Sharks, Stingrays and Snorkels- OH MY!

 July 4, 2022

We were up at 9 and ready for shark snorkeling. However, when we walked down to Tropical Paradise the deck hand told us he couldn't get ahold of his captains--- he said they must have been partying too hard at lobster fest the night before-- so asked if we could switch to the 230 tour instead. We didn't have anything else going on and it seemed we didn't have much of a choice so we said sure and agreed to meet back later. We headed to the dock outside Colinda Cabanas and settled down near the water in some beach chairs. 

We encountered a rainstorm that quickly passed and after lounging for awhile we decided to grab lunch. The place we tried to go wasn't open so we opted for a spot near the water that was. We had the local dish of Belize- coconut rice with beans, stewed chicken, plantains and coleslaw. Unfortunately they were out of plantains 😧 neither Kristin or I liked the slaw very much but the chicken had really good flavor. I want to try it again somewhere to get the full experience. We also met a Belizean friend, Brian, who chatted with us while we waited for our food. He used to live on San Pedro, a larger more commercialized island, but said that when it started to get too built up he moved to Caye Caulker because he enjoys the simpler life. I feel you bro. 

After lunch we grabbed some beers for the boat and then walked back to Tropical Paradise for shark snorkeling. 

OH. MY. GOD. This was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. There were TONS of sharks and stingrays and we swam right next to them in a part of the ocean that the Belizeans have aptly named Shark Ray Alley. It was AMAZING. 

Click here to watch a compilation video of us snorkeling!

I have never been that close to so many sea creatures for such a long period of time. While we hit up 3 different snorkeling spots throughout the day, this was definitely my favorite 😍 It was here that I also got to feed one of the birds that was circling overhead. Captain Philip gave me a sardine and instructed me to hold it up by the head and sure as shit almost immediately a bird swooped down to grab it out of my hand. 

After Shark Ray Alley we snorkeled in two areas with beautiful corals and fishes but nothing compared to the sharks. After two snorkeling stops we headed to a beach to see seahorses, but I was way, way more enamored by the pelicans. Squat, port belly birds that hop around and dip their big beaks up and down, almost like nods of hello. They come right up to people and one even sullied up and sat down next to one of the tourists near the water. I loved watching them. Back on the boat we went, this time to feed the tarpon fish. Eating them in Belize is now illegal because previously the fish was almost hunted to extinction. Now catch and release fishing for tarpon is sport only. We coasted into a small lagoon and there were TONS of tarpon, much like the sharks earlier in the day. We held sardines by their tails over the side of the boat which allowed the tarpon to jump up and grab them. Kristin was super afraid but she overcame her fears and did it. 

And after spending three hours at sea, our shark snorkeling adventure had come to a close. We docked back at Tropical Paradise and thanked Captain Philip and the deckhand, Murray, before heading back to Colinda Cabanas. Our plan was to head to The Pelican to watch the sunset and have dinner, however, the sun sets earlier in Belize than in Chicago during the summer, so between our two showers we looked outside and it was dark. We rode our bikes to The Pelican anyway and enjoyed a DELICIOUS dinner on the water. Kristin had a veggie quesadilla with plantains and I had a giant shrimp kabob with grilled veggies and parmesan potatoes. 

It was 930 by the time we finished dinner and while Captain Philip had suggested 'The Bar' for darts and pool we were just too tired from our day of sun, snorkeling and sand to make it. We pedaled back home and on the way passed by the Belize Power Plant, a school and a church. We headed to bed with stuffed stomachs, marvelous memories and happy hearts 💗 

This was one Fourth of July we would not forget.

Belize Belize

 July 2nd and 3rd 2022

My trip to Central America is beginning. I was lucky enough to get a ride to O'Hare- thanks Keith- complete with Taco Bell on the way. Although it's a holiday weekend I moved through check in (unfortunately it wouldn't let me check in online) and security fairly quickly and had plenty of time to kill at my gate so I got a fruit cup and got ready for Dallas.

