Today started with the awe inspiring sunrise and cooking breakfast. Byron picked us up at 9 and we headed for the village of Copper Bank. We weren’t too far from Corozal when we came to a river with no bridge. The answer to this is the hand cranked ferry. The ferry is a small barge that has planks that can fit 3 or 4 cars in a long row. A heavy cable is run from one bank to the other and strung through pulleys along one side of the barge. There is a hand operated crank that pulls the barge along the cable to the other side of the river. Christian and Mike thought it would be great fun to turn the crank so they asked if they could and the workers happily agreed. I got the feeling they don’t get a lot of help with the crank. Once across the river we continued on to a small village named Copper Bank. We stopped at a tiny supermarket to get a come and continued on to Cerros Mayan Ruins. Cerros is a 45 acre complex of Mayan Ruins that were discovered in the 70’s and much of it has yet to be excavated. One huge temple has been excavated and restored as has a ball court. Numerous other mounds can be seen with stone poking through the edges waiting to be uncovered. There are giant masks carved into the outer walls. The whole temple is right on Corozal Bay and its a beautiful setting. The major downfall is that the entire area seems to also be used as a mosquito breeding ground. From the moment we walked up we were swarmed by mosquitoes like I’ve never seen. At any one time there would be 20 or 30 mosquitoes on the back of your shirt and many more swooping in to take a bite of an arm or leg. We were all waking while flailing our arms and legs around trying to discourage the mosquitoes from landing. Unfortunately we had not brought any bug repellent with us. Another guide with a Canadian couple we met had a can of OFF! We would’ve paid her to use it, but she offered it to is freely. What a lifesaver! After we were sprayed down, the mosquitoes continued to swarm us and were buzzing their high pitched squeal in our ears but they didn’t seem to be able to bite us. Thank goodness! We were still doing a fair amount of flailing but only because of the buzzing and the nuisance of their presence and not because of the pain of being bitten. We followed a long trail to ruins and emerged in a large complex of humongous mounds. Most were yet to be excavated, the one that had been completely excavated and restored was awesome. THe large  masks that were carved on each side of the temple had amazing detail, we climbed to the top up the steep concrete steps where we had a great view of the bay. Corozal town was directly across from us. We explored the ruins grounds a little more but the relentless clouds of mosquitoes were hard to ignore. We perused the small visitors center to see pictures of other ruins and learn a little about the Mayan. It was all fascinating, but the mosquitoes finally ran us off. After leaving Cerros we made our way to a local resort to eat lunch. Orchid Bay is an isolated resort/development that has a small restaurant overlooking the bay. It’s a beautiful place. After lunch we explored the grounds a little, even taking advantage of the pier and 2 level palapa. We left and made our way back to the first of the 2 hand crank ferries. Christian wanted to try some of the endless acres of sugar cane we were seeing, so Byron pulled over and stood guard while Christian cut some cane. After we got through the first hand crank ferry we were driving through more sugar cane fields. In the distance we saw a small animal and we quickly assumed it was an anteater (we had been wanting to see one ever since some other tourists had told us about one they had seen). But as we got closer we discovered it was actually a fox. Which was almost as good really. We made it through the next hand cranked ferry after waiting in line for a while. Once home we did our usual afternoon activity of sitting down by the water. Dinner was at a small restaurant just down the road, which we had only discovered this morning. We had a long conversation with the owner from Florida. There are so many interesting people to meet and talk to everywhere we’ve been, that’s been a bonus we never expected. Tomorrow we leave for the islands. Corozal has turned out to be a nice little town, different from the the other places we’ve been but with its own charm. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds for us.

