A little report on one of the best weeks of my life. Words cannot describe, but here's an attempt -
Day 1:
Arrived in San Pedro, loved it from minute 1. Even waiting at the airport for my luggage to come 3 planes later was no big deal. No hurries, no worries. Took a water taxi to the house and loved it. Right on the ocean on the north side - felt spoiled, gotta love it! :-)
Day 2-4:
First morning took the walk to Capricorn for Ceviche and Lime Daquiris. Nobody does it better. Does time really have any meaning? Spent a few days in San Pedro checking out the town, signing up for tours, etc (learned soon that schedules are subject to change depending on weather). Not much going on in town through the day - not much shopping, but if that was what I wanted I would have gone somewhere else. Best action is off shore in my opinion. Money is much better spent here on good meals, activities like snorkeling, etc. It was a relaxing few days, spent too much time in the sun (came to the island white as snow, was a lobster by the end of the second day and left the island golden brown after two days of serious rain).
Day 5:
First snorkeling trip. Tried it in Hawaii, hated it (don't remember why). Tried it on AC - addicted for life! Plan to try diving next time. We hooked up with SEArious adventures - I can't imagine a better tour company. Thanks Willie & Sandy! You're the greatest! Went to Goff's Caye, Caye Caulker, Fin Fan. Without a doubt my best day in AC all the way around. Got hooked on the Reggae music. Can't get it out of my head! Had to buy some Shaggy & Reggae Souls before the end of the week. But listening to it now just makes me miss the island.
Day 6-7:
We rented a golf cart to explore the rest of the island - went as far south as possible, not much to see, but a great diversion. Can't stay in the water 24/7 I guess! Spent more time in San Pedro hanging out, making friends with locals, having a good time. Experienced the Chicken Drop (what's up with that?!?!?!?!?) Good for a laugh, though.
Day 8:
Went to Altun Ha again with SEArious. SUPERB day - Mayan Indian ruins, Maruba resort - a beautiful little get away, but I prefer the island and the ocean. Had a great lunch (Armadillo, anyone?) Had to be gutsy to try it. Pretty tasty roadkill. :-)Another near perfect day.
Day 9:
Awake through the night with amazing thunder/lightening storms. Got antsy around noon and limped into town at the first break in the rain searching for adventure. Got there just in time to hook up with a few other antsy tourists for a snorkeling trip to Shark/Ray Alley and Hol Chan (definitely a must-do). We had scheduled reef fishing today, but were rained out.
Day 10:
Reef fishing cancelled again. I've never been interested in fishing, but it sounded fun. Maybe next time. My last full day on the island and feeling pretty disappointed. But the storm was beautiful. Rain/thunder/lightening didn't stop until around 3:00 in the afternoon, so we WADED up the north road into town to see some friends and pick up a couple souvenirs. Water taxi would have been better, but not as much fun! Caught up with a couple of new friends and went out to dinner at Caliente. So sad to say goodbye to my island friends. Love ya & miss ya!
Day 11:
Woke up sad with a knot in my stomach. Didn't want to leave. Not glad to go home - not even a little bit! Felt like crying and probably did once or twice. Went into town alone (my lucky-to-be-staying-behind friends didn't come, easier to say goodbye at the dock, hop on the water taxi and speed away). Wandered through town a few minutes waiting for my flight, feeling sad & nostalgic. Can't wait to come back. In Belize City, thought of hopping back on another Maya Island flight to return. What can I say, I fell in love with la isla bonita. Maybe in a perfect world...