April 21, 2012
Today was a hot day in Belize, with temperatures exceeding 34 degrees C. with little wind. Leaving Placencia by plane was quite a different experience from YVR. We were taxied to the airport 30 minutes ahead of our flight time, probably 15 minutes earlier than necessary. When we arrived, a Tropic Air attendant took our bags out of the taxi and asked where we were going. He said to just leave the bags and he would tag them and get them on board. We came into the terminal, gave my name, and they immediately knew we were traveling with the four of us. We sat down and waited until our departure time, 9AM, got called to leave, handed in a laminated card we were issued and boarded the plane. 3 minutes later we were in the air. No carryon scans, security checks, safety lectures, etc. Seatbelts also seemed to be optional and most ignored them. The plane was half full, with 7 or 8 passengers. Plod sat in the co-pilot chair.
We were told we had to transfer planes once before San Pedro. We flew to a small town north of Placencia and took on a few passengers. The entire landing, boarding and take-off took about as much time as a West Coast Express stop at a train station. We then flew on to Belize City. Where everyone got off. We thought we had to leave too but were told that the airline had changed our plans during the flight. We should have got off at the last airport, but they decided that since the pilot had to fly to San Pedro anyway, why make us change planes. We stayed on board and had an exclusive 20 minute flight to San Pedro, just the four of us and the pilot. We landed in San Pedro in less than an hour from when we left Placencia. The flight was beautiful, with great views of the coastline, palm plantations, shrimp farms, and the crystal clear water between Belize City and Ambergris Caye, the island where we are now. The water here is extremely shallow and in most places it was hard to see if the land was covered in water or not. You could see the sea grasses, channels in the sea bottom, etc. Just beautiful.
Coming from a quiet, peaceful Placencia, San Pedro was quite a change. The town was crowded, with narrow streets, no sidewalks, people dodging endless lines of taxis and golf carts, and old, colourful but often seedy looking buildings. Our cabana was towards the end of the town centre, about a 15 to 20 minute leisurely walk to Central Park, the hub. Our condo in Placencia was a mansion compared to this place. Air conditioning consisted of two fans, the place was very rustic, and we had a fridge, stove and microwave, but no toaster, dishwasher, etc. It had a bedroom separated from the kitchen and eating area by movable partitions, and a loft upstairs.
We walked to town for lunch and the heat was stifling. Even I was ready to combust, with water gushing down my face. We went to a vendor selling BBQ chicken, but there were only three ready, so Joanie and I decided to find something from the other two vendors, the Catholic church BBQ chicken fundraiser, and a fellow who regularly sells BBQ chicken. (It seemed today, outside of going to a regular restaurant, the only thing on the menu on the street was BBQ chicken). No one had any chicken ready. Everyone said it would take 15 minutes to 30 minutes before their chicken was ready so after still being empty handed after 15 minutes of baking in the park square, we gave up. It was too hot for BBQ anyway. Joanie and I found an ice cream place instead.
When we got back from "lunch" and picking up a few things, we headed across the street to take a dip in the sea. Since most of the beach here is covered in sea grass, we had to go off the end of the dock. The water was only a few feet deep and very warm. We were so hot however, that just being wet felt good. The best however was getting out afterwards and standing wet in the breeze that was blowing.
For dinner we walked back into town to a restaurant recommended to us. For openers, Plod insisted on ordering conch fritters, a local favourite. While conch reportedly tastes quite rubbery, this was minced and tasted more like crab, deep fried in batter and served with a tangy sauce. I was indifferent to it because snails are gross and crab is not high on my list either, but the others liked it. We checked out a few bars to see if they might show the Canucks game tomorrow and most said they would if we asked. We'll see where we end up.
On a positive note, there was a good breeze at night and the temperature here was expected to drop to a blustery 18 degrees, so we should be cool enough in bed. We'll see what tomorrow brings. Finding a beach where the water gets up to 5 feet deep is on our agenda.
April 22
Another sunny day but there was a bit of a breeze, making the heat much easier to handle. It was actually quite nice in our cabana with a fan and the windows open to the sea breeze. We went shopping after breakfast and the store offered free delivery to our room, by golf cart. We explored the north island where there was supposed to be a beach area near by which had water up to 5 feet deep. We never found it, but did take a tour of some new condos which were for sale for between $280,00 and 500,000 US. Very fancy. We did find a beach in front of one of the very nice cabana complexes, Ramon's Village, just south of Central Park. The water here seemed a few degrees cooler than everywhere else, but still was only 3 feet deep. You are restricted in area by the thick sea grass growing all around. We also spotted a large sting ray that swam right under the dock we were standing on.
The plan for the evening was to go to Wet Willy's, a bar on a pier near our cabana where they said they would show the Canucks Game 5. What they failed to mention when we checked it out was that they are new and their kitchen is not yet complete. Therefore there was no food, except frozen cheese pizza. We had that as a snack as we watched the 3 periods. Joanie sat outside on the deck, playing games on her playbook. A group, consisting of the owner and family, and some high faloot'in characters from LA were there too, and one of them bought her a rum punch. Even though the game went to overtime, we left to find a place for dinner. Near the end of the pier was a beach front little pub that someone said had very good food. We went there and saw the end of the game, along with another table of Canucks fans from Vancouver Island. The place served a large variety of chicken wings and huge burgers. They were delicious. The owner came over to chat. He was from Windsor, Ont. and moved here to take over the business 4 months ago. He gave us his impressions of Belize life, good places to eat, etc. We all looked at each other and thought the same thing. He looks and talks just like my brother. He was super nice and offered to point us to reputable people if we were looking for excursions, and promised to let us sample some of the sauces he developed if we return. The waitress, was quite interesting. She was a young girl and liked to joke around a lot. She also told us she was excited about going to California to study law in the Fall. When we left, she gave Joanie a big hug like old friends.
The above is a sample of the nice people we have met here. Even walking home, a teen on a bike came by and said hello as he passed, something that doesn't happen at home.
Time to go to bed, tomorrow we snorkel at Shark Ray Alley!
April 23
This is a 5-star day for sure. After a minor inconvience of termites or some kind of bug, that was digging in the ceiling, covering me with wood chips the size of sand overnight, we set out for our snorkeling tour. We had a glass bottom boat, and only the four of us as passengers. Our guide was an old gentlemen who was not very talkative or sociable, but nevertheless was a great guide, going in the water with us, pointing out things, holding a sting ray out for us to touch, and leading my sister around on a string so she felt totally comfortable in the water. On our way to Shark Ray Alley, we saw a group of dolphins that came up the the boat and swam under it. We also saw several eagle rays, a dark version of ray that apparently can lift themselves above the water and appear to fly. Shark Ray did not disappoint. We saw many fish, including nurse sharks that swam under us and gorgeous coral reefs. The water was very warm, although cooler that near the shore. Some of the fish were huge. After about 30 minutes of snorkeling, we got back in the boat and went to Hol Chan Marine Reserve, a protected part of Belize's reef not far from Shark Ray Alley. Here we swam with sea turtles, and more beautiful coral. I have never seen so many fish in these two places, from small angels to schools of large groupers, including some three or four feet long. This was by far the best snorkeling we have ever done!!! I even felt a sting ray, which was softer and slimier than I thought. This was definitely the highlight of our trip.
When we returned to the dock, our guide went to a man in another boat, who had a hold of live fish and several conch that he was extracting the snails from as this is a local favourite food. He got a beautiful conch shell for each of us that he cleaned first. When we got back to our place, Javier, the manager who we chat with regularly, brought us each a coconut filled with coconut water. He also showed Joanie some of his art work (necklace made of black coral and a carved fish made of petrified bone). Joanie bought the necklace. He said he does his artwork in the afternoons, and was working on something special for my sister and Joanie.
Before dinner, Joanie went for a massage from a lady who had a table set up across the street. She moved the table to the end of the dock, and Joanie had a private massage on the dock as the sun set.
A great day.
