It's still very dark outside when we wake up at 5. I think we just want to get an extra hour out of our last half day here. We watch another lovely sunrise from the balcony with the last of our Belizean coffee�and I add the last shot of coconut rum from the small bottle I bought at the little store across the street. It's a nice way to "kick-start" the day. I know it's going to be a tough one.
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Still, we are feeling pretty good and very glad we took a few extra days of vacation this year. A week was NOT enough last year. Ten days is a bare minimum. Most of the packing is done - just a few last minute things to throw in the bags after breakfast.
Banana Beach's breakfast has been great all week. We've tried just about everything on their menu. Alan loves the banana pancakes the best. I decide to try eggs benedict today and they are wonderful. Out on the patio, we talk to a few people at nearby tables almost every day. Fellow vacationers are always eager to share information and tips about their travels - here and to other similar locations. We hear great things about Cozomel, Roatan, and other Caribbean islands. And everyone seems to agree that Ambergris Caye is among the best.
We take a few more pictures of the hotel. There are so many pretty locations around the property.
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After making arrangements to have a taxi pick us up for the ride to the airport at 10:30, we get our bags ready and check under the bed and behind the bathroom door one last time. There's time to sit out in the sun for another hour and we are cherishing every minute of that. Our thoughts are inward as we soak it up and expand our memory cells to capacity. These sensations will be recalled later, and will hopefully help us face a few more weeks of winter once we get back home.
Soon, we can't put off the inevitable any longer. We fetch our bags from the room and head down to the front desk to check out. The staff here has been so very good to us. We tell them this and thank them again for their wonderful hospitality.
I didn't write anything else in my journal that day. It was all an anti-climax. Routine stuff like waiting for planes, buying rum, cigarettes and Marie Sharp preserves at the airport in Belize City, long silent flight home, arriving back late at night to another reality. You all know the drill.
It's been two weeks since we got back. Writing this report has been like extending the vacation a little longer and it's been fun and especially rewarding to read the comments from many of you. You are probably the only ones who would ever take the time to read all this. You all understand�or soon will�and can answer the question I began this report with�
Why Belize?
Check out our smiles on our last morning�
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The End