I can’t/won’t compete with DC’s wonderfully written report, but since she went the same week as we did, hope you can handle dueling trip reports!

As always, the alarm goes off at 2:15AM. I feel like I only slept 5 minutes. I momentarily dread having to wake the boys up, thinking I’ll let them sleep another 15 minutes. Coffee. Need coffee. When I drag downstairs, Steve (11) is already up and dressed, grinning at me. “Look, mom! I set my alarm and got dressed. Ready!” Leo (15) is already up too. Excellent!

Bruce & I sip coffee in bed for 15 minutes, until it kicks in. Let’s rock n roll, guys!

In the car at 3:00 - right on time. The boys are very excited, and so are we. Between yawning and silences on the hour+ ride to the airport, we talk about some of the fun things we can do on the island. But we play the ‘hurry up and wait’ game of international airline travel.

Fast forward 10 hours, and we’re boarding the Tropic flight. I look at Steve and bet him a Bz dollar we have to sit in the back. He grins and declines my offer. Smart kid. Up we go…and I can’t wipe the grin off my face. I look at the boys faces as we fly over. It is a perfect-weather day. Gorgeous. With a handsome young man on either side of me (in the back, duh), I take turns reaching over them to get photos out the plane windows.

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/102962632

Both boys had been to the Belize mainland with us last year, but Leo had never been to the island; Steve was not-quite-6 when he went, and just barely remembers.

We laughingly take a taxi the 500 or so yards to The Palms, but there was no way we were getting 4 people & 3 big suitcases on one golf cart. Bruce over-pays the cab driver, and we’re here! The Palms looks REALLY NICE! Steve is already thinking about that pool. I go to check in, happy. The girl (woman) behind the desk checks us in and hands Bruce the keys. She looks at me and asks ‘have you been here before? I remember your face”. Yes, I replied, a bunch of times, but not here at the Palms. “Where have you stayed?” I rattled off what places my hot, tired mind could remember at the moment. She added one more, and I said ‘OH, yes. I stayed there in ‘02!' She introduced herself as Ana, a representative from Barb’s Belize, and I embarrassingly remember her too! Warm smiles and a quick reminisce.

In no time, we are happily commenting how nice the condo is, throwing on suits, and in the lushly landscaped (and beautiful) pool.

Boy, I love this place! It is soooo good to be back!

(to be continued...)

We all lazed in the pool, talking and laughing, until our fingers began to prune up. The pool at The Palms is very peaceful and serene. I love how they made it feel as if it were in the jungle. Got dressed and grabbed some take-out. Woofed it down heartily, had a smoke or 3 on the balcony – mesmerized by the stunning view, and then we each took a HUGE nap!

Showered up and headed south. No rest for the weary; we were late for a party. Actually, nearly too late, as it was well after 7 when we showed up to see Collette & Maya’s fabulous new home. It was very dark and I couldn’t see a damn thing. I wandered upstairs, in the pitch black, family in tow. There were still people there, but I could not see any faces. Too dark. Up one more flight of stairs and WOW. WHAT A GREAT ROOFTOP STARGAZING DECK! I turn around and say ‘Hunny, the Milky Way is behind you.’ I know how Bruce loves that, and we just stare. I see a familiar silhouette, and say “Laurie??” Finally, someone I know (and can see)! She had been laying down watching the stars, but got up to say hi and walk us downstairs to find Collette. I felt a little bad that she had to get up from that amazing view of the sky. Of course, she poo-poo’ed that. So nice.

We thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Laurie, Paul, Paul, Diane, and their friends, and of course, Walter. What a nice guy (do you see the trend of everyone being so nice?). They were happy to share our Dunhills and some stories while the boys went looking around the yard for toads.

Finally, things quieted down, and we had an opportunity to really talk with the happy new homeowners. They are very nice (there I go again), and enchanting to converse with. Colly & I had tried a few times before to meet (unsuccessfully), but now that we have, I do not think I will hit the island without seeing her again. I love this woman! So smart, so engaging, fantastic smile! Maya & Bruce chatted with the boys, and then she (rightfully) showed off the fruits of her labors in their garden, so proud of her watermelon!

After a 45 minute goodbye and a stop at the market for water & snacks, we’re back to the Palms. A few more smokes on the balcony, a chat about the first day and what to do tomorrow, and we retreat to our soft beds with their crisp white sheets, and we sleep.

Less than 12 hours on the island and we are already having a great time!

(to be continued).

Hey SJ - glad you finally got to stay at The Palms. Ana is awesome! No Cayo this trip? As usual looking forward to your great photos...

Knock it off, your Trip Report is as good and I am now jonesing for SP and November to get here!

