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The 5 amigos attempt to navigate their way around the shore of the fearsome Island of Utila.

Survivor Utila was published in Utilas Monthy Newspaper - The 'Utila East Wind'

We woke to intense winds and sideways rain. Making us think a Hurricane had been whipped up overnight. The 0400 departure for the great 'Survivor Utila' challenge would be delayed.
By 10am, the clouds had thinned and the rain was almost gone, making us rethink about departure today.
By midday the sky was almost clear and the challenge was on. The survivors readied their gear, hauled on their heavy backpacks and with 5 days worth of food and supplies, they were off, or so they thought.
Moments before departure, Felix Long Dog came running down the dock, his snout covered in blood. This Island has a sad but true reputation for poisoning dogs. Its a horrific thought, but has happened to numerous innocent dogs. The first thought was that Poor Felix had been poisoned. But on closer inspection, it appeared he had just found some yummy fish guts or something of the kind and got a little bit excited, whiffing them up his snout. Phew. With the blood cleared, the Adventure could begin.
The Plan was to walk around the Island of Utila, sticking as close to the shore as possible, spending time on the sandy beaches and swimming in the turquoise waters. Little did we know at that early stage, just how much of a challenge this would be. The original plan was something like this:
Day 1 – A short hike to Pumpkin Hill Beach.
Day 2 – Cross the swamp that divides the Island in 2, using 'Young Tom' (our trusty Inflatable Boat) to cross the Channel, camping on a nice beach somewhere close toTurtle Harbour.
Day 3 – Hike to the West side of the Island, somewhere with the Cays in view.
Day 4 – Possibly swim to the Cays for Fish Burgers and refreshments and make our way toward Utila.
Day 5 - Home, along the sandy shores of the South side.
The 5 pack headed out, to the sandy Northern shores of Utila. Hiking along the Eastern beaches, the cement road gave way to gravel and then dirt. After about an hours hike, we stopped at a dive site called 'Ships Stern' and headed in for a snorkel. Always curious about the caves and formations on this site, it was a perfect opportunity to check it out. A few minutes in and we had already seen a Spotted Eagle Ray and a close inspection of the caves was very impressive.

After the swim, we continued on our way and along the dirt path, where we found a strange construction site. Closer investigation revealed it was the makings of Utilas first Mini Golf Range. Putt Putt on Utila! The owner / designer was there and we asked what led him to think Utila was in need of a Putt Putt course? How would people get all the way out here, especially to play golf? He said 'people were always renting bikes and looking for a place to come and things to do'. 'Sure' we said, 'sounds like a plan', and continued on our way.
We hiked past the fresh water springs and made it to Utilas airport, which was super busy. The ferries had all been cancelled due to the storm and the airport was the only way on or off this rock. I could think of worse places to be trapped.

A little further to the North was a 'beach', with more coral than sand and more rubbish than coral. In these conditions, with big seas and offshore winds, the perfect wave was whipped up. We sat and admired the breakers, wishing we had boards here to carve them up. So its true, given the right conditions, you can surf on Utila. We had already solved one of Utilas mysteries and we had only begun.

surf

The destination for our first night was Pumpkin Hill beach, and it didn’t take long to get there. We found a nice little grotto in the trees and made camp, sweeping the crabs and ants away to make room for the tent. Unfortunately the sand flies didn’t get the memo to leave us alone and they persisted to harass us all night.
Before too long, a blazing fire was lighting up the campsite. The surplus of driftwood littering the shores was enough to get our dinner cooked and keep the bugs away. We sat and reflected on our easy day, eating soup and pasta for dinner. We crashed, with the intention to rise early and watch the Sunrise from atop Pumpkin Hill. Stu had a great hammock, while Max and Sabrina shared a tent, alone for most of the night until Felix Long Dog begged to come in. We let him curl up in the corner. Who can say no to Felix?