San Pedro is even starting to look more appealing. It has three main roads, front road, along the beach, middle road, a crowded paved street, and back road, which goes through more rustic areas by the local residences. Walking front street on the sandy road is quite pleasant, and we could see from our cruise to snorkeling that there are many nice looking resorts on the other end of town. The people are awesome, if you ignore the guys trying to interest Plod is special brownies, and the guy who claimed he was Rastafarian but had his hair cut off in jail, where he served time for running a large grow-op, and just needs some cash from us wonderful Canadians (He though we were from England first). Even the rustic cabana is feeling more like home, although we have to share the two knives and boil coffee water in a large pan.
April 24
We had a cooler evening and could turn our fan on to low for a comfortable sleep. I understand we had a massive rainfall overnight, though my ear plugs successfully blocked that. We walked into town and had johnny cakes for breakfast, along with Ruby's cinnamon bun, as recommended by the Lonely Planet. The cakes were OK, a biscuit filled with scrambled eggs, sausage and other things like perhaps mayo. I prefer an egg mcmuffin to tell you the truth. The cinnamon bun was OK but nothing to rave about. As the men and women separated for some shopping time, we looked for a place to have coffee. Plod went to one place that said they could only make instant coffee because they ran out of water. No worries. I guess you carry on without water. He also went to enquire about getting a tourist pamphlet with a small map of the town and where things are. There was no tourist info centre. A woman at the booth, which promoted time-shares, said she normally had pamphlets with a map in them, but she ran out, and the printing company sold their printer. (What are the odds of this business being successful) Things work differently here in Belize.
Today was a hang around and relax at home day, as tomorrow we arranged a full day tour, starting at 6:30AM going to some Mayan ruins and going cave-tubing. I spent much of the afternoon reading, although I was forced inside because the cleaning lady's little girl kept playing with me. That was OK for a little while, but then I needed to hide inside if I was to do any reading. Kids here are treated much like the dog population, they seem to be let loose to run around with very little supervision. We are getting a little turned off by all the dogs running around. Not only do they poop on the beach, this morning we even saw a dog in the water, pooping on the sea grass. Gross!
Today Javier came by and presented the women with bracelets he made for them out of seashells and beads he gets from Arizona. A very sweet gesture.
After dinner we played what may be my last game of Phase 10. Last week when we played I think I set an alltime record for the number of "skip" turns cards I got played on me. This particular evening, I almost set a new record. In one, round, I got three against me on the first three cards played, and then the round was over and I had not even drawn one card. This continued the whole evening. Stupid game! To top it off, we went to bed a little early, and it was very windy outside. My side of the bed is level with the front window, and as the flimsy curtains stood straight out in the warm wind, I could watch people pass by on the street, and perhaps they could see me in bed too. Then came the mosquito(s). It was a very short night.
April 25
The alarm was set for 5:30AM, though some were up by 5, and had trouble with the bathroom door, which jambs, and is right beside my bed. Stupid early mornings! The taxi was to pick us up at 6:10, but was standing outside already at 5:50. He had to wait, because some morning rituals can not wait. We got dropped off at the dock where the Express water taxi to Belize City leaves from, and were met by an employee of the tour company. She had johnny cakes and bottles of juice for each of us, and arranged return tickets on the water taxi. We took a 70 minute, fast but bumpy ride to Belize City where we were greeted by Rudy, our tour guide for the day. He had three other people (Americans) with him. He drove us through Belize City and on to the Mayan ruins at Xunantunich, near the Guatemalan border. Belize City looked like an urban ghetto, with rickety old shops, people hanging around, machine gun toting army officers at some street corners, and just a very eerie place. Rudy agreed that the city is not a safe place, and is out of control, with 14 people killed in the last 15 days.
To get to Xunantunich, we drove across the width of Belize, so we got a good feel for the countryside in the northern area. We all thoroughly enjoyed the ruins. While this is not one of the well known sites, it was spectacular, and we learned a lot about the Mayan culture. On the way we also passed a number of Amish people in the straight cut hair, hats and horse-drawn wagons, selling watermelons on the side of the road.
After the ruins, we went to the Nohoch Che'En Cave Branch cave tubing. We first got a buffet lunch. However, the afternoon was unfortunately rushed, perhaps because the ruins took longer than anticipated, or because the American couple had a plane to catch at 5:30PM. We were asked to finish lunch in 20 minutes, and then we had 10 minutes to get changed for tubing. We had a spoon which looked like it might be for dessert but never had time to find out. The food was good though. We then walked with out tubes about a mile or so to our starting point by the mouth of a cave. We first swam in the water and jumped off of the rocks. The tubing was awesome, with many beautiful sites, like crystal formations, a colourful waterfall, and beautiful openings to the outside world. We had helmets with lights on them because it was very dark. We also saw about 3 or 4 of the 80 variety of bats that inhabit Belize.
After the tubing, we rushed to Belize City for our water taxi and the other couple's flight. Strangely, we never had an opportunity to even browse the gift shops at either the ruins or the tubing site. We caught our water taxi at 5:30 and when we got to San Pedro, our local taxi drivers was waiting for us. We were home by 7:30PM, a long but great day. Connections were so smoothly that we were impressed.
For dinner, we returned to the place down the road owned by Matt, from Windsor, and had a delicious grilled salad (yes, the romaine lettuce is dipped in oil and grilled), and burnt chicken wings. We did let Matt know the wings were burnt and not like what some of us had a few days ago. It is now midnight and everyone is in bed but me. Maybe tonight I get a good sleep. Maybe the cockroach Joanie found in the closet last night is the last one we see. I have not seen her swatting the air at real or imagined bugs, so that is a good sign. Until tomorrow.
April 26
A quiet, lazy day. Plod and I went to town to explore, and pick up groceries while the women shopped for other vain things. We got caught in a downpour not once but twice. It went from sunny and hot to a nice cool breeze blowing to torrential showers in minutes. The streets had rivers running down them and we were soaked. Golf carts also do not seem to provide a lot of protection in these conditions. We stopped to get some coffee and ordered apple pie with it. The waiter, who looked and acted just like Stanley on The Office, repeated our order, got us coffee and then sat down somewhere because it was not busy. We never did see the pies. That's how things go in Belize.
We swam, (actually crouched), in the water off of our dock in the afternoon, but it was quite windy so standing up was cool. After dinner we went to see the chicken drop, a big event every Thursday in San Pedro. They have a pen with 100 squares marked off and you buy tickets for the squares. A chicken is placed in the pen, and whoever has the square on which the chicken craps, wins $100. It took 2 chickens and a lot of coaxing before one chicken finally found the need to relieve herself. After one round we had seen enough. We dropped by the grocery store, a now daily event it seems, and sometimes twice daily and the woman at the till says she loved Joanie and I. The people here are very affectionate. That never happens to me at the Real Canadian Superstore!
After a long night of gaming, it is now 2AM, 1AM PDT, and time for me to go to bed. Hopefully, we will go snorkeling tomorrow afternoon.
April 27
Another sunny, hot day! This afternoon, Joanie and I arranged another snorkel outing to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley because it was so good. We went alone as the others decided to pass on this and go to the local casino for the evening, something that does not interest me in the least. We were the only ones on the boat, a private outing on a speedboat which took us to the site in about a quarter of the time it took our glass bottom boat a few days ago. We had another fantastic afternoon of snorkeling, and saw two species of stingrays, some huge fish, a few turtles, nurse sharks and the most colourful little reef fish ever.
We were on our own for dinner and went to Fidos, where we enjoyed the best fish and chips ever. Over dinner I told Joanie that with only a few nights left before we return to rainy and cool Vancouver, I did not want to spend every night inside playing games, as we have been doing. We had coffee outside, but I don't know what caused me to abandon my stubborn desire to enjoy the warm night air, my butt on the hard wooden chairs or the constant wind in my face. Every day starts with a nice gentle breeze to provide relief from the hot sun, then transitions into a stronger breeze each afternoon, and it becomes downright windy by evening. By 9:30PM I retreated to a softer couch inside and began this blog. We have yet to hear from the gambling duo.