 I was in the very last row of the plane and had a window seat. There was someone next to me in the middle but no one on the aisle. Surely the patron in the middle would move to the aisle so we both had more space. NOPE. This middle loving woman stayed next to me the entire flight and knocked into me multiple times while she was asleep. Woof. So much for social distancing.

I called Super 8 as soon as we touched down and they told me to be ready for their courtesy shuttle in 25-30 minutes. An hour and ten minutes and two phone calls later, I was picked up. The driver muttered, "Good thing you're alone. I only have one seat left." 😖
After a total of 4 minutes squished like a sardine between 13 other passengers I was dropped at Super 8. I had to sign up for a shuttle the next morning. They ran every 30 minutes but apparently had a 30 minute window from the time scheduled for pickup. Also I had to be ready 15 minutes before the pickup window started? I begrudgingly booked an earlier than necessary shuttle and headed to bed. 

In the morning the front desk was "on a break- thanks for your patience" so I stuck my key behind the desk and stood in the doorway to watch for the shuttle. Even though it was 8am it was already 95 degrees so I wanted to be in the AC for as long as possible. Eventually the front desk returned from their break and asked me if I had booked a shuttle.
Ummm yes you watched me fill this form out not even 8 hours ago. Are you telling me no one has called the shuttle? So on the phone the front desk man got. Luckily I only waited about 30 minutes this time before being picked up. I got to the airport with PLENTY of time to spare but won't be doing Super 8 shuttles again anytime soon (or ever!)
Kristin lands an hour before me in Belize so our plan is to meet at the baggage claim once I land (in case there's no wifi and we don't have a way to contact one another) Fingers crossed we connect!

After waiting over an hour in the line for customs I found Kristin 🙌
We hopped in a taxi to the water taxi station and once there had about an hour to kill before boarding the last ferry of the day to Caye Caulker. These men tried to take our bags and load them onto a cart.  Told us we'd get them back once we got off the boat but we were skeptical so we did not let rhe men take our bags and instead brought them with us to the end of the pier where we bought our ferry tickets. The ferry lady assured us that those men were legit and we could in fact leave our bags with them. Thank you, men of Belize. After walking back down the pier and dropping our bags off- the men laughed at us (obviously!)- we stopped at a bar/restaurant called 'The Last Drop' and hung out with a local named James who hooked us up with a DELICIOUS veggie quesadilla and Panty Ripper rum pouches. It was the perfect 'welcome to Belize'. Kristin had another pouch but we had an hour boat ride ahead of us so I opted for a beer instead and we hurried to the end of the dock to make our ferry.

It was a most gorgeous boat ride to the island. 

After disembarking we almost forgot we had to pick up our bags  🤦‍♀️😂 After laughing a whole bunch we headed to the baggage claim and then proceeded on our way. We had about a 15 minute walk down a sandy beach road to Colinda Cabanas. There are no cars on the island-- golf carts and bikes only-- which made the walk super enjoyable. We passed by tons of colorful guest houses, shops and cafes. After arriving at our brightly painted blue and yellow cabana we showered and rode our bikes to Lobster Fest. 🦞 It's the first weekend of lobster season so what better way to celebrate than at a street fest with music, food, beer and souvenirs? We parked our bikes and wandered the streets while sipping belikin, a local Belizean beer. We eventually ended up at a rooftop bar and restaurant where we ate a delicious meal of coconut rice and veggies while watching fireworks

. We finished the night with live music at one of the local bars. While biking back I stayed upright (even though my bike seat was way too tall.for me!) But Kristin was not so lucky. There was a wooden ramp we had to traverse and as I looked back I saw her slowly, slowly, slowly topple to one side off the ramp. She wasn't able to catch herself so into the concrete wall she went. Her elbow and knee had scars to show for it. After lots of giggles, we made it back home and climbed into our beds for our first night sleep in Belize.