It was super dark when the alarm woke us at 5am. All the stars were out, lighting our way up towards the summit of Pumpkin Hill. It was a little bit of a struggle in the dark, but we found our way along a small trail and after 20 minutes, we were at the top, admiring the sleeping island below. We noted how nice Utila looks from a distance, only a small portion of the island seemed to be developed. The rest, was more or less, virgin forest. Closer inspection of the island truly reveals a darker side.
The sun came up at 6 but the thick clouds prevented any kind of morning spectacle. We didn’t see too much initially, and waited until the sun poked over the top of a big cloud on the horizon, revealing a nice day in the makings. We took a good look at the path ahead of us and noted a few obstacles, such as the mangroves and inlets, but from up the top, it looked possible, and with high spirits, we continued on our way.

We returned to the beach and packed up the camp. It was 8:30am when we saw the Tristan (our dive boat) go past. We waved and jumped but they didn’t see us. We were hoping to swim to dive boats to refill our water bottles. Our whole survival on this trip relied on Dive Boats coming to the North and helping us out. However this wasn't going to be the case today.
With the camp packed up, we set off for the hardest day of hiking ever experienced by mankind.
It started off O.K, with a beach and a dirt path leading past some scattered housing, taking us towards the West of the Island and finally to the lava flow. The Island on Utila was formed by a lava flow and as we were about to find out, the majority of Utila is made up of sharp jagged lava rocks.
There was no choice but to walk over them. We investigated inland and the dense forest didn’t give us a look in, so lava it was. We bounded over the lava, with Shizuka Mucha Caca (SMC) and Felix Long Dog (FLD) trailing behind. From what we could workout, we were somewhere near the Iron Bound Dive site. For Max, Stu and Sabrina, the lava was annoying but didn’t pose too much of problem, but for poor FLD and SMC, it was pure Hell. They sliced their paws to bits. Both were bleeding and at one point, FLD simply stopped, yelped and gave up, refusing to walk any further. SMC was whimpering. Both dogs were distraught and unable to walk along the lava any further. With no other options, we made a turn inland where the lava stopped and the thick forest took over. It would be easy to get lost in here, and with our machete, it would be slow going, but at least the dogs could continue. We bashed through the forest at a slow pace but eventually, the thick undergrowth gave way to a clearing with Pine Trees. No more forest, no more lava. What a relief. The clearing lasted for a few hundred metres and we discovered some of Utilas older settlements. Hidden beneath the Pines were a few weathered houses and, lining the shore, we discovered some old wharfs. A hint at Utilas past.

We continued on and found Marshland. Small grassy bushes and lots of water over a sandy bottom. We tried bounding through, keeping dry, but eventually we all got soaked and removed our shoes, traveling slowly with out bare feet exposed to whatever lay beneath. At the end of the marsh was another obstacle for the day: a river crossing. A big channel separated us from our destination. We had to go on. Luckily this kind of obstacle was in our planning and we brought along 'Young Tom' – a trusty kids inflatable raft, donated from a friend at UDC. The raft would be a life saver on this journey. It took a few breaths to inflate but before long, the first backpack was floating across toward the other side. We returned to get the other. Balancing it carefully on 'Old Tom', we carefully took it to the other side and came back to get the last backpack and the dogs. It was slow going but eventually we had the three bags, the three humans and the two dogs safely to the other side. Waiting for us on the other side were thousands of Hermit Crabs. Max had always been curious about the crabs and pulled one out of its shell. Inside was not what he was expecting. A disgusting slug like creature with a slimy blue tail awaited. Max cried out in horror and placed the now homeless crab back on the shore and the group continued on their way.
That night, they found an amazing spot to setup camp on the white sand sheltered by the Coco Palms. They hacked into a few coconuts and had a peaceful sleep.