We are rapidly learning the Belizian way of life. People are friendly, they offer all sorts of things, but the common saying is it is on Belizian time, which means if you are an hour late you are still on time. I heard it said that Belizians like to please, and therefore if you ask them something, they will agree, even though they have no intention of doing it but they don't want to make you unhappy. They also do not volunteer information. If you do not ask the right questions, you do not get the info you need, even if they know you are interested. A case in point is Javier. Two days ago we were talking about his art skills and the carving he does. (We heard later that he does not carve at all, his father does, and he makes jewelry.) Plod saw a carving of a stingray and said he was interested in something like that if Javier had one a little smaller. He said he could carve one for Plod and have it ready in a few days. He also agreed to bring in a smaller version of a turtle carving he had in the office. I have yet to see it, and when he was asked today how the stingray carving was going, he replied that he is not doing one, because there is no time before we leave. He said there are lots of stingray carvings available in town and they could buy one there. This is the Belizian way.
Joanie and I are booked for a manatee watch tour for Sunday, but we do not know if it will happen. The tour company needs at least 6 or 8 people signed up before they will go out. Here's hoping that happens.
It is now 10PM, circulation has returned to my butt, so I am going back outside.
Nope, I only lasted 15 minutes. Gamblers arrived home. In true local fashion, the boat taking them to the casino left an hour later than they were told. Casino apparently is quite nice, but holds maybe 30 people. It is by a fancy resort however, where the palm lined beach is manicured.
April 28
A lazy day sitting in the sun, or shade in my case, and a dip off our dock. Arranging excursions has been a frustrating experience. There are many tour companies offering all sorts of tours, from snorkeling, to catamaran sailing, etc., but we have been trying to arrange a manatee watch tour, a full day outing involving going to a caye where manatees frequent, a walk at Caye Caulker, and snorkeling in an area in front of Caye Caulker. It looks like it is not going to happen because the all the tour companies want parties of 6 or more before they will go out, and there seems to be few people doing tours right now. Other alternatives have met the same problem so far, so, as has been our experience here before, there is often a lot offered but not always delivered.
Javier told us there was a evangelical gathering at the soccer field at 7PM where they have music, etc. We thought we would go check it out. The field is a little behind the "downtown", in a run down area, and is surrounded by fences and barred gates that lock. It was a 15 minute walk. We got there to find only a local soccer game going on. When we told Javier about that later that evening, he responded, "Well, you got to see a soccer game."
We decided to go to town at 12AM. Yes Wade, that is AM, not PM! We hear that San Pedro is a real party town, but that things do not really start until midnight, and go on until about 5AM. We have found that things are rather slow, with restaurants always half empty and bars empty, so we thought we should at least see how things change late at night. We found there were people hanging around Central Park, the few bars we could see were busier but still not hopping, and there were vendors making burritos, hot dogs, burgers, etc. in the square. They do that until after the two night clubs close. Overall, not that exciting, so we went home.
April 29
Today is sunny, with highs to reach 33degrees C. Oh, wait, that has been the conditions for the past 19 days. So far our Dream House has been OK but I would not necessarily recommend it to anyone. We have only had 5 cockroaches in 8 days, and two places covered in wood chips from termites. We are getting used to sharing the two butter knives we have for four people, the big pan we boil water in for coffee, which can take some time, and the grungy old pots and pans that you could not give away at a garage sale because the teflon is scraped off and at least one handle is broken. Only two of our doors have handles missing for what appears to be some time now, and I'm sure in the next few years they will do something about the bathroom door which scrapes on the floor at one point, making it impossible to quietly go to the washroom in the middle of the night. Its amazing how even this can begin to feel like home, although I would not trade it with our real home. I am also happy to report that while our old gas stove ran out of gas in the middle of making breakfast today, we are now able to fire up the old beaten aluminum pan for coffee again!
This morning was a very stressful time for us. We had important decisions to make. After voting on whether to take a taxi across the toll bridge to the north island and visit a beach by the casino, or taking the water taxi to Caye Caulker for a walk and possibly swim, Javier gave us additional info which caused us to reconsider our options. We had to cancel our Caye Caulker decision and re-vote. The north beach option won, until we started considering the cost of the taxi (they charge per person and it would be $40 Bz for an 8 km trip one way,plus a toll which makes the Golden Ears Bridge look like a steal. I suggested a new option, walking south past Ramon Village, a nice resort just past the centre of town, and explore a new area at a leisurely pace, maybe swimming at Ramon where there is less sea grass. After some time, someone else suggested meandering south and that option won out. We all agreed that meandering was far more appealing than walking. We also had to decide on something to do for our last day tomorrow, since all the excursions we were interested were falling through. We finally settled on getting a small catamaran operated by a friend of Javier, who would take us to a snorkeling location north of here, Mexico Rock, and then if we find some good conches, he would prepare conch cerviche, raw chopped up snail in a lime sauce. I am disappointed that we need to settle for a trip less than what we planned, and the conch eating idea brings visions of Fear Factor.
We meandered after lunch, which was pulled pork on bread with beans and cole slaw, which was being sold just down the street by a group raising funds to help homeless people. At Ramons, we found at the end of their pier that there was a large, roped off area where there were tropical fish and the water was over 6.5 feet deep. It was wonderful and we wish we discovered this a week ago. We also visited the famous Canuck Bar, a divey place set up under the porch of a house. The clientele looked like retired Hells Angels from Maple Ridge. Just past here, Plod was approached by a Rastafarian looking dude who asked how many pounds he wanted. Plod gets asked at least once a day, and sometimes more often, if he wants to by weed. And yet, some locals keep telling us Belize has no drug problem.
We arrived back home just in time for our daily ritual, happy hour, with our home made rum punch. Later, we walked back to town and ate at tables in the alley of a little hopping restaurant called Warumba, where they make popusas. These are a Belizian specialty and are like cornmeal pancakes stuffed with your choice of things, like spinach, cheese, chicken, cheese and bean, etc. They cost only $2.50 Bz each, $1.25US. We ordered a couple each, and then ordered a few more. It took over 2 hours because they supposedly were so busy, with some huge takeout orders. Nevertheless a good time and a great price.
April 30
A sad day today. Our last day in Belize. Javier came by in the morning with the completed turtle carving he made for us. It turned out great.
After lunch we took our catamaran outing with Ernest and Mario. They were super nice guys. Unfortunately it was not the manatee trip I had hoped for but of course, that trip does not allow you to swim with the manatee, only see them from a boat if you are lucky. Nevertheless I hoped for a wonderful trip. We spent some time sailing along the Ambergris Caye coast north until we reached Mexico Rocks. Joanie had a permanent grin on her face because she loved the sailing. We snorkeled there for 30-45 minutes (who knows, we also were enjoying rum punch), and saw many reef fish, smaller than the ones at Hol Chan. Mario swam with us and found a conch (pronounced Konk), which he took and used to prepare fresh conch cerviche. There are those who might find this hard to believe but I actually tried this concoction which looked a bit like a watery salsa used for dipping corn chips in. I had a fair amount in fact. The conch did have a chewy texture but it was cut up quite fine. We then sailed back and stopped at another section of the reef, (the reef is 185 miles long and is second only to the Great Barrier Reef in size), not far from our cabana. We jumped into the warm water. After a few minutes of snorkeling, I turned and saw this large grey object coming towards me. As it approached and turned, I realized it was a manatee. Not just a manatee but a mom and baby. They passed right under Joanie who suddenly looked down to see this huge animal beneath her. It was absolutely awesome to see them and we were told it was also very rare to see them here. I guess Belize wanted to give me a parting gift. We all agreed that this was just a fantastic afternoon.
