Belize - Days 10 & 11

A couple of relatively lazy days, yesterday and today. As documented in a previous post, I spent most of Tuesday on a quest for something to relieve the itching of my sand flea bites. In between we did manage a few minor activities. We started out with breakfast at Amor Y Cafe on Front Street. They have good iced coffee (made with coffee ice cubes, which I love), and really good grilled cheese sandwiches on thick break with tons of cheese and a variety of fillings. I had ham, pineapple and cheese - awesome! Andrew had salami, mayonnaise & cheese, which he also liked very much. Our bill for two sandwiches and two coffees (with tip) was $15 US.

From there, we headed up to The Split. I only lasted about 20 minutes on the beach before my itching drove me back home to the calamine bottle. Andrew stayed quite a bit longer and came home a nice crispy color. We lounged around the house for the rest of the afternoon - I think Andrew had a nap and I worked on my grant proposal.

For dinner we went to Wish Willy's, which was recommended to us by several people. It's basically some tables and chairs in some guys yard. He cooks and his elderly father toddles around serving water and handing out napkins. The food was very good (BBQ pork chops for me, grilled barracuda steak for Andrew - both served with awesome grilled vegetables) and cheap at $9 US/plate, though the service left a lot to be desired. Despite the fact that the guy cooking (Willy?) was downright grouchy, the place was packed by the time we left.

On the way home we stopped to get an ice cream cone and swung by Anna's stand to get a couple of pupusas for breakfast tomorrow morning. We have discovered that they are pretty darn good if you reheat them in a frying pan. We were happy for her to see a fancy new chalkboard menu out front, in place of the usual poster paper. She was probably able to pay for it just out of what we've spent there this week! Back at AV, I overdosed on Benadryl capsules and we hit the hay.

Today (Wednesday) is our last full day on Caye Caulker. The Benadryl helped a lot with my legs last night, so we were able to sleep until 8 am - about 2 hours later than our average on this trip! After breakfast we spent most of the rest of the morning packing up. It always amazes me how much you can sprawl out in a place over a couple of weeks! After we finished we headed out on our bikes for one last tour of the island. It was hot today, so we didn't ride very long before we landed at the Rainbow restaurant for something to eat. We shared a small order of nachos and a shrimp quesadilla. Andrew had a Bailey's Colada & I had a Dirty Banana (Baileys, Kahlua, chocolate syrup and a banana).

After lunch we returned to AV. As we were locking up our bikes, the owner came out of her suite and told us that she appreciated our business and was thrilled to hear we had already rebooked. What? From the confused look on my face and the sheepish grin on Andrew's, she knew quickly that I had no idea. Andrew fessed up that he has rebooked us to return here from November 4th until November 16. Anyone else want to come along?

After filling me in on the details of the surprise trip, Andrew and Freaky went upstairs to have a nap. I spent most of the afternoon on the front deck in my "office" working.

Who wouldn't want to work here?

This evening we watched the sun set from the roof deck one last time, and then went to Rose's for dinner. Andrew had shrimp kebabs and I had a grouper fillet - all cooked on the BBQ. After one last stop at the ice cream stand and swinging by Anna's to say goodbye, we headed home. Tomorrow we'll take the noon water taxi to Belize City and spend the night in a hotel near the airport. It's been such a great trip to Caye Caulker, and we have fallen in love with this island. We wish we didn't have to leave, but at least we know we have less than 250 days until we're back!

Sunset from the roof deck of Alta Vista

What you might want to know when you come to Caye Caulker (because you should definitely come to Caye Caulker)

Today is our last full day on Caye Caulker. We are completely enchanted with this little island and hope you all take the time to come here on your own. I promise you won't be sorry! This post is dedicated to some of our favorite places and activities on the island, and to note some of the tips that we've learned. They will also be a good reminder for us when we're back in November. Yes, we're returning in November, much to my surprise and delight!

Getting Here

Once you arrive by plane in Belize City, there are two ways to get to Caye Caulker: water taxi or small plane.

The water taxi takes about 45-60 minutes to get from Belize City to Caye Caulker. They hold about 100 people, and can be crowded at times. However, there is enough seating for everyone so the ride is not unpleasant.

Tip: keep your iPod handy for the water taxi ride. I like to have a book on mine, Andrew prefers music.

