Hi all,

This is the condensed version of a small novelette I started to write, but figured, short is sweet!
Friday, May 12, 2006
My best friend and I, (Chicky and Karen), left for A/C on Friday morning at 6:30Am from LAX.
Got to A/C around 3:30pm. Checked into Xanandu, and rented a golf cart! Got lost going to town, (that darn one-way street), and were found by Steve, (Coconet Internet Cafe), thanks a million!
Had a blast at Fido's and ate good food, (of course we were a tad polluted), but it tasted good, so who cares? Thanks to Chris and Glen, GREAT bartenders!
Made it back to Xanadu alive, and quicker than the first trip, thanks to Steve's directions again! What a guy!!

Saturday, May 13, 2006
We had a 9:00am pick up on our dock with Grumpy and Happy for a morning snorkel trip. Long story short, we were SCARED to death, but Lorne and Jolene are fantastic, and patient, and we had a personal trip, so we had all the time we needed to get acclimated to the sea life, and join them.
Thank you both for being so patient with two scaredy cats. Chicky went for it, and the Hol Chan pics are thanks to her. I hung at the boat with Lorne, who has an evil side and decided to feed the fishies for my close encounters! An EXTRA thanks to Lorne! I'll get you some day! Hehe!
After the snorkel trip, it was poolside and tanning for us. Poolside drinks, and homemade sandwiches from groceries at Marina's grocery store at the end of our resort drive. (sorry if I mispelled the name)
That night it was Crazy Canucks, then to bed for our next two days of mainland excursions.

Sunday, May 14, 2006
Grumpy and Happy set us up with Carlos' Private Adventure Tours, and after our short puddle jumper to the mainland, (I hate to fly), Carlos was there to meet us, and again we had a private tour. I just love the OFF SEASON. Off to Amigo's for breakfast, then on to Zip Lining.
Well, along with my fear of heighths, this was just dandy! I tried to book 2 tours each day, one for Chicky and one for me, THIS was Chicky's tour, and let me tell you, even SHE was scared!
Okay, it's a hike UP, then moving platforms, then connections to cables, and GOD knows what! Hey, I would do it again! <laughing>
Now, on to Cave Tubing! What a relief from the heat AND the adrenalin flowing. If you take this trip, I would advise that you do it when the water levels are a bit higher, so you don't have to do ab exercises, (lifting your butts), and so you don't have to walk some of the time through the river over rocks. And so you know, there ARE little fishies in the river, (they don't bite, just nibble), and it's very refreshing!! Caves are interesting. Prepare to hike with an inner tube and take dry clothes.

Monday, May 15, 2006
Back to the mainland for Xunantunich, (Chicky's trip), and the Belize Zoo, (my trip). Carlos was there this time with Rum Punch, YUMMMMM!!! Back to Amigo's for breakfast, then on to the ruins.
I did NOT make it to the top, but Chicky, the personal trainer, loved the climb, in the heat, and Carlos was most informative on all things Mayan, and even had info on trees, leaves, medicinal information on fruits, etc. Thanks to you Carlos, and I would recommend you to anyone taking the mainland trips. (See pics)
Carlos, returned to A/C with us that night, and we partied at Crazy Canucks with the Punta Boys!
We danced all night!
This was also the night the island had a beautiful lightning storm, and we took pics but they did not come out, sorry!

Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Ah, a day off to sleep in! We met Carlos at Antonjito's for breakfast. That is where I was introduced to Marie Sharp's Hot Sauce. Need I say more?? YOWSA!!! Tongue, what tongue????
This was also the day we hooked up with Simon from the Saga Humane Society to bring our medical supplies, toys, treats, and donations for the animals there. We had also brought backpacks, and school supplies for St. Peters School, where Frank Nunez donates his time and money to help the less poor in A/C go to school. This was very rewarding in that we got through customs only having to pay a small duty on these items.
Thank you to these philanthropists who devote their time and money to worthy causes.
More shopping, back to Crazy Canuck's for the daily DICE GAME, then on to the casino's. Not quite like Vegas, but still, gambling, nonetheless!

Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Another day to relax, or should I say, swim in the pool, do laundry, (YES, we did laundry on vacation), and just lounge around an awesome resort. Thanks to Susan, Lupe, and all the staff at Xanadu, they were more than helpful and patient! This night was pre-planned to meet Freda, from Washington, (better known to the message board as Xoe, who takes the most wonderful pictures), and we went to the Blue Water Grill. Fabulous sushi, and fresh fish dishes. Afterwards, we escorted Freda back to Mata Rocks, then ventured out to more casinos. I actually won $3000.00 Belize at the Winner's Spot, but did not leave with that! Oh Darn!

Thursday, May 18, 2006
Another day of leisure, and shopping. Drove the golf cart into town to shop for our loved ones!
What to buy??? So many things to choose from!
The day went by so quick, and we had previously scheduled massages at the Asian Garden Spa for 4:00pm. I would like to thank Brian and staff for their hospitality and warmth, and their beautiful garden. (See pics)

Friday, May 19, 2006
Gosh, it's almost over! We just can't believe it!
We have one more trip planned with Grumpy and Happy, Lorne and Jolene. We had them for the day, to go snorkeling one more time, a boat ride to Caye Caulker, then lunch at the Rainbow, and a walk through town. It was awesome. Another private tour. Highly recommended.

Saturday, May 20, 2006
NO WAY! IT CAN"T BE!! We have to leave! We check out, and take our favorite taxi driver Lelo to the airport. So many people are leaving that Chicky and I have the luxury (?) of taking the 6-seater to Caye Caulker, then to Belize Int'l.
It goes so fast, and I will definitely be back.
What an absolutely gorgeous place, with wonderfully nice people, and it certainly is No Place Like Home!!!

We hope you enjoy the pictures, if Marty can figure out how to get my Yahoo Photo Album posted to this thread! Thanks again, Marty, you are the BEST!!!
From Karen & Michelle

Thanks Snorkelgirl, I am going to try it attaching the link now!

I don't think it worked!

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/tawldrinkofwater/album?.dir=81fascd&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos

Good job, Cali : )

Fun report, fun pics! Glad you guys had a good time, looks like you hit lots of the good places!

Thanks Snorkel & Law - we DID have fun, but still so many more places we missed, so we HAVE to go back again! Maybe in September?

Yea for September, lots less people, great prices and perfect weather!

Nice pics, thanks for sharing!

Great report and pictures...I enjoyed the trip!
Thanks!
We have ziplining on our list of things to do when we return. After seeing your pictures, I'm not so sure that I am in shape for it. Can weaklings do it easily?

Thanks Cali';
We have been needing a trip report fix for a while.
Great report and pictures.
Thanks again;

Thanks to all who enjoyed the pics and trip report. I can't wait to go back and see more things that we just didn't get to do or see this time! It's true what most people on the board say about not planning too much, because you just get too wrapped up in the places that you visit and the people that you talk to, who are so friendly everywhere! We had things planned for the first 3 days after our arrival, and if I had to do it over, I would have spaced them apart. But we added the last trip to Caye Caulker after we got there. In the off season, this is very easy to do, while I am not so sure about the busy season?
1BKeeper - I may be 6 ft tall, but I am the biggest baby on the planet, AND fearful of heights, and I DID it! You are always attached to something the entire time you do the zip lining, and you brake by pulling down on the rope with your right hand behind your shoulder on the rope. It only takes a small amount of pressure to slow down and break, and they explain everything in explicit details. There are also pads on the platforms that you are zipping to.
They also won't make you go until you are absolutely ready. I would do it again. Not for the faint of heart, but good for an adrenalin rush. Beware though, you have to repel off the last platform. They control your speed on that as well. A VERY safety conscious adventure.
One more thing you should know about this trip.
After you get your gear on, there is a bit of a hike UP to the first platform. The guides stop along the way, for rest, and are very informative about the trees, plants, and flora & fauna in the jungle. You have to climb stone steps for quite a distance, but there are hand rails made from tree branches that help you along the way.
I smoke, and it was an effort for me, but you get to rest before your first zip, as they explain how it works. Let me know how that goes for you!
Karen