 

 

 

 

We had scheduled an early pickup with Byron for this morning. We got into the car excited about what adventures crossing the Mexican border would bring. Chetumal, Mexico is a very large city just 15 miles from Corozal. We headed for the Mexican border and were soon there. We stopped and Byron pointed out the building in which we would go through immigration. We stood in line and presented our passports. There is a fee for foreigners to cross the border, which we were not expecting, but we paid it and went on. Just about 100 feet further along, Byron stopped the car and went into a small building to purchase Mexican car insurance and fumigation. Both of these are required to go through the border and added another expense for us. It took him at lest 15 to complete the paperwork and return. He returned to the car and about 5 minutes later we came to yet another building to pass through immigration, Mexican this time. We walked in one office, whose purpose seems to be only to pick up a form. We were then pointed to another building where we could sit and fill out the forms and then stand in line to present them to the immigration officer. We were beginning to doubt the wisdom of this little excursion into Mexico, and I was remembering all the reasons I like Belize so much more than Mexico. But having already paid our border crossing fees, we pressed on. After leaving the final immigration office we came to an old service station where the required fumigation is performed. Fumigation is required by Mexico supposedly to protect Mexico against bacteria coming into the country (yeah right) and involves 2 Mexicans in gas masks spraying chemicals underneath our car while we are sitting inside the car. Sketchy to say the least. We were definitely having second thoughts now, but being completely in Mexico after more than half an hour of red tape, we decided not to turn back. Riding through the city was interesting. Chetumal is the largest Mexican City I’ve ever seen. Somehow I kept seeing it as a more impoverished, version of Manhattan, although I realize it is not actually THAT big. There were people everywhere and cabs crowding the street. The tallest building we saw was no more than 6 stories, but it had the feel of a bustling metropolis. But where there are many many different ethnicities and languages represented in Manhattan, there seems to be one ethnicity and one language represented here, and it was not ours (or Byron’s for that matter). We wound our way through the crazy streets and finally ended up at the old market. Beside the market was also the Mayan museum, where we went first. Unfortunately, we had chosen to come on the only day the museum was closed. So, on to the market. The first thing we see once inside the market is the meat vendors. To display their meat, they simply hang whatever they have, be it a slab of beef, pork shoulders, or chicken on hooks above their counters. There was also meat sitting on the counters. (Of course none of this is wrapped or on ice). We were a little shocked (Byron was surprised too, who told us later he had never seen a market like this either). The rest of the market was a collection of vendors in the large building making narrow rows in every direction. They were selling clothes of every kind, housewares, linens, food, and just about anything you could need to run your household. Along the back wall of the building there were small restaurants. In front of each, someone would stand with a menu and call out to potential customers. Being hungry, we were quickly persuaded to stop at the first restaurant we came to. We order quesadillas and soft drinks. Burritos, quesadillas, and the like range in price from $1 – $2 USD for a plate. The quesadillas were small and a little bland, but for less than $2, we couldn’t really complain. We did decide after ordering initially that we would like some chips and salsa to go with our meal. We tried to explain this to our waitress and she couldn’t understand what we were saying (we thought tortilla and salsa were actually Spanish words). She seemed to catch the words chips and she said “papas y Fritas?!” To which Kim emphatically replied “si,si”. The waitress turned to Byron, who may be mistaken for being Mexican with his dark complexion, but who actually does not speak Spanish as he grew up in a country who’s official language was English (Belize). I guess when she walked away she assumed she had explained the situation to Byron and we would understand. After she left, Byron said, “I think papas means potatoes”. So we figured out that she believed we wanted potato chips (or possibly French fries). We couldn’t stop laughing at the miscommunication, and we found it even funnier that somehow all we got as a result of that exchange was a bowl of fresh pico de gallo. Although we were feeling better after lunch, we were all in agreement that we preferred Belize over this particular city, and we were ready to return. I can imagine Byron was wondering why in the world we came only to return a couple of hours later. The trip back through the border was easier. Before we crossed back into Belize, Byron took us into the freezone. It is a piece of “neutral” land that is in between Belize and Mexico. It has duty free shops (hence the name free zone). What surprised us was how big the area was. 2 large casino/hotels and several long streets lined with shops were somehow not what we were expecting. We browsed through the shops a little and decided we should have just come here instead of going to Chetumal at all. Oh well, live and learn. We returned home early afternoon and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing by the waters edge, enjoying the breeze and the view. Byron picked us up for dinner at 7:00 and took us to a local “ex-pat hangout” called Jam Rock. We’ve kept hearing about this place being the gathering place for a lot of Ex-pats (Americans and Canadians who now live here), but we learned that lunch was actually their preferred time to come. We walked in and saw one older couple who we found out was from Canada (on a short-term visit) after they struck up a conversation with us. Besides them, there were several local guys sitting up at the bar. But no matter where we are or what we are doing, we have fun with the Christians. The food was actually great, although there must have been only one cook who fixed our meals one and a time and brought them out, so we ate in shifts. After dinner we asked Byron to take us by a supermarket to pick up a couple things for breakfast. Byron is always a good sport, willing to do whatever we ask. Tomorrow is our last full day here, can’t wait to see what happens.

