Winter Skies by Rachel Moore

Utila Tourist info
 

Honduras News

Hugo Chavez Fails in Honduras- In a landslide victory Profirio Lobo, the National Party Candidate, will become the next president of Honduras. (read more)

Hugo Chavez and the Cowardly World- A chain of events have started that could convert the wonderful country of Honduras into a place similar to the Gaza Strip. (read more)

Crisis in Honduras- Articles and editorials from The Utila East Wind which chronicle the events that preceded the removal of former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya.  (read more)

REMAX BAY ISLAND

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World powers to normalize relations with Honduras

January 27 2009

Today the transfer of power from the intern government of Roberto Micheletti to the recently elected Profilio Lobo will be completed in Tegucigalpa.

Delegations from many countries including the USA, Dominican Republic, Israel,  Taiwan, Spain, Guatemala, Panama and a range of other countries from the Americas and Europe will be in attendance to witness the event and give support to the democratically elected Pepe Lobo.

ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance) Counties are sending no representatives and it remains to be seen whether this left wing bloc will accept the new government after the National Congress overwhelmingly voted to withdraw from ALBA and reversed many of Zelaya's decrees that were made while he was in power.

On the eve of this event, many developments have taken place including the exoneration of Honduras' top generals for their actions during the removal of deposed president Manuel Zelaya in June 2009. Also, amnesty has been approved by the newly installed Congress for Manuel Zelaya.

Earlier this week it was also announced  that Manuel Zelaya would leave the country and live in exile in the Dominican Republic and yesterday president elect Lobo announced that he may escort Zelaya the airport along with the Presidents of Guatemala and Dominican Republic.

However, with the amnesty now approved it remains to be seen if he will indeed leave Honduras as planned.

....Updates to this story will be posted as available.

 

2009... A Year to Remember

On December 31st 2009 Utila waved goodbye to a year that will be remembered for a lifetime. Infants, children, teenagers, adults and the elderly will carry strong images from this fateful year forever. 

... 2009 was the year that we found out what was carried on the night flights coming, so often and so late, to Utila's Airport. The, not so surprising truth was that Utila became a hub station of a poli-narco war, a remote depot where planes with 1500 kilo shipments of cocaine could refuel on its journey to the starving noses in New York, Washington and the rest of North America. The planes have, for now, stopped

... On May 28th 2009 at 2:20am everyone on Utila was thinking the same thing. Earthquake! The intensity of this major 7.3 magnitude earthquake caused televisions to fly, homes to fall and people to move to the hills in fear of an impending tsunami. Thankfully the tsunami never came. When daylight broke the horizon, Utila found little serious damage.

On the mainland the damage was more serious and much more ominous. To many is seemed a warning of things to come.

In El Progresso, The Democracy Bridge fell due to structural deficiencies. In San Pedro Sula, The Supreme Court Building was seriously damaged due to a design flaw that amplified the effects of the Earthquake.

These disasters set the stage for the events to come with Shakespearian foreboding.

Soon, President Manuel Zelaya, in his push for a new Constitution for Honduras, would shake the very foundations of the Republic.

His refusal to accept the Supreme Court decision which deemed his referendum illegal, his refusal to accept the Congressional vote against his referendum, and finally his attempt to capture the ballots from seizure and distribute them with the help of his loyalists, caused Manuel Zelaya to be removed from power and caused Honduras to become a Rouge State in the eyes of the International Community.

Zelaya's actions after is exile then caused greater damage and his insistence to return as President through insurrection, combined with Hugo Chavez' threat of armed intervention, created siege like conditions throughout the country.

Curfews, Border closures and restrictions in movement devastated the economy. Zelaya's continued insistence of return to the Presidency leaves him as a permanent guest at the Brazilian Embassy. It also leaves the Republic of Honduras vulnerable to to attack economic or otherwise, from Hugo Chavez and The Bolivarian Alliance.

... Through all these political problems Honduras did find one great and wonderful distraction. The Honduras National Football team was in the hunt for qualification for the World Cup. While international media outlets were searching the streets for conflict, hundreds of thousands of Hondurans watched our squad fight through Mexico, beating them 4-0 at home in San Pedro Sula, everyone proudly chanting HONDURAS HONDURAS. Every match was critical and in a nail bighting conclusion Honduras prevailed and will be in South Africa this summer to face the World's best.

... Utila received its own personal ray of light when, in a gap between curfews, the legendary reggae sensation Eric Donaldson played two free concerts for the people of Utila on Chepas Beach.  Everyone, young and old, attended and felt blessed hearing Eric sing songs that have played on every music box on Utila for the past 30 years.

Now, with 2009 behind us, Utila is looking to the future and is ready to face whatever may come. Good or bad, happy or sad we are ready for whatever may come.

Peace and Love.

The Canucks are coming!

Canadians are enjoying easier access to Honduras for the winter season with Charter Airlines offering flights and vacation packages to Roatan and La Cieba.

CanJet is offering Thursday departures from Montreal direct to La Ceiba and Sunwing is offering direct Monday flights to Roatan.

There are some great last minute fares that have been available and last minute vacation packages are also very attractive.

Travelers to Utila will benefit from this option because travelers will now only need to take the Utila Princess Ferry to Utila from La Ceiba. This means a one day trip from the freezing temperatures of Canada to dive at one of Utila's fantastic dive sites.

For more information contact redtag.ca or sunwing.ca for these options. There are also regularly scheduled flights from AA, Delta, Continental and Taca airlines. These airlines provide service to San Pedro Sula (SAP), Roatan (TRB) and La Ceiba (LCE)

 

Holiday season brings new visitors

December 21 2009

The Holiday season has arrived on Utila with international tourists arriving to spark the local economy.

After a long tourism drought due to many factors, the small island of Utila is showing signs of recovery bringing new hopes for the economy in 2010.

A flurry of negative events negatively affected tourism this year ranging from a series of earthquakes to a controversial transfer of presidential power.

With the ground finally settling and the elections in the past, Utila is now looking to the future.

Tourism has been the mainstay of the economy for more than 15 years now and today there are no businesses nor people who are not at least partially dependant of the dive tourism industry.

A great sigh of relief came when the US Government finally lifted the travel advisory for Honduras. On Utila there was no conflict whatsoever yet the events on the mainland and the political differences prompted the advisory and did great damage to the local economy.

It is expected it will be months until tourism is fully recovered and in the mean time local businesses are offering fantastic prices for diving and  accommodation to encourage tourists to return.

If you are looking for an adventure that will take you to a place seen by very few in the world, Utila is the place for you.

Our virgin reef, waters, jungles  and friendly people will insure that your visit to Utila will be the experience of a lifetime.

Utila Eastwind Staff

Alton Cooper Victorious!

Re-elected for his third term in office.

NOVEMBER 29 2009

It has just been confirmed that Alton Jernigan Cooper has been elected for his third term in office.

Congratulations Alton!!!

Tourists enjoying Rock Harbour Beach on Utila's north shore UEW file footage