Let's get home.

2/5/2017 is let's get home day.  Kari and I were both up early.  Kari talked me into a little early morning run.  It was great to get things going.  If TSA opens that bag they are gonna be in for a rude awakening.

Bags packed and a quick and resonably safe golf cart ride to the airport in San Pedro.  TropicAir was going to take us the 15 minutes to Belize City.  There we would sit around the airport looking at each other until our flight to Atlanta.

 

This is my boarding pass for our flight from San Pedro to Belize City.

 

If that is the boarding pass then of course this has to be the co-pilot.  Jesus take the wheel.

We survived another little plane.  After a relaxing morning at the Belize City airport it is back to the USA and the ATL.   I hope someone is working today.

 

On the tarmac in Belize City.  That Delta agent is irritated with Kari for wanting a selfie on the tarmac.  Some people, I can't take her anywhere.

So Kari and I roll into the ATL airport.  We find a spot at the bar to enjoy the game and have a couple of beers.  I beer in and the drunkard next to Kari has bothered her, sexually harassed the women to his right and complained about how he wants to watch the Phoinex Open in Atlanta on Super Bowl Sunday.  Again, this idiot is complaining about the Phoinex Open coverage in Atlanta on Super Bowl Sunday.  Finally, I couldn't take it.  I told him if he didn't show himself out some of us would.  Like a true idiot he wanted to shake my hand cause I was " on point".  Seriously, one hour back in the USA and this guy already has me going.  Pour me another round.

Around 8:25 we boarded our flight home.  Atlanta was comfortably ahead at 21-3.  We couldn't watch the game.  We did listen to most of the second half on the plane.  We landed in MSP a little early to 29 degrees.  A quick ride home and off to bed.  Tomorrow is Kari's birthday.  She is 29 again. 

El Gato

Saturday, 2/4/2017, was a big day for the flatlanders from Minnesota.  We grabbed a quick breakfast and headed to the dive shop.  Kari and I were fitted for flippers and snorkeling masks. By the time this was done, Geraldo, our boat captain and Cerillio, our snorkel guide where at the dock to pick us up.  We boarded their catamaran, El Gato, and took off to the first snorkel sight.  A quick 20 -30 minute sail and we arrived at a small channel in the reef.  About 70 other snrkelers were there from other companies.  Fins on, snorkel and mask on, Go Pro, let's jump in and do this. After 15 minutes of half drowning, half cursing and half working, the Go Pro and I were both ready for some snorkel action.  Kari and Cerillio had been tooling around the reef.  I caught up with them.  He was amazing how fast he could dive down and how long he could stay down.  He was great st pointing out many unique aspects of the reef.  I will try and do him some justice here.

 

A fish and some corral

 

The fan is fire corral.  Do not touch it will burn your skin.

 

Caribbean stingray gluiding by

 

A fish

 

Fish and Corral

 

Green Morey Eel in the center.   I was on top of the water shortly after this cause he kept coming out

Ode to Ann and Nancy Wilson:  Barracuda!!!!! 

 

Art house B&W of the corral

 

Pretty fish

We snorkeled for about an hour.  Back on El Gato, and we sailed to shark and stingray alley.  I know nurse sharks are bottom feeders and not interested in the taste of human flesh.  But, It was still a little unnerving to jump in with an 8 foot shark crushing around.

 

This is a huge Caribbean stingray.  The photo doesn't do it justice.  He/she is at least 7 feet in circumference.

 

Nurse sharks out for a cruise.

 

This fish posing.  Come on let me see your duck lips

After that we sailed to Caye Cauker a smaller island near Belize a little lunch and a little walking around.  No trinkets were purchased and it was back on El Gato for the ride home.

 

Caye Cauker

 

My favorite view from shore 

 

Back on El Gato

 

Home, safe and sound.  Cerillio, Kari and Geraldo

Dinner and drinks at Victoria House.  Tomorrow is a travel day back home to MN.

Let's just relax

2/3/2017 was a day of rest and relaxation.  I again got up early for a picture from the dock photo.

 

A little sun, a little water and some wind

 

With the flip flops.

After this Kari and I worked out. Litttle 5K run, some weights and a Continental breakfast.  What a great start to a relaxing day.