.We woke just before sunrise and I ran to the front door, not wanting to miss our first sunrise in Corozal. It didn’t disappoint, the sky was already beginning to light up with streaks of orange and pink above the horizon. But the sunrise is not all that took my breath away. The view that we had not been able to see yet the night before was laid out before us. A long, if somewhat crooked, pier out over pale turquoise water, coconut trees along the back edge of the property near the sea wall, lots of bright green grass in our huge lot filled with tropical plants and flowers, and an island out in the distance. We went out on the pier to take pictures and were joined by our friendly dog Lila. After spending some time outside,we made our way back into the house to prepare another meal of eggs and toast. It was good, but too many meals like this and we were gonna be permanently sick of eggs and toast. The driver we had hired for the next few days, Byron, would be here at 10:00. We took our time getting ready and laughed and talked. When 10:00 came we were out the door to begin the days adventures. We chatted with Byron on the way to our first stop, Santa Rita ruins. The ruins were very close to town and not as expansive as many of the others but impressive all the same. After leaving the ruins we asked Byron to show us around Corozal. He drove us all around town pointing things out and telling us about their systems of government and school and a little about the surrounding villages. Byron is actually from Caye Caulker, which is probably our favorite place in Belize so far, but his wife works for the government and was transferred to Corozal. The town was fascinating and very different from the others we had seen so far. It was a little more spread out, not being confined by a lack of land, and there was evidence of poverty in many areas but there were simple but more well appointed homes in other areas. Here, just as in the other villages, the children roam free to and from school and at lunch. To me, this speaks volumes of the character of the town. After our tour, we were getting hungry and ready for lunch. Many restaurants were closed on Sunday, but we found one open that Byron recommended. We went into the small open air restaurant and ordered. Traditional stewed chicken with rice and beans for me and nachos for everyone else. The food was tasty, and after lunch we stood across the street overlooking the bay. Byron returned us home, with an agreed upon pick up time for dinner. The sun was bright in the sky and we were looking forward to enjoying the beautiful view in front of our house. We spent the afternoon sitting out by the water enjoying the sun and the breeze. We had a small kayak that we used to explore some of the surrounding shoreline. The closest houses were about quarter of a mile on each side and could only be seen from the water. After a relaxing afternoon by the water, we dressed for dinner. Byron picked us up and took us to Corozo Blue, which has the reputation of being the nicest restaurant in Corozal. It was a beautiful spot on the bay with laterns everywhere. Mahogany tables and chairs sat by the 4 foot walls with more candlelight inside to add to the ambience. We returned home feeling satisfied but sleepy. Pretty successful first full day in Corozal.

We purposefully had a very slow and relaxing morning since we were catching a plane at 2:30. We wanted to eat all the food we had left so we took an inventory of our refrigerator. Three eggs, two pieces of leftover pizza from a great little Italian place here, salsa, half a block of cheese, three pieces of bread, two tortillas, a little bacon, butter, two oranges, a banana, some mixed tropical fruit jelly, and one beer that was here when we got here. Well, needless to say we didn’t get it all eaten, but we did have an interesting breakfast. Packing was the main goal of the morning, which actually was becoming easier with each time we move to another location. After we packed, we had a little time to kill so we went to a beach cafe we had been meaning to try. It was the cutest thatched roof restaurant with a phenomenal view, we were sorry we did not have time to return. Our Tropic Air flight was scheduled for 2:30 so we headed out for the airport (which was a whole 2 miles away) around 1:45. Just before we reached the airport in the cab, we came to what appeared to be a railroad crossing, only there are no trains in Belize. The bar that was lowered across the street was actually an airplane crossing. The road curves around the end of the airstrip, and when a plane takes off it does not lift up quickly enough to to give the road good clearance. So instead of chancing an accident with a car, they stop all traffic. It was only a minute before we saw a plane taking off and it indeed was still very low over the road. After checking our bags and settling into the spacious waiting room (with 4 sofas) we boarded the plane 3 minutes before takeoff. We settled in directly behind the pilot. It was a very windy day and we were anticipating a bumpy flight in the small 14 passenger plane. I couldn’t help but notice the “pilots operating manual” in the passenger side door and wondered if that was a good sign or not? The flight was relatively uneventful, a little bumpy as we expected, but the breathtaking views made up for that. We arrived in Belize City just after 3:00 and since Kim and Mike would be in at 3:50, we timed it pretty well, or so we thought. We actually saw there plane land at 3:45 so we hurriedly went to wait for them at the doors leaving the international terminal. Of course we know they would have to go through immigration and that would take a little time, but