They will put your luggage in the storage area at the front of the boat, so you don't have to drag it on and off yourself. We used the water taxis numerous times during our stay, and found them to be very convenient, though not always on time. :)

There are two different water taxi companies - San Pedro/Belize Express and Key Caulker Water Taxi. You can use them interchangeably and the run at slightly different time, which is convenient. They don't run from the same dock in either Belize City or Caye Caulker, but the ports are very close together. You can get schedules from the ticket offices. The water taxis also run to San Pedro/Ambergris Caye, which is another 30 minutes past Caye Caulker.

The water taxi will cost about $40 BZ/$20 US each way. You can get a round trip ticket for $35 BZ, if you want to save a few bucks. However, you have to use it on the line you purchased it from. We found the one-way tickets to be the best in most cases, even though we ended up spending a few extra dollars, because we could then take the first taxi to where we were going, regardless of what line it was.

The flight from Belize City to Caye Caulker takes about 10 minutes total (from take off to landing). The airline is Tropic Air and you can book tickets on line in advance. A one-way trip will cost about $50 US/person. The planes are small Cessnas, so only hold a limited number of passengers. Each passenger can bring 2 checked bags, which must weigh 30 pounds or less, each. We didn't use airline for two reasons - I'm terrified of small planes, and we have yet to travel with suitcase the weighed in at under 45 pounds!

We arranged a "transfer package" through the property management company we rented our house through. For $25/person (US), we were picked up from the airport in Belize City and taken to the water taxi station to get to Caye Caulker. At the dock in Caye Caulker, we were again picked up with our luggage and and taken to our rental property. I would recommend that, wherever you stay, you ask about this kind of service. It was extremely convenient, especially when arriving with luggage!

Acommodations

We could not have been more thrilled with the house we rented, Alta Vista! It was spacious and beautiful, and the owners were lovely. We also had a great experience with the management company, Caye Caulker Rentals. Kim, the owner of Caye Caulker Rentals, is a fellow Canadian! He is extremely knowledgeable about the island so can answer any questions that you might have come up. He also can arrange tours for you - Kim set up our day trip to the zoo, cave tubing and zip lining. All of the guides and services he set us up with were top notch. Caye Caulker Rentals has numerous houses for rent on their website, which can accommodate from 2 up to 10 people. Not all the houses have air conditioning, so if that is important to you, ask about that. Alta Vista has a/c, but we only used it once for a few hours. For the most part, there is enough of a breeze that open windows and some fans suffice. The humidity was also low on the Caye, compared to the mainland, making the 85 degrees quite pleasant.

In addition to vacation rentals, there are also plenty of small hotels and guest houses on Caye Caulker. This might be the fit for your if you are interested in more amenities than a rental house can provide, like maid service or a pool. We preferred to have the kitchen to make meals at home when we wanted, and also wanted to be away from the more crowded areas where the hotels are. The hotels are located primarily in the area of The Split - which is a bit busier than the residential areas.

Tip: if you're renting a house, we would suggest you try and stay away from The Split, or the north end of the island. While very close to everything, it's much busier/nosier at that end. Caye Caulker is small, so it doesn't take long to get anywhere. We would recommend the south end of the Caye (near the airstrip), if you have the choice. Note: while the airstrip was only about 2 blocks from us, the noise is not an issue. Flights are sparse and they are small planes. Also, they only fly during the day.

Money
You can use either US or Belizean dollars at any establishment on the island. $1 US = $2 Belizean. There is one ATM in Caye Caulker, at the Atlantic Bank on Middle Street. Most of the businesses, except for hotels or maybe one or two of the gift shops, don't take credit cards. Another thing to understand is that, if a place does take credit cards, most shops add a 5% fee for the service. Cash is king on this island, so plan accordingly.

Tip: as said, there is only one ATM on the island. We found it was not working the first day we arrived, as somone's card had gotten stuck in there. It took several hours for it to get fixed, so we were happy have US cash on hand. Plan to either hit an ATM in Belize City before you come to Caye Caulker, or have enough US cash on us to get you through a day or so. There didn't seem to be a fee to use the ATM, according to our bank statement, but that may be because we have a credit card for traveling that doesn't charge fees on foreign currency exchanges/withdrawals.

There is a 12.5% sales tax on everything in Caye Caulker, so be ready for that.