Great report and pics!

yes, Barb, i did, and she is! Ana was wonderful, even when we had to re-arrange some things. pleasantly did whatever we asked. she even mentioned seeing my mainland pics! That may (unfortunately) be my first & last time at the Palms. we really enjoyed staying there, but it really was outside of our budget. i spoil our boys.

thanks, CB...but you weren't supposed to look at the pics yet, WAAAAY not done with them yet.

this was just the first day. more to come (if i get my fanny in gear). keep up the encouragement!!!!

Sorry Jane, couldn't help myself

The next morning, I was up before sunrise (like always). Flipped on the coffee, grabbed a few sips, and went out for sunrise pics. I love the sunrises there, so peaceful and serene. The world feels clean and newborn.

When I got back to the condo, Leo was up. I had more coffee, and asked him if he’d like to walk out to Ramon’s dock with me. We did, and as soon as we got to the end of the pier, we saw a stingray! Wow was he happy about that! We saw some other fish, and commented about snorkeling there later on.

the stingray: http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103225240

Bruce & Steve were up by the time we got back, and we loaded into the cart in search of a cheap breakfast. Casa pan Dulce, here we come! Picked up some sweets & savories, had a little road-nibble, and drove the beach-way back. We took them past the cut, and pointed out various places of interest to them.

Had breakfast & showers, and got ready to head for Catamaran’s beach BBQ at Caribbean Villas. Tacogirl was nice enough to ask if we wanted to meet them there for the afternoon. What a nice place!

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103259218

The beach area is really pretty, and with the windsurfers and para-sailors, there is plenty of eye candy to keep you occupied. five minutes after we got there, diving cowgirl came walking up the beach. WOO HOO GIRL! hugs and smiles.

The food was really pretty good (thanks pelican steve!). Chicken, ribs, sausage & slab-o-pork was available, with fixin’s. Everyone was happy.

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103259192

We saw many people we knew there, talked with some, just said hi to others. Cindy & Tacogirl decided to do a dual-birthday parasail tandem. We all watched and cheered. My 3 guys snorkeled out to the pier while DCG, Mary & I chatted. Afterward, my son and Mary’s boys got on so well, Steve went back to their place to play video games. Just as we were getting ready to leave, Walter & his friend sailed up to the beach on their way back from Caye Caulker, sparking much excitement. We hugged everyone and said our goodbyes. It was a terrific afternoon, but we were pooped, and it was clearly naptime.

By the time we napped, showered, and nibbled some dinner, it was way past dark and time to pick Steve up at Banana Beach, as Mary’s twins had school in the morning. We stopped at the market for a few more staples & snacks, and sat on the balcony, staring at the sea until bedtime.

Another great day.

Great report Sweetjane. Thank you.

more to come. almost have the pics ready too. anyone wanna see?

Um ......... Yeah, I would since I wasn't invited. <snif>

It’s Monday, and I’m up before dawn again. Flip on coffee. I think you got my routine down by now, but this time Bruce comes out for sunrise with me. again, we see the stingray.

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103258653

Leo is up when we get back, and I poke ole pokey (steve). Off in search of groceries yet again. It is reallllly hot this week, so it’s good for us to try to get out early. We headed north for fruit & the bakery. A woman by the ‘Jesus Markets’, as Leo put it, was bbq-ing chicken, and it just smelled too good to drive past. Sounded like a great lunch to us, so we got 3 portions (with fixin’s, as always) for later.

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103225101

We drove them back down the beach way again, up near Caye Casa. We love that stretch of ‘road’. It is so pretty and quiet…more like it must have been all over once. We take the boys to meet our friends, Daniel & Elodia Nunez, of Tanisha Tours. We met them several trips ago, attempting (but not actually getting) to get to Lamanai. But that’s another story.

Not wanting to smoke in their office, we just park out front till we finish. Daniel comes out of the house and looks up. A wide grin breaks out on his face; he waves. “Hey, you are back!” and calls for his wife. Son Josh comes out, then Elodia, already smiling. Hugs all around. I love that.

We chat about kids and life and things. Daniel, knowing about our plight of not yet managing to get to Lamanai (our 6th mayan site to see), mentions that he has a group going the next day – asks us to come too. We hem and haw over the cost, but realize we may not get to do this trip with the boys AND Daniel again (I would only do Lamanai with Daniel, IMO). So we throw all common sense out the window, and told them we’ll be on our dock tomorrow at 7.

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/89091857 (from last year)

Elodia calls for her little girl, Genesis, to come visit with us. She’s playing with her cousin next door, but they come. She is the cutest and most precocious thing ever. We ask her about her big vacation to Playa and about school, and tickle her. Bruce knows we will never get out of there without taking her for a spin on the cart, so he offers the girls up front with him. They make the same circle as always, and the girls, satisfied, giggle their way off the cart. It is very hot by now, so after more hugs, we’re back on the road.

we eat two kinds of ham & cheese buns, toasted cinnamon bread with pineapple jam, and fruit. it is gooood, and surprisingly filling. we digest, relax for a few, then suit up, cuz we'er going to snorkle under Ramon's dock next!

