Category: July - real time

Recommendations in Belize – Real Time 8/3

I want to do an entry totally dedicated to the places I stayed or ate at on my trip through Belize that impressed me. On this trip we really didn’t have a set itinerary – it was more of a go as we felt type of trip so I didn’t look at my travel book ahead of time to see which places were recommended. Because of this we probably missed places that are outstanding but that’s what happens when you approach any trip like this. That being said here is my list of places not to miss or at least consider if you’re going to be in the area;

San Ignacio

Cahal Pech Resort

This resort is worth it for the view alone. It’s located on the top of the rolling hills of San Ignacio and the locality provides a panoramic view of the lights at night and a breathtaking view of the town sheltered by the lush greens of a multitude of trees and shrubs everywhere you look. The resort provides a choice of lodging options. You can choose to stay in a private cabana with a large screened porch looking out at the town, or you can choose a room in their hotel type structure which also looks out on the town. The cabanas provide you with more of a outdoorsy type experience and, in my opinion, give the place a unique charm.

Cahal Pech does mean land of the ticks so make sure to be on the lookout for these little critters burrowing in – I had a couple start digging in to me and I would still go back – just do a quick check and be on your way.

The staff at this resort are absolutely friendly and totally willing to do anything to help accommodate you. The feeling you get from them is that they will do anything to try and make your stay as memorable as possible. They are happy to set up any tours you would like to take and give any information you may need about the surrounding areas.

Hannah’s Restaurant

One night in San Ignacio we were trying to figure you where to eat and just roaming around town looking for a place. We stopped and asked a taxi driver what he would recommend and he pointed out Hannah’s. When we arrived we recognized the place as being recommended earlier in the day by a local guy who lives in a village just outside of San Ignacio. If you ask two people where to go eat and you get the same answer just go for it. So we walked in and the tiny little placed was packed wall to wall – we knew it must be a good sign.

It’s a simple little wooden structure and really looks like a total hole in the wall, but don’t be fooled – the food and service at Hannah’s was absolutely outstanding. I had the sliced eggplant with mozzarella, tomato, and basil with a side of coconut rice and my friend had rice and beans with stewed chicken. Our waiter was very friendly and attentive – something you don’t always get in Belize. We didn’t wait long for service, drinks or food even though the place was crowded. Dinner started with a garden salad and we could have just stopped there and been impressed. I’ve spent the last 10 months here ordering a side salad and receiving a tiny serving of iceberg lettuce, some tomato and maybe a cucumber. Dressing choices are ranch and ranch typically. This salad was superb – visually it was impressive – mixed greens, onion, star fruit, cucumber, cabbage and possibly a few other items. Then we got to choose from a selection of about 6 different dressings. Wow.

The main courses didn’t disappoint either. First of all I have never even seen an eggplant entrée on any Belizean menu so that was a great start. It was delicious and the coconut rice was packed with flavor. My friend’s rice and beans with chicken was also outstanding. You may think that if you’ve tasted one rice and bean dish you have tasted them all, but this is just not the case. The rice had the perfect amount of coconut and the chicken practically melted in your mouth. In fact, we attempted to find the same flavor in the rice at other restaurants on our trip and it was never duplicated.

Make sure to stop off at Hannah’s to eat if you find yourself in San Ignacio.

Alyson – Horseback riding guide
Alyson has a piece of land on the road leading to San Ignacio and runs horseback riding tours through the jungle. Along the road you will see a sign stating his name but you can most likely ask around town for him and get in touch with him for a tour. Alyson provided a fantastic tour through the jungle and on to the Barton Creek Caves and for us it was all at the last minute. We had woken up late that day and were trying to find something to do – it was suggested to try and get hooked up with Alyson for a afternoon tour. Our friend in town called him up and Alyson had no problem taking us out.

The amazing thing was that Alyson had just been in a horse riding/traffic accident the day before in which he was thrown from the horse on to the pavement of the highway. No matter – he told me that cowboys don’t go to the hospital, I happen to disagree with him but I was impressed by his ability to provide a fantastic tour for us despite the pain he was in.