Waking up in a superb campsite on the North side of the island we saw our dive boat, the Tristan go past. We waved, they saw us and waved back and we smiled, thinking all our water worries were over. We watched in horror as the Tristan continued on its course West, leaving us a little worried about our diminished supply of water. We packed up the camp and continued walking, trying our best to avoid the lava ridden coast by staying inland where the sand and mountains of rubbish kept the dogs feet preserved. We noted that sadly, the whole coast of Utila has so far been covered in a thick layer of garbage. Everything from bottles and flip flops, to toilet seats, barby dolls and syringes. We found old fridges and fishing nets and all kinds of knick knacks. It was a really depressing sight to see such a beautiful island completely covered in rubbish.
The stretch of coast that followed was much more forgiving on our puppies feet. The 2 days prior had been hell and we were dreading todays walk. Jumping across the sharp lava and bounding through the trees, we made it to the edge of a big harbour and inlet lined with thick mangroves. Just off the coast, a dive boat from Altons dive shop pulled up at Duppy Waters. Salvation. We had been drinking a lot more water than we planned and this boat could well be our salvation. Already we had been forced to crack into about 20 coconuts for water and food. This boat was a welcome relief. All dive boats carry water for their divers, so Sabrina loaded herself with a few water empty bottles and swam out to the boat. Dodging the captains fishing line, she filled up our water bottles, thanked them for their generosity and swam back to shore. We had been saved – for now at least. Now it was time for the next obstacle:

Mangroves, and lots of them. Way too dense to walk around, the only option was to wade or swim across the bay at Turtle Harbour. Max, Stu and Sabrina removed their shoes and started walking. As they got closer to the other side they saw the Octopussy – (The boat used by the Utila Centre for Marine Ecology). UCME were out here studying mangroves and could well be a means across the harbour. The only problem was that they were on the other side and far out of range for the huge cries for help that followed. We took to banging a machete on a metal pot, trying desperately to get their attention and score a lift across the harbour. All our yelling, screaming, waving, jumping and banging failed and they took off. We had no option but to continue on our way.
On a bed of sea grass, we walked for 10 minutes across the bay and before long, the water had become too deep for the dogs. Both were doing their best doggy paddle to stay together, but after a few minutes they freaked out and swam into the mangroves. They got themselves all twisted up in the roots and we had to swim to them and drag them out. We picked up our furry friends and retreated back to the beach to come up with another plan. This looks like another job for 'Young Tom' (our trusty raft)
While Max was blowing up 'Young Tom' Stu headed out on a solo mission to see if it was possible for a human to walk around the inside of the bay. By the time the raft was inflated, Stu had come to a dead end. Too deep to walk, he started retracing his steps.
Trying again, this time with his bag delicately balanced on 'Young Tom' he was heading west, across to the other side of the bay. Max and Sabrina waited anxiously with the dogs.
An hour passed and e-Stu returned - with an empty boat. He had made it across and deposited his bag safely on the Western shore.
It was one hell of a trip, and we would have to make it 3 more times, then somehow get the dogs over there.

It was like the riddle with the Farmer, the Chicken, the Grain and the Fox:

Riddle:
A farmer is standing on one bank of a river, with a fox, a chicken, and a bag of grain. He needs to get to the other side of the river, taking the fox, the chicken, and the grain with him. However, the boat used to cross the river is only large enough to carry the farmer and one of the things he needs to take with him, so he will need to make several trips in order to get everything across. In addition, he cannot leave the fox unattended with the chicken, or else the fox will eat the chicken; and he cannot leave the chicken unattended with the grain, or else the chicken will eat the grain. The fox is not particularly partial to grain, and may be left alone with it.

Question:
How can he get everything across the river without anything being eaten?

Answer:
The man takes the chicken across first, leaving the fox and grain together on the other side.
He returns and gets the fox, but when he deposits the fox on the other side, he takes the chicken BACK across, so that the fox and chicken aren't left alone together.
He drops the chicken off back on the other side, picks up the grain, and takes it across to deposit with the fox.
Finally, he returns to retrieve the chicken and takes it to the other side.
At no time were the fox and chicken left alone together, nor were the chicken and grain.
At no time was more than one of them in the boat with the man simultaneously.