All that, and it isn’t even noon yet.

We walked over to Ramon’s, hoping to see that stingray. Since I’m too big a ninny to jump off, we went down the ladder at the dive shop and swam to the end of the dock.

As we swam out, the boys swam in and out of the pylons. We saw a bunch of blue tangs and sergeant majors. Pretty cool. Then we got closer to the end of the dock. They put a bunch of logs and stuff under to act like an artificial reef, and the fish came. There were WAY more fish there than I thought there would be! And a fairly good variety. Gars, butterflies, puffers. It was funny to hear us all talking through our snorkels, saying “hey boys!” or “hey, look over here!”, “here, here!! BRUCE!! Look!” We were really having fun.

Then Leo said, “Jane! Jane! I saw an eel!” I’m thinking, that’s nice, he saw a little eel. And then I saw it.

“OMG!!!!” the biggest green moray I ever saw swam out of one grouping of debris the other, and I saw him end to end, snout to tail tip. Not five feet away from me. “BRUCE! DID YOU SEE IT?” not at first, so we swam some more until we all had seen it. Wow. That was the highpoint of that snorkel. Getting tired, the boys were ready to head back. We were just about back at the ladder when Leo looked up and asked what the fish below him was. We all came to look at it. I had never seen a fish like it before. It was prehistoric looking. Mottled dark brown, like a rock, with a head like a ray, but a tail like a shark. Bruce went down to take a closer look, and it swam away, in a shark-like fashion. Interesting.

We walked back to the Palms, and showered off by the pool. Steve suggested a swim, so we did. It felt very nice. The pool there is part in the sun and part in the shade, so we all just floated round and round, chattering happily about the trip so far, and all the cool things we’d already seen.

Then, NAPTIME!

I slept like I was in a coma. I think we all did. I looked at the clock, and told hunny we had to get up. We washed up, and the phone rang. “There’s a Chris here to see you”. Excellent! Send them up!

Big hugs and so great to see you agains!! It was our friends, Chris, Sari & Pooh Bear. They work managing La Perla del Caribe. If you haven’t seen this place, check out their website. Gorgeous homes, gorgeous pool, gorgeous beach. You may have seen it on House Hunters International.

We get Sari & pooh cold water, and belikins for the guys, and go out to the rear “adult porch” that overlooks the pool (yes, the room had two balconies!) and all talk at once. And talk and talk and talk.

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103225235

We join the boys, who had spent time with Chris in Cayo last year, and they catch up. Steve coos Pooh Bear. They gratefully ogle the goodies we brought them. We make loose plans to see them up at the resort, and say goodnight. We still have dinner plans tonight with Capt. Jeff!

Capt. Jeff and I had tried to meet last trip too, but hadn’t (another pattern!). Finally, we met Cappy and his friend Steve at Elvi’s. Again, lots of talking! Jeff is full of stories. Coconet/Pelican Steve was pretty funny, and amused me and the kids. We all had lobster. The lobster was just ok, but the company was nice. We talked and talked some more, but we were tired, and had to get up early for Lamani in the morning (bet you forgot, didn’t ya?). We rubbed our stuffed bellies, said our goodbyes, and carted off.

Jane...is this your prehistoric fish?

http://ambergriscaye.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/262918/Who_is_this_guy.html#Post262918

Great trip report, fun to read.

nope. we had asked Chris if he had any idea what it was, but he didn't. glad you were paying attention, but you are getting ahead of the story.

just stay tuned. more still to come.

(if you've been following along, i added some pics to the previous posts above. thx.)

Tuesday, and I go out for my pre-dawn jaunt solo. Just as well, as the sunrise was a bit obscured by clouds this morning. It is still beautiful, and I watch.

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103225238

I stroll leisurely down the dock, and feel a drop; then another. I walk a bit faster…then faster… then RUN. I got sopping wet just going from Ramon’s to my condo next door. Then as quickly as the rain came; it stopped. I mused to myself that it’d be funny if the trip got postponed for a third time

Everyone was up and getting ready. It was a lotion-and-bug-spray day. For those unfamiliar, the Lamanai trip is a whole day event from the island into the mainland jungle, involving two boats and a bus to get there and back. Much farther than altun ha. We tossed our backpacks together, slugged down the last of the coffee, and were on the dock at 6:55 AM, ready for adventure.

Daniel and Josh pulled up to the dock right on time, smiles in place. “Are you guys ready?” teases Josh, but we are. He does not know that we are Amateur Mayan Ruin Tacklers Extraordinaire…the Intrepid Wests! LOL (if you know me, you know I am the least intrepid person on earth). This is the third Mayan site for the boys and the sixth for Bruce and me, and we are as charged up as we get before 8 AM.