After happy hour, we had the office call the Hidden Treasure, a restaurant at the south end of the island that provides free suttle service. We were picked up and driven to the restaurant. It was recommended to us but we did not know what to expect. It was not only beautiful, but fancy. Not only did it have white table clothes, everyone had a full compliment of cutlery that weighed more than half an ounce, and we were greeted with a cool cloth for cleaning our hands and cooling our faces. It was very fancy by Belizean standards and the food was excellent. Joanie had a snapper in rice which was cooked in a banana leaf. I enjoyed a curried chicken dish.
We can reflect back on many things that fell short of expectations, like our Dream House cabin with the less than dream house kitchen, or the busyness and rundown nature of much of San Pedro, other than the fancy beachfront resort, but in the end, the place grows on you and we will miss it. 20 days of solid sunny weather and temperatures in the low to mid 30's is hard to beat. Not looking forward to Vancouver's rainy cool weather one bit!
May 1
Final entry. :( A sunny hot day, but quite clammy. Strangely enough, while things are very laid back in Belize, and you are told that being late is just a way of life, the taxis always come early. We arranged for a taxi to pick us up at 9:30AM to bring us to the water taxi. The cab was there 10 minutes early. We arrived at the dock and were immediately greeted by staff from the water taxi who took our suitcases from the taxi, put them on a cart and tagged them. We never lifted a finger. Our express water taxi left at 10AM for Belize City, a trip of about 1 and a quarter hours. The boat was not fancy, with one open area inside and seats all around. Our Canadian bar owner friend Matt was also on board. When we arrived in Belize City, we again greeted by someone who asked if we needed a taxi, and immediately waived in a taxi driver. Between about three people they got us in the cab and transported our bags from the water taxi to the taxi. I'm afraid none of these people seemed to realize that this was our last day, we were down to our last Belize dollars, and had no desire to get more, because they are not easy to exchange anywhere. Therefore, no tips all around. I felt bad but I guess we will never see any of them again. We were told by Javier, who seems to do very little traveling outside his little corner of the world, that taxis to the airport, a 30 minute drive, were about $20Bz,. In fact, the cost was $10US per person, 4 x as much. We passed through the city, and saw several outposts along the way, with soldiers holding machine guns at the ready. I learned the political history of the country from our driver, a very interesting man. When we arrived at the airport, I realized that the cash I had left, plus Plod's cash, was not going to cut it. I asked if he took VISA. He said yes. After we unloaded and he shook every one's hand and thanked us for visiting his country, I gave him my VISA card. He looked at it strangely for a minute until I confirmed that he did not take VISA after all. He waited while I found an ATM.
Because the water taxi only goes every 90 minutes, we arrived early at the airport, three and a half hours early. They were not checking bags yet, but an airport official said we could store our luggage behind a counter. When we returned to retrieve them, he saw us coming and brought the luggage out. We took them and quickly went to the check-in counter. I could not look in the man's face, but could feel him looking at us in bewilderment that there was no tip for him. He never said a word though. I had just enough money to buy a chocolate bar for on the plane.
From here, the trip home was uneventful. We left Belize at about 4PM and arrived in Houston, Texas a few hours later. We had to go through a line-up at immigration, then to the baggage pick-up area (our bags went on to Vancouver so did not need to be retrieved), line up to go through customs, then go through another line-up for security departure, then go to United to have our duty-free items repackaged and sent on, and finally through security again to get to our gate. A long, cumbersome process that allowed only for a very rushed meal before our flight departed at 9PM. We arrived in Vancouver at midnight, and whisked through customs and security in no time at all. I pulled into our driveway at 1:45AM, a long day.
About Me
- G Man
- I am a Christian who enjoys exploring God's wonderful creation! I am always on the lookout for new birds or animals to photograph.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Breeze to Belize
April 11, 2012
I am sitting in the Belize City International Airport, waiting for plane number 4 today. Out trip started at 1:30PM yesterday when we left home with my sister and brother-in-law for a ride from Surrey. Our flight wasn't until 6:10PM, but what is a little waiting time. My sister who was driving us wanted to go early. The up side of this was that when we checked in just before 3PM, we were the only ones there, and there were only a few people ahead of us at the security gate. So, we could get ready to go quickly. And then it started. Flight delayed until 6:30 due to late arrival of plane. By the time we actually, left, it was 7PM. We arrived in San Francisco at 9:20PM and our flight to Houston was not scheduled until 11:40. Wrong, flight delay due to late arrival of plane. Flight was now leaving at 1:20AM. A few beer, a pizza, a game of cards, and watching the rest of the gang sack out on the benches and it eventually was 1AM. There were people sleeping all over the terminal. Now there were many panicky people with connections in Houston who were very worried. The plane, a United Airlines narrow plane with one narrow row seemed to go on forever. People just kept streaming in to the 100% full flight and passing our seats. We wondered how far back this thing went because the kept coming. With delays in boarding so many people, and adding luggage of all the standbys, we did not get airborne until 2AM, arriving in Houston at 7:20AM, which was 5:20PDT. Even though there was an onboard movie, none of us even tried to watch it. Sleep however was just a fleeting fantasy. I nodded off for a few minutes here and there, but for the most part, it was a long struggle to find a place to put my feet where they could feel semi-comfortable. The flight from Houston actually left on time, relatively speaking, and arrived in Belize at 10:30AM, 9:30PDT. Our 45 min. Tropic Air flight to Placencia was not scheduled until 12:30, so more waiting. I think we are all in good spirits yet, but it could be just that we are in a bit of a daze. Weather here is 80 degrees but overcast.
Our flight to Placencia left only 10 minutes late, which is almost early in Belize time. The little plane held about 15 people. It was a beautiful flight along the coast and we saw beautiful rain forests, shrimp farms (square ponds), and the lagoon by the Placencia peninsula.
Our accommodations are fantastic. Our veranda overlooks the lush yard and swimming pool with water bar, and lounge area with pillows, as well as the Caribbean Ocean. The veranda is hug, as is the 2nd floor condo, with large living room, eating area, kitchen, two good size bedrooms, each with their own washroom and air conditioning. The pool water is slightly cooler than the ocean, sort of like a warm bath that has cooled off for half an hour. There is no getting used to the water because it is so nice and warm, just the way I like it.
There were many conflicting opinions on how long a walk it was to town, so we arranged for a taxi to drive us and pick us up after dinner and some grocery shopping. The fare is a standard $5 Belize, which is $2.50 American. We did not have to pay until we got back. Just as our accommodations seemed so luxurious, the town was the opposite. There is one road through it, with no sidewalks. There are dilapidated, stilted houses and old warehouse like grocery stores, etc. There is a cement sidewalk that runs through the middle of the town, a block off the "highway", which was build 30 years ago to help wheelbarrow fish from the water to the shops without fighting the loose sand. We dined in a nice little veranda like restaurant on the beach. Was very good. Later, we even got to see the Canucks game on our TV. It will be a good vacation!
April 12
A nice warm, sunny day. After breakfast, the men walked to town to see how far it really is, while the women stayed behind to lounge at the pool. We got to the first grocery store within 20 minutes, taking into account stops for me to photograph iguanas, fish in the lagoon, and peek inside the complex next door, owned by Francis Ford Copola. We had a hankering for eggs benedict for breakfast, and my BIL was on a mission to find hollandaise sauce. After asking at six grocery stores, and getting the same blank looks, or being directed to the salad dressings, he had to admit defeat, for now. We stopped for a coffee and explored the town before returning home at 1:30PM. By now it was very hot, and even though I found the heat quite nice, there was a stretch where there was no wind and it was quite stifling. We spent the rest of the day in and around the pool.
April 13
Lauren, my gecko hunts have been very successful. We have a frog who hides in the corner of our bedroom balcony during the day, and disappears at night, and two geckos who hide during the day and hang our outside our bedroom at night. Tonight, I am sitting outside watching two geckos who came to visit our front veranda, trying to forget about another disgusting hockey game. I joked before I left that the Canucks could be out of the playoffs before we come home. Not so funny any more.