we could wait. 40 minutes later we began to wonder if there was a problem in immigration? We watched as every other person waiting on someone all left after collecting the passenger they sought. Except us, we alone were left. Now we were concerned. It had been almost an hour since they landed. Just before we convinced ourselves they may be the next stars of “locked up abroad,” they finally emerged from the airport. Our sign was not really needed with no crowd left. Not waiting for any explanations, we moved quickly to the car and driver waiting for us. We had a long drive ahead of us to reach Corozal. We had an interesting 2 hour drive talking with our driver Mandy. We convinced Mandy to stop by a supermarket before we reached our destination. We gathered eggs, bread, juice, butter and jelly. Mandy took us to the house we had rented. Jairo, the property manger was there to meet us, and held up a key ring of about 8 keys and proceeded to show me what each key fit and I just shook my head like I was going to remember. It was very dark by he time we got to the cabin so we couldn’t really see our surroundings. This cabin actually has a resident dog named Lila who is very friendly (and Jairo comes everyday to take care of her). After walking us though all we needed to know, Jairo locked the big gate behind him and left. Well, here we were in an unfamiliar place. We had a nice cabin to stay in on a large lot, but we were locked in by a big gate and 12 foot fence surrounding us (we had a key but no car to venture out onto the pitch black street outside). Since we had not had dinner, we got busy cooking eggs and toast. Not the first night’s dinner our guests may have imagined, but we have found it easier to just go with the flow. We feasted on our eggs and toast and had a great time visiting, we were looking forward to morning and actually seeing where we were…

Our alarm woke us up early to meet our group once again to try the outing to Monkey River. I peeped outside to see the most glorious morning since we’ve been here. I dressed quickly and grabbed my camera, heading for the beach. The sunrise was spectacular. The wind was non-existent (which is almost unheard of) and the water was one solid sheet of glass. I yelled for Christian to come out to the beach to see it. We stood for a while on the beach awed by the sight and wished we could take the kayaks out on the smooth water. But Monkey River promised to be a trip worth taking, so we hurriedly ate and started the walk to town. We were in a small boat with 2 other families (both from Canada, as at least half the tourists are here), and a local guide named Brent. Our boat skimmed over a sea of glass for a wonderful half hour ride to the mouth of Monkey River. We stopped at the small village by the same name and ordered lunch from a local restaurant to have on the return trip. We began our slow cruise down the river. On the river we saw birds of different shapes, size, and colors; huge orange or green iguana; large turtle; and even several crocodiles! The ride through the mangroves, palms, cane, and countless other greenery as our knowledgeable guide spouted off facts about every plant and animal in sight, was beautiful. But I kept having the feeling I was at Disney on the jungle boat ride. I literally kept reminding myself this was real, but there didn’t seem to be a spot in my brain for this to be reality. I had not grown up in a tropical paradise like our guide, but in a world where something this perfect and beautiful only exists as a fantasy created by Walt Disney. I always thought Disney exaggerated the majesty of such scenes now I see that in actuality they couldn’t possibly make it as breathtaking as the real thing. As much as were oohing and ahhing at everything Brent pointed out, the real stars of the expedition were still up ahead. We pulled up into a grove of mangroves and found a sandy spot where Brent skillfully pulled the boat ashore. We all got out of the boat and waited on the narrow trail leading into the jungle. Brent actually told us to wait there while he went on ahead to check it out! What?! And then he joked that he left the keys in the boat so if he didn’t return we should try to find our way home. Not funny Brent! Since we did not seem enough like clueless tourists about to venture into the jungle. We started applying sunscreen and bug spray, because I’m sure that’s what all great jungle explorers do. Christian and I may have been feeling a little smug because at least we had on hiking pants and appropriate footwear and not shorts and flip-flops like some of our group. Brent returned and motioned for us all to follow him. We could already faintly hear the ferocious sounding screams of howler monkeys in the distance. Brent led us through the jungle at a pace that said he may have forgotten we were soft tourists and not his childhood friends out on a day of exploring in the jungle. One older lady in our group who became afraid the sucking mud would break her flip-flop actually stopped about halfway in and said she would just wait for our return. This is where the Disney similarities ended. We left an elderly member of our group in the middle of an unfamiliar jungle without hesitation (this included her husband and daughter who were a little irritated that she had the camera and chose not to go on). The screams of the howler monkeys were almost deafening at times. Brent explained that there were 2 families of monkeys arguing over territory. Howler monkeys rarely get physical, but the loudest howling monkey wins, so they increase their volume as the conflict escalates. We finally got close enough to actually see some of the monkeys in the trees above us, we even