We pull up at Sunbreeze to pick up the party of 16 grad students that comprised the rest of the group. No one was on the dock. They were not ready…not even close. And they acted like they didn’t care. Still not ready, we hop off for a smoke. Still not ready. They took at least 20 minutes to trickle by 2’s onto the boat, all bearing styrofoam containers of breakfast and coffee cups, complaining about partying too much last night. Daniel was not pleased. He mumbled to us about how Styrofoam affect the environment, and how we needed to be on time to get our connections. It seemed like an hour until they were finally all seated. Daniel reminded them he brought homemade banana bread & fresh squeezed juice so they had not needed to bring food, and by doing that, we are now quite behind schedule. He was very polite, but we knew he was really annoyed. He asked them all to please not let the containers blow off the boat, and when they are done please pass them back for proper disposal.

Daniel officially welcomes them and introduces us to them as ‘our visiting friends’ (smile), gives a little talk, and we’re off. Then the rain starts. We pass around ponchos and get pelted for a few minutes till it stops. The sun breaks out and I look around. Sure enough, a moment later I see the rainbow.

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103277046

I point it out to everyone, and the whole boat relaxes. Now we’re ready!

Daniel is one with his boat, and it is pleasure to watch him maneuver it. This is clearly a man who enjoys what he does. We fly past islets to the river’s mouth and through the mangroves.

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103277054

He points out interesting plants and birds, and stops on a dime to show us a crocodile. We even “see” a group (herd?) of manatees! ok, we couldn't actually see them, but we saw their movement, bubbles, and 2 snouts. They were only yards away from us, but the water of the river is very dark with black mangrove.

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103225105

Then Daniel shifts gears, and we rocket forward. Josh had been messing around, dad knew it. Josh looses his footing, then steadying himself, yells "Hey!". His dad looks at him and cracks up, then we all do. Daniel steers like a racecar driver thru the channel at top speed, wake streaming behind us. Steve dubs him “The Ricky Bobby of San Pedro.”

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103276401

I was amused watching half the grads sleep on a speeding boat. Ah, to be young. We land at Bomba. A quick smoke, and we load onto the bus. We sit in the back (don’t all the cool kids?) with Daniel & Josh, which gives us all a chance to talk. Leo and Josh talk a bit about the differences of growing up where they do. They each have some misconceptions about the other, so it was a pretty interesting conversation. Trees and farms roll past out the open bus windows. The hot breeze felt great. We get to the next landing (quick smoke) and they had put out some watermelon for us before loading into the next boat. Before we know it, we can see the top of the temple thru the trees. We’re here.

We walk up the path to the picnic tables. Right away, Daniel says he sees spider monkeys, and takes off calling “come on!” We boogie further up the path and see the treetops swaying with motion. We chase the motion until we finally see them. I’d only ever seen a spider monkey once – at banana bank ranch in 1993, and it was on a collar & leash – so this was exciting for me. Daniel said they don’t see them very often and it was a treat. Cool. Almost immediately after, we hear howlers and go looking for them too. Much easier to see, but exhilarating just the same, as our boys had never seen howlers, and Bruce and I were hoping to see them again. We watch several climb around, even a cute baby.

But we were supposed to be eating lunch, so we return to the tables, where Josh & the ranger guy were setting up buffet style. Homemade stew chicken, rice n beans, tortillas chips, sweet plantins, and slaw. I have to say: IT WAS THE BEST STEW CHICKEN N FIXINS EVER!! Really good!! We inhaled the food, eating every last drop. My thin-as-a-rail-eats-nothing-but crap son even asked Josh if he could have seconds!!

I wander over to a bird of paradise flower to try out my macro camera setting. Daniel comes up quietly behind me and says “Don’t take that picture. There is a viper that feeds on hummingbirds. They hide in the brush below the flower waiting for a bird, then strike.” I say ok, and slowly back away from the flower.

We do the ruin thing. It is really hot, yet really cool. We see more howlers. Lamanai has several structures unearthed. Stellae, glyphs and carvings. We were running out of water, I was really hot by the time we got to the climbing temple. It was very tall and steep. Now, I’m no ruin wimp - I’ve climbed 4 temples before - but for the first time ever, I deemed I was way too hot to do it this time. Bruce & Leo went up, Steve and I stayed behind. Afterward, Bruce secretly told me it really was way too hot, and he thought I did the right thing by not going up. Of course Josh, very entertaining at 16, said “hey, watch this!” and ran barefoot all the way down the temple as fast as he could, which was pretty damn fast. A testosterone charged grad student had to match him, and he did the same thing, but in FLIP-FLOPS! We all cheered and gave them a round of applause.

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103225103

Everybody seemed to have a good time. Vine climbing followed, Tarzan-style. At the last temple, there was a wide grassy field (like a football field), and they broke out in an impromptu Frisbee toss. At times like that, I kind of miss my 20’s.