Today the four of us walked into town. By 11AM the temperature was 33 degrees C, and it got hotter. By our condo it is always windy and therefore the heat is quite bearable, but there is not so much wind in town, or along the road. Joanie had some issues with hives due to the heat, but a cooling down at the brand new grocery store, with its fans and freezer area, gave her a respite from the hear. We did some souvenir shopping and had frappes in a tree house on stilts. When it was time to go home, after a shopping trip back at the new grocer, the gang baled on me and took a taxi home due to the heat. I was intent on walking the 20 minute stretch because you never know what you might see. It passes a lagoon with mangroves so all kinds of creatures may appear, and I am still looking for a beautiful woodpecker I saw yesterday outside Francis Ford Copula's Turtle Inn, where many movie stars like to go. He took off just as I raised my camera, of course!
We spent the balance of the afternoon sitting on our beach and swimming. The Caribbean water was so warm that it felt like stepping into a bathtub. The pool is only slightly cooler. We also enjoyed watching pelicans and frigatebirds over head, as well as other marine birds.
There is a very strong Canadian flavour here. The promoter for our complex is from Edmonton, so a large portion of the units are owned by Albertans. The manager is from Calgary. Even in town, we see people from Canada, and in the treehouse coffee shop, they were playing a radio station out of Southern Alberta.
Still no complaints about our condo, it is wonderful. OK, one complaint. The cookware is very sparse and cheap, making cooking certain things a challenge, and I am unable to distinguish between the hot and cold water in the kitchen (bathrooms are fine), because both are lukewarm at best. Life can be so rough.
April 14
An early morning today by our standards, as we were going on an excursion at 8AM. It was a nice sunny day. We went on a boat trip up the Monkey River. To get there we crossed a large lagoon between our peninsula and the mainland, and through stretches of mangrove forests growing out of the water. We spent the morning cruising up the river (there was only the four of us plus the guide and boat operators). Along the way we came to a tree fill with couples of snowy egrets, with the males often doing mating displays for the females. Very interesting. We also came across a very large tree beside the river which had howler monkeys hanging from its branches. We also did a walk through the rainforest where we saw a few different birds, and came across a group of howler monkeys. They are very loud.
The trip advertised seeing crocodiles, possibly dolphins and manatee. The croc we saw clearly was so small, it was the length of my arm. We never saw any dolphins, and we did go to an area where manatee feed, but were then told that you rarely see them because they feed on the grasses in the deeper water, and only come up briefly for air, so you may at best see a small set of nostrils. They could have mentioned that in the ad. Needless to say, we never saw any.
We did stop for lunch in a small village at the mouth of the river. The buildings were old and dilapidated, and by North American standards, would be condemned. The food at Alice`s Restaurant however was great, rice and beans, a very good cole slaw, fried banana and delicious chicken. The scenery was beautiful, the operators were very friendly, and we had a good time, but I think we were all a little disappointed with the lack of exotic birds and animals we saw, in comparison to a similar trip we did in Costa Rica. We are now planning our next excursion, hopefully including a caving tube ride.
April 15
Having just completed winning my third game in a row in two nights, its time to blog before turning in. Today was another beautiful day. While the temperatures never seem to vary much, with a high of 32 degrees and low of about 21 degrees forecast most days, we have had almost continuous wind since day 2, making the heat quite comfortable. We ran into a woman who lives here part time who said most years, she leaves after March because it is way too hot, but this year is quite bearable.
After breakfast, we decided to walk to town to pick up groceries again, and find a telephone to call a tour guide we heard about who others were really happy with. Our condo does not have a phone. We decided to walk along the beach, even though it was longer, to avoid the more sheltered, and therefore very hot road route. It was actually quite nice and pleasant with the wind, and we were surprised how quickly we were in the centre of Placencia. We stopped for a drink. Plod ordered coffee, which he never got, although the bartender told him later it was self serve, even though there were not cups by the coffee pots. The rest ordered a fruit shake, made mainly from papaya, with a touch of nutmeg. It was like drinking a pumpkin pie. I have never had to chew a shake before, nor pick a seed out of my tooth. We found a pay phone, but discovered that you could only use it if you bought a phone card, not practical for one phone call. A nice vendor let me use his phone but the tour operator was not available. We walked back along the beach with our groceries. We discovered that even though the town is quite rustic and poor looking, there are some very nice condos for rent along the beach. The sad thing though is again seeing all the garbage that gets swept ashore, including plastic of every size and description.
We decided to return to town after a swim and happy hour and found someone with a phone to call a taxi. We had a great dinner at Wendy's, a fancier restaurant that served more traditional Belize food. I had shrimp alfredo pasta and Joanie had a shrimp concoction with coconut rice and veggies. We got the same taxi driver on the way home and when he heard we wanted to do an excursion, he said he had a tour guide license and could arrange something for us. He was very nice and the price seemed good, so we will consider it.
We had talked about going to a local church today, but they only have evening services, and we would have had to have a very late dinner. However the restaurant we ate in played gospel music so that was our Sunday worship I suppose.
We have not felt unsafe here so far, but it seems unusual that all the grocery stores have security guards who stand at the door after 6PM. I suspect that petty theft was pretty high here.
We half watched the hockey game tonight while playing a game and were disappointed that the Canucks could not get a goal despite playing quite well. Oh well, tomorrow is another day in paradise.
April 16
Excitement comes in different forms to different people. For me, it was an exciting day. Sitting outside after breakfast I spotted a green parrot sitting in a tree nearby. Apart from the macaws in Costa Rica, this is the first wild parrot I have seen in three trips to Central America. After another walk to town, this time for banking purposes, we swam in the ocean. It was a calmer day and it felt noticeably warmer even though the temperature always seems to hit about 32 or 33 degrees every day. The beach was much cleaner with no sea weed or garbage being swept in. While out in the water, we were in the midst of a fishing display. A group of pelicans were fishing around us, sometimes flying within a few yards of us, then performing synchronized diving as they caught fish, sometimes within 100 yards or so of us. It was fascinating to see. One gull followed them, almost landing on their heads as they caught fish, trying to steal one. He was not successful.
For the rest a very uneventful day, basking in the sun, swimming, eating good food and enjoying an evening on the veranda.
April 17
Today was an extremely busy day. Before breakfast, I had to photograph the woodpecker that landed in our tree. After that I had to track down a tropicbird and a hummingbird, all on an empty stomach. It was another hot morning, with only a slight breeze, so after breakfast we had to go in the pool and do crosswords. After lunch it was more picture taking of the iguanas in our trees. Then it was off to the beach for wave jumping and pelican dive watching. A quick shower and it was off to the Turtle Inn down the street for Happy Hour. The rum punches were delicious. This place is frequented by many movie stars and we may have seen some. Then again, we may not have.
After dinner, enhanced KD, it was on the computer for picture editing and finally a game of Phase 10, where I had to overcome great odds and attacks by Joanie with her record number of "Skip" turn cards, to finish on top once again. As if that wasn't enough, we also met with our cab driver/tour operator to plan our outing for tomorrow.
People think when you go on vacation that it is all fun and games but it is not! Or, maybe it is.
April 18
Up early, at least for us pensioners. We got picked up at 7:30AM for a trip to Cockscomb Basin and Jaguar Sanctuary, about a 2 hour drive from here. Our guide was of Mayan decent. His grandfather was a snake doctor, who supposedly saved at least 75 to 80 people from deadly snake bites.
It was a beautiful day. We took a hike through the rainforest that is now a jaguar protected area. We did not see any of course as the chances are not that great. The jungle however was awesome, and our guide liked to explain the Mayan way of using trees, plants, etc. for medical remedies he insisted were guarenteed to work. I have to admit that I loved the scenery but was a little disappointed by the lack of real exotic wildlife. There were a variety of small birds, many of which I have seen elsewhere, but no toucans. We did see a big boat-billed heron with chicks in a nest. I think we were very spoiled by the birds and creatures we saw in Costa Rica and I guess Belize just does not have as much to offer in this way, despite what the tour books say.