saw a large female with a baby with her. (This is also a departure from the strict safety standards on which Disney insists – they would never let you come within feet of large angry monkeys in the wild – which turned out to be totally awesome). We moved around a small group of trees for a little while trying to catch sight of the different monkeys making the unbelievably loud commotion. Brent finally told us it was time to go, we were reluctant to say the least. He now actually expressed concern for the elderly lady he had so readily left behind 30 minutes before. So after following him through another muddy trek, we returned to find the stranded member of our group waiting patiently. She was actually a good sport about the whole thing with her only comment to Brent being that she should have asked him if snakes were common in this jungle because she had been hyper aware the entire time thinking she might encounter a snake. I must say she is the most adventurous woman her age I’ve ever met. We returned to the boat and began our trip back to the mouth of the river. We saw more wildlife on the way out, with Brent tirelessly spouting out information on everything we passed. When we made it back to Monkey River Village, we docked at the small restaurant where we had placed our lunch order a few hours earlier. We were treated to a traditional Belizean lunch of fish and beans and rice. This was one of the first times we had been served beans and rice, the different dish of rice and beans was actually much more commonplace. Rice and beans somewhat resembles jambalaya, and the dish of beans and rice is a more similar to red beans and rice. After lunch we began the trip back to Placencia. Along the coastline we slowed to watch for the playful manatee that live here. They are mammals that breathe air so they have to surface now and then to take a breath while grazing on the sea grass beneath. We caught several quick glimpses of them, but catching them in a picture was a challenge. We saw them poke up their heads, even saw a mother and baby come up, but by the time I could get my camera up all I got was their butts. In the picture it may as well be the Loch Ness monster as the back-end of a manatee. But I know what it is, so I guess that’s what matters. We returned to town around mid afternoon. We again “ran errands”, visiting the market, the pharmacy, and the laundry service where we had dropped off some clothes this morning. For $5 USD it was much easier to have our clothes washed and dried by a local laundress that deal with it all ourselves. We stopped in at John the Bakerman’s store and ordered a loaf of Banana Bread, and we returned to the cottage to rest on the front porch, me in the hammock and Christian in the lounge chair. We are getting so comfortable here and I love it more everyday, but tomorrow brings the arrival of Kim and Mike and a whole new set of adventures.

We had another day of relaxation planned, much to Christian’s chagrin. After some time walking on the beach and reading, we decided to take the kayaks out to “the tree”. The tree was a lone tree we could see in the distance near Placencia Island that looked to be a tiny little island all of its own. So wet set out in the 2 single kayaks. After probably 15 minutes of paddling against the current we discovered the tree was much farther away than we had anticipated. Christian pulled ahead of me and I encouraged him to go on ahead to the tree (hoping I could just turn around and head back without having to paddle all the way out there). We had both noticed how shallow the water was becoming as we neared Placencia Island, we could see the grassy bottom and also some rock like things in the water. Christian called back excitedly that he had found a starfish! I suddenly found my strength renewed in my quest to see said starfish. We soon discovered there were many starfish in the water. The water was so clear they were easy to spot once we started looking. I had my waterproof camera with me that I would thrust down into the water to take pictures of them. That’s how we discovered that the rocks we had seen were actually coral formations. We began to look closely in the water as we paddled. We just then noticed that there was a dark cloud right behind us. We began to paddle back as fast as we possibly could (being rained on in a small kayak is a different from walking in town) and just reached our porch in time for the first drops to fall. After another smoothie and some rest, we decided the rain was past and we would go starfish hunting again. The trip did not get any shorter they second time, but I was more motivated knowing that something more exciting than a tree awaited me. We had so much fun paddling around and discover some of the secrets the water held. When we finally made our way back to the cottage, we were worn out. A little more rest and we were ready for dinner and a walk through town. It’s fun that we are beginning to recognize a few people we have met and we stop and talk along the way. We have met some fascinating people on this trip. It’s been a bonus I never would have expected. People from so many different countries (and some from Belize). I’ve gotten a peek not just into the life of Belizeans, but of people of several different countries through those we have met. No one is in a hurry so we always have time to talk and learn a little about each other. We’ve even struck up a conversation with people we were literally passing on the sidewalk and stood and talked for 15 minutes before moving on. Building relationships, even 15 minute ones with people from another country, continue to be some of the most important things we do, location doesn’t change that.

