Mata Rocks hotel
San Pedro, Belize.
no blog for yesterday, was too tired at the end of the day for it. Woke up to really bad weather on Sunday morning, and it was pretty evident that our catamaran/snorkel trip to Mexico rocks would be cancelled. The sea was just way too rough. Of course, 2 hours later (after the trip was cancelled) the sky cleared up. We decided to golf cart to the south end of the island, about 5 miles, to see the new resorts that are being built. Stopped at the crocodile landing, where the locals used to feed the crocs in the evening, but there was no one around. had a yummy lunch at the Sandbox, and then headed back north.
The power was out again - this time front street was closed to pedestrian traffic for most of the day. San Pedro has three main streets. Front (sea side), Middle (ummm.. the middle street) and Back street (lagoon side). With Front street closed, we cruised the other two looking for shopping or anything else exciting, but it was a bust. Came back to the hotel to swim and nap and finally had dinner at Rico's at Banyan Bay.
Today we were up early (again) to go bonefishing in the flats. I've wanted to do sport fishing for a long time, and havent really had a chance, so it was a real treat. It was so much fun. We didnt catch a lot - maybe a dozen, but each one was fun to land. I even managed somehow to catch a conch. He was HUGE, and would have made a delicious lunch, but conch is only in season in February, so back to the sea he went. Saw a bunch of man o'wars in the water on the way back - they're so pretty. too bad they'll kill your life. There was also a couple of dolphins near our hotel. VERY cool to see.
Lunched at George's kitchen. Usually we're only here for breakfast, but its the last day and I had to get my fry jacks fix on, so it was an easy choice. Finished up souvenir shopping, which suprisingly was very light this time. After we got back to the hotel I CRASHED hard and slept for about 2 hours. I've been super tired on this trip. Not sure if its from the heat, or if being away from work makes me relaxed enough to actually sleep like normal people should.
Dinner at Hidden treasures again. So good. shrimp and lobster ceviche, pineapple bbq ribs and coconut pie. I'm definitely going to miss the food here.
flying all day tomorrow...no fun.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
SP day 5
Mata Rocks hotel
San Pedo, belize
9:45pm
Lazy day today. no planned activities and the island was without power from 7am until almost 2pm due to some "upgrades"
they are doing at the south end of the island. read, napped and swam as there wasnt much else to do.
once everything went back online we went downtown and did some shopping and had a nice dinner at Antojitos. a small diner frequented by locals. a nice change from the touristy places. big plates of bbq pork and rice and beans for less than 20usd for two.
tomorrow is another snorkel and sailing day. i'm concerned about more sun exposure - my back is still hurting from yesterdays sunburn - but hopefully we'll manage ok. its that or stay home, and the power is scheduled to be out again, so the choice isnt too difficult.
now there's a perfect rainstorm outside. even in bad weather this place is paradise.
San Pedo, belize
9:45pm
Lazy day today. no planned activities and the island was without power from 7am until almost 2pm due to some "upgrades"
they are doing at the south end of the island. read, napped and swam as there wasnt much else to do.
once everything went back online we went downtown and did some shopping and had a nice dinner at Antojitos. a small diner frequented by locals. a nice change from the touristy places. big plates of bbq pork and rice and beans for less than 20usd for two.
tomorrow is another snorkel and sailing day. i'm concerned about more sun exposure - my back is still hurting from yesterdays sunburn - but hopefully we'll manage ok. its that or stay home, and the power is scheduled to be out again, so the choice isnt too difficult.
now there's a perfect rainstorm outside. even in bad weather this place is paradise.
Friday, July 24, 2009
day 4 - manatees
up early for the belizean manatee adventure. took a quick boat with 4 other families (three couples from Ohio - midwest represent) to the coast of Goff's caye to look for the elusive manatee. Luckily our guide found a young one quite easily and we followed it for about 30 minutes. In that time we were treated (?) to maybe 4 nose sightings. Watching manatees is even with whale watching. its fun for a minute...then it becomes a snoozefest. A quick rainstorm chased both the manatee and us away - and it was on to Goff's caye for a snorkel and some lunch.