As we rode along in the jungle he pointed out the various plants and animals and gave us explanations of each – I even learned how to make a thatched roof from him. So now when I get on Survivor I can save the day an make the shelter – all thanks to Alyson. The horses were easy to handle and knew just what they were doing. They had packed a delicious lunch for us which we stopped to eat before our trip in to the caves.

It was a perfect day and Alyson made it easy. Unfortunately I don’t have contact information but make the effort to try and locate him – you won’t be sorry. Plus you can say you’ve met the bull riding champion of Belize if you do!

Pine Ridge

Five Sisters Lodge

We stayed at 5 sisters lodge off a recommendation along our way through San Ignacio. We had been told the falls were a ton of fun to play in so we thought we’d check that out first and then decide if we wanted to stay there for the night. When we arrived it was so gorgeous – the landscaping was breathtaking. There are so many trees, shrubs and flowers around that you will see something new every time you walk along the various pathways.

The falls themselves were so much fun. We spent half a day playing around in the water and on the falls and it could have easily taken up the entire day but we didn’t arrive until the afternoon. Hammocks, restrooms and thatched structures are provided in the water area. You make a steep trek down to get to the water but of course it’s worth it. I was easily distracted from the steepness by looking at all the plant life around me – in fact I almost tripped a couple of times from not paying attention so beware.

We decided to stay the night but the office was closed when we got back up to the lodge. No matter, the host at their restaurant was happy enough to find someone to get us in a room. While we waited for the room to get ready we decided to eat at their place. They have a nightly menu with about 4 choices including one vegetarian dish. I had the tropical pasta and it was fantastic. The flavor was phenomenal and the pasta was cooked to perfection. It topped any pasta I had had in the states or Belize for a very long time.

After dinner we went to check out the rooms. It was a cute little cabana with a mountain view. A screened in porch was attached with a nice hammock to relax in and enjoy the peaceful surroundings. The rooms were comfortable and cute – perfect for the setting.

The staff was super friendly and very helpful the next day when we were trying to figure out what we wanted to find the next day without a guide. In fact we got the best recommendation of our entire trip from one staff member – he suggested we check out Big Rock since it was so close to the lodge. As you know from my previous post this was my favorite spot of the trip and he was the only person who suggested it. Even if you don’t want to spend a night here make sure to stop off for lunch and a swim.

Ian Anderson’s Adventure Company & Jungle Lodge

We stopped off at Ian Anderson’s for a night on the way to Placencia. It was off of Hummingbird highway and I had heard that they had tree houses. Of course this was intriguing. This place was an incredible experience. It is set in mostly uncut jungle and accommodates travellers of every budget. You can choose the $15 per person bunk house all the way up to Jungle Tree houses for around $250 US per night (there may have been a discount for the off season).

The resort is set up as a jungle adventure experience and most people staying here also make use of the adventure tours that the resort sets up. We did have to sign our life away before we could stay there since we are in the jungle and they do not want to be liable for a snake bite or any other such thing – I have to say that this was a first for me, I’ve never had to sign a waiver before staying in a hotel, resort or lodge. I signed away and we made our way to the bungalow. It is totally screened in rather than solid walls with an indoor and outdoor shower with hot/cold water. The screens rather than walls make available the jungle noises of the night – we even had a tropical rain come through with some thunder. It was a cool experience – a jungle noises CD come to life. The resort is completely jungle except for the pathways, bungalows and lodge so there is a wealth of foliage and animal life.

The food is set up buffet style with family seating so the opportunity is there to meet new friends during the dining times. There are set times for breakfast, lunch and dinner so make sure you’re on time to eat. They also have a pool and Jacuzzi at the lodge area which was extremely refreshing after our few days of hiking and riding through the jungle.

Placencia

Tutti Frutti Gelato

While we were in Placenia we had passed this little gelato shop a couple times and commented about it but had failed to go in for the first day and most of the second that we were there. It was only after I had checked my Twitter account and had a message from @PonchosTravels to make sure I stopped by Tutti Frutti and tried the best gelato in the world. Well, I had to go now. So I went back to the hotel room and told my friend that we had to go check this place out. It was close to 5 so we were trying to make it before the hour in case they closed down at 5.