Eating & Drinking
The motto of Caye Caulker is "Go Slow." It's actually more of a religion than a motto - people adhere to it very strictly. If you have rigid time expectations, like I do, you should try to leave those at the airport or you'll quickly suffer from sort of stress-related disorder. No place is the "Go Slow" more apparent than at dining establishments. Do not, I repeat DO NOT, wait until you are completely starving to head out to eat. Particularly if you are traveling with kids or people, like me, who get cranky when they are hungry. Also, be aware that many of the shops and restaurants close for a few hours midday, so your options are limited in the early afternoon.

Once you seat yourself in the restaurant it will likely take a good 10-15 minutes before anyone comes to take your order.

Tip: Grab menus on your way in and be ready with your whole order the first time the wait staff come by. Don't order drinks and/or appetizers first because it could take another 15 minutes (or more) for the wait staff to come back and take your food order.

Once you place your food order, it can take as long as an hour for the food to actually make it to the table. It will be worth the wait - we have found all the food her to be quite good. Also, the portions are big so don't be tempted to over-order. Entrees range from about $10 BZ - $30 BZ, so it's fairly cheap to eat out. At the end of your meal, you often need to ask for you check as they take a long time to bring it out.

If you do find yourself in the dreaded position of being famished, the street food is a quick alternative to eating in a restaurant. As someone here on the island said "If you've got a grill, a piece of cardboard, and a sharpie - you've got yourself a business." We tried foods like jerk chicken, burritos, pupusas, and baked good all from vendors on the street. Every bit of it was delicious! For dessert, there is great coconut ice cream ($3 BZ for a single scoop) on Front Street across from the Scuba Sensation Dive Shop.

Tip: The best street food we found were the pupusas made by Anna. Her stand is outside of her little clothing shop on Middle Street. They cost $3 Belizean dollars each ($1.50 US) and two is enough for a meal if your an average eater. We ate there no less than 5 meals in the 12 days we were on the island. We tried every kind she makes and the pork and chees or mixed (pork, beans and cheese) are the two best kinds, in our opinion. She also makes homemade horchata, which is a cold rice drink with cinnamon and sugar in it. Andrew loves this! I find it a little too sweet for my liking, but it's very tasty otherwise.

Drinks are relatively cheap here, especially if you like anything made with rum. Most of the rum drinks are 2 for 1 all the time, so about $5 US, or less, for 2 drinks. We also got nice lime daiquiris and other frozen drinks at that Lazy Lizard for $5 each. The local beer is Belikin, and it is cheap! At the Lizard, and many other restaurants, you can get a bucket of the (6) for $20 BZ/$10 US. Andrew thought it was very good! If you order water anywhere it will come to you in a bottle (500 mL for small, 1 litre for large) and will cost you a$1.50-5 US, depending on the size.

Getting Around
In total, Caye Caulker is 5 miles long by about 1 mile wide. However, the area from the airstrip on the south end to The Split is where all the businesses and most of the residential housing are. That distance is less than 2 miles long by a mile wide. The roads are all made of sand, and there are 5 north/south streets connected by numerous side streets. The 5 north/south streets are Beach, Front, Middle, Back, and Back Back. Pretty self explanatory if you remember that Beach is on the ocean side and Back Back is on the lagoon side. We did see about a 1/2 dozen small trucks or SUVs on the island, which seemed to be service vehicles of some sort. There is also one tractor pulling a small trailer that delivers supplies to the stores and restaurants. Mostly, however, pedestrians, bikes and golf carts make up the traffic. There are no sidewalks. There doesn't seem to be a discernible rule for which side of the street you drive/ride/walk on. Everyone just weaves in and out depending on their speed, and to try and avoid the pot holes.

Being such a small area, you can easily walk anywhere you need to go. You can also rent bicycles or golf carts. We recommend you fore go the golf car rental (expensive and hard to find parking for them at some places) and go with bikes instead. I initially told Andrew I didn't think we needed the bikes, but am so happy we had them. I think we would have gotten around far less than we did had we been on foot the entire time. With the bikes it is quick and easy to get anywhere, and we thought nothing about going back and forth to the shops or the beach numerous times in a day. We rented our bikes through Kim - they cost us $70 US for both for the 10 days, which was originally the 1-week price we were quoted. You can also rent them by the hour or by the day, but you can negotiate a far better deal if you rent them for multiple days.