We got up and got dressed to meet our group for our planned trip to Monkey River, but we could tell even as we walked through town toward the docks that the weather may not let us go. When we found our intended guide, he confirmed that we would indeed be unable to make a boat trip in the weather already moving into the area. We walked back into town and made stops at the bank, supermarket, fruit stand (where we got 2 huge bags of fresh fruit for $2.50!), and an open air restaurant in town for a mid morning snack. We were already beginning to feel more comfortable here. It started to rain on us during our last few errands, but just like we have seen many locals do,we ignored it and continued at our unhurried pace. We could now see why they did that, because there is no reason to hurry. It’s that simple. We have a long way to walk no matter what, and hurrying will not make us any less wet. There are so many interesting things to see in town if you take your time and look. Once we were back at the cottage we used the morning to read (yes,even Christian, get him a john Grisham book and he’s a reading fool), and to nap (that was Christian). We warmed a tortilla and some beans we had on hand for lunch and made a wonderful smoothie from all the fruit we had gotten at the market. The afternoon brought sun and we took advantage of the kayaks at the cottage. Dinner at a local open air restaurant on the beach. Pretty successful day overall, I think Christian is just now beginning to let go and learn the art of relaxation

 

We decided to rent a car for the day and take a look around the area. We picked up our Hyundai Elantra at 9:00 and we set off. We are in Placencia Village, which is at the bottom of Placencia peninsula. Further up the peninsula there are a few other villages. About 20 miles up we connected to mainland and went north on the Southern Highway. Belize only has a few major highway (major here means it’s a paved 2 lane road). We passed miles and miles of banana plantations, and orange grove and had stunning views of the Maya Mountain the entire time. They resemble the Smokies with the obvious exception of the monstrous Palms you can see bursting from the rest of the forest canopy all along the side of the mountains. We took a turn to Hopkins Village and after maybe 10 miles the road ended at the sea and Hopkins Village. This does not seem to be a place touched by tourism much, although we see several signs for hostels. The few Americans we do see here look to be backpackers (to whom the hostels cater). The roads were terribly bumpy. We wanted to walk out to the beach so we stopped in front of the town’s clinic. The beach and view of the Caribbean were beautiful but somehow I don’t think the beauty is really appreciated here among the small, simple, often run down homes. The towns police station is being repainted a bright yellow. We joked that we hoped their were no crimes today because the policemen were busy painting. We found one supermarket calls ‘Happy Shopping Center’. Is that true here? It’s hard to tell though on our drive through. We stop at a food stand near the beach and ask the owner, who is busy writing her lunch menu on a board which includes grilled lobster for only a few dollars, if there is a restroom somewhere we could use. She points us to a little outhouse that seems to be used by many surrounding houses because they have no plumbing. It has an old tile shower, a toilet, and a sink. Almost without fail we notice that the people we meet are friendly and willing to help in whatever way they can. They are often interested to know if this is our first time to Belize and if we like it. They are proud of their country, there’s no doubt about that. We made our way back to the Southern Highway and continued north to Dangriga. Dangriga is the biggest city in the district of Stann Creek and so is similar to what we would think of as the Capitol of a state. We were surprised by the conditions in Dangriga as well. But the houses appeared more solidly built than in Hopkins, and clearly with its roughly 10,000 inhabitants, it’s much larger. We were there around lunch time when the schools let the children out for the lunch break. And like in other towns we had seen, young children (some not more than 5 or 6) roam the streets of the town. Each group of children had on different colored uniforms supposedly to designate the school which they attend. It is somehow comforting to see a town where the children run aroun without adult supervision, it makes me think the people here must be good, no matter what my spoiled American perspective tells me when I see the living conditions. We found a small local restaurant for lunch. Most of the restaurants here consist of a very small building where the cooking is done and either a front porch or covered area with picnic tables or tables and chairs. The menu did not offer a lot of selection, we got the traditional stewed chicken with rice and beans and bottled water. The treat at this stand was that she had fresh baked desert, which most do not. We met a friendly man who works with the traffic dept. English being the national language here is invaluable. After we left Dangriga we decided on a whim to turn off the highway at the sign for the Cockscomb Basin Jaguar preserve. We bought our $5 tickets at the Mayan Women’s Center on the highway and asked if the 6 mile road back to the preserve would be too rough for our