It was time to head back to the boat. Everyone was tired and chatty, as they passed the rum punches around. Back to the bus. Daniel pointed out to me that another well-known tour group that had lunched with us at the same time, had shown up after we did, had left the site long before we did. Yes, I noted that our tour was almost an hour longer. Interesting to know.

oh! since Daniel is a wildlife expert, i asked him about that odd fish we saw. he thought for a moment, and told us it was and electric ray, and said it packs a wallop. (he was right):

http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/872/55003605.JPG

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_ray

We hauled up to the room, exhausted. Showers all around. I get a text from Tacogirl saying she is at Pedro’s with Wade and Dutch, but all I can think about is food and bed. I thanked her and said to say hi, ate, and went to bed.

Can I keep saying ‘another great day!’?

ok, finally - PICTURE TIME!

please do me my weird courtesy of running the slide show (top right). thanks.

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/ambergris_with_boys_aug_08


still more report to come.

Great Pics Jane!

Nice!

More, more, more - please - just cannot wait to be there - 22 sleeps

Wow, electric ray...very cool!

thanks, all. yeah, ruth. we thought so too! i'd never seen one before.

we also saw these: http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103313226

and this: http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103313228

Josh said the grasshopper bite was WAYYY more painful then a tarantula. i let the tarantula climb on me too - it was very gentle and tickles your skin. FYI.

sorry this is taking so long. i'm working on it.

(repost of full link
http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/ambergris_with_boys_aug_08 )

Wow...great photography! Cute hunny and beautiful children, too. Thanks for sharing, Kathy

Whoa...that grasshopper was HUGE!

I have seen grasshoppers in Belize that would make a good meal (4-5 inches long and fat!) My kids still talk about them.

thank you, ladies. it means a lot to me. yes barb & ruth, we still talk about it too! ok, let's get on with it:

What did we do Wednesday? Oh yes. We took the day off. Well, sort of.

We had brought down a bunch of stuff (like most of us do), yet the only things we managed to actually get delivered to their recipients were the goodies for Chris & Sari, and Colette’s housewarming yummies. 3 more deliveries still to go. I told Bruce I really wanted to get that done. I sent a text off to tacogirl to see if she was up; i knew they were anxious to get their well-pump. Steve had gotten up early many days in a row now, and with school looming next week, I promised him he could sleep in today. So Bruce, Leo and I headed south to chez taco. It is reeeealy nice.

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103392035

TG gave us the grand tour, and we sat out on the deck for a few. We’d been lucky with the weather. Though it was very hot, and there were a few showers, it’s been beautiful. We were enjoying the chat overlooking her lovely yard and view, but we had more to do.

From there we headed north to Holy Cross School. I knew I could have just given the stuff to TG to take up, but we felt it was important for Leo to see it. We are always trying to get our boys to see how fortunate they are, and also see how people around the world live.

Wonderwoman is behind the desk, hurriedly getting ready for school to begin. We chat for a few, and she calls Ms. Francis in. she insists we MUST see the new computer lab. the PCs were donated, and are very nice, but she explained the building to house them, the custom steel security doors and heavy duty lock to keep them from getting stolen put them many 10's of thousands in debt to the hardware supplier. sigh.

She gives us a tour of the entire school.

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103391451

Leo is silent, but listening and taking video. I told her we’d seen the school before, and thought they were making great progress. But the truth is, it breaks our hearts. Many of you have seen it, but for those who have not, it is like several double wide trailers built in a dirty, muddy swamp, with shiny opulence in view all around it. Francis asks if we’ve ever seen san mateo (did I get the name right), the neighborhood behind the school where many of the kids live. i said we'd seen it from the bridge and road many times; she said we really need to walk through it. (photos by Leo)

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103391454

She took us through the maze of corrugated shacks and lean-tos, walking on 2x4s over garbage and filth. they have no electricity, no running water. you cannot walk on one square foot of solid ground.

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103391456

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103391455

She tells us she believes it is the poorest community in all of Belize. Still, kids waved and smiled to her “hi Ms. Francis!” She knew them all by name. Although he’d traveled to several countries before, it was a real eye opener for Leo. he seemed a little shaken.

But it was time to say our goodbyes and thank yous, and head back over the bridge to pick Steve up and get some breakfast.

Steve was up, ready and hungry when we returned. We had eaten in the room morning, Everyone wanted fry jacks, so we went to Estel’s for an extended breakfast. IMO, their breakfasts are not great, but they are good and plentiful. The real draws are the atmosphere and the view. It can’t be beat and we are all happy. Steve fusses with the dogs, Leo snaps pics of the lovely beach area, and Bruce and I nurse our coffees. I really could have sat there for a few hours and been perfectly content.

We start making a list of all the cool animals we saw so far. It is amazingly long for being there just five days: Spider monkeys, howlers, white ibis, crocs, manatees, stingrays, electric ray, moray eel, hummingbirds, not to mention multiple types of lizards, insects, arachnids, fishes and seabirds.

