A Visit to Famous Dr. John in Utila
About Famous Dr. John in Utila
If you have visited Utila in the past 15 years, you probably have heard about famous Dr. John in Utila. He is a licensed Medical Doctor in the United States that moved to Utila several years ago. Dr. John Mcvay lived near Akron, Ohio and was disillusioned with his daily life in the USA. A series of events pointed him towards the Island of Utila, one of the Caribbean Islands that belong to Honduras.
Utila had a population of about 5000 people back in 2002, and had never had a resident doctor in their local community clinic. After a 30 day “vacation” on the island, Dr. Mcvay decided that he wanted to move to Utila and become the local community doctor. He went back home to get things ready and was soon back in Utila as a full time resident. Perhaps his first big change was that he became known as “Dr. John”. He was no longer Dr. Mcvay!
Meet Famous Dr. John in Utila!
It was a perfect match for Dr. John and Utila. For Utila, A full time resident doctor was now on the island. For Dr. John, he was a member of a tightly knit community on a small Caribbean Island. Best of all, he could enjoy a good party after hours meeting all the foreign travelers that passed through the island. Perhaps his biggest life changing event was when he treated an Aussie tourist who was visiting the island. The traveler was in Utila taking a series of diving courses when he became ill and visited Dr. John.
That was the beginning of a friendship that would cast him into fame. You see, Marty, and his friend Ginsky spent a year in Utila. They had such a blast, they decided to share their experience by producing a video. The video, titled “If you come to Utila” was a grand success and went viral as soon as it was uploaded to UTube. The video features “Dr. John” a doctor with no shirt on, who is nearsighted and likes to party. It’s hard to believe, but this describes Dr. John quite well!
Finding Famous Dr. John in Utila
Today famous Dr. John in Utila is no longer practicing medicine. But he still lives in Utila where he enjoys his fame and shares his good vibes with locals and tourists alike. His home is known as “Casa Dr. John” and has become a must visit site for visitors to the island. Dr. John lives on the outskirts of Utila Town, on the road to the airport.
Getting there is easy. If you walk off the municipal dock in Utila, just keep going straight. You will pass by the Banco Atlantida ATM Machine, and then continue past the Jade Seahorse and the Mango Inn. Follow the road up the hill; go past the BICA headquarters and past the old Bar in the Bush. A small sign indicating Palm Street will be on the right side. Turn right here and the pink and black house will visible almost immediately.
The iconic and famous Dr. John in Utila is usually relaxing on his front porch. He loves attention, and is extremely hospitable. He will greet you and invite you in. Make yourself comfortable for a good chat. Dr. John makes a living by selling his iconic Dr. John t shirts. They are so unique, that everyone wants one! The good news is that they are affordable! You should take advantage and buy yourself one, or why not, two or three! You can also take advantage and get a picture with Dr. John. You will be hard pressed to find another celebrity so willing to take a picture with you!
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You can usually find Dr, John at his home. Keep in mind that he is a party animal. This means that he parties through the night, so he is not a morning person. You are best to find him at home between noontime and 10 at night, before he sets out to party. If you like to party, your chances of running into World Famous Dr. John at one of local bars are actually quite good.
Dr. John has an active facebook and instagram account. You can follow him through those accounts and see what he has been up to.
About Casa Dr. John
Perhaps I should mention that Casa Dr. John is not a bar. It isn’t a party spot either. It is a place where you can get yourself charged up with good vibes. There you will a friendly famous celebrity and interact other fans of him. If you go to Utila and do not visit Dr. John, you cannot say that you been in Utila.
I had a chance to stop by and visit famous Dr. John in Utila yesterday, January 16. I got there a few minutes past noontime and he was relaxing in his front porch. Unfortunately, I had to catch the afternoon ferry back to La Ceiba. This meant that I did not have much time to enjoy my visit. It was without doubt the highlight of my trip to Utila. I look forward to meeting with Dr. John sometime soon once again. Dr. John is a living legend and he is part of the local Utilian folklore. I enjoyed chatting with him and purchased a couple of Dr. John t shirts. Hasta pronto Dr. John!
January 20, 2017 @ 1:57 am
If I have to go to the John, it’s a toss-up between two of my favorites, McVay or Dupuis……Great to see you two together in one photo.
May 2, 2017 @ 9:08 pm
Michel collected him from the airport (maybe the ferry?) and brought him by the Lodge for introductions and refreshments. “Call me Stinky”, he said. “No”, said Kisty. “Seriously”, he insisted, “call me Stinky” (of course there was a backstory but I don’t remember it). “No”, said Kisty, “You are the new doctor. We can’t call you Stinky”. A short debate followed. Kisty explained that even though no one was too big on formalities, “Stinky” just would not do and he had to choose something else. There was a brief stalemate – she wasn’t going to let him be called Stinky and if he couldn’t be called Stinky then he didn’t really care what we called him. “Your first name is John?”, Kisty asked. “Then we’re going to call you Dr John”. And thus was born the legend.