We got there just in time to try it out. Visually the place was fantastic with a glass case full of every color in the rainbow whipped in to the perfect creamy treat on a hot day. I tried the lime and coconut – I can not tell you if it is in fact the best in the world since my gelato experiences are limited but I can say that it was delicious. Certainly something you don’t see often in Belize so if you find yourself in Placencia make sure to stop in and try it out.

Seaweed Shakes

On a side note I will also recommend that you try a seaweed shake while in Placencia, sounds a little gross to some but it was a yummy treat as well and they are sold all over the small town.

Hopefully you will find some of these recommendations useful if you find yourself travelling through this beautiful country. If you don’t have it on your destination list you should get it on the list and check this amazing place out.

 

San Ignacio and Beyond – Real Time 7/29

First off, I am sorry it’s been so long since the last entry – I took a very cool trip last week to see different parts of Belize and had very limited internet access (which was a little nice if I’m telling secrets). So last Monday I headed out from Corozal with a friend to San Ignacio which would be our first stop of the trip. We got a slightly late start so we didn’t get in to San Ignacio until 9pm but the drive really only took a few hours which completely surprised me. Lucky for us the reception desk at Cahal Pech didn’t close until 10pm so we were able to get in to the cabin for the night. So the following is a short chronicle of some of the adventures that I had while exploring…

Monday night:
I wouldn’t necessarily classify myself as particularly clumsy but now I’ve realized that I may have been in denial all my life about this and now know why I always have bruised shins. The first thing I did on the first night of the trip was fall forward and totally scraped up my knee at the Cahal Pech resort. This was the first of many falls over the course of the week and I think I was more acutely aware of them since I was travelling with someone whom I had never spent a lot of time with. I totally laughed it off while my knee was stinging like crazy and heaved my bags in to the cabin. I plopped down on the couch and took a look at the damage – just some minor scraping so I doused it with hydrogen peroxide and washed it off a bit. I know – this has nothing to do with Belize but I thought it was so typical that I would start the trip off like that I had to include it.

We really didn’t do too much Monday night besides check in but it was very beautiful that night. The resort is named after a Mayan ruin site close by called Cahal Pech and is located on the very top of San Ignacio (it may not be the tallest point there but it certainly seemed like it). You can see the entire city from the resort balcony and it is really breathtaking. I didn’t realize that San Ignacio was so large (for Belize) but there was an excellent span of town lights below us. I was excited to see the town the next day. I asked one of the staff people at the resort what Cahal Pech what the name meant and he told me, “land of the ticks.” Hmm – I immediately wondered to myself when I would see a tick on my body.

Tuesday – San Ignacio:
Tuesday morning we did a quick tour of the town after breakfast with a friend who lives in a village outside of San Ignacio. Hugh took us around the main parts of town and pointed out a few restaurants to try later. It was such a cool little town and I immediately liked it. I got the vibe right away that there are a lot more tourists going through San Ignacio and that was evident by all the tourist type signage along with the random groups of obvious foreigners with their backpacks attached to them. It was still a very laid back atmosphere and with the town being set in the hills it was a different look than I had been used to in this country. It really reminded me of a little college town but with tourists instead of students.

After the town tour we decided to hire a guide to go horseback riding through the jungle and to the Barton Creek Caves. I was officially a tourist on this trip so I would be doing tourist type things. Our guides name was Allyson and he is the bull riding champion of Belize and a complete cowboy. His face was all scraped up on one side and we found out that he had just been in a horse/traffic incident the day before. He was trying to avoid a collision of the horse he was riding and some oncoming vehicles on the highway and as he was turning the horses aggressively he fell off of it and landed head first in to the pavement. I asked him if he went to the hospital and he immediately retorted, “cowboys don’t go to the hospital!” I just laughed and we continued on the horses.

It was a beautiful and informative ride through the jungle. My horse’s name was Grey and he was obviously a little older. I’ve noticed on the few guided trips I’ve been on I typically get the older, calmer, more experienced horses and I believe it’s because I’m a girl and small (I could be wrong). I’ve ridden horses as a kid but it does always take a little bit for me to get reacquainted with riding a horse. I liked Grey a lot but we had to compromise on how many times he needed to stop walking and eat grass on the side of the path. He didn’t really want to compromise but finally on the trip back we seemed to come to some sort of agreement. For the first and last part of the ride we saw a good sized Mennonite community which was very interesting – we passed a bunch of horse drawn carriages carrying Mennonite men, women and children all dressed in the typical long dress and a bonnet for the girls and long pants, suspenders with a blue shirt for the boys. Everyone was very friendly and offered a wave and a smile when we would pass by.