We still had things I needed to do. Next, we walked across the street to see Amanda. We were supposed to meet up at the Catamaran Bar 3 days earlier, but that’s another story too. I found her to be bright, pleasant, and interesting to talk with. She clearly loves the island. We talked for some time on all sorts of subjects, particularly our kids, but I still had one more stop, and we were supposed to be relaxing today. It was already quite past noon.

The last stop was to BC’s to deliver a package for a friend to Charlene so she could deliver to someone else...but that is yet another story. We all had a cold beverage of our individual choices, and voted unanimously to go back to the pool for a swim. I had PROMISED Leo we’d get Waraguma for dinner later. We gave Chris a call and asked if he wanted to come over after work to have take-out with us.

A swim, a snack, and a nap - perfect. And nap we did. We woke and washed up just in time, as Chris was knocking on the door. Dinner was yummy and plentiful (2 lobster burritos, 1 shrimp ceviche & an order of pupusas fed 4 hungry people). As we ate, we told him all about Lamanai, and showed him some pics. He’s lived in Belize for over 15 years, but said he had never seen an electric ray or a grasshopper that size. cool.

We sat on the balcony for a little while, but he was tired, and we had to hit the hay too – tomorrow was a full day of fishing, snorkeling and a beach bbq. We made plans to see him up at La Perla on Friday, said our goodnights, looked at our photos, and went to bed.

Today was the day Steve had been waiting for: we were finally going fishing. The plan was a fishing/snorkel trip, combined with a beach bbq. I knew it wasn’t the plan, but I wanted to have the snorkel be to hol chan & shark ray, since we hadn’t gotten the boys there yet.

Bruce and I went out for sunrise, but it was pretty cloudy. No stingray either. I looked up at the sky, judging the clouds. I was very glad to see that they were moving southeast at a brisk rate, with blue sky behind them. Super!

We ate and lotioned up, and the boat was waiting for us at the dock at 9 sharp. we said our good mornings and introduced ourselves. We asked if Ana had told them we wanted to go to hol chan, but they said Ana wasn’t in when they called, and that wasn’t the plan. They wanted to go up north to fish, then mexico rocks. I asked if it was a big deal to change plans. He said the only probs were that we need to pay the park fees (ok, we knew that), and the beach down south for the bbq was not as nice as the one up north. We told them that was ok, we’ve seen pretty beaches up north before and didn’t mind, so off we went to get park passes and fins.

Fishing was first. We went south to troll, and found a sweet spot by the fisherman’s shack.

http://www.pbase.com/image/103669398

Steve fishes a little here at home, but never got anything more than a 4” sunny. His #1 goal of the trip was to try to catch a barracuda. Long story short, he caught 3, plus 3 really nice sized snapper. Leo also caught 2 ‘cudas and a snapper.

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103668928

http://www.pbase.com/image/103668929

Bruce and I mostly just watched this time, letting the boys take the two rods. That said, he caught a beautiful trigger and I got an additional ‘cuda. Looked like lunch to me.

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103668930

We were all having a nice time, including Capt. Bobby & Miguel. Capt turns to us and says, “we don’t usually do this, but we’re gonna pull up a few traps for you!” And they did. YAY! Lobster for lunch too!

http://www.pbase.com/image/103669399

But not yet. Next we went to shark ray alley, and the boys got what they came looking for. We were off the tour schedule, and only one other boat was there. One thing happened this time that never did for me before. I was treading water, keeping an eye on Steve from above the surface. All of a sudden, something knocked fairly hard into my pelvis. Startled, I stuck my mask in. OMG - a big shark had banged his snout into me! I was like “AHHH!” for just a second. Then I said to myself, ‘its ok -nurse shark, its ok - nurse shark’, and started laughing out loud.

Great report Jane and wonderful pics as well!

I enjoyed reading it. Thanks so much....

Great Report Jane!! I'm still waiting for the final one!! Makes me feel like I'm there with yall!! Wish I was for more than a day, but for the time I did enjoy all the company, Thanks!!!
Spurs

Great report

Janie, great family and community reporting. Love it!

Great trip report great pics - as always good to see you and Bruce and was glad to meet the boys

backatcha, tg. thanks everybody. i'm working on the rest...

you still reading?

While Steve and Leo knew what they were going to see there, they were still amazed and thrilled.

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/image/103669397

I could see it in their faces as we got back onboard. Wide eyes and huge smiles, and we sped off to Hol Chan. Again, there was just one other boat there.

My hope was to see Spotted Eagle Rays - my favorites. Miguel took us out, and led us around. There was a bit of current, so he said to follow closely. We did, until we got around to the calmer side and then spread out a bit. Miguel and I pointed out some pretty, little butterfly fish and interesting things to the guys. He & I saw a very large and beautiful Black Angel, but the boys missed it. He pointed a smaller one out to them a minute later. We swam and hovered, seeing all sorts of small creatures in the cracks & crevices. Never any disappointments at Hol Chan; it’s a wonderful snorkel each and every time.