If you do get bikes, be sure they give you locks, and be sure you always lock them up. There isn't much crime on the island, but what there is are typically crimes of opportunity. If you leave your bike unlocked just to "run in for a second", it may not be there when you get back.


Internet
Our rental property included free wi-fi, which we loved, so check to see if your accommodations include that. If not, many of the restaurants offer wi-fi services if you spend a minimum amount on the premises. That magic number seemed to be about $15 BZ, in most cases. There were also several internet cafes where you could pay to log on. Many of them had computers available for use, if you don't want to haul your own along.

What to Do
As we wrote about in previous blogs, we found lots to keep ourselves busy while we were here. Day excursions are easy to arrange. We would recommend the zoo, cave tubing or zip lining, and snorkeling or diving. Of course, if you're able, we would strongly suggest you go to the ATM cave (see previous post)!

For trips going out of Belize City (such as the zoo, cave tubing, or zip lining), we'd recommend the guide that Kim set us up with, Jason. We paid $300 (US) for both of us to do all three in the same day. We had to buy our own water taxi tickets to and from Belize City, however the price included travel from Belize City to the attractions, entrance to the attractions, and lunch. It didn't include tips for the various guides we had throughout the day, so factor that in as well.

If you want to dive or snorkel, we highly recommend using the French Angel on Caye Caulker. The owner's name is Ash and he is very professional, despite the fact that he appears to be 12 years old and grins like a maniac all the time. We went out to Shark Ray Alley and Andrew did a night snorkel with Ash's guys. Both were well organized and the guides put much emphasis on safety. As well, Ash arranged our trip to the ATM Cave, which we can't say enough good things about. If you decide to go there, definitely book it through Ash. It cost $330 US for both of us (plus water taxi costs to Belize City and tips), and was worth every penny!

The one thing to know about the snorkel and dive excursions, is that you may need to be a bit flexible with your schedule if you are a small group (like 2). Most of the outfits require a minimum number of people registered to "move the boat".

Tip: if you want to snorkel or dive, talk to the dive shop about what they are offering and get your name down on their list for the trip you're interested in. Then, check back in with them the evening before to see if it's confirmed. You may also have to pay a deposit at that point. Many of the shops will have signs out front advertising what trips they are trying to fill for which days, so you can look at those for reference.

If you don't have anything planned, you still can easily amuse yourself on the Caye. There is a public beach up at The Split, which is pretty much the only place to swim unless you are staying at a place with their own dock. The water at The Split is beautiful, although the sand is a bit like kitty litter. There is a little bit of shade, it's not too crowded and you can watch the kite boarders do tricks. It's also right next to the Lazy Lizard, so easy proximity to bathrooms and drinks! You can rent snorkel gear at a little stand there (I think it was about $5 BZ) , however the snorkeling there is fairly poor unless you are content to look at minnows and sand. The best snorkeling is out by the reef, which you need a boat to get to. There are also several shops on Front Street at The Split end that rent kayaks, paddleboards, etc. Kayaks were between $10-15 BZ/hour, depending on whether or not you want a double or a single. I didn't see a posted price for paddleboards. If you need some spa time, there are several places to get mani/pedicures, massages, etc. Massages looked to be about $30 US/hour or so. Didn't see the cost of the mani/pedicures. Finally, there is an outdoor movie theater on Front Street that is open every other night. The cost is $10 BZ to get in and they show two movies. They aren't as current as the movies at home, but are still relatively new.

What to bring
You will pretty much just need swimming suits, shorts, t-shirts/tank tops and flip flops here on Caye Caulker. Don't bother packing anything fancy - you won't have any place to wear it. In most establishments, you don't even need to be wearing shoes! You may want a sweatshirt or light jacket for the evening, depending on what time of year you're here. We never needed anything. If you are going cave tubing be sure to bring some sort of water shoes that you can also hike in for about 30 minutes. You should also plan on bringing your own beach towel unless the place you are staying specifically states that they supply them.

There are several laundromats on the island, so you can easily wash clothes if you want to pack light. If you do it yourself, it costs about $10 BZ to wash and dry one load, if you bring your own soap. Add $2 BZ if you need soap. You can also drop it off to have it done for you for about $15 BZ/load.

Tip: bring a few of the small travel packets of liquid tide and a few dryer sheets from home. The laundry soap here is expensive.