Thanks, Cali. Another question...when you are moving from platform to platform, are you looking around or just hanging on getting to the next place to look? How many platforms? Do you end up in the same place you left from? My group is pushing 60 and some of us are experiencing aging pains from arthritis, tennis elbow, and maybe some other things by February. I'm concerned that the rope is behind your shoulder. Is the gear uncomfortable or does it cause you to be in an uncomfortable position? Are the pads on the platforms there for a soft landing? Should we look for a different excursion? I am pretty wimpy, but will usually cave to peer pressure.
Thanks for explaining it so well! I didn't know enough before to even ask questions.

As you move from platform to platform, depending on the line, you might be screaming your head off, or you might be looking around. You don't end up at the same place you left from.

I can't speak to the zipline in Belize, but I can tell you that as much as I loved the one I went on, and being younger than 60, I still suffered for a few days afterwards. Aside from a few sore stomach muscles, I have a bursitis hip injury from a skiing accident when I was 21. The harness aggravated it and I was in pain for weeks afterwards. So, I guess what I'm saying is, 60 ain't old, if you've been playing tennis everyday for most of your life, but if you've got tennis elbow from something else, and aggravated arthritis, etc . . .um, well, take a pass. And no, the gear is not comfortable. Even the young men were complaining about um, the squeeze.

Look for something more wimpy and your peers will be grateful to you.

Thanks, seashell.
My tennis elbow didn't come from playing tennis, unfortunately, and it gets aggravated easily! (It was from painting originally.)
I have already decided that I will be the wimp no matter what, but will pass this info to my friends and let them decide for themselves.

1BKeeper - I have-and had a phobia about heights, and was apprehensive and scared, but it was totally safe. The ONLY thing that was nerve wracking about this experience was the climb UP to the first platform, doing the first ZIP, and the last platform, because of the repel down. The guides are very gentle and accomodating, but if you are stressed the whole time, the experience won't be worth it, for the money, unless you are combining that tour with another one. In my opinion ONLY. If you go to my pics, you will see the equipment that you have to wear, and some of the zips. There is one Zip (out of the 7) that you have to climb up an additional little platform, and it is very awkward, and scary, but they are all almost the same, just distance and height variances. It is definitely an experience you will never forget, and it is totally safe. We did not experience any pain after doing it, and you sit back after being harnessed in to basically slide off the platforms as opposed to "jumping" off of them. The only hair raising part is the repel off the last platform, and as I mentioned before, the guides control your speed down, and it is over before you know it. Also, as seashell said, the "GEAR" is a bit uncomfortable but only because you are strapped into harnesses to connect to the many cables for safety. I hope you have a good time if you decide to do it, but if you don't, no worries as there as so many other wonderful and interesting things to do.

LOL, if you really are 6' tall, that's one reason why your stomach muscles didn't hurt later. I'm only 5'3" inches and I had to jump up to attach to the line, every time, before zipping off to the next platform. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was a blast. Even so, as much as I'm glad I did it, I don't think it was worth the pain I was in (hip) for the rest of my holiday.

Just a point of clarification, when you say that the guides control your speed down, do you mean, they stop you when you reach the next platform? We had to control our own speed (on the line), by leaning back and using our backhand for braking.

Hi Seashell - I was talking about the guides have an extra line attached to your speed controls on the last platform on the repel down. You squeeze this contraption, (I forgot the name of it) to control your speed, and if you start to go too fast down, one of the guides is at the top with another rope control to stop you. So, basically, they let you do it, but they don't leave any room for errors or accidents, which was comforting. As a point of reference, I sorta inched my way down very slowly, and it was all good. I was glad to be down on the ground, but like I said before, I would do it again! Also, even being 6' tall, I too, had to jump up a bit to be connected by THREE cables to the zip line.