Am now a little worried about Utila trip please help

[Doc]

 

[DandyDon]

No thanks

 

[rob@diveinutila.com]

I'm living on Utila working in a dive center and our biggest problem is the political situation & international reporting is killing business.

So far for those who have attempted to get here, apart from a few road delays everything has gone smoothly enough, albeit with some hiring of cabs rather than using public transport.

So apart from numbers business is, so far, completely as usual on Utila.

-Rob

 

[SDSCUBA27]

No worries, all is well in paradise. The curfew has permitted some to actually get a little more sleep. Utila was wonderfully quiet last night after 10:00.

The earthquakes are actually more exciting than the political situation, for now anyway.

 

[Doc]

No worries, all is well in paradise.

This then, given the source, I must assume that there is an ongoing re-supply of beer.

Civilization is intact. Good to hear from you. rca:

 

[UTLgirl]

Yep, the Salva & FLor de Cana is stocked. Had a group arrive in last night from SAP. Only thing they noticed, and granted they were at the airport mostly, was that the plane left an hour late. They're out diving this am & I'm headed down to the beach.

Harbor was so beautiful last night I sat out on the deck for hours just to enjoy. With the curfew still in effect (they backed it up to 10pm now) the bars were closed, lights all out etc, could see the stars & hear the waves crashing over the reef. I haven't had that peacful an evening in quite some time.

Side note: plane left 'late' because they ran it direct to Utila, vs. their normal mid week layover in LCE.

 

[sololady]

Uh, it's a military coup. It may not just be the military behind it, but when soldiers arrest a president and send him out of country - quack quack, it's a duck. And it certainly is catching hell from many other governments and associated organizations.

Uh, no it's not a military coup. But you would have to do some research to know that, Don, not just rely on the misinformation and propaganda being thrown about outside of Honduras. Actually, knowing you as I do, you would be appalled if you actually knew the truth. Your comments would be very different.

Regards

 

[RTBDiver]

I would not be worried about a trip to the Bay Islands until I heard from someone on the Islands there was something to worry about.
Just my 2 lempira,

As for the political stuff, I'll keep it in the Pub

 

[DandyDon]

I would not be worried about a trip to the Bay Islands until I heard from someone on the Islands there was something to worry about.
Just my 2 lempira,

As for the political stuff, I'll keep it in the Pub

Yes & No. Yes, the Bay Islands are quite removed from the mainland, but then - how objective can one expect someone there to be in personal reports? Anything bad for business is going to be withheld or at least sugar coated.

The Army seems quite busy on the mainland, shooting bus tires and such, preventing demonstrations or more, preventing the former president with all of his international backing from taking power, etc - one would not expect anything from them on the Islands. I suppose as long as the soldiers there receive supplies and payroll, not much to happen.

But now that we have heard "Come on down; the water's fine!" several times, care to give objective info?

With the mainland in some degree of turmoil, aid reduced, business with other countries reduces, and so forth - what affects can we expect on the Islands with regard to supplies, support, and the like...?

Finally I think it would be only prudent to consider that with the Army so busy, that in the unlikely event of a hurricane hit, another quake, or other unlikely problems, direct aid might be challenged.

Yes, I would certainly register with the State Department if I were coming now. If caca hits the fan, and they don't have a good idea of how many Americans are there, then they cannot plan any direct aid on good info. They may not do anything anyway, or they might? I'd also check my Trip Ins to see how it may be affected by current situations.


Edit: Just saw this; would someone tell me if that says the explosion was at the city airport? "Explosión en KFC cerca de Aeropuerto (Tegucigalpa, Honduras)"

 

[Doc]

It's the weekend and travelers will be coming back from vacationing for the week on the islands... if they're lucky. Maybe they'll post a report. Let us know if we should believe it.

but then - how objective can one expect someone there to be in personal reports?

I would not trust any of these vacationers. Could be time to crack out the tin-foil hats again. You got a few rolls laid up just in case?