As you may have read in my previous post, sand fleas are an issue here. Be sure to bring some good bug spray (deet is best). While I was able to buy calamine lotion and Benadry tablets at the pharmacy here, next time I will bring them from home. FYI that the calamine lotion cost $16 BZ, and the Benadry tablets were $5 BZ/10 tablets. Sun screen is also very expensive on Caye Caulker (about $12-15/bottle), so bring it from home.

Shopping
For being a small island, there are a surprising abundance of grocery stores. Most of what is there is more expensive than what you would be used to at home (keep in mind they have to import everything). For example - a bag of Doritos costs about $12 BZ. Pop was about $2 BZ per can. We bought things like coffee, milk, pop and peanut butter in the grocery store. You can also buy liquor here.

We went to one of the produce stands on Front Street for fruits and veggies, which are all very reasonably priced. Note that there is a trade embargo on lettuce here, so don't expect to find it. We were told that a couple of stores bring it in "illegally" once a week, but the locals know what time it arrives and tend to buy it up quick. There is a bakery that makes great bread and pastries on Middle Street near the bank. You can also get meat from the butcher. All the meat is frozen when you buy it, but defrosts quickly in the heat. For fish, look for the seagulls near one of the docks - a sign that fishermen are cleaning their catch. Ask them what they have you can buy. Snapper is abundant, and you can often get barracuda or shrimp.

Other shopping includes a few small gift shops, and several vendors set up along the beach selling crafts such as bracelets, necklaces, and wood items. All stores seem to be open quite late for such a small place - many of the grocery stores are open until 11 pm. The pharmacy was open until 7 pm.


Safety
Because it's small, Caye Caulker feels (and is) quite safe. As I said earlier, most crimes are those of opportunity, such as theft. While we were here, a couple of the neighboring properties were broken in to. We were advised to lock windows (not just close them) when we were out, and to keep all valuables and our laptops out of sight. We hid extra cash and our passports in various and strange spots around the house.



So, that's the low-down. We're booked to come back on November 4th - who's in?!

Let me tell you 'bout the birds and the bees and the sand and the fleas...

I love Caye Caulker, really and truly I do. However, am slowly going insane on this little island. Literally. I have become the most popular buffet around for the sand fleas of the island and my legs are covered with red bites. The picture doesn't do them justice because you can't see the back of my knees and my ankles in this photo - which are the two most munched up areas. I can't sleep at night. I can't sit still on the beach and enjoy the beautiful weather. I can only go out of my mind from the torture of the itching that I cannot seem to do anything about.

In the past few days I have purchased every remedy available to me here in paradise - Calamine lotion, Benadryl gel, hydro-cortisone cream, and even some local concoction made of hemp and coconut oil. On line searching brought me suggestions including applying antiperspirant, vinegar, or a lot of rum (this one is taken by mouth, rather than topically). While many of the remedies (especially the rum) do improve my mental state briefly during their use, the relief is mercilessly short lived. For some reason, these nasty little pests either don't bite Andrew, or he doesn't react to the bites in the same way I do. While I am happy for him, this does not ease my suffering in the least.

This afternoon I went back to the pharmacy on the island (my third trip there in two days) and bought some oral Benadryl. My plan tonight is to take enough of them to either stop the itching, or render me unconscious so that I can have a few itch-free minutes. Wish me luck...

Belize - Day 9

Oh my gosh - we had the most amazing day ever today! We scheduled a day-trip to the Actun Tunichil Muknal, or ATM, cave about 60 miles outside of Belize City. Andrew had read about this cave on line and many say it is a sight not to be missed. We took the 7:30 am water taxi to Belize City. At least it was supposed to be the 7:30 am taxi. It actually didn't arrive in Caye Caulker until about 8 am, so we were almost 45 minutes late arriving in to BC. We were met by our guide for the day, Ivar. He loaded us in to his Rav4 and we were off. He brought us each a ham & cheese filled croissant and juice, so we munched as we drove.

In about an hour, we turned off on to a rough dirt road and pulled along side a Land Cruiser. Inside were Landy (Orlando), the ATM cave certified guide, and a couple from Ontario, Jonathan and Hazel. There are only 12 guides in Belize certified to take groups through the ATM caves, and they can only take a maximum of 10 people per guide, per day. As we were to see, this is because getting in to the cave is tricky business, and also because the artifacts are not behind any type of barriers. Limiting the number of guides and tourists each day ensure that the site stays in pristine condition.