After our hike, we ate the lunch provided for us, the traditional beans and rice, chicken leg, and in this case, tomatoes and cucumber salad, with an oreo cookie for dessert. Then we got some tubes and walked through the jungle to a spot where we entered the river, and tubed down for about 25 minutes. Our guide tried to freak us out a little by saying he had to check the river for piranhas. He threw a stick in the water and immediately a school of small fish, and a large one, attacked it. Of course, these were not piranhas. The tube ride was gorgeous.
After the tube ride we left our tubes in the forest and walked about 20 minutes to a waterfall. We could hear howler monkeys in the distance but never saw any. I think our guide was more interested in the Mayan ways than in wildlife. At the waterfall, we got into a pool and could swim under the falls to a small cave behind them. This was very cool! We also found two tarantulas, on a young one, and a pregnant female on a white ball which was filled with babies.
Soon after we started driving out of the sanctuary, we hit a torrential rain storm. Within minutes there were rivers running down both sides of the road, some flooding on sections of the road, and you could only see a very short distance. It was dry when we came home though.
For dinner we took a taxi into town and ate at the Secret Garden Restaurant, which was owned by a Nevada couple who moved her a year ago. The food was excellent. The owners even came and chatted with us a bit. Then we watched the Canucks win a game, finally and to top it off, we played a card game, and my winning record remained in tact. A real awesome day.
April 19
It was sunny this morning, with highs in the mid 30's expected, like every other day. There was very little breeze today however. To break up the day, Joanie, I and Plod walked along the beach to town. With the water being very calm, it was incredible, and I took several nice pictures with Lauren's waterproof camera. I even got a few of some trumpetfish swimming near the shore. In town we bought a few souvenirs and lost a few pounds through sweating. It is always difficult in a strange land adjusting to local customs and schedules. Our quest for a nice coffee shop landed us at the Barefoot Bar and Grill, a very popular outdoor bar. Being 2 minutes after 12 noon, I felt it appropriate to begin with a rum punch instead of coffee. Plod ordered a coffee which they had to brew. While there is some controversy about what happened, Plod waited for quite some time for his coffee. At one point, about 15 minutes after putting in and receiving our order, one of the two waitresses came and told him his coffee was ready. (Joanie claims she said it was brewing, but Plod and I hear differently). Plod asked if he should go and get it himself, remembering an incident at the Cozy Corner a few days ago. She said "No, I will bring it to you." She then proceeded to work on wiping all of the laminated menus, and various other clean up jobs. It was quite some time before the coffee ever appeared. I guess that how things work here. As the saying goes, "You better Belize it." We did discover that the pub food probably cost less than making our own dinner, so we quickly revised our shopping list for our return home, and plan to come back for dinner tomorrow, our last evening in Placencia.
When we came home from out outing I checked the laptop and found the memory card from Lauren's camera in it. So much for our pictures. I did use it again in the afternoon with my snorkel mask, but the main thing we found in the water on our beach was suntan lotion bottles and other plastic items.
Walking into the Caribbean Sea here is always a bit of a shock. I find, as I assume most do, that when you walk into a pool or other body of water there is always that initial shock of cold water. The hardest part is when that water reaches the top of your trunks, and hits your exposed belly. You'd think all that fat would be a good insulator but it is not. Here however, the shock is that when you walk in, you feel nothing, or you feel warmth instead of cold. There is no getting used to the water because it is so warm. Some might claim it is not refreshing that way, but I disagree. The refreshing comes when you are wet and stand on the beach in the wind, even if it is a warm wind.
The evening remained calm, resulting in some more bugs, mainly no-see-ums. I also discovered that you should not stand on a mound covered in red ants while taking a sunset picture. I fell a sudden pain in my toes as the little buggers attacked. I could feel my sore toes for almost an hour. Tonight my winning streak in games also came to an end, losing the two games we played. I guess that is just to keep me the humble person I am, and I can accept that. I think the others needed building up.
April 20
This is our last day in Placencia. We have loved it, but we all seem to be looking forward to moving on and seeing what San Pedro has to offer. We took it easy today. We didn't get to the pool until after 11AM, and it was stinking hot. The wind we have been experiencing is gone and the ocean was extremely calm. We had to finish the food we had left before we travel so it was nachos for lunch, and Belikin beer in the afternoon. Our new phrase is "You better Belize it", which means to enjoy it and be mellow. I must say, the people here are extremely friendly. Everyone you meet on the street or in town says hello to you.
For dinner we went to the Barefoot Bar and Grill. It was fun. I enjoyed my terriaki chicken quesedilla and Joanie had a blackened fish quesedilla. Drinks were only $2.50 so we enjoyed a few rum punch concoctions as well. We also ran into one of the guys operating the Monkey River tour we were on several days ago. He seemed quite excited to see us, perhaps because he enjoyed seeing Plod and Joanie soak each other during our ride across the lagoon. We chatted with him for quite a while. The place is quite popular and really fills up later in the evening. However, we were able to enjoy a local band playing Caribbean style music for quite a while. Never have I seen a band play while the bongo player gets up and leaves part way through, the drummer dismantles his set, and installs a new set of drums, and one of the patrons decides to join in with maroccas, all while the music goes on.
Every trip seems to have a theme. The theme this trip seems to be unclean teeth. One unnamed member of our little group has a thing for teeth, and gets extremely turned of by any sign of food between someone's teeth. We have regular gagging sessions when someone displays even the slightest food morsel in their mouth. Joanie in particular has developed a strong gag reflect even at the discussion of dirty teeth.
Everyone is in bed now so I suppose it is time to spend my last night in an air conditioned bedroom. I sure hope the sea breezes keep us cool at night in San Pedro.
I am sitting in the Belize City International Airport, waiting for plane number 4 today. Out trip started at 1:30PM yesterday when we left home with my sister and brother-in-law for a ride from Surrey. Our flight wasn't until 6:10PM, but what is a little waiting time. My sister who was driving us wanted to go early. The up side of this was that when we checked in just before 3PM, we were the only ones there, and there were only a few people ahead of us at the security gate. So, we could get ready to go quickly. And then it started. Flight delayed until 6:30 due to late arrival of plane. By the time we actually, left, it was 7PM. We arrived in San Francisco at 9:20PM and our flight to Houston was not scheduled until 11:40. Wrong, flight delay due to late arrival of plane. Flight was now leaving at 1:20AM. A few beer, a pizza, a game of cards, and watching the rest of the gang sack out on the benches and it eventually was 1AM. There were people sleeping all over the terminal. Now there were many panicky people with connections in Houston who were very worried. The plane, a United Airlines narrow plane with one narrow row seemed to go on forever. People just kept streaming in to the 100% full flight and passing our seats. We wondered how far back this thing went because the kept coming. With delays in boarding so many people, and adding luggage of all the standbys, we did not get airborne until 2AM, arriving in Houston at 7:20AM, which was 5:20PDT. Even though there was an onboard movie, none of us even tried to watch it. Sleep however was just a fleeting fantasy. I nodded off for a few minutes here and there, but for the most part, it was a long struggle to find a place to put my feet where they could feel semi-comfortable. The flight from Houston actually left on time, relatively speaking, and arrived in Belize at 10:30AM, 9:30PDT. Our 45 min. Tropic Air flight to Placencia was not scheduled until 12:30, so more waiting. I think we are all in good spirits yet, but it could be just that we are in a bit of a daze. Weather here is 80 degrees but overcast.
Our flight to Placencia left only 10 minutes late, which is almost early in Belize time. The little plane held about 15 people. It was a beautiful flight along the coast and we saw beautiful rain forests, shrimp farms (square ponds), and the lagoon by the Placencia peninsula.