Anything bad for business is going to be withheld or at least sugar coated.

That's why their Coke tastes so different- they make it out of sugar cane like the old days, we in the US are now used to corn syrup.

But now that we have heard "Come on down; the water's fine!" several times, care to give objective info?

Just announce when you're ready to start believing it, and someone might just do that.

...what affects can we expect on the Islands with regard to supplies, support, and the like...?

Magic 8 Ball says.... "could be"

Finally I think it would be only prudent to consider that with the Army so busy, that in the unlikely event of a hurricane hit, another quake, or other unlikely problems, direct aid might be challenged.

Yes, the Honduran Army has always been right there just like our US National Guard. Juan on the spot. You must be joking, right?

Edit: Just saw this; would someone tell me if that says the explosion was at the city airport? "Explosión en KFC cerca de Aeropuerto (Tegucigalpa, Honduras)"

It says that it was near the airport. In fact, i believe it is right across the street from the Airport.

How many vacationers to the Bay Islands fly through Tegucigalpa? Of that infinitesimally small number, how many ever leave the secure transit lounge?

Fry vat explosion?

Chicken Protection League?

Fourth of July festivity?

Some nut job tossing a huge firecracker ? (When translated by CNN, this could indeed be a bombing attack)

DandyDon- you make some valid points, but in life, I tend to worry about the probables versus the possibles.

SCUBA Divers by in-large are risk takers. I'm really not sure what your motivations are here (or anywhere else on the Board), but you sure are going a long way to create a veil of fear surrounding travel to the Bay Islands. Possibly his ties into your interest in staying right on top of Hurricanes and the way they track- most of them quite harmlessly through the world's oceans. But it's good to be right on the spot and let everybody know what might happen.

That way, if you predict dire occurrences often enough, you're bound to be right, eventually. I have no doubt that someday, Honduras will boil over (as most such countries will do to the failing world economy, maybe even in Lubbock?), and then you'll have the satisfaction of sitting back, smiling broadly, and saying: See. I told you so!

It might be tomorrow, next month or in five years, but we'll all remember your Nostradamus :doctor: like talents. Yes- someday, sometime, someplace... something will occur. Then, everyone will then know you were right all along.

In the mean time, sit safe and tight in Lubbock, but before you dig the bunker, know this:

Lubbock Crime Report

City Population: 206,882

Murder: 14
Forcible Rape: 101
Robbery: 311
Aggravated Assault: 1,969
Burglary: 2,829
Larceny or Theft: 9,726
Car Theft: 691
Arson: 54

Lubbock has roughly 5x the population of all of the Bay Islands, so it loks like the Bay Islands are an overall safer place to be. But the following Lubbock vs US Average statistics are by percentage...

Your safe little Lubbock alone runs 2.63x the national average in aggravated assault, 1.34x higher for rape, and 1.94x higher than the nation for all violent crimes. Lubbock Crime Statistics (TX) - CityRating.com

I think I'll take my chances on the mean streets of Roatan. Tourists there are very rarely involved in any crime- not unless in the rare cases they go out of their way to look for it. The "Tourist Police" are a branch of Law Enforcement you may be blissfully unaware of- and that's the idea.

The Tourist Police are assigned to areas such as West End, and when the cruise ships are in, the streets of Coxen Hole. They are there not to assist the tourists in their wanderings- no- they are there to remind the local meatheads that if a tourist should stub their toe, somebody's going down- and hard. Stick to the tourist zones or the AI Resorts, just like any foreign land, and you'll just have the best vacation ever.

If you want to stay out late, mix it up with the locals, drink until you slobber all over Raoul's squeeze who is just wanting to be left alone to sell crack, then you become in the statistical group that CNN points their cameras at, the ones that you are fixated upon.

I look at it as simple Darwinism.

BTW, Amarillo aint lookin' so good either.

Time for you and Captain Queeg to go check on those strawberries.