I still kept watching out of the corners of my eyes, and thought I saw an eagle ray, but it was only a small stingray. My hope was dwindling. Then I saw something.” BRUCE! HEY GUYS!! THERE’S A TURTLE OVER HERE!!” everyone swam over as fast as they could. Now, you should know Bruce (an animal lover anyway) has a thing for turtles. He wears a wooden one from Costa Rica around his neck. We had only ever seen 2 before - one on land, and one swimming. I knew he’d be absolutely delighted, and he was. Yay! This one seemed kinda small. Fascinating.

The boys and I went back to the reef while Bruce swam off following the turtle. Then Miguel saw another one! Wow! This one was also small, but so peaceful and graceful in the water. I called Bruce back over. He had followed the other one kind of far. He swam back, and as they were checking that one out, I saw yet another! 3 in one day! This was great! The boys were thrilled and Bruce was ecstatic! This was an easy swap for my hope of the kids seeing eagle rays.

We’d been out there for a while now, and hadn’t eaten in hours. The boys were getting tired, and we headed back to the boat. Later, Bruce told me that Miguel asked him not to follow the turtles; they get tired easily. We both sniffed and made puppy dog eyes, and he made a mental note not to do it again.

Ok, bbq time! You guys saw the pics. Capt Bobby chopped onions peppers & tomatoes, made a sauce of mayo, butter & seasonings, and threw the haul of the day into foil packets to steam over the fire.

http://www.pbase.com/image/103669403

On the side were tortillas, and potatoes in butter & herbs, also steamed in foil. A little Marie Sharp’s and OH MAN, it was soooooooooooooooooo good. OMG. Maybe we were just really hungry, but the flavor was just great. We scarfed it down, dribbling happily. We’d never had barracuda before, and we all agreed it was better than the snapper. Too bad Steve didn’t want his lobster tail, so I forced myself to have 2! Ha ha ha!

Now the other side: the bbq was at Lion’s Club Park down south, and the beach there was a mess. Busted up palapas and random trash all over. A family lived in a shack on the lot.

http://www.pbase.com/image/103669402

They had a dog tied up in the sun with no water, and just a broken billboard for shade. He looked very, very sad. Bruce grabbed a bottle of water and a small tub, and gave some to the dog – who slurped it up in one second. A young boy was watching, shyly.

http://www.pbase.com/image/103669404

Bruce quietly went over and told the boy that dogs need water just like people do, Bruce pet the dog and gave it some more, and came back to sit with me. I looked over and said ‘look’. The boy was gingerly carrying a larger bowl of water out to the dog. I put my arm on Bruce’s, smiled, and told him he did good. He then told me he just saw the captain take the leftovers to the family in the shack. Pay it forward – I hate that line, but I adore the idea.

by now it was after 4; we were stuffed and ready for naps. Back in the boat, and back to the Palms. Showers were in immediate order. We were all roasty-toasty and exhausted. We slept, woke up, snacked on leftover chicken & ceviche, stared at the ocean for a little, reviewed the day, and went back to bed. Tomorrow would be our last full day on this jewel of an island. (snif)

Bumping the link: http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/ambergris_with_boys_aug_08

My mouth is watering thinking of the BBQ right now....

Sorry this is taking so long…anyone still with me here??

It’s now Friday, our last full day on the island. We had hopes of making it to La Perla today, but I wasn’t moving very fast. Bruce, Leo & I got up early and carted up to Ruby’s to bring back different breakfast goodies. Chicken patties, Johnny cakes (sorry, dc), flan, and egg-n-bacon biscuits for Steve. MMMM, that should be good with the left-over fresh fruit and coffee.

On the way back, we stopped by Barefoot Books to say our last goodbyes to Colette. We talked and talked and talked, and finally hugs all around and ‘definitely see you next time’, and back to the condo for a relaxing breakfast. We stuffed ourselves and stared off the balcony for a while. While Chris mentioned we could catch the La Perla boat up early, I knew we would miss it,and we did. I said that it was up to everyone what they would like to do, and if we didn’t get up north, I’d be okay. Leo asked politely if we could try to go, he really wanted to see La Perla (and Steve wanted to see Pooh Bear again). So I told them we could just expense it and catch a water taxi up, and went down to get the schedule from Ana. There was a 1 PM going, so I phoned Chris and that became the plan.

We flopped and digested until it was time to suit & lotion up to head to Fido’s Dock taxi terminal. I had never taken the water taxi up that far (past JE), and was stunned that it was not $8 per person, and ended up being over $60 US for the 4 of us to get up there. NOT EXPECTING THAT!!! Oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound, so we enjoyed the beautiful but very long ride, getting sunburned and stopping every few piers to let people on & off. Finally, it was our stop. We clamored off, and Chris was walking up the pier with his signature huge smile.