Our situation was a little more complicated. There were a few options. One was to take another bag across, then come back for the final bag, then come back for the dogs, maybe one at a time. We knew we could get ourselves across, but the challenge was the dogs. We couldn’t make them swim for an hour, so we deiced to tackle the tricky problem first. The Dog crossing. The problem with these dogs is that they will not go anywhere unless all three of us go. They are very loyal and like us to stay together. So by leaving one person on the shore, they would refuse to swim across. The only option was to get Sabrina swimming with the raft and a bag while e-Stu and Max would swim with the dogs, carrying them as far as possible and acting as life rafts, floating with the dogs on their stomachs if possible.
We set off - it was hard going. The dogs walked for the first 10 minutes, until it became too deep. We carried them for another 20, and these doggies aren’t light - especially fat Felix. When the water became too deep, the dogs had to swim. It was bloody hard work, e-Stu and Max almost drowned in the process, battling panicking dogs, mangroves and muddy water. But somehow, after an intense feat of survival, all 5 of them collapsed on the shore of the far West side of Turtle Harbour. A sandy beach awaited and the tired crew crashed out, drinking loads of agua and resting their wet exhausted bodies. But not for long. The last backpack was waiting way back on the other side of the harbour. Sabrina volunteered to swim back and with that, we said our farewells and she set off. While Sabrina was wading / swimming her way to the other side, Max did some scouting to see what was ahead. It didn’t look too bad. A lava covered point but after that, a few beaches. It was great news.

Sabrina returned an hour later with her backpack and we celebrated our great accomplishment. Nothing could stop us now.
The day was perfect. Every buoy on the North side was occupied by dive boats.
The beaches on the inside of Turtle Harbour were delightful. Everything you could imagine from a Caribbean beach. Perfect white sand, palm trees and warm turquoise water. It was amazing over there. We picked up our bags and headed along the beaches, hoping to achieve more than a Harbour crossing for the day. It was already 2pm and we had not made much progress at all. We didn’t even plan Turtle Harbour to be an obstacle, but it had taken 5 hours to cross.

With bare feet and backpacks we plodded along, with our toes in the water, we admired the Caribbean sea and the beautiful island of Utila. The dogs, now waterlogged were right by our sides. 30 minutes later, we had reached the point of the harbour and shortly after that, we met our worst enemy again. Lava! Lots of Lava! This seemed to be the islands main lava flow. Extending as far as we could see in every direction. DAMN! We thought we were over it. And it just kept just getting worse.
The lava was as sharp as razor blades. We sliced ourselves up from simply touching it and after a few minutes, we had all taken a tumble and were bleeding from cuts from the sharp rocks. The poor doggies were in hell and even with us carrying them, it became too much. We were at a loss. We didn’t know what to do, and were so distressed we thought about swimming out to sea, hopefully attracting the attention of a dive boat and getting saved, waving a white flag over the whole journey. It would have been disappointing after having come so far, but we couldn’t see any other option but to give up.
We sat on a sharp lava rock in the shade of a palm tree and pondered our options. We certainly couldn’t continue like this. Max took the machete and headed inland, looking for a break, but it only got worse. The lava, the thick vegetation, the muddy swamp, the mangroves. It was hell.

A little further inland, a rotting swamp, surrounded by more lava was not even an option and Max sat, distressed, with his head between his knees, trying to workout a way across the sharp rocks. The dogs were too heavy to carry in bare hands, and now it was getting late. After the harbour crossing, we were all so tired that we couldn’t think this one through too well.
On Max's return to Stu, Sabrina and the dogs, he got lost in the thick forest and lava rocks, but after a bit of yelling back and forth, he bashed through with a machete and the group decided to call it a night, retracing their steps, 30 minutes back to the beaches they had just come from and setup camp on an amazing sandy beach.
While Sabrina, Stu and the dogs were getting settled in our campsite for the night, Max grabbed some gear and set off on a huge scouting mission back to the lava that stopped them an hour ago and was determined to find a way across.
The lava extended way into to horizon, around a headland and past a few palm trees that had somehow grown attached to their sharp rocky home.
The sun was setting straight ahead, making it tough to see what was coming, but it looked like a beach. It was frustrating because the glare of the setting sun blocked everything from sight. Max walked around another headland and noted that the lava stopped and a sandy beach came into view. It was about an hours walk across the lava but at least it didn't extend for an eternity.

