The dangers of Utila aren’t what most people think about.
I realized that yesterday and how my thinking has changed after being on a tropical island for so long. I now manage my daily activities keeping these things in mind to watch for while in Utila:
1. Getting Hit by Birds: Just yesterday I almost got hit by two things while driving my scooter. The first thing was a hummingbird that wasn’t watching where he was going. The second thing was…
2. Falling Fruit: The second thing was a plum. There are tons of orangey-red plums loading down all the trees right now, and covering the roads. You must always keep your head tilted down so you don’t get one in the eye while driving the scooter. Many people gather these plums and make jam. They are sweet, and peachy-plummy-tasting.
Another danger is falling mangoes which are extremely heavy. During Mango season, one learns to scoot around when passing under mango trees because getting knocked on the head by one of those while driving is going to hurt!
Did you ever wonder why nothing falls on your head in the cities in North America? Some trees require males and females to bear fruit. Did you know that in most cities only plant male trees so as not to worry about falling fruit and seeds, and the clean-up afterwards? I’ve heard that’s why there are so many allergies and hay-fever which is caused by the extra pollen thrown out by the male trees. Female trees are the ones producing fruit, and don’t produce pollen like the males do.
Check out this article in the New York Daily that talks about planting a million male trees, sacrificing allergy sufferers over aesthetics (and I’m assuming clean-up costs factor in there too). NY Daily News – Male pollen producing trees cause allergies
Here’s another interesting link to Popular Mechanics debunking myths about trees: Myths about trees
At Watercay, one of the many Cays of Utila, a beautiful, uninhabited little cay, my friend June got hit in the head by a coconut that fell from about 10m/30ft. It glanced off the side of her head, and she was in pain for the remainder of the day.
Island Living Lesson #1: You must be careful where you string your hammock. (But that would be another blog post).
This is an example of poor hammock-stringing. Can you see why? Yes, coconuts on either end…
If there were coconuts only on one side, you could put your head on the opposite end, risking falling coconuts on your legs.
It’s better having no coconuts on either end. Do you remember high schools physics? A 2 pound coconut falling from 30 ft equates to how much force? Remember? Force = mass x acceleration
For me, that calculates to OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!
3. Bats: Yes, around dusk coming home one early evening, I was smacked in the head by a bat that turned a little too late! No not a baseball bat, a furry, cute-in-a-wicked-sort-of-way bat.
Another reason to watch for bats… They LOVE to drink away all the hummingbirds’ sugar water. However, I have learned that with just the right amount of sugar, the hummingbirds like it, but the bats don’t. Use less sugar than normal, and the bats will stay away… unless you want to end up replacing about a litre of sugar water daily!
4. Getting hit by a falling snake: Yes, it’s true. When our daughter was 3 years old daughter and my husband was driving the older one to school on the moped, a boa fell from a tree, hit her in the head, fell to the bottom platform of the scooter and slithered away. She still loves to tell that story after so many years!
Pictured here is an endangered Pink Boa that can be found in Honduras, only in Cayos Cochinos.
On the mainland there are poisonous snakes, but there are NO POISONOUS SNAKES on Utila! How awesome is that?
5. Eagle Rays Killing You: 
Okay, no one has ever been killed by an eagle ray here in Utila. They are one of the most beautiful, peaceful creatures underwater. But it has happened elsewhere! Do any of you remember that one woman in the Florida Keys who was killed in a freak accident when a Spotted Eagle Ray jumped out of the water, hit her, and she fell backwards. She hit her head on the boat and died. Talk about bad luck!
Click here to see the article on NBC News… Just ignore the fact that they called it a Stingray, it was an Eagle ray… NBC must not have a diver on staff! And rays are complicated. Did you know that they are classified with the family of sharks? Why because they have no bones, they have cartilage.
No one has been hurt in Utila from a flying ray, but I have seen rays flying out of the water here! It’s an amazing and very special moment! Just as long as it doesn’t hit you!
6. Falling Iguanas: Just like snakes falling out of the trees, iguanas can too. Back in Toronto, raccoons would often fall out of the trees, probably after dozing off in a precarious position.
This beautiful iguana fell out of the tree, stunned, and our dogs started to chase it around our yard. As I panicked screaming, “Oh no oh no oh no!”, my daughter’s 7 year old friend, ran up to the iguana, grabbed it and held it. They all proceeded to laugh at my panic. We placed the iguana back up in the tree, and everyone lived happily ever after.
7. Killing Iguanas, or Pichetes (Monkey La Las), or snakes : Iguanas love to come out and bask in the sun. We have a pair of iguanas that allow me to admire them every morning as they emerge from a hole in the rocks to lie out and warm up in the sun. This however, is detrimental to their health when they bask on the roads. The problem is not just avoiding them, but rather when they zigzag in opposite directions making you anticipate which way they are going so you can avoid injuring or killing them. Iguanas are more straight line runners and easier to avoid, whereas Monkey La Las look like they are purposely trying to get squished! Snakes are straight line slitherers too, but harder to avoid at night when you can’t see them.
Oh, and let’s not forget getting crabs… No not that kind! Land crabs. After a rain, crabs line the streets as they escape their flooded homes. It’s quite disconcerting to hear the crunch! as you accidentally roll over a crab, but I imagine it’s worse for the crab!
8. Pelican Poop: You think that seagull poop is awful, imagine a bird about 10 times it’s size? Well… some cultures believe it is good luck to be pooped on by a bird. This can be arranged if you like. Just stand under a tree on Watercay, I’ve seen up to 10 pelicans in one tree! Just stand under it for a few minutes, and voila! Good luck!
9. Slowing Down: You will most certainly slow down when you come to Utila. It may take awhile, but soon you realize that there are more things to life than work. Everyone knows the phrase “Love your work, and you’ll never work another day in your life”. Well here, you can understand it!
10. Getting Stuck: Yes, most of all the biggest danger of Utila is “getting stuck”. I, like a pile of other people, planned on being here on Utila for just a short time. For me, it was for 5 days. I planned to do a 10 tank dive package. Move on. Travel by land to Chile, and be home in March 2000. I’m still here. I guess Chile will have to wait.
The most popular Utila video that ever existed is based on this premise! With over 341,000 views, this is one of the biggest dangers of Utila! Click here for “If You Come to Utila“. The guys that made this video were two instructors. I call them the After Eight (AE) Club. Because they all come out after 8:00pm. Myself and most of my friends are part of the B.E. Club, because we’re all usually home by 8:00pm and awake at sunrise.