car. We were assured it would be fine. (That’s what they all say). To say the 6 mile dirt road was rough would be an absolute understatement! It literally took us more than 30 minutes to travel 6 miles on the most isolated road I’ve ever seen. (I’m pretty sure the car rental place would not approve) There were many times we really wondered if we would come out on the other side of a puddle. Once we made it to the visitors center and walked inside, we began to realize even more we were very unprepared for this. But after a 30 minute drive on a horrible road we were not ready to give up. We had long pants and decent shoes on, but no bug spray at all. In spite of this we decided to hike the trail to the waterfall. Well over an hour round trip through thick jungle (but a well marked trail). Much of the terrain was rocky and steep, but somehow we made it. We stepped into the clearing and saw this gorgeous waterfall. We were the only people around and it felt like we had just made our own private little discovery. (Of course I had the trail map in my pocket). We took pictures and waded in the water. If I should return here I will bring more clothes so I can swim in the lovely little spring below the waterfall. It was getting late, so we couldn’t stay a long time. We headed back the way we came. On our way out of Cockscomb, we saw a sign for a plane wreck that we had to check out. It was a tiny plane that had crashed here years before by a scientist who was studying the Jaguars in the area. He crashed just after taking off and was not injured seriously. We had to wade through a little mountain stream to get back to our car, and then we were off down the bumpy road again. After we finally made it back to Placencia Village, it was getting late and we were ready for dinner. We found a charming local place to eat. We had “crack conch” for appetizers (fried conch strips so good they’re addictive) and fried lobster and grilled fish for dinner. The sea food here is wonderful. It has usually been caught the very same day at these restaurants, we finished off with Baileys infused cheesecake. A perfect ending to a long but exciting day

The weather forecast was pretty good for Monday so we decided to go diving. Sunday afternoon we had signed up with the dive center every one seems to like here. We were told the dive van would pick us up from the street closest to our cottage at 7:15. (We’ve never had a dive shop offer to pick us up before). We made it to Splash Dive Center around 7:30. It was one of the more modern buildings I’ve seen here. We tried on equipment and Kirk, our divemaster, checked it all out and took it to the boat for us. We waited in the lobby with the cookies and juice provided until it was time to go. The owner escorted us outside to dock and the dive boat we would be on that day. It was probably one of the nicest dive boats I’ve ever been on. There were about 8 divers and 8 snorkelers. There was a large crew, all very friendly and helpful. We would be going to the Silk Cayes (pronounced KEYS), which were a group several small islands held as a marine preserve by the government but available for diver use. The 22 mile trip took a little over an hour in sometimes rough seas, but our large dive boat handled it easily. The further we got from land, the more shades of blue the water displayed. It was breathtaking. By the time we reached the small island that would prove to be our home base for the day, I thought I must be dreaming. Here was this picturesque little island that, as the captain told us- had a population of 16 Palm trees, 10 picnic tables, a grill, and 2 bathrooms. We let the snorkelers off onto a smaller boat because they would snorkel around the island (the large boat couldn’t get close enough because of the shallow water around the island). The boat continued another 5 minutes to the dive site. The divemaster told us the name of the site, and as much as I tell myself I’m gonna remember it, I rarely do. When everyone was ready, we took turns stepping off the back of the boat. We were immediately facing a sheer drop-off of coral. The wall disappeared into the depths below us. The entire wall was covered with coral or every size, shape, and texture imaginable. Swimming among the coral were fish of every bright color. We even saw an eel swimming freely (they are usually hiding in holes) and when the divemaster approached it to point it out to the group, it swam directly at him. Needless to say he didn’t waste any time getting away from it. He later told us that was a first even for him. The Lionfish (a poisonous but beautiful invasive fish) were hiding among the rocks. They are magnificent looking fish, but having heard the divemaster’s story about being painfully stung, I didn’t want to take too close a look. Sharks lurked in the shadows below us, and we caught a glimpse of a few as they rose from along the wall below us. We were familiar by now with nurse sharks because we had seen so many, even large ones were in no way aggressive. But this dive was the first time that a reef shark was spotted. Christian calls it a “real” shark, I guess the more docile nurse sharks don’t count as sharks to him (although they certainly do to me). After the first dive we returned to the small island for lunch. I was completely enamored by this tiny island. The crew had lunch for us of pasta salad, BBQ chicken, beans, garlic bread, and watermelon. We ate on picnic tables perched