Snorkeling Goff's was nice, its pretty shallow and clear, but not a lot of action. Had a great beach bbq, then boated back towards Caye Caulker. About halfway btwn Goffs and CC we stopped for a quick snorkel at Hol Chan. We got there early, way before the afternoon rush of tourists, and the rays were quite active. We had no food for them, and nothing to lure the sharks in, so they got bored with us after 10 minutes or so.
Caye Caulker was its usual rasta self. its a younger crowd that stays on this island, and its far less developed than Ambergris Caye. Small shops and hotels/hostels line the beach, along with trinket stands. Shopped for a bit and then met back up with the group. Before leaving the CC waterway, our guide stopped along the mangroves and caught a couple of sea horses as a special treat. However given the lackluster response from the group he realized that it was past time to get back to Ambergris, as everyone was pretty much worn out from the day.
930p now - super tired and way sunburned. Stayed in tonight and ordered chinese takeaway. Tempura'd lobster is a total win.
tomorrow is an off day, fortunately. I look forward to hopefully sleeping a bit (insomnia is a bitch) and taking it easy.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
of mayans and mud
day 3
San Pedro
Ambergris Caye, Belize.
We got up way too early today to visit the Altun Ha ruins. Same routine as last years trip to Lamanai, a 45 minute boat ride on open water, then through the mangroves along the old northern river, finally arriving in the village of Bomba (population1800).
I saw my old pal Raines, who was kind enough to participate in my 100 strangers project last year. Raines, along with 3 or 4 other families have small souvenir stands along the dirt road that leads through the village. Their product is about the same in each hut - wooden bowls carved from mahogany or iron wood.
From Bomba, you take a 30 minute bus ride along the old northern highway to the village of Maskall. Unlike Bomba, Maskall has enough population and income to support the cost of electricity, and there are proper schools.
Altun Ha was occuppied by the Mayans from about 200 BC until sometime in the 12th century. It wasnt "discovered" until about 1963 and since then has had most of the site excavated and restored. Although the story of Altun Ha is interesting, the ruins themselves were a bit of a disappointment. Overall its a small site and very touristy.
We spent about an hour here, then got back on the bus and drove to Maruba Lodge for lunch and relaxation. The resort is fabulous. We had decided in advance to have a mud massage while we were here, so after lunch and a quick swim two young women came to claim us and take us the the massage rooms. At least I thought we were going to individual rooms. Silly me. Where we ended up was in a open air couples massage room. open windows and doors. Now, I'm no prude by any stretch, however I tend to draw the line at public nudity when the nudity is my own. So it was a bit unnerving when my masseuse directed me to undress and put on a pair of papery thong panties. Dave didnt fair so well, no panties for him. It took about 5 full minutes for the laughter and tears to subside so our massages could start.
I'll spare you most of the humiliating details, and say that aside from the intense fear I had of someone walking by our hut and seeing me in all my glory with only a few hibiscus flowers covering the naughty bits, it really was a fantastic massage. the delicate scratchiness of the oil and mud mixture felt fabulous. I had just about drifted into that sweet, pre-sleep zone when my gal said "okay lady - we take some pictures then I will take you to the baths." Sure thing sister. Wait. What? Pictures??
She snapped away (with my camera fortunately - DELETE) before I had enough sense to realize the full scope of the situation.