It was however going to be a long walk across the lava, especially with the dogs in our arms. It was bordering on impossible.
On the long hot walk back to camp, Max had a brainstorm. Put the dogs in the backpacks and carry them across on our backs. Maybe making 2 trips, one with the dogs and then a return to pickup the gear, but at least we could get the dogs across.
Max returned to camp with the news, to find that Stu and Sabrina had almost given up hope. They had another idea. Abandon the hike. Wait until the morning, preying that the weather was fine and swim out to a dive boat and call in a mayday. This would be hell in itself as the boats were a long way from shore and somehow we would have to get 3 backpacks, 3 people and 2 dogs out to the boat?
We discussed all the options over dinner that night. The campsite was ideal. The best yet, a raging fire and white sand made for the perfect location. Coconuts were plentiful and that night we drank at least 10 of them with our dinner. Stu had a feast of Potatoes, Beans and Vegetables all mixed up in a delicious stew. Max and Sabrina went for the Chinese Fried Rice, boiled in Coconut water and the dogs were treated with delicious meaty Smackos. They deserved it after their hard day.
That night, we had a trial run with the dogs in the backpacks and we were all delighted at the success.
We went to bed early in order to wake at 5am and set off before the sun got too high and the heat too intense, but it looked like we were going to make it.

Answer to riddle:
The man takes the chicken across first, leaving the fox and grain together on the other side.
He returns and gets the fox, but when he deposits the fox on the other side, he takes the chicken BACK across, so that the fox and chicken aren't left alone together.
He drops the chicken off back on the other side, picks up the grain, and takes it across to deposit with the fox.
Finally, he returns to retrieve the chicken and takes it to the other side.
At no time were the fox and chicken left alone together, nor were the chicken and grain.
At no time was more than one of them in the boat with the man simultaneously.

The alarm went off early and the trio rose under the fading stars. The sun was approaching fast. We packed up camp, shoving all the gear (tents, food, hammocks, clothes etc) into one bag, carried by Max.

Shizuka Mucha Caca (SMC) was gently placed in Sabrina’s backpack and zipped up securely with her head hanging out. Meanwhile, e-Stu struggled to fit the heavy and long Felix Long Dog (FLD) into his backpack. It took two of us to get FLD in the right position and after a little effort, he was securely tucked into the bag. With the dog insertion complete, we headed off into the horizon of sharp lava that turned us back the previous day.

Heading West, all seemed well in the early hours of the morning.. This would be the make or break of our journey. If this fails, then the only option would be to swim to a dive boat and ask to be rescued (hopefully there will be rescue divers onboard).

After a mere 30 minutes, Sabrina, e-Stu and Max were covered in scratches from simply touching the sharp lava. It made us feel bad about making the dogs walk over it the previous day. We bounced over the jagged rocks for an hour. The dogs sat still, watching the world go by as they bounced around in our backpacks. They seemed to understand what we were doing and enjoyed the trip.

Reaching the beach on the far side of the lava was a relief. We put the doggies down and they crawled out, shaking and tearing around the beach in celebration. We had a short rest on the beach, noting how much litter was scattered around. On close inspection, the majority of the litter consisted of plastic bottles, shoes, flip-flops, old fishing nets and syringes. How sad. On closer inspection, we noted the labels on the bottles weren't anything we had seen on Utila and presumed they had all drifted in from the mainland or even Roatan?