under huge coconut trees. The lunch was good, but I could hardly wait to finish to start exploring and taking pictures. While we were eating we discovered there were hermit crabs all around us. There was one trying t climb the leg of our picnic table. The shells were beautiful, but the crabs inside had huge red pinchers. After lunch, we walked around the perimeter of the island. The neighboring island (also one of the Silk Cayes) reminded me of the island I drew as a child. A patch of sand with several Palm trees sticking up off of it. It was beautiful! I think Christian was getting tired of me taking so many pictures, but I couldn’t help myself. The beach, the water, the birds- they were all subject matter – until my battery died. Oh well. The shells that wash up on the shore here were large conch shells mingled with pieces of broken coral. Amazing! In case you can’t tell, I was loving the Silk Cayes, I could have stayed on the island all day, but the time came to go on the next dive. It was again only a few minutes away. The coral this time was in a gentle slope instead of a wall that dropped off. We swam just above it where we could get a good view of the marine life swimming among the formations. We were drift diving today, which meant no hard kicking or swimming, the current would just carry us along for a relaxing and beautiful view. The views and the multi-colored fish never get old. After the 2nd dive, we were getting tired. The divemaster informed us we were going to get a “BOWnus snErkel” in his creole accent. We were honestly thinking, we dove twice, could a snorkel be worth seeing? But then the divemaster told us we were going snorkeling to see the big turtles, Rays, and sharks who come to feed here. Well, that didn’t sound like something we could pass up. We were in a spot near the Silk Cayes where the water was not very deep (no more than 100 feet) and there was no coral. This spot was where the local fisherman brought out their sailboats to free dive for lobster and conch. We saw a small wooden sailboat with 6 tiny boats tied up behind it. The divemaster told us that the fisherman will live out here for as long as 2 weeks at a time and take the tiny boats out during the day to free dive. At this time of day, the fisherman toss all of their scraps overboard and it attracts all kinds of large fish including sharks, sting rays, eagle rays, and large turtles. He warned us to keep our face in the water so we could see if any of the large predators were near us. What?! We jumped into the somewhat rough water and immediately saw a huge turtle. Tame enough I guess. The water was a little murky because of all the sharks and rays fighting for the discarded scraps. I have never seen so many huge sting rays. There were enough sharks that I knew I had seen enough and turned to head back to the boat. Just then a giant spotted eagle ray glided past probably 20 feet below me. I tried to take a picture, but his speed and the murky water made it blurry. I returned to the boat but of course Christian stayed and moved closer into the action than I had dared. I’m sure he got some great gopro footage. We won’t really be able to see that until we get back to the states. When the last of the snorkelers got back on the boat, we began the trip home. I must say the Silk Cayes (and Splash) really exceeded every expectation I had for this dive. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen such a beautiful place.

Sunday seems to be national BBQ day in Belize. We didn’t think too much of it in San Pedro when on Sunday there were street BBQs and beach BBQs and many the restaurants featured BBQ as their special of the day, but now we come to another Sunday in another part of the country and we see the same thing. Today started off with waves of really heavy rain that pounded so hard on our tin roof that we had to shout to each other to be heard. The rains finally stopped mid- morning and it’s like some switch was flipped in the heavens, there were only a few white puffy clouds, the howling wind died down to a gentle breeze, and the thundering surf became a smooth sea of glass. We never would have thought it a few hours before, but it was a perfect beach and kayak day. Kay has several ocean kayaks available for our use so we chose the 2-seater and headed for the water. Now Christian and I have sort of a history of things like this not going so well and ending in an argument, but we both got into the kayak without trouble and headed out. We stayed within a few hundred yards of the shoreline, wanting to see the village from the water. The kayaking was so much fun, we were reluctant to return. But hunger and the promise of BBQ everywhere brought us in. Kay had washed a few clothes for us in her washing machine. But she did not have a dryer, like 98%of the people here. We see clothes hanging out on lines everywhere we go. The year round warm weather and sea breezes dry the clothes almost as quick as a dryer. So with our clothes hung out to dry, we headed out to get some BBQ. We were not disappointed. We chose a place that we had been to a few times already. Not always to eat, but because they have live music often. Today was beach music to go with the BBQ. Our BBQ plate had meat (chicken or pork), homemade baked beans and a tortilla (which comes with everything). It was really delicious. I don’t know why I expected that they would be unable to do good BBQ here, but I was wrong