We arrived at the caves with an appetite and parched. So before we headed in with the canoes we stopped and ate the lunch Allyson’s wife had packed. There was a little spider monkey on site who was providing us with lunch entertainment. He was obviously a captive pet since he was on a leash and collar tied to a thatched roof. It was funny watching a bored monkey – he was playing a game with himself by throwing his body off the roof and hanging by the collar around his neck, then he would have to try to get himself back up on the roof before choking himself. At first it seemed like he was in trouble, but then he kept doing it over and over again so I came to the conclusion that he was simply bored.

After lunch we piled in to a canoe and Allyson grabbed a light to use. If I’ve learned anything in this country it’s that safety just doesn’t mean the same thing as in the states. Allyson plopped the car battery in the front of the canoe in a pool of water and attached the jumper cables to the spot light that would be our guide through the dark tunnel we would be exploring. We just laughed and went with it. The ride through wasn’t too long and it was a little spooky. All we heard along the way were the tiny splashes of water from the stalactites above and the occasional sound of a tiny bat flying over our heads. On the way out of the cave is when the excitement happened. Suddenly the hand held light that I was in charge of started going dim. I announced that it seemed we were going to lose our light and on that sentence Allyson started really paddling hard to get us out of the cave faster. I started laughing as our light got dimmer and dimmer – I started to wonder what it would feel like to be stuck in this cave with absolutely no light and way to see the path out. I didn’t have to worry about it too much though because just as our light stopped working we saw the small circle of light that was the cave opening in the distance so we made it out safely.

Wednesday – Pine Ridge Mountains – Five Sisters:
Wednesday morning was the day I discovered the ticks on me. I knew it had to happen and these were the first ticks I had ever had on my body despite the fact that I lived and camped all over the Oregon woods. It was disturbing but I always had imagined that I would freak out a little more if I ever found a tick on me. I was very calm despite the tiny little insect burrowing into my skin – yuck. I discovered the first tick at breakfast and based on what I had read I asked the waitress for a match to try and put some heat to it (I didn’t know what to do but I had always heard to not just pull them out). The girl at the counter just laughed at me and told me to give her my arm – I did and she simply plucked the little thing out. Worked for me.

This was my absolute favorite part of the whole trip. The Pine Ridge area is a totally different look to Belize. Instead of the blue waters of the Caribbean and towering palm trees, we were surrounded by pine trees and small creeks and rivers. It was all so green and the butterflies were almost everywhere my eyes looked. The plan was to head to a resort called Five Sisters which was named after a grouping of five waterfalls located just below the resort. It was a little trek down to the falls but well worth it. Since it is the rainy season and therefore the off season for tourists we essentially had the place to ourselves. So for the rest of the day we swam and played in the waterfalls. It was perfect barring the tiny little worms that seemed to be in the water and I had to brush off every now and then – I guess that’s the compromise to get to swim in nature’s pools. That night I discovered the second tick on me and this time it had dug in even more so I tried again to ask for some matches but the waiter just pulled that one out as well. I hope I don’t get lyme disease.

Thursday – Pine Ridge Mountains – Big Rock, Rio On Pools and 1,000 foot falls:
My very favorite location of the entire trip was Big Rock. Interestingly enough it was also the least hyped by far. It wasn’t listed on any of the things to do lists, or suggested by the various people we had been talking to. We would have missed it except one of the hosts at the Five Sisters Lodge suggested we check it out since it was only about 5 minutes away. I remembered seeing the very small, wooded sign along the road the had “Big Rock” simply etched on it and I remembered laughing at it. I take it all back – and make sure it gets on your list if you’re in the area. It was another waterfall which wasn’t too big to play in and not too small to be aesthetically pleasing. There were two pools of crystal blue, invigorating water to swim in and we spent most of the day playing in the water here. Again, because of the off-season we had the whole place to ourselves which made the experience that much more fun. Everything else this day was amazing to see but none of it lived up to the Big Rock experience. After searching all day for a black orchid growing in the wild I finally saw one at the resort we stayed at Thursday night – unfortunately it wasn’t growing wild but rather, in a pot hanging from the deck. Oh well, at least I saw one. Later I would read in a Belize guide book that they grow wild beside the gift shop at 1,000 foot falls – I was kicking myself that I didn’t know that before we saw the 1,000 foot falls. I guess I have something to look for next time.

