Belize, Ambergris Caye

Gene and I are in Belize, have been in Belize for an entire week. I'm here to report that the weather has been perfect with cooling sea breezes throughout the day. It gets hot around noon and that's not too bad if we stay out of the sun. The people, both natives and fellow tourists, are extremely affable and it's very unusual to pass another person on the beach without them offering a cheerful smile and a hello. I love this as it seems truly genuine.

Our first day here was spent simply enjoying the warmth and the green of the tropical garden right outside our second story door. Did I mention that we are staying in one half of a large "tikki hut" in an "eco" resort with the apropos name of Xanadu? The roof is a thick thatch made of coconut palm fronds. The effect is redolent of a Gauguin painting of Fiji! I would be content just to be a pebble on the beach.

One day, I think it was Monday, we borrowed a couple of bicycles from the resort and headed north to try to see part of the town and the island. The village of San Pedro has managed to retain its authentic coalescence of descendants of Mayans, African slaves, Spanish Conquistadors, and British colonists while embracing the inexorable influx of American expatriates and tourists. Shops are small and colorful, opening directly onto the narrow cobblestone streets. Most people travel by bicycle or the ubiquitous golf carts (although there does not seem to be golfing anywhere on this island.) It's as though the people here are living their lives and the tourists had better accept that they are not the focal point of this paradise.

As we wended our way north crossing the causeway, the streets morphed from cobblestone to dusty gravel and the cozy hotel resorts gave way to funky beach houses. There was an alluring beach cottage painted ochre and green, half hidden by a thicket of palm trees, with a roof porch and a lilting Caribbean song emanating from the open windows. It was absolutely captivating and it was for sale!!!!

We decided to turn back because the sun was so direct in the middle of the day(and because Gene knew that I was having vivid delusions of owning that beach house!) En route we found a ragtag hamburger joint called LEGENDS that boasts of having the best burgers on the island. So, we decided to give it our own Zagat rating. The hamburgers were nothing to write home about (or to journal about), but the atmosphere and the pina coladas coupled with the faux 70's sound of Guns and Roses as breezes from the ocean blew through my hair transported me back to the beach days of my youth. I could have sat there in my alcohol induced time warp forever!

On another day (on this same dirt road) we literally stumbled across a tiny, obscure little bar hut that boasted the best barbecue in the Caribbean. Well, being a girl from Memphis (home of arguably the best barbecue in the entire world) I considered this a challenge. We ended up sitting near the rail of a deck that overlooked a swamp replete with alligators!!!! The waitress brought us a couple of rum punches that made bike riding questionable. We sat there eating barbecue (that was excellent even by a Memphian's standards) while we were regaled by the nudist camp owners' conversation at the adjoining table! Apparently he takes much umbrage at people who insist on wearing swimsuits in the hot tub. Oi vay!

Moving on...
I don't think I told you about the afternoon that Gene cajoled me into sea kayaking with him out to the coral reef. Please note.
Sea kayaks move by the force of humans paddling against an ocean current. Sea kayaks are subject to the vagaries of waves and currents. The coral reef in question was at least two miles off the coast of the island. It was a very windy and cloudy day! I was okay as long as I didn't turn around to monitor our distance from the shore. This is akin to the idea of not looking down as one scales a tall cliff. I'm proud to say that we are alive to tell the tale.

We spent another day snorkeling on the coral reef having chartered a catamaran to take us with a guide to scout the best locations for reef and fish. As we jumped into the ocean--fins first, the guide blurted out that we would enjoy swimming among the sting rays and sharks!!!! SAY WHAT? As it turned out, the rays were extremely docile even if they do have shifty eyes. The sharks are nurse sharks and are not really dangerous to humans as long as we didn't try to scratch them behind their gills! I floated and was mesmerized by this magical alter/universe below. Such a graceful, serene, undulating world these fish have. The sunlight glinted off the yellow, blue, pink, and red fish. Breathtaking. Later we learned that Belize and Ambergris Caye are considered a SCUBA diver's paradise.

Each evening we strapped on our sandals and headed down the beach in search of dinner. Most of the cafes on the island are open porches and weathered decks right on the ocean. One evening we came across some kids on the beach who sold us home made necklaces made of rocks and seashells that we intended to give to Ukiah and Anahli. These kids also talked us into buying tickets to the famous "chicken drop.!"


I strongly suspected that a chicken drop was the island's answer to the American cock fight, but we soon learned that this isn't the case.
Chicken drop:
Someone sets up a grid comprised of tiles that are numbered 1-100. A temporary wire fence is then constructed around the grid. A crowd made up of people who are very drunk then gathers around this grid having first bought tickets. An annoyed chicken is then brought out and handed to the most attractive female in the crowd. This female is instructed to swirl the chicken 3 times, bounce it up and down 2 times, and then blow on its tail feathers before tossing the chicken gently onto the grid. The winner is the person holding the ticket that correlates to the number on the grid where the chicken chooses to poop! After I learned that the chickens were not being abused and were, in fact, fed very well (for the purposes of the game), I purchased $20 Belize dollars worth!!!!! Didn't win a penny, but I sure laughed myself silly.

We hope to return to Belize someday to SCUBA. Any takers???