Walking along the beach was so easy compared to our struggle across the lava. The perros loved it too. A little lava reappeared but there was enough sand covering to allow us to cross easily.
Just when we thought we had conquered this stretch of coast, another challenge popped up. Another Harbour crossing. This one was nowhere near as bad as the last but would require 'Young Tom' (our inflatable raft) to get us across.
While Sabrina and Stu prepped the bags (covering them with garbage bags), Max ran off to find coconuts. We were running low on agua and the coconuts were our only means of survival. Our coco opening skills were now amazing. A few hacks with our sharp machete and we had the water of life flowing.
After downing a few coconuts we were ready to cross this inlet. Luckily it was shallow and with the aid of the raft, we waded across, with the doggies following close behind. They seemed to be getting the hang of this swimming business, or so we thought. Half way across, FLD panicked and began swimming back to shore. But with some quick work and scruffing by Sabrina, we dragged the distraught dog to the far side.
It was a relatively easy crossing this time, but when we hit the other side, our hearts sank once again. More lava and lots more mangroves. Give us a break!
It was time to dry off the feet, get the shoes on and shove the dogs in the packs and once again, we were plodding along the sharp rocks. The lava didn’t last too long and we were soon walking along another beach, completely littered with garbage.
The beach was short, but well received and a little lava was waiting at the other side. We crossed easily, stopping a few times to hack into some coconuts and drink the sweet nectar.
We continued walking along some tiny beaches, past some thick jungle and thought we were making some good progress and couldn’t believe it when we hit ANOTHER WATER CROSSING! This was getting beyond a joke. We were so upset, but didn’t waste any time and blew up the raft and once again, removed our shoes. Taking one bag on the raft, Max found that the water was fairly shallow and called the others to follow with their backpacks on. Max made it to the other side with Felix and Shizuka doggy paddling close behind. We didn’t have to coax them at all.

We arrived at the most amazing beach yet, with very little rubbish, perfect clear warm water, and best of all, coconuts were everywhere. It was ideal. We spotted a trigger fish lounging in the shallows and e-Stu ran at it with the machete, but its fish skills were far superior to our fish catching skills and it escaped. Looks like it will be more coconuts for dinner.

It was now around 11am and all of this had happed in the 6 hours since we got up. To our relief, the dive boats began lining the shores on the North side., taking advantage of the perfect 30 degree day with no wind.
We had made some distance and were now further towards the West side of Utila than we first thought. We saw a dive boat from Captain Morgans pull up, not far off shore, at a dive site called Paraiso. It was a perfect time to swim out and fill up with more agua. Max donned his fins and took all the empty bottles and headed out to the boat. He was well received and they willingly filled up and wished him luck. The Captain commented how crazy we were to try to walk around the Island. He couldn't believe we had made it that far. "Isn't the whole North side just a lava flow?" He asked. Max chuckled and the captain said that if we headed inland, we were at a part of the island where legend has it, there are some ruins and treasure. But he also commented that he had been searching ‘for a hundred years’ and hadn't found it yet.
Back at shore we decided against the idea to search for treasure, (although it was tempting) and continued on our way, celebrating our new water arrival with a sachet of peach flavored tang, we drank a whole liter right away.

Before we knew it, an amazing site appeared before us - Raggedy Cay. This was a sign that we were indeed on the South side of the island and it should be easy going from here.
Soon enough, a whole chain of Cays appeared and we could see the outline of the coast and the way home.
The water came right up to the trees, forcing us inland. Luckily a path had been cut and we walked in the shade of a thick canopy of Palm trees. It was a heavily trodden path, a relief for us and the tired doggies after so many days of bush basing and lava crossings.

At one point the path opened up into a clearing that was being used as a great big Rubbish dump. Plastic bottles and glass, burning plastic, old fridges, batteries and smoldering pollutants and nastiness littered the ground, leaking out and poisoning the reef and ocean. These people really know how to take care of paradise! We were so disappointed to see it here, so close to the shore. Surely something else can be done? A few quick photos and we left the stench of the rubbish tip behind and marched onward toward Utila town. We passed a few houses and some impressive mansions. There were some bizarre constructions and insane color schemes. One place in particular had a colour scheme of fairy floss and bubble gum. We were temped to go inside and see if the furniture was edible too.