Our accommodations are fantastic. Our veranda overlooks the lush yard and swimming pool with water bar, and lounge area with pillows, as well as the Caribbean Ocean. The veranda is hug, as is the 2nd floor condo, with large living room, eating area, kitchen, two good size bedrooms, each with their own washroom and air conditioning. The pool water is slightly cooler than the ocean, sort of like a warm bath that has cooled off for half an hour. There is no getting used to the water because it is so nice and warm, just the way I like it.
There were many conflicting opinions on how long a walk it was to town, so we arranged for a taxi to drive us and pick us up after dinner and some grocery shopping. The fare is a standard $5 Belize, which is $2.50 American. We did not have to pay until we got back. Just as our accommodations seemed so luxurious, the town was the opposite. There is one road through it, with no sidewalks. There are dilapidated, stilted houses and old warehouse like grocery stores, etc. There is a cement sidewalk that runs through the middle of the town, a block off the "highway", which was build 30 years ago to help wheelbarrow fish from the water to the shops without fighting the loose sand. We dined in a nice little veranda like restaurant on the beach. Was very good. Later, we even got to see the Canucks game on our TV. It will be a good vacation!
April 12
A nice warm, sunny day. After breakfast, the men walked to town to see how far it really is, while the women stayed behind to lounge at the pool. We got to the first grocery store within 20 minutes, taking into account stops for me to photograph iguanas, fish in the lagoon, and peek inside the complex next door, owned by Francis Ford Copola. We had a hankering for eggs benedict for breakfast, and my BIL was on a mission to find hollandaise sauce. After asking at six grocery stores, and getting the same blank looks, or being directed to the salad dressings, he had to admit defeat, for now. We stopped for a coffee and explored the town before returning home at 1:30PM. By now it was very hot, and even though I found the heat quite nice, there was a stretch where there was no wind and it was quite stifling. We spent the rest of the day in and around the pool.
April 13
Lauren, my gecko hunts have been very successful. We have a frog who hides in the corner of our bedroom balcony during the day, and disappears at night, and two geckos who hide during the day and hang our outside our bedroom at night. Tonight, I am sitting outside watching two geckos who came to visit our front veranda, trying to forget about another disgusting hockey game. I joked before I left that the Canucks could be out of the playoffs before we come home. Not so funny any more.
Today the four of us walked into town. By 11AM the temperature was 33 degrees C, and it got hotter. By our condo it is always windy and therefore the heat is quite bearable, but there is not so much wind in town, or along the road. Joanie had some issues with hives due to the heat, but a cooling down at the brand new grocery store, with its fans and freezer area, gave her a respite from the hear. We did some souvenir shopping and had frappes in a tree house on stilts. When it was time to go home, after a shopping trip back at the new grocer, the gang baled on me and took a taxi home due to the heat. I was intent on walking the 20 minute stretch because you never know what you might see. It passes a lagoon with mangroves so all kinds of creatures may appear, and I am still looking for a beautiful woodpecker I saw yesterday outside Francis Ford Copula's Turtle Inn, where many movie stars like to go. He took off just as I raised my camera, of course!
We spent the balance of the afternoon sitting on our beach and swimming. The Caribbean water was so warm that it felt like stepping into a bathtub. The pool is only slightly cooler. We also enjoyed watching pelicans and frigatebirds over head, as well as other marine birds.
There is a very strong Canadian flavour here. The promoter for our complex is from Edmonton, so a large portion of the units are owned by Albertans. The manager is from Calgary. Even in town, we see people from Canada, and in the treehouse coffee shop, they were playing a radio station out of Southern Alberta.
Still no complaints about our condo, it is wonderful. OK, one complaint. The cookware is very sparse and cheap, making cooking certain things a challenge, and I am unable to distinguish between the hot and cold water in the kitchen (bathrooms are fine), because both are lukewarm at best. Life can be so rough.
April 14
An early morning today by our standards, as we were going on an excursion at 8AM. It was a nice sunny day. We went on a boat trip up the Monkey River. To get there we crossed a large lagoon between our peninsula and the mainland, and through stretches of mangrove forests growing out of the water. We spent the morning cruising up the river (there was only the four of us plus the guide and boat operators). Along the way we came to a tree fill with couples of snowy egrets, with the males often doing mating displays for the females. Very interesting. We also came across a very large tree beside the river which had howler monkeys hanging from its branches. We also did a walk through the rainforest where we saw a few different birds, and came across a group of howler monkeys. They are very loud.
The trip advertised seeing crocodiles, possibly dolphins and manatee. The croc we saw clearly was so small, it was the length of my arm. We never saw any dolphins, and we did go to an area where manatee feed, but were then told that you rarely see them because they feed on the grasses in the deeper water, and only come up briefly for air, so you may at best see a small set of nostrils. They could have mentioned that in the ad. Needless to say, we never saw any.
We did stop for lunch in a small village at the mouth of the river. The buildings were old and dilapidated, and by North American standards, would be condemned. The food at Alice`s Restaurant however was great, rice and beans, a very good cole slaw, fried banana and delicious chicken. The scenery was beautiful, the operators were very friendly, and we had a good time, but I think we were all a little disappointed with the lack of exotic birds and animals we saw, in comparison to a similar trip we did in Costa Rica. We are now planning our next excursion, hopefully including a caving tube ride.
April 15
Having just completed winning my third game in a row in two nights, its time to blog before turning in. Today was another beautiful day. While the temperatures never seem to vary much, with a high of 32 degrees and low of about 21 degrees forecast most days, we have had almost continuous wind since day 2, making the heat quite comfortable. We ran into a woman who lives here part time who said most years, she leaves after March because it is way too hot, but this year is quite bearable.
After breakfast, we decided to walk to town to pick up groceries again, and find a telephone to call a tour guide we heard about who others were really happy with. Our condo does not have a phone. We decided to walk along the beach, even though it was longer, to avoid the more sheltered, and therefore very hot road route. It was actually quite nice and pleasant with the wind, and we were surprised how quickly we were in the centre of Placencia. We stopped for a drink. Plod ordered coffee, which he never got, although the bartender told him later it was self serve, even though there were not cups by the coffee pots. The rest ordered a fruit shake, made mainly from papaya, with a touch of nutmeg. It was like drinking a pumpkin pie. I have never had to chew a shake before, nor pick a seed out of my tooth. We found a pay phone, but discovered that you could only use it if you bought a phone card, not practical for one phone call. A nice vendor let me use his phone but the tour operator was not available. We walked back along the beach with our groceries. We discovered that even though the town is quite rustic and poor looking, there are some very nice condos for rent along the beach. The sad thing though is again seeing all the garbage that gets swept ashore, including plastic of every size and description.
We decided to return to town after a swim and happy hour and found someone with a phone to call a taxi. We had a great dinner at Wendy's, a fancier restaurant that served more traditional Belize food. I had shrimp alfredo pasta and Joanie had a shrimp concoction with coconut rice and veggies. We got the same taxi driver on the way home and when he heard we wanted to do an excursion, he said he had a tour guide license and could arrange something for us. He was very nice and the price seemed good, so we will consider it.
We had talked about going to a local church today, but they only have evening services, and we would have had to have a very late dinner. However the restaurant we ate in played gospel music so that was our Sunday worship I suppose.
We have not felt unsafe here so far, but it seems unusual that all the grocery stores have security guards who stand at the door after 6PM. I suspect that petty theft was pretty high here.
We half watched the hockey game tonight while playing a game and were disappointed that the Canucks could not get a goal despite playing quite well. Oh well, tomorrow is another day in paradise.
April 16
Excitement comes in different forms to different people. For me, it was an exciting day. Sitting outside after breakfast I spotted a green parrot sitting in a tree nearby. Apart from the macaws in Costa Rica, this is the first wild parrot I have seen in three trips to Central America. After another walk to town, this time for banking purposes, we swam in the ocean. It was a calmer day and it felt noticeably warmer even though the temperature always seems to hit about 32 or 33 degrees every day. The beach was much cleaner with no sea weed or garbage being swept in. While out in the water, we were in the midst of a fishing display. A group of pelicans were fishing around us, sometimes flying within a few yards of us, then performing synchronized diving as they caught fish, sometimes within 100 yards or so of us. It was fascinating to see. One gull followed them, almost landing on their heads as they caught fish, trying to steal one. He was not successful.
