to the east. Just north of Utila is the North American Plate, which is moving to the west. They are moving past one another at about 2 centimeters per year. Some faults move up to 10 cm per year,or even more. The fault is nearly vertical, as if you took a knife and sliced straight into the earth. The direction of motion was "left lateral", meaning that the other side of the fault moved to the left relative to you. So you moved to the east, the North American side moved to the west. This is all very normal for the kind of fault you're on, but unusually large. Maps show that there have been other earthquakes near you since 1900, but none as big as last month. The entire Pacific coast of Central America gets many more earthquakes than Utila. You're much safer than, say, the Pacific coast of Costa Rica."

"the short version is that Utila is in a relatively safe area, especially for being smack dab on a Plate Boundary. In fact, I wouldn't expect another magnitude 7 near you in our lifetimes. The good news about that earthquake is that it released a lot of built-up stress. So, although you may still get some little aftershocks for awhile, the major stresses in your little neck of the woods have been released. The same fault may rupture (earthquake) in other places far away from you, but that was likely your "big one".

So, now everyone can feel safe! Come see us on the island, we're holding a hammock for you!

This past week was quite an exciting one, not only at Utopia Village, but on Utila as a whole. Utopia hosted a t.v. film crew who were shooting an episode for a new series "Into the Drink" which has been picked up by the Travel Channell for 2010. The crew is traveling the world and filming on location where diving is spectacular (7 different dive destinations). Utila was their second stop, they made quite a stir on our little island. In addition to the film crew and and full house of divers, we also hosted Daniel D'Neuville who facilitates a workshop entitled "Being Unstoppable". Daniel's objective is to teach one how to tap into and experience personal transformation. "Transformation is a total new way of being that gives rise to change in behaviors where activities and choice flow naturally and powerfully from a fresh mindset and elevated level of self-expression.". The final ceremony after the workshop was a Fire Walk and Island Style Cook Out. Everyone had the opportunity and choice to walk across a bed of 1200-degree coals (which, by the way I did, it was very empowering and frightening, but I made it). The firewalk creates the distinctions of personal power, courage and unstoppable confidence. The participants learned how to tap into their reserve of mental toughness and focus their mind in powerful new ways to maximize their potential. The t.v. crew got all this in their shoot, quite an unusual event for their new show. The week was crazy, as the crew filmed everything from our chef, to shore dives, to boat dives, to bar activities, to Juca (our manager of dive operations) cranking out Latin songs on his guitar, to the fire walk ceremony, to indepth interviews with us (the owners). Keep an eye out in 2010 for the show, featured on the travel channel. Happy day to all.

photos above, some of the film crew, Daniel leading his workshop, and fire!!

A day in the life of Paco (are further words necessary?). Pacocito is one of our four legged, residents at Utopia. Adopted from a shelter in Kansas a little over a year ago, he now leads the swank life. You too can indulge yourself in the lifestyle of Paco, come visit us at Utopia Village!

Below is video taken by one of our guests last week, Pedro Padilla, visiting from Puerto Rico. ooh la la, every visitors dream. Happy Monday!

http://www.facebook.com/inbox/readmessage.php?t=1069499290998

Big seaside horseshoe matches yesterday at Utopia, Texas vs. the rest of the world. I'll let you figure out who won. Little hint, it wasn't the rest of the world.

Texas came to us last week and we were delighted to have little taste of home for us Texan Utopians. Duggan's Dive Shop, located in San Antonio, brought 19 divers from their shop. The whale sharks did not disappoint as our guests had two days of snorkeling with our friendly giants. Leonard, Miss U's boat captain, is a local man, born and raised around our waters and is expertise in finding the whale sharks, as well as timing the "go, go, go, goes" for our guests to jump. Above are several photos taken by the group leader John Duggan. We miss our Texans!

Tis the season on the island. Although whale sharks are present year round in our waters off Utila, the frequency of sightings are higher during the calmer months. Our guests this past week (Las Vegas, Boston, Florida, Texas, Canada) were treated to epic diving, compliments of the whale sharks. They swam with our gentle giants on two separate days, sizes varying from 15 ft. to 35 ft in length. We're hoping to have their videos up on our website very soon. Happy Sunday.

Utopia's motto is "you come as guests ........ and leave as friends", this week proved exactly that. We hosted a truly gracious group of doctors (podiatrists, hence "Dive Pods"). They come from all over the U.S. and gather once a year for their seminar training and diving. Most afternoons were spent in lecture, but mornings were devoted to finding the elusive whale sharks. The last day of diving, they were found, but descended before the docs could get in the water. So close and yet so far. The winds were unusually forceful during their stay, our dock was not accessible most days, so in came the jungle bus for transport to a calmer dock west of Utopia. The jungle bus became a staple of their trip and they insisted on being photographed with "her" on the last day. For those of you unfamiliar with our notorious bus, it's a well, "broken in", converted truck for guest transport. She's seen better days, but keeps on ticking and adds to the adventures of staying in a remote area.

One doc was missing from their dive group this year. Joe lost his battle to cancer in 2008 and was to be on this Utopia trip. They wanted to do something is his memory, so we picked some colorful flowers to use for his memorial. They chose our dock and the day before their departure they held a quiet service, each speaking a few words, then tossing a flower into the sea in memory. I didn't want to intrude, so sat back and took a couple of photos (above). I was touched, a really beautiful place and signficant tribute to a man I did not know, but was clearly loved and missed very much. I hope this group returns to Utopia, they truly are our new friends.

Not a bad day to be us! We're holding a hammock for you.

Utopia hosted its first "Bring Utilatown to Utopia" Friday night. This will become a monthly event where friends, business owners, dive shop employees and island residents who live in town place advanced reservations for a night of cocktails and fine dining at our on-site restaurant, Dulce Vida. Our 40 ft. dive boat, the "Miss U" picked up our local guests at Morgan's dock at 5P and brought them out to our remote location. It was a magical night of mingling with old friends and sharing our little slice of paradise. Many have not had the opportunity to visit Utopia due to our location, we are boat access only. Above are a few photos of our island folk enjoying their evening. Buen provecho!

More Virtual Tours

Utopia Virtual Tour. Check out these videos

John Langford

We had a professional photographer from Austin diving with us this week.  John Langford snapped some incredible shots, both above and below water (www.johnlangford.com).  See above for a sample of his work.  Sunny and warm days here on the island.   Step away from winter, come join us at Utopia.

 

Kyle

Guest Chef at Utopia

Chef Hugh took a well deserved vacation back to the states in Feb.  For those of you that keep up with Trip Advisor, you know well the notoriously positive feedback we receive regarding Chef Hugh's menu.  In his absence, we invited Chef John Souza out to Utopia to fill big shoes left by Hugh.  John owned a catering company in Houston until last year.  Like many of us, he decided to trade in the fast paced city life for the tranquil island.  He's in the process of building a home and is now a permanent member of our small Utila community.   Let me say, both guests and staff alike were wowed by the different creations John put together.   One guest made a habit out of bringing his camera to meals so he could memorialize all the grand entrées prepared.  I know we'll soon be reading about Chef John in travel reviews.  Utopia now has two spectacular chef's available at Dulce Vida as John has agreed to come out once a week and tantalize us on Chef Hugh's day off.   Disfrute de su comida!

 

Commentary by Kyle Heath