Cluck Cluck Cluck, Chickens, lots of chickens. Dinner we thought, but before we had time to slice heads off we had to deal with yet another obstacle, yep, you guessed it, another river crossing.
Stu examined the bottom composition of our new obstacle and discovered it was only waist deep. We wouldn't need 'Young Tom' for this one. We put our backpacks high on our shoulders, and just like back in Denang, we crossed safely to the other side, keeping our packs dry.

We tried walking along bare foot but the sand on the other side was sharp and lined with shells. We put our boots back on and continued hiking along a trail toward civilization.
Pigeon Cay was only a stones throw away. The more populated of the Cays, we knew exactly where we were now, and the end was near. We were tempted to swim out for a few fish burgers, but continued walking past some amazing holiday homes worth lots and lots of dollars.
After 9 solid hours of walking we all deserved a break. We made it to Little Bight and sat on a sandy beach in the shade and rested our tired bodies, falling asleep for what seemed like hours we all had vivid dreams.
We woke and realized just how tired we were.. We thought we would make it home today, but decided one more night wouldn’t hurt. We couldn't continue today, so decided to setup camp. We happened to be right next to the 5 star resort called UTOPIA. This is just what we needed, a hot bath, massage and a 5 course, 5 star meal.
Massive wooden doors opened to a polished dining hall where a maid directed our broken bodies toward the office.
"Hi, how are you?" they asked. "Good thanks, we were just walking around the island and are in need of a pampering. One spa package please" We asked, but we were short by a few hundred dollars. Maybe we wouldn't be getting a pampering tonight.
"How about we just pitch our tent on your lovely sandy beach?" we asked.
"No, that would be an eye sore to our guests that pay thousands to stay here, sorry" they said.
But our great hosts offered us some water and a Peanut Butter sandwich along with some Ritz crackers. We were in heaven.
We even got a guided tour around the amazing resort. This place is simply stunning. We all decided to return one day (when we become millionaires)
We thanked our hosts for the water and sandwich and headed another 10 minutes along a trail and found a great place to setup camp.
We pitched the tent, strung up Stus hammock and started a roaring fire.
This would be our last night.
We ate the last of our food, and fed the dogs while admiring the view before retiring for the night.

We woke with the sun the next day and ate some granola for breakfast. The doggies had the last of their food and we set off towards the stinking town of Utila.
Just as we picked up our bags, our beloved Tristan passed by. We threw off our hats and screamed out to them. The boat turned around and we waved at our beloved dive buddies. Apparently they told us to stay put and they would be back after their first dive to give us water and take our packs for us. We didn’t hear anything and waved and smiled and they disappeared.
Not much further down the coast, we passed Black Coral wall, the Labyrinth and arrived at Blue Bayou. It was strange to be on the shore side looking out at the dive sites we had spent so long diving.
The very last obstacle was in our way - the Harbour separating the East and West sides of the Island. Way too far to swim, we needed to enlist in the help of a boat.
Hoping the Tristan would come back, we headed into the resort at Laguna Beach and asked to borrow their radio. We tried to call the Tristan, but the radio wasn't working.
Luckily the guys at Laguna Beach resort were heading to town and offered us a lift.

We sat by the pool as we waited, but when Felix Long Dog decided he wanted a swim and jumped in, were moved away and asked to sit near the dock as we waited for our ride home.
Before long we were on a speed boat, heading for town. Our journey was over and it was only 11am.
Back in town we headed straight for the BUNDU Café, where Patricia and Roy spoilt us with delicious food. It didn’t take much to fill our shrunken bellies. We were glad to be back in civilization and looking back on it now, I wouldn’t recommend anyone in their right mind attempt to walk around the island of Utila. Swimming to Roatan would be a much better idea.
As I type this now, I'm back home in Sydney Australia, missing my Island home. Best wishes to everyone there and remember to look after your Island Paradise.

Survivor Utila was published in Utilas Monthy Newspaper - The 'Utila East Wind'

3 HUMANS / 2 DOGS /5 DAYS AND 1 SAVAGE ISLAND