Friday & Saturday – Placencia:
Placencia was the last stop on the trip. Placencia is a beach town in southern Belize. I didn’t know a whole lot about it going in so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew it would be nice to see a beach here though. It was instantly apparent that this was home to a larger expat community because driving in to the town we were greeted by a collection of partially to wholly completed enormous houses being built in a new development. They looked totally out of place compared to the rest of the country so I wasn’t sure what to expect when we arrived in town. The houses along the road to Placencia seemed to all be like this and I wondered when the actual town would start. Finally we got in to a small village just outside of Placencia that looked more like the Belize that I know.

We basically spent our two days here lounging around and not really doing too much. It was all about laying on the beach, writing and relaxing for me. The ocean was washing in a bunch of debris so I only went in once but it was gorgeous to look at. Saturday night we got to see a local band play punta rock at the Tispy Tuna which was a nice treat. We also got to be treated like tourists and got hit up by a local rasta to sell us anything he could from ganja to day trips out on the water. Bartenders in Placencia are a little more creative with their drink menus than Corozal so I tried all sorts of different concoctions with a mix of coconut rum, grapefruit and hibiscus being my favorite. It was clear that this was a town of expats because almost every establishment we went in to had a foreigner working or owning the place.

We left Placencia in the thunder and lightning so it was a good day to end the trip. The ride back to the Belize City international airport only took about 3.5 hours and I headed out on a Tropic Air plane to Corozal. I got lucky for my trip back because I got to experience a rare trip direct to Corozal from Belize City in the co-pilot chair since I was the lone person flying back to Corozal.

Overall it was a fantastic experience and I am so happy I got to take the trip. Now I can actually recommend a few more areas of this country and I now know how much Belize has to offer. If you get a chance to visit someday do not pass it up! I’ll be putting a list of recommended dining and lodging together for my next entry since that’s a whole other matter.

Dorado fishing in San Pedro – Real time entry July 13th

Recently my brother came to visit from Oregon, Charlie, he and I have a pretty close relationship which is great. He’s actually the person I vent to the most via email – we email each other at least three times every week so I was very excited for him to come visit. We had a couple jam packed weeks just exploring the Northern parts of Corozal, Chetumal, San Pedro and Caye Caulker. While he was here I experienced my very first fishing trip, ever. Being from Oregon fishing is a very popular past time but one that I never really experienced. One of our friends here loves to go deep sea fishing and so we decided to go on a fishing trip with him. I have been on lots of boats before but never out in deep ocean waters so I was slightly nervous about the trip – I wasn’t sure if I would get sea sick or even like the experience – I was game though and so we went out on the boat. The plan was to go beyond the reef just off of San Pedro and look for frigate birds. Apparently when going Dorado fishing (which is what we were aiming for) these birds are very important. They feed on the bait fish that the Dorado are eating so when the birds find a school of these little fish they fly around to dive for their dinner and at the same time the Dorado are typically also going after the fish from the sea – I feel a little bad for these bait fish. In any case the mission was to find the birds. The first day we went out we did not have an early start, in face we went out for just the afternoon. We took off from the dock around 11am. The Captain (Capt. J.) was a little nervous that we wouldn’t have success that day because most of the fishermen on the island said that the Dorado weren’t coming in, but he was determined we would get one – at least.