Next came our massage.  Seemed like a good idea at the time.  Little did I know that my little masseuse would take out her anger towards my back over all those years of British subjugation on my upper back.  I did whimper or cry.  My sense is that if she would have detected any weakness she may have gone in for the kill.  

In the afternoon, Kari and I sat on the beach and relaxed.  This was good for a couple of reasons: 1. I couldn't turn my head effectively to he right or left so I was vulnerable to attack. 2. Brandon, saw my distress and made a committement to keep me hydrated with Belikin beer.  

 My view from the beach, to the left

 

To the right

 

Forward and up.  The most comfortable spot

By 2:30, I had regained enough contol of my head that Kari and I decided to walk the beach towards the city.

The beach is interesting, it was more like an obstacle course.  Some lots had emaculate beach fronts and other had dead trees and garbage to navigate through.  We did eventually make it to Hurricane's for some more of their fabulous ceviche.

 

Kari with the product placement.

We continued up the beach front past people selling their trinkets, rastas, a crazy homeless guy and numerous bars and dive shops.

 

Looking south along the beach front near sunset.

We eventually cut over from the beach near the town square.  On a quest to find Elvita's for dinner. Along the way we took in a little bit more of San Pedro.

 

A painted wall along the walk.  At least we know where we are.

 

San Pedro.  Watch out for that golf cart.

Not sure if this Is Madonna's San Pedro

 

 The light was not the greatest so I though B&W were most appropriate

After Margarita shrimp at Elvita's.  We stopped by the Belize Chocolate Company for a snack.  Then back to Victoria House to rest up. Tomorrow was gonna be a big snorkeling and sailing day for us.

San Pedro Chicken

2/2/2017 started off with a morning walk on the beach for me around sunrise.  The day was already warm but a little on the windy side.  Why was I up at such an ungodly hour on vacation?  The main reason was I could not find the proper combination for our room's AC.  I turned it on and the fan blows cool air out.  Approximately 1&1/2 hours later, I am shivering and feel like I might freeze to death so I turn it off/down.  About 1&1/2 hours later I am flopping around about to breakout into a full sweat.  This cycle repeated itself a few times until I decided to just get up and go for a walk. 

I did get to see a little sunrise action.

 

Sunrise in the Caribbean 

 

One more for affect.

Kari and I enjoyed a continental breakfast at Victoria House and relaxed until 8 AM.  That is when our charter boat with our guide, Roberto arrived.  We jumped on deck and head for a morning of reef fishing.    We stopped and collected small sardines for our bait and headed out to the artificial reefs on the west side of the island.   We were looking to catch snapper and Macrow  mostly.  We traveled to several spots in the morning.  None were amazing, but we caught a few reasonable sized fish at each one.  Kari was ahead for a least most of the morning.  I closed strong and managed to take home the title of most fish caught.  I Didn't get a lot of great pictures on the water.

We were hounded by an aggressive group of pelicans during the middle of the morning.  Kari actually hooked one as he tried in vain to snatch her catch off the hook before it made the boat.  A little oral surgery on our pelican friend and he was free but no less aggressive.

We arrived back at the dock around 12.  Roberto, our guide cleaned our catch of snappers.  We then presented the filets to the cook for a little lunch.

 

The fish 

 

Kari is supervising the fileting of the fish

 

Always nice to catch your lunch.  Fish tacos.  The far side is blackened snapper.  The near side is simple grilled.  It always taste a little better if you caught it.

We also had the staff make some snapper ceviche for an afternoon snack.  That was the best thing we did with our catch.  It didn't last long enough to get a photo.

The aftenoon consisted of relaxing by the pool.