We all piled in to Landy's Cruiser and were off through the Belizean jungle. The road was extremely rocky and rutted, and it took us about 45 minutes to travel less than 10 miles. Along the way were farms of teak and mahogany trees, and all kinds of beans/legumes. The landscape was very lush and green, even though this is the dry season.

We finally arrived at the parking lot for the cave, changed in to our hiking shoes and "wet clothes" for inside the cave, and put our gear in to dry bags. Then we were off for a 45 mile hike through the jungle. Landy warned us to walk single file behind him because the sides of the trail could have poisonous snakes. Great. As is my luck, snake sighting number two for this trip happened just minutes after he uttered that warning. Just as I was asking about what kinds of snakes were around, a rat snake (non-poisonous) dashed across the path hot on the tail of a small lizard. Landy informed me that I had summoned the snake by talking about it. Ok then, no more snake talk! The hike involved three river crossings (approximately 25 yards wide each). The water was fairly warm, perhaps 75-ish degrees, but had a decent current and was about crotch-high in some areas so keeping your balance was a bit challenging. Ivar knew much about the flora and fauna that we saw and heard (birds, mostly) so the trek went by quickly.

This is what the trail looked like. Was a nice easy hike.

We arrived at the picnic area just before the cave entrance and sat down to eat the lunches that were provided to us as part of the tour - a chicken sandwich, chips and a banana. Ivar also pulled out a loaf of freshly made banana bread for us to share. Once we had finished eating and carefully picked up and stowed all our trash, we strapped on our helmets and started toward the cave.

Us at the mouth to the ATM cave

After posing for photos at the entrance, it was time to go in. Landy reminded us that we would need to strictly follow his instructions to avoid being hurt, and to avoid damaging any of the precious artifacts inside. Then we headed to the water and in we went...

The only way in is to swim. The water here was deeper than we could touch. You can see the cave mouth on the right of the picture. The water was about 65 degrees, in case you are wondering. Brisk, in other words!

Almost immediately, we got the idea that this was not going to be a leisurely stroll. We had to climb from the deep water in the picture above, up a very large limestone boulder. From there, we followed the water through the cave. In total, the cave is approximately 5.3 kilometers (3.5 miles) long. However, only the guides and the archeologists assigned to the cave are permitted past "The Cathedral", approximately a half-mile in. The going was slow. The water ranged from knee deep to areas that you had to swim through. We were headed uphill the entire way in, and there was non-stop climbing over boulders. Luckily, the water formed many natural hand holds along the walls so there was often something to grip. The helmets came in handy as there were numerous times that you could hear a loud "thwack" followed by an "ouch" from one member of our party or another. I don't think anyone escaped a head bonk on this trip.

This was actually one of the easier areas to maneuver because the water was relatively shallow, and you could see the big rocks underneath. You had to be very careful not to twist an ankle or fall and gouge yourself on a sharp rock. Also, keep in mind that, without the head lamps, it is so dark in the cave that you can actually go blind from having your eyes open in there for too long. Ivar explained that this is because your rods continuously try to adjust to "night vision" mode, and will eventually become permanently damaged. He told us that if you are ever lost in a cave, you are to stay still with your eyes closed until someone finds you. Good tip!

Many times on this adventure we commented that this is not something any North American tourist operation would run. No number of waivers could make a outfitter, particularly in the United States, subject themselves to the litigation risk posed inside this cave. However, we are thrilled the Belizean government doesn't feel the same way! Landy told us that, last year, one of the guides and 4 tourists were trapped in the waterways by a flash flood. Fortunately, they made it to an area with a high ceiling, so were able to keep their heads above the water. There were there over 18 hours before the water receded enough for them to be rescued. After hearing this story, we were very glad this is the dry season!

Passages like this, where there was just enough room for your neck to squeeze through were not uncommon. Landy would say "Ok, duck down a little. Good. Now turn your head sideways, and come through." All this in nipple-high water while trying to balance along various boulders underneath.

After about 45 minutes, we arrived at the entrance to "The Cathedral". Or, better said, we arrived below the entrance to The Cathedral. Getting in involved a climb up what Landy called a Mayan elevator. Don't let the name fool you, it was strictly manual - a piece of limestone rock sticking up about 20 feet out of the water. Over the years, the water had formed some hand & foot holds so you were able to hoist yourself up on to the shelf after climbing up the rock. Again, no way this would happen in the US or Canada!