So there we went. The water inside the reef was calm and a beautiful turquoise blue color, as we glided along we could see to the bottom since we were only in about 3 or 4 feet of water. We had heard that crossing the reef can be a little crazy depending on the ocean that day, but from where we were it looked pretty calm and once we got to the pass it was relatively calm with the waves only coming up about 4 feet. No problem. This is where it changed – now past the reef the water was a different shade of blue because it suddenly gets much deeper. Now we’re moving through a route of deep sapphire blue waves. It really was breathtaking – every so often you could see the waves flash this magnificent bright blue just at the tops. The wind had picked up that afternoon and we were in for a bumpy ride. This is about the point where I discovered that I am prone to sea sickness. Bummer. I wasn’t expecting this at all just based on the amount of time I had spent on various boats, but these waves were different than what I was used to. The Capt. J. went in to high gear shooting suggestion after suggestion to me to get rid of this awful feeling. I didn’t actually get sick but I became very nauseous and it really only started to happen once we began trolling for the fish. Capt. J. had also been prone to sea sickness when he first started deep sea fishing so he knew all the tricks. I was a good listener and tried absolutely everything he threw at me. None of it seemed to be working though and even though I didn’t get sick it wasn’t much fun for the first part of the trip. I hung in there and hoped that it would just get better and maybe something would work soon. As I’m sitting on the side of the boat turning various shades of green my brother and mom were helping Capt. J. watch the lines for a fish to hook. Just earlier we had spotted a lone bird circling through the sky and decided to get the lines in the water.

If you’ve never trolled before in slightly rough water it is a very bizarre feeling. A slow, constant, up and down movement that rocks you all over the boat. It’s much different than moving along in the same water at an escalated speed – that’s more of a bouncy, fun ride. In any case we were trolling for what seemed – to me – for hours but was really only about 20 minutes and one of the lines snapped back. “Fish on the line!“ was the battle cry. Suddenly I forgot all about not feeling well and the excitement level on the boat skyrocketed. Me, my brother and my mom were all fishing novices and so Capt. J. was yelling out orders which we all tried to follow as closely as we could. My job was to grab the wheel and keep the boat with the birds so we didn’t lose the school of fish if this one happened to get off the line. Capt. J. yelled at Charlie next to get ready to take the line – he would get to try for the first fish that day. Capt. J. could tell that this was a large fish so he yelled at me to grab this special belt for leverage (the rod goes in to a little pocket in the front of the belt so that the person reeling the fish in can have more leverage for a bigger fish). I grabbed the belt and put it around Charlie’s waist. Capt. J. could tell that we had in fact hooked a Dorado which happens to be his very favorite fish to catch so he was very animated and really didn’t want to lose the fish but also wanted to give us the chance to say we caught it. Charlie was fighting like crazy with this fish – it was a battle and little beads of sweat were dripping from his forehead. After about 15 minutes of struggling with this fish I quickly realized how very disappointing it would be to lose a fish after fighting with it so hard. Capt. J. kept yelling at Charlie to make sure the rod stayed up but in the end, after about a 35 minute battle the fish prevailed, got off the hook and swam away. There was a unanimous groan from everyone on the boat and the wind was taken out of our sails. We were all totally bummed. After a little consoling and reflection on what went wrong we got the lines in the water again. We had hooked one so there must be others out there.

Sure enough later that day after straining our eyes to view these birds that looked like tiny black dots in the horizon we found a few more flying around. Capt. J. hit the throttle and we headed straight for those birds. Once we got close we saw that there were three or four all circling low to the water so we knew we had hit the jackpot. I took the wheel again and we got the lines in the water to troll as quickly as possible. This time I just needed to follow those birds around – wherever they flew I steered to. It was fun and I hadn’t felt sick for hours now. This time it didn’t take long before one of us saw the line snap again and yell “Fish on!” Capt. J. gave Charlie the rod again to try a second time. This time he got the fish very close to the boat – it’s an absolutely gorgeous fish with bright yellow, blue and green coloring – we could see it come close and then try to run fast away from the boat. This fish didn’t fight quite as long but before she came up she decided to try to go under the boat, behind the boat and as far from it as she could so there was some manoeuvring that had to be done to make sure she didn’t get away. After about 20 minutes she was done fighting and Capt. J. grabbed the gaff to get the fish on the boat. There it was – a magnificent fish on our boat. It was the strangest thing though – she turned a blue and white color once she stopped struggling. It was a little sad, but we would be having a feast that night.