Our evening out started by going to the "world famous" Wahoo Lounge for the chicken drop.  What is the chicken drop? Well after standing or sitting around for 2 hours in order to get a good spot, you have the opportunity to by 5 square in one of the 5 to 10 games that will be played.  Then you stand around some more listening to the Rasta hype man destroy perfectly good Bob Marley songs with his ridiculous effects.  Finally they bring out a chicken.  Next they get a moderately attractive tourist lady to shake the chicken up and eventually they trick her into blowing up the chicken's butt.   Finally, the chicken is dropped in this little pen with 100 squares and a little seed.  The people cheer, the chicken clucks, pecks and eventually poops.  If he poops on your square, you will a $100 Belize and get to clean the square.  The process repeats for at least 5 games.  I am not young enough and don't think I could make that entertaining for 5 games.  The chickens we saw were terrible looking too.  I am a little surprised Simone from PETA didn't run through and try to free the chicken. His name was Nicky.  I may try and start a gofundme page to free Nicky the chicken.

 

Kari out front the day after the crimes against chickens occurred.

We eventually had dinner at the Blue Water cafe.  The food and drinks were great.  

 

The sign in the Blue Water Cafe.  Now just for clarity. This Blue Water Cafe is good.  The greatest Blue Water Cafe is in Vancouver and I would go there tomorrow to eat if possible.

We stopped at the Belize Choclate shop for a little treat and headed back to the resort.  Another successful day at the beach.

I am about to ruin, the image and the style

2/1/2017, Kari and I decided to go our separate ways. Her way was a restful nights sleep and a relaxing morning around the resort.  My idea was to get up and visit the Mayan ruins at Xunantunich.  The ruins are only about 10-15 min from the resort.

I hopped in the Toyota with my guide Brandon and we were of a little before 8 AM.  First we had to cross a hand crank bridge.  Brandon made me get out of the car while he drove it on and off the bridge.  He said it was for safety reasons.  Brandon may have wanted to redistribute the weight on the bridge, cause of my body habitus.   

We arrived at the entrance and we were like the 1st two people at the park.  

Xunantunich means "stone woman".  It is in reference to a ghost that some have seen inhabiting the site.

 

Xunantunich is this big.  The temple behind me is the second tallest one in Belize.  The only one taller is at Caracol.

 

Partially excavated temple.  Large burial tomb was discoveres underneath the metal cover in the middle.

 A smaller temple from the other plaza.  Most likely served as a residence for the elite.

 The oldest ruins on site as you climb the hill to the temples.  I think 200 AD

 Main temple.  El Castillo.

 Fresca on the east face

 Art house picture of the ruins for EB #1

 Art house picture #2

 

View from the top of El Castillo.  Center temple was thought to be for sacrifices and blood lettings.  Fat temple is the same as above and thought to be a residence.

 

From El Castillo you can see this house.  It was a hotel until El Chapo's cousin bought it and turned it into his family home.

 

Fresca on the west side of El Castillo.

 

This part of the ruins is more recent.  The round stone outcroppings may have been where games where played.  This may have come from some Azetec influences.

 

Ball courts.  You do not want to be the visiting team.

 

El Castillo in B&W

 

Stella depicting a Mayan ruler

 

From the learning center showing how Ceiba trees contacted the underworld, earth and heaven.

In and out in 2 hours, truly amazing this pyramid seemed big because of its location on the hill and the views of the valley and Mopan River.  Amazing if in Belize, I would see this over Caracol.

I was back at the resort by 10.  Kari and I enjoyed a late breakfast and then packed to take a Tropic Air flight to San Pedro on Ambergis Cay.  We took a car from the resort to the paved runway.  That handed us boarding pass with Sprite advertised on them.  The single prop plane came in and landed.  It's 2-4 passengers got off, and the airport staff loaded our bags onto the plane.  15 minutes later we were boarded and ready to go.  Most flights  like this or in general the pilot goes through a preflight check list.  Our guy just swung up into the pilot seat.  Turned a few buttons and fires the bird up.  Down the runway we went, from there it was airborne until we got to Ambergis Cay

 

Oh my god this plane is small.  Our pilot looks like  Guillermo from Jimmy Kimmel.

We arrived at Ambergis Cay and head to Victoria House to check in.  Right on the beach it is a beautiful resort with little villas.  A perfect spot to relax and catch some rays.

 

The room.

 

Our villa.

We walked on the beach.  I was dominated in a game of bean bag toss (cornhole).  We went to Hurricane's and had some amazing Ceviche.  Dinner at Wild Mangos and then bed.  Tomorrow we are fishing in the morning!!!!