Lionfish tacos and coconut bombs
When I was growing up, there were days with nothing planned that my Mom called “lazy days” and we loved them. But lazy day takes on a whole new meaning here. While unplanned and relaxed, lazy doesn’t mean no activity. A good deal of biking is involved in every day here, which is actually one of my favorite parts. I love the freedom of a bike, and it’s not something I feel comfortable doing at home anymore since my accident so I always look forward to that here.
We actually had found one cafe that offered gluten-free options and so we decided to have brunch at Caribbean Colors art cafe on front street. When they set an enormous plate of breakfast nachos in front of me it seemed a little overwhelming, but with Christian’s help (and since it was delicious) we finished most of it off.
The afternoon mostly involved sitting by the pool and some swimming while visiting with John and some neighbors who stopped by. Sher, a lady who moved here from Hawaii for a lower cost of living (still in a tropical paradise) shared her story with us. She had brought along her sister Jane, who happened to have been here last February as well and was on our team in the Lionfish Derby.
It was during this quiet afternoon that one of the coconuts from the tree behind the pool decided to let go and plummet the 30+ feet to the ground just behind Christian’s head with a loud crack. These green coconuts about the size of a… of a…. well of a coconut, are hard as a brick and can do serious damage to anyone or anything underneath the tree. We knew that, but probably didn’t take it too seriously that its such a real danger. I was a little more on edge than I wanted to be for the rest of the day and we certainly are more careful about sitting under coconut palms now.
Wednesday brought another spectacular day and another dive. We headed out to Spanish Bay again with Jessica from Nashville (although her entire family happens to be from the same small town in north Mississippi as a branch of my extended family) and Dave who is from Ocean Springs, Mississippi but now lives on Caye Caulker with his wife Carla. Together they own Pura Vida, a gorgeous little beach hotel where Jessica happens to be staying (ssoooo many coincidences for one day). The 45 minute ride to Spanish Bay was rough today, bone-jarring may actually be a good way to describe it. But the blue sky and turquoise water made us forget the rough water as soon as we were ready to roll into the water for our dive.
There seem to be an endless variety of coral formations since there is always something new to see. Just because we are back at Spanish Bay doesn’t mean we are in the same exact spot, and even within this area the underway landscape is varied.
In the course of our dives today we spotted turtles, eels, trumpet fish, hog fish, tiny drum fish, lots of lobsters, giant crabs, and the absolute biggest nurse shark I’ve ever seen. I wasn’t aware that nurse sharks could get nearly so big, he was lying in a valley between coral formations and as I hovered above him with the GoPro I saw he was more than twice as long as me.
Of course Lionfish were the main objective for the guys, and while they got a few on the first dive, it was the second dive when they seemed to be under every other ledge. Burt, the dive master/guide can spot sea life (including Lionfish) like no one I’ve ever seen. Even after pointing to something he sees we often still can’t see it for ourselves until we swim very close. Dives with Burt take on a whole new excitement because when he points, you know something is there you would’ve missed otherwise.
Dave invited us to his home for a dinner of Lionfish tacos. It was a windy but beautiful night and on the way to dinner we picked up the corn tortillas from a small restaurant for 5 for .50 cents, they had just been made and were so hot we could hardly hold them. I also brought along a version of a corn dip I make at home with whatever similar ingredients I was able to find at the market.
Dinner was on the expansive rooftop deck at Pura Vida with grilled Lionfish and all the fixings for delicious tacos. While dinner was indeed phenomenal, what I love is getting to know new people and learning something about them. Everyone has a story.
Everyday brings something new, and it’s exciting whether it’s diving or just sitting and visiting. I only wish I could transplant some family and friends down here to experience it with me.