Charlie was ecstatic. It was his first big fish and it was huge – she weighed in at 38 lbs. For a Dorado this is considered large. Once we got on the dock the camera was out and we were taking as many pictures as possible. Everyone at the dock was thoroughly impressed and they were all asking where we had caught it and just generally watching the show. Capt. J. went to clean the fish, my mom and I cleaned the boat and Charlie cleaned the fishing rods. It was a joint effort to get this all done and it went fast. Capt. J. cut choice pieces of meat off the bones of the fish which is what we would be eating only marinated in lime juice, and then he also cut fillets which we planned on taking to a local restaurant to be grilled up fresh for our dinner. The rest of the fish was utilized as well, a local woman took the head and the rest was eaten by the sting rays that were waiting around the cleaning table for any scraps they could get.


I cleaned the sushi meat and got it in the lime juice with a little lemon pepper – we put that in the fridge at the hotel and then everyone took their showers. After about an hour we all met up again to eat our sushi appetizer – this was one of the very best eating experiences of my entire life. It was so good – the meat just melted in my mouth, now I knew what fresh Mahi Mahi tasted like right off the bone. It was outstanding. I did not realize that in the water the fish is called a Dorado but once you’re eating it the meat is called Mahi Mahi. I knew of Mahi Mahi but just never knew what the fish it came from looked like. We went to Elvie’s Kitchen in San Pedro that night with a bag of fresh fillets and instructed them to blacken half an fry half. We all unanimously agreed that the blackened version was far superior and we totally stuffed ourselves while reflecting on the trip. It was an incredible day and night. We couldn’t eat all the fillets we brought so we gave our leftover fried fish to the bartender at the hotel we were staying at – The Tides Resort.

Of course we had to go out that night and check out the nightlife with Charlie. There wasn’t a lot happening since it was early in the week but we found a bar that had some live music playing and we perched ourselves at the bar for a few drinks. We didn’t stay out too late because we had another full day of fishing the next morning. This time it was going to be my turn.

The next morning we went through the same routine getting off the dock. We were all quickly learning how to tie various knots and learning the ins and outs of the fishing boat. We were on a bird quest yet again. This time I tried to avoid the sea sickness thing right away. I didn’t go in to the hull, I didn’t just sit in a seat – I actually found that the best thing for me to do was hang off the side of the boat. This way I’m really concentrating on not falling off rather than the movement of the boat. It worked like a charm. Sadly we didn’t find any birds that whole morning so we took a lunch break and went over to Turneffe for some snorkelling – I will have to write about the snorkelling trip on another entry since this one is running long. After snorkelling – which was amazing by the way – we headed back out to look for birds. This time, around the same time as the day before (late afternoon) we spotted a flock diving for fish so we got the lines out again.

Most of the details are the same but this time it was my turn to catch the fish. We had hooked another Dorado and this time he was bigger. We could tell by the shape of his head that it was a bull. Yes! I had a chance to outdo my brother – and what sister doesn’t dream of that. Capt. J. handed me the line this time with the belt. The first issue was quickly realized when the belt was too wide for my hips. Oh no! I needed the extra leverage – this was a big fish. So instead I had to try to chase the fish around and sit on the boat for the needed leverage. He was fighting hard – even the hardest arm workout in the weight room hadn’t produced the burn that I was currently feeling pulsating throughout both arms. I could feel them getting weak but I kept fighting – I was determined to get this fish in the boat. He got close and we all started to see him on the top of the water but then my arms would give a little and he would take the opportunity to run again – we played that game for what seemed like hours but was probably about 20 minutes. At one point I had to have a break so I handed the rod over to the captain for a bit. I shook out my arms and shoulders and then took the rod back – he stayed behind me helping me a bit. Finally around the time I actually felt like my arms would be falling off the fish decided to stop fighting. I was so happy because I think after about 3 more minutes I would have been forced to quit. I didn’t have to though – I was the victor this time. Capt. J. grabbed his gaff again and got the fish on the boat. He was huge – weighed in at 43 lbs so I officially caught the biggest fish on that trip. We had drifted about 4 miles catching him and it was well worth it.