For the rest a very uneventful day, basking in the sun, swimming, eating good food and enjoying an evening on the veranda.
April 17
Today was an extremely busy day. Before breakfast, I had to photograph the woodpecker that landed in our tree. After that I had to track down a tropicbird and a hummingbird, all on an empty stomach. It was another hot morning, with only a slight breeze, so after breakfast we had to go in the pool and do crosswords. After lunch it was more picture taking of the iguanas in our trees. Then it was off to the beach for wave jumping and pelican dive watching. A quick shower and it was off to the Turtle Inn down the street for Happy Hour. The rum punches were delicious. This place is frequented by many movie stars and we may have seen some. Then again, we may not have.
After dinner, enhanced KD, it was on the computer for picture editing and finally a game of Phase 10, where I had to overcome great odds and attacks by Joanie with her record number of "Skip" turn cards, to finish on top once again. As if that wasn't enough, we also met with our cab driver/tour operator to plan our outing for tomorrow.
People think when you go on vacation that it is all fun and games but it is not! Or, maybe it is.
April 18
Up early, at least for us pensioners. We got picked up at 7:30AM for a trip to Cockscomb Basin and Jaguar Sanctuary, about a 2 hour drive from here. Our guide was of Mayan decent. His grandfather was a snake doctor, who supposedly saved at least 75 to 80 people from deadly snake bites.
It was a beautiful day. We took a hike through the rainforest that is now a jaguar protected area. We did not see any of course as the chances are not that great. The jungle however was awesome, and our guide liked to explain the Mayan way of using trees, plants, etc. for medical remedies he insisted were guarenteed to work. I have to admit that I loved the scenery but was a little disappointed by the lack of real exotic wildlife. There were a variety of small birds, many of which I have seen elsewhere, but no toucans. We did see a big boat-billed heron with chicks in a nest. I think we were very spoiled by the birds and creatures we saw in Costa Rica and I guess Belize just does not have as much to offer in this way, despite what the tour books say.
After our hike, we ate the lunch provided for us, the traditional beans and rice, chicken leg, and in this case, tomatoes and cucumber salad, with an oreo cookie for dessert. Then we got some tubes and walked through the jungle to a spot where we entered the river, and tubed down for about 25 minutes. Our guide tried to freak us out a little by saying he had to check the river for piranhas. He threw a stick in the water and immediately a school of small fish, and a large one, attacked it. Of course, these were not piranhas. The tube ride was gorgeous.
After the tube ride we left our tubes in the forest and walked about 20 minutes to a waterfall. We could hear howler monkeys in the distance but never saw any. I think our guide was more interested in the Mayan ways than in wildlife. At the waterfall, we got into a pool and could swim under the falls to a small cave behind them. This was very cool! We also found two tarantulas, on a young one, and a pregnant female on a white ball which was filled with babies.
Soon after we started driving out of the sanctuary, we hit a torrential rain storm. Within minutes there were rivers running down both sides of the road, some flooding on sections of the road, and you could only see a very short distance. It was dry when we came home though.
For dinner we took a taxi into town and ate at the Secret Garden Restaurant, which was owned by a Nevada couple who moved her a year ago. The food was excellent. The owners even came and chatted with us a bit. Then we watched the Canucks win a game, finally and to top it off, we played a card game, and my winning record remained in tact. A real awesome day.
April 19
It was sunny this morning, with highs in the mid 30's expected, like every other day. There was very little breeze today however. To break up the day, Joanie, I and Plod walked along the beach to town. With the water being very calm, it was incredible, and I took several nice pictures with Lauren's waterproof camera. I even got a few of some trumpetfish swimming near the shore. In town we bought a few souvenirs and lost a few pounds through sweating. It is always difficult in a strange land adjusting to local customs and schedules. Our quest for a nice coffee shop landed us at the Barefoot Bar and Grill, a very popular outdoor bar. Being 2 minutes after 12 noon, I felt it appropriate to begin with a rum punch instead of coffee. Plod ordered a coffee which they had to brew. While there is some controversy about what happened, Plod waited for quite some time for his coffee. At one point, about 15 minutes after putting in and receiving our order, one of the two waitresses came and told him his coffee was ready. (Joanie claims she said it was brewing, but Plod and I hear differently). Plod asked if he should go and get it himself, remembering an incident at the Cozy Corner a few days ago. She said "No, I will bring it to you." She then proceeded to work on wiping all of the laminated menus, and various other clean up jobs. It was quite some time before the coffee ever appeared. I guess that how things work here. As the saying goes, "You better Belize it." We did discover that the pub food probably cost less than making our own dinner, so we quickly revised our shopping list for our return home, and plan to come back for dinner tomorrow, our last evening in Placencia.
When we came home from out outing I checked the laptop and found the memory card from Lauren's camera in it. So much for our pictures. I did use it again in the afternoon with my snorkel mask, but the main thing we found in the water on our beach was suntan lotion bottles and other plastic items.
Walking into the Caribbean Sea here is always a bit of a shock. I find, as I assume most do, that when you walk into a pool or other body of water there is always that initial shock of cold water. The hardest part is when that water reaches the top of your trunks, and hits your exposed belly. You'd think all that fat would be a good insulator but it is not. Here however, the shock is that when you walk in, you feel nothing, or you feel warmth instead of cold. There is no getting used to the water because it is so warm. Some might claim it is not refreshing that way, but I disagree. The refreshing comes when you are wet and stand on the beach in the wind, even if it is a warm wind.
The evening remained calm, resulting in some more bugs, mainly no-see-ums. I also discovered that you should not stand on a mound covered in red ants while taking a sunset picture. I fell a sudden pain in my toes as the little buggers attacked. I could feel my sore toes for almost an hour. Tonight my winning streak in games also came to an end, losing the two games we played. I guess that is just to keep me the humble person I am, and I can accept that. I think the others needed building up.
April 20
This is our last day in Placencia. We have loved it, but we all seem to be looking forward to moving on and seeing what San Pedro has to offer. We took it easy today. We didn't get to the pool until after 11AM, and it was stinking hot. The wind we have been experiencing is gone and the ocean was extremely calm. We had to finish the food we had left before we travel so it was nachos for lunch, and Belikin beer in the afternoon. Our new phrase is "You better Belize it", which means to enjoy it and be mellow. I must say, the people here are extremely friendly. Everyone you meet on the street or in town says hello to you.
For dinner we went to the Barefoot Bar and Grill. It was fun. I enjoyed my terriaki chicken quesedilla and Joanie had a blackened fish quesedilla. Drinks were only $2.50 so we enjoyed a few rum punch concoctions as well. We also ran into one of the guys operating the Monkey River tour we were on several days ago. He seemed quite excited to see us, perhaps because he enjoyed seeing Plod and Joanie soak each other during our ride across the lagoon. We chatted with him for quite a while. The place is quite popular and really fills up later in the evening. However, we were able to enjoy a local band playing Caribbean style music for quite a while. Never have I seen a band play while the bongo player gets up and leaves part way through, the drummer dismantles his set, and installs a new set of drums, and one of the patrons decides to join in with maroccas, all while the music goes on.
Every trip seems to have a theme. The theme this trip seems to be unclean teeth. One unnamed member of our little group has a thing for teeth, and gets extremely turned of by any sign of food between someone's teeth. We have regular gagging sessions when someone displays even the slightest food morsel in their mouth. Joanie in particular has developed a strong gag reflect even at the discussion of dirty teeth.
Everyone is in bed now so I suppose it is time to spend my last night in an air conditioned bedroom. I sure hope the sea breezes keep us cool at night in San Pedro.
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