As my inner -and outer - fat girl cringed in humiliation, I was lead out of the spa room, down a path,(have I mentioned that I'm STILL NAKED at this point?) about 200 feet to another open air, tiled building. A lovely claw footed tub in the center of this gorgeous room awaited. And this nice, young, permanently scarred for life girl is now charged with giving me a bath. If I could have relaxed enough to enjoy it - I'm sure it would have been divine, but I was so over the nakedness at this point that I hurried along to have the "experience" come to and end. I'm not sure how Dave's massage ended as I didnt see him in the tubs and he was already dressing when I returned to the cabana, but I'm sure the sheepish, somewhat guilty look on his face meant that he enjoyed the care he received....
we dressed QUICKLY and got back to the rest of the group. back in the bus and then the boat and finally back to our hotel about 5pm.
showered the rest of the mud away and headed to Hidden Treasures for dinner. We have always heard good reviews of this restaurant, but hadnt taken the time to find it for ourselves. Its pretty far south from town, but after dinner tonight I can say that its well worth the effort. The restaurant is GORGEOUS and the service is the best we've had here so far. Cool towels upon arrival, an extensive drinks menu and complimentary bug spray. What more could you ask for? The Chef's special was a plate of grilled snapper, shrimp and lobster tail with garlic roasted potatoes and vegetables for 35 usd. It was the perfect meal to end this crazy assed day.
So now to sleep. Tomorrow is another full day of sailing and snorkeling.
San Pedro
Ambergris Caye, Belize.
We got up way too early today to visit the Altun Ha ruins. Same routine as last years trip to Lamanai, a 45 minute boat ride on open water, then through the mangroves along the old northern river, finally arriving in the village of Bomba (population1800).
I saw my old pal Raines, who was kind enough to participate in my 100 strangers project last year. Raines, along with 3 or 4 other families have small souvenir stands along the dirt road that leads through the village. Their product is about the same in each hut - wooden bowls carved from mahogany or iron wood.
From Bomba, you take a 30 minute bus ride along the old northern highway to the village of Maskall. Unlike Bomba, Maskall has enough population and income to support the cost of electricity, and there are proper schools.
Altun Ha was occuppied by the Mayans from about 200 BC until sometime in the 12th century. It wasnt "discovered" until about 1963 and since then has had most of the site excavated and restored. Although the story of Altun Ha is interesting, the ruins themselves were a bit of a disappointment. Overall its a small site and very touristy.
We spent about an hour here, then got back on the bus and drove to Maruba Lodge for lunch and relaxation. The resort is fabulous. We had decided in advance to have a mud massage while we were here, so after lunch and a quick swim two young women came to claim us and take us the the massage rooms. At least I thought we were going to individual rooms. Silly me. Where we ended up was in a open air couples massage room. open windows and doors. Now, I'm no prude by any stretch, however I tend to draw the line at public nudity when the nudity is my own. So it was a bit unnerving when my masseuse directed me to undress and put on a pair of papery thong panties. Dave didnt fair so well, no panties for him. It took about 5 full minutes for the laughter and tears to subside so our massages could start.
I'll spare you most of the humiliating details, and say that aside from the intense fear I had of someone walking by our hut and seeing me in all my glory with only a few hibiscus flowers covering the naughty bits, it really was a fantastic massage. the delicate scratchiness of the oil and mud mixture felt fabulous. I had just about drifted into that sweet, pre-sleep zone when my gal said "okay lady - we take some pictures then I will take you to the baths." Sure thing sister. Wait. What? Pictures??
She snapped away (with my camera fortunately - DELETE) before I had enough sense to realize the full scope of the situation.
As my inner -and outer - fat girl cringed in humiliation, I was lead out of the spa room, down a path,(have I mentioned that I'm STILL NAKED at this point?) about 200 feet to another open air, tiled building. A lovely claw footed tub in the center of this gorgeous room awaited. And this nice, young, permanently scarred for life girl is now charged with giving me a bath. If I could have relaxed enough to enjoy it - I'm sure it would have been divine, but I was so over the nakedness at this point that I hurried along to have the "experience" come to and end. I'm not sure how Dave's massage ended as I didnt see him in the tubs and he was already dressing when I returned to the cabana, but I'm sure the sheepish, somewhat guilty look on his face meant that he enjoyed the care he received....
we dressed QUICKLY and got back to the rest of the group. back in the bus and then the boat and finally back to our hotel about 5pm.
showered the rest of the mud away and headed to Hidden Treasures for dinner. We have always heard good reviews of this restaurant, but hadnt taken the time to find it for ourselves. Its pretty far south from town, but after dinner tonight I can say that its well worth the effort. The restaurant is GORGEOUS and the service is the best we've had here so far. Cool towels upon arrival, an extensive drinks menu and complimentary bug spray. What more could you ask for? The Chef's special was a plate of grilled snapper, shrimp and lobster tail with garlic roasted potatoes and vegetables for 35 usd. It was the perfect meal to end this crazy assed day.