We followed the very same protocol as the night before and had another feast of sushi and blackened Mahi Mahi at Elvie’s Kitchen. It was quite an experience and an unforgettable trip. I guess there really may be a little thing called beginner’s luck. These are the experiences that make Belize priceless.

She’s down but not out! July real time entry

It’s a rainy day in Corozal today, grey and gloomy. It sort of matches my mood today. I am trying to decide how to move forward in this blog. As most of you know I am telling my story of moving to Belize from the beginning which makes the events I write about close to 7 months old. I would also like to concurrently write about my experiences as they happen in the present. Does anyone have feedback on the subject? This way I can keep the story going – because a lot has happened between then and now, and I can also have an outlet to write about what’s going on in my life now.

If it’s not too confusing I’ll start this entry as my first “real time” post. So I continue to go through my divorce from Will. It’s not pleasant of course but last weekend and this week it’s been even more unpleasant. I finally got my paperwork taken care of over last weekend and had them signed by a justice of the peace/photographer – I love how things work here – and they got sent certified to Will. Of course I was expecting a phone call from the states whenever he happened to receive the paperwork. Ours won’t be a difficult divorce, there weren’t a lot of assets to split – actually mostly debt – but there area few sticking points so I expected the call. In the meantime there have been some other emotional roller coaster type events lately. I really thought that Corozal would be the best location for me to go through the ending of a long relationship, for one main reason; this is a small town and there really aren’t a lot of single people here my age so I assumed that there wouldn’t be the distraction of meeting someone new while I’m still healing. On the other hand I hadn’t been in love with Will for awhile in our relationship so part of me was already moving on long before we actually split. Well, as it happened I did meet someone else and for the sake of his privacy I won’t go in to too many details – I’ll call him February since that is the month relationships changed for me – but we immediately and unexpectedly connected. It took me very much by surprise and I am sure he felt the same way. There was a nagging voice in my head to ignore all the emotions and everything irrational that was going on in my head – just simply do not fall for this guy – my head lost. I fell for him hard and fast. Recently, for reasons completely out of my control I lost him and it’s hit me hard. Maybe he was the cliché “rebound” relationship but I have a hard time describing him as such. I felt passion with him that I knew was there for the years it was being suppressed by being in the wrong relationship that was so intense I can hardly put it in the rebound category. So that made two emotional slugs to me over the holiday weekend, and the third came in the form of my Dad’s trip here coming to an end. My mom and I drove him to the airport on Friday and saw him off after he had been visiting for about three weeks. Even though I love it in Belize, it is always hard to see family or friends go home after visiting – especially my dad. I have a very close relationship with him which I feel so incredibly lucky for. So there it was the third hit, it was like a one – two punch and being finished off with a hard left hook. I am down for the count.

Right now that is the hardest part about living away from my friends and family, there are limited shoulders to cry on here so because of that my mom and I are building a much closer relationship since we are each other’s sounding board. We have also met some outstanding and supportive people here and I hope that I will have some friends for life from Corozal Belize. The week has continued to be gloomy because of these circumstances. I finally got the call from Will last night and he was not happy. I also have a lot of pent up anger towards him which almost always comes out when I talk to him on the phone. It’s not fair to him and I try to control it but between the two of us we weren’t able to have a rational conversation last night so he hung up on me and I sent him an email trying to resolve what we had attempted to talk about. I also continue to be very sad about losing February and think about him constantly. Today I made phone calls trying to talk to him even though I agreed I wouldn’t – it was totally out of my control when I picked up the phone and rang him. Drunk dialing without the excuse of being drunk – sad.

I am determined that my day will not end in a funk though – I am in the Caribbean and have a totally fresh start to my life. Yes, there are issues I’m dealing with but nothing too hard to handle. We have had a positive couple weeks at the bar (after a major summer slow down). It’s just one of those days where the “blues” are getting the best of me but the battle is not over yet and I am determined to prevail. I have a friend coming to visit next week which will help things tremendously. Mom and I also have a trip back to Oregon planned in early August so it will be a breath of fresh air to see the people I have been missing – funny enough my 10 year high school reunion will fall during the time I am visiting home so that should be interesting.

I would very much appreciate any feedback about inserting these real time entries in along side of the continuing story I have been telling. Here’s hoping for sunshine tomorrow!

 

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