(to be continued)

Definitely see you next time! Big hugs to you and your gorgeous and adorable family.

(continued from above)

As I walked up the pier and toward the lushly landscaped pool area with Leo, I asked him what he thought. He was wide eyed and said its reaaallllly nice! We walked past the pool toward the house that Sari & Chris use as their office. At this point, we were all really hot. I told Steve to go ahead into the pool. Now, Leo is the kind of kid who thinks he would like to ‘live the good life’ when he grows up, rub elbows with glamor (keep up the honors grades in school, boy!). I was not sure if he’d ever been in a house quite like the ones at La Perla, which have been called shabby chic. I took him on the tour upstairs and down. The doors, furniture, and decor is of an Arabic/Turkish style, and the whole house feels very sexy and exotic. They were built and decorated by the people who built Mata Chica. All he could keep saying was ‘wow’.

We knew Chris and Sari had to work, so the rest of us joined Steve in the pool. Only one of the houses was occupied that week, and music was blaring out of their sliders enough for us to listen too. Chris had mentioned that the guests there were really cool. The pool is beautiful and tranquil. Between conversation we floated in the sun, the music enveloping us.

After a while, two very nice women came down to the pool, cocktails in hand. They were sisters renting the house for the week with their husband & boyfriend. They told us of their funny adventures of their trip until the men came to swim too. One was so proud to tell us of the HUGE fish he was catching right off the dock there, and how he was amazed they didn’t break his rod. we all agreed how yummy barracuda is. Sari came and sat with us all, showing off how Pooh bear can swim. More pleasant chat.

Time flew with the trade winds, and it was time to change out of our suits. While Bruce was changing, I saw Chris’ friend and fix-it-guy Alvin. We’d met before, and were happy to see each other again. Very nice guy, smart. We’d had a great conversation the last time we’d met, and this time a well. Interesting how people of different ages from different backgrounds and different countries can think so much alike.

Sounds like fun.

Ok�do you think I can get this thing finished already?? sheesh.

We had made tentative plans to head up to Portofino for snacks & smoothies, but time had slipped away (with the trade winds, remember?), and we really had to catch La Perla�s boat back to town. No way paying $60 more to get back via water taxi!! So we bagged Portofino, deciding to eat cheap in town.

Now this is funny. We were all tired and sunburned. Chatty all the way back, we weren�t paying attention to the docks as they flew by. As we slowed down and turned landward, I looked up to see we were docking at BC�s, near the Palms. We had totally neglected to tell them our cart was still parked at Fido�s! Bruce & Leo walked up the beach to retrieve it while Steve and I washed up and Chris and Sari got a drink at BC�s.

Although we planned to have dinner all together, and they politely tried not to show it, Chris & Sari were obviously preoccupied with a situation that had come up at work. In addition, we wanted something local for our last dinner and they wanted Indian. I leaned over and told them that it was really ok, not to worry - we�ll do it next time. We all hugged and said our goodbyes, and the West Family piled in the cart for our last dinner in SP.

We had asked Chris for the name of a place that served local food that was cheap and tasty. He told us Genie�s, next to the Super Buy market. We�ve driven past there a dozen times, but I couldn�t recall ever seeing it. So, off we went. Sure enough, Genie�s is right there, but if you would have blinked you would have missed it. Two tables with mismatched chairs and vinyl tablecloths outside, and I think one inside. The menu was a small blackboard with about 7 items on it�all in Spanish.

We could feel a lot of eyes on us. I think not too many tourists eat there. A pleasant woman came out right away and wiped the table, big smile, asking what we wanted � in Spanish. We don�t speak Spanish (oh we keep saying we�re going to learn it, but, well, you know). She sent out the other very pleasant woman who explained (in the most basic English, while also smiling enormously) how each dish was served, and took our order. We ended up with one chicken burrito, 2 plates of stew chicken, a carne something-or-other that was really good, the best refried beans I EVER had (no rice available there), still-warm homemade tortillas, and great slaw. We were starving and ate like it was our last meal. It was SOOO good. And the ladies could not have been nicer. I fed 2 very skinny kittens most of a chicken thigh when no one was looking.

The boys and I got up to stretch our legs and rub our stuffed bellies while Bruce went in to pay. People were still looking at us, as they continued to throughout our meal. Each time someone did, we smiled at them and said hi. Faces relaxed.

We were all stuffed and happy - that was exactly what we were looking for in a meal. On the way back to the condo, I asked Bruce out of curiosity what the meal cost. He glanced and me and said �you�re not going to believe it.� All that food and 4 juices was only $15 US, including the tip. I totally cracked up. I love this place.

bumping photo links for your viewing pleasure.

http://www.pbase.com/sweetjane/ambergris_with_boys_aug_08

http://ambergriscaye.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/galleries/296940/more%20family%20fun.html

working on the end - should post this weekend. thanks for your continued support, all.