So now to sleep. Tomorrow is another full day of sailing and snorkeling.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
san pedro day 2
8:30p
San Pedro
today's itinerary was short and sweet.
eat breakfast
swim
read
snack
nap
shop
eat lunch
swim
read
get drunk over dinner.
I'm proud to say that I accomplished all of these tasks. We made it back to George's Kitchen for breakfast. George's offers my most favorite treat of all time.... Fry Jack. Half moon shaped pastry, deep fried and served with fresh honey. Basically eggs, bacon and Elephant Ears. To. Die. For.
Shopped a bit in town, and basically did nothing the rest of the day. No phones ringing, and a couple of times I managed
to forget what day it was. Island living at its finest.
Dinner was an amazing plate of grilled snapper and rice, accompanied by a yummy glass of rum, sugar and limes.
The world famous Chicken Drop at the Spindrift finished up our big night on the town. The premise is you gather a bunch of tourists around a large square with 100 numbers randomly painted on it. Kinda like a big bingo square. Charge them a dollar a number, then drop a chicken on the board. Whomever holds the number that the chicken poops on wins 100 dollars and the opportunity to clean up the poo. You clean before you get the cash, of course. Fortunately we didnt win.
tomorrow - Altun Ha.
San Pedro
today's itinerary was short and sweet.
eat breakfast
swim
read
snack
nap
shop
eat lunch
swim
read
get drunk over dinner.
I'm proud to say that I accomplished all of these tasks. We made it back to George's Kitchen for breakfast. George's offers my most favorite treat of all time.... Fry Jack. Half moon shaped pastry, deep fried and served with fresh honey. Basically eggs, bacon and Elephant Ears. To. Die. For.
Shopped a bit in town, and basically did nothing the rest of the day. No phones ringing, and a couple of times I managed
to forget what day it was. Island living at its finest.
Dinner was an amazing plate of grilled snapper and rice, accompanied by a yummy glass of rum, sugar and limes.
The world famous Chicken Drop at the Spindrift finished up our big night on the town. The premise is you gather a bunch of tourists around a large square with 100 numbers randomly painted on it. Kinda like a big bingo square. Charge them a dollar a number, then drop a chicken on the board. Whomever holds the number that the chicken poops on wins 100 dollars and the opportunity to clean up the poo. You clean before you get the cash, of course. Fortunately we didnt win.
tomorrow - Altun Ha.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
la isla bonita
mata rocks resort
san pedro town
ambergris caye, belize
bloggers being wonky - short post
up early - fly, fly fly. got to san pedro about noon (2p detroit)
mata rocks isnt super posh, but its nice. upgraded to a junior suite because the regular room was just too damned small.
drank, had a fabulous lobster salad for lunch. swam for a bit. frolicked (oh i said it) in the sea. grocery shopped - note: if you ever find yourself here DO NO shop at island grocery. its big, and looks really clean and nice, but its way over priced, and their food is within minutes of expiring, if it hasnt already. i had read some sketchy things about the store, but didnt notice so much on our last trip. this time i payed closer attention. milks and juices in the cooler 2 months expired. creamer cartons that were
still within date, but bulging. all kinds of mess there.
dinner at the incredible Elvi's kitchen. black bean dip and chips to start and shrimp in watermelon sauce for dinner. the watermelon reduction was so so so yum. not as sweet as i expected, more of a full, spicier flavor.
back at the hotel now and pretty much worn out from the day. a nice storm is coming in, so there's a good breeze off the water.
more tomorrow.
san pedro town
ambergris caye, belize
bloggers being wonky - short post
up early - fly, fly fly. got to san pedro about noon (2p detroit)
mata rocks isnt super posh, but its nice. upgraded to a junior suite because the regular room was just too damned small.
drank, had a fabulous lobster salad for lunch. swam for a bit. frolicked (oh i said it) in the sea. grocery shopped - note: if you ever find yourself here DO NO shop at island grocery. its big, and looks really clean and nice, but its way over priced, and their food is within minutes of expiring, if it hasnt already. i had read some sketchy things about the store, but didnt notice so much on our last trip. this time i payed closer attention. milks and juices in the cooler 2 months expired. creamer cartons that were
still within date, but bulging. all kinds of mess there.
dinner at the incredible Elvi's kitchen. black bean dip and chips to start and shrimp in watermelon sauce for dinner. the watermelon reduction was so so so yum. not as sweet as i expected, more of a full, spicier flavor.
back at the hotel now and pretty much worn out from the day. a nice storm is coming in, so there's a good breeze off the water.
more tomorrow.
Friday, July 17, 2009
synchronous
saturday 1am.
work
over this past weekend I spent the day with Amy and the darling Tatiana. After the baby went to bed Amy and I were talking, when I noticed her will laying on the table. We discussed it a bit, and I realized that although my wishes are pretty much known by my family, I really need to put everything in writing so there's no confusion about accounts and plans later. That was pretty much my train of thought for the ride home. Do I have enough life insurance? Does my family know where I want to be buried? And most importantly, how will I be eulogized? You can't dictate memories in a legal document, you create them with the life you live. So, am I living the life and creating the memories that I want repeated by friends and family at the end of my time here?
about 30 minutes into the drive, I stopped for gas. I was only out of my car for a few minutes, but in that time I missed a couple of phone calls from friends. earlier that afternoon, one of my coworkers had died suddenly. On this perfect summer's Sunday, Ted went to play hockey and had a heart attack, and died shortly after. It really took until the funeral today for reality to set in. The pomp and circumstance of a police funeral is awesome in itself, but the words of Ted's family during his eulogy was what really hit home with everyone. Ted loved life. He loved his family. He loved hockey. He lived a life that created positive memories for others. He'll be missed, certainly, but his spirit will remain with everyone who knew him.
The following poem was also shared today. Regardless of your views of an "afterlife", I think everyone can find commonality and perhaps solace in the words.
***
I give you this one thought to keep -
I am with you still - I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not think of me as gone -
I am with you still - in each new dawn.
***
work
over this past weekend I spent the day with Amy and the darling Tatiana. After the baby went to bed Amy and I were talking, when I noticed her will laying on the table. We discussed it a bit, and I realized that although my wishes are pretty much known by my family, I really need to put everything in writing so there's no confusion about accounts and plans later. That was pretty much my train of thought for the ride home. Do I have enough life insurance? Does my family know where I want to be buried? And most importantly, how will I be eulogized? You can't dictate memories in a legal document, you create them with the life you live. So, am I living the life and creating the memories that I want repeated by friends and family at the end of my time here?
about 30 minutes into the drive, I stopped for gas. I was only out of my car for a few minutes, but in that time I missed a couple of phone calls from friends. earlier that afternoon, one of my coworkers had died suddenly. On this perfect summer's Sunday, Ted went to play hockey and had a heart attack, and died shortly after. It really took until the funeral today for reality to set in. The pomp and circumstance of a police funeral is awesome in itself, but the words of Ted's family during his eulogy was what really hit home with everyone. Ted loved life. He loved his family. He loved hockey. He lived a life that created positive memories for others. He'll be missed, certainly, but his spirit will remain with everyone who knew him.
The following poem was also shared today. Regardless of your views of an "afterlife", I think everyone can find commonality and perhaps solace in the words.
***
I give you this one thought to keep -
I am with you still - I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not think of me as gone -
I am with you still - in each new dawn.
***
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