Once we got up to the entrance of The Cathedral, we had to remove our shoes and go the rest of the way in socks. Shoes come off because the area is considered sacred. Socks stay on so that the oil in your feet does not damage the limestone. You are told to bring socks specifically when you book the tour. After taking off our shoes we crawled through a rabbit-type hole in the rocks and emerged in to a massive room with ceilings that soared more than 40 feet high. The Cathedral is the area of the cave where prayers and religious ceremonies were conducted. The Mayan elite (wealthy members of the tribe, shamans and leaders only, no middle or lower class allowed) would come in to the caves to give thanks to the gods through bloodletting ceremonies during prosperous times, and to make more dramatic offerings (human sacrifice) during times of strife, such as drought or famine.

The entrance to The Cathedral. You can't tell from this picture, but it's a good 20 feet up to the first ledge.

The formations on the walls were amazing, though these photos don't do them justice.

They call this stalagmite formation "the nativity" - looks like it, no?!

We were surprised to see, almost immediately, many large clay pots scattered around the floor. The pottery was used for various activities such as cooking, storing food and water, and for bloodletting ceremonies. You can see from the pictures that many of the pots are undamaged; protected by the conditions in the cave. There were also molcajete, which are stones used for grinding corn. Where you see white calcification is where water has reached, however most of this area has remained relatively dry over the past 1100 years, because it is so high up in the cave.

This pot in the center was enormous. I could have easily crawled through it. These larger pots were used to catch the water that drips from the ceiling of the cave. The Mayans believed this water to be holy, as they thought it was sent from heaven.

On the side of this pot you can see the design of a monkey. The monkey symbolizes the celebrated Mayans who survived the great flood by turning in to monkeys and climbing up to the jungle canopy to escape.

Notice the sock feet? About 45 minutes of hiking over the limestone and boulders was done without shoes. Painful at times!

Finally, it was time to move to the last area of The Cathedral in which tourists are allowed - one of the areas where the human sacrifices were made. To get up to this area, we actually got a ladder - wow! However, right after we got to the top of the 15-foot ladder we had to climb down the other side of the rock face without one. Both up and down this area we are in sock feet!


When we came in to the area where the human sacrifices were made, Landy explained to us that it was a great honor to be chosen, and that all those sacrificed were volunteers. I'm skeptical. He explained that the archeologist believe that the initial humans sacrificed were men in their 30s or 40s (again, would have been from the wealthy or elite class of the tribe) at the beginning of what was to become one of the most difficult times for the Mayan people (the late 800's). During this time, food was scarce and a drought was beginning. As times got more difficult, they tried sacrificing teens, women, and even infants to try and please the gods and turn their circumstances around. In the early 900s, the Mayans were starving despite their frequent sacrifices. For this reason they abandoned the cave, believing it to no longer be sacred.

This is the skull of a sacrificed man. Archeologists believe him to be in his early 40s. Can you believe how close we could get to it? As long as we didn't touch anything, we could get amazingly close. Again, no barriers except for red tape on the floor to alert you to watch your step around these priceless artifacts.



This is the remains of a young boy, estimated to be in his early teens. You can't tell from the picture but his arms and hands are behind his spine, meaning that his arms were tied behind his back before he was killed. The Mayans used strangulation or cranial trauma (a big sharp rock to the temple) for sacrifice killings. It is unknown if the latter was an instantaneous death or not.

Finally, at the end of the area we were allowed in to, is the only female sacrifice victim found in the caves. They refer to her as the crystal maiden because her skeleton has been covered with minerals that shine in the light. She is believed to be in her late teens, and she was strangled. Beyond her are the infant remains, but we were not permitted in that area.

From this point, we gratefully returned to our shoes and hiked back out of the cave the way we came. We were relatively quick to get back to the parking lot where we changed in to dry clothes. Finally, we rode in the Land Cruiser back over that rough road to the highway. By the time we got to Ivar's car, it was 4:30 pm. The last water taxi to Caye Caulker leaves Belize City at 5:30 pm. That would be ok if it weren't a little better than 60 miles back to the water taxi station. Fortunately, Ivar was up for the challenge, and we hit the edge of the city at 5:19. Shortly after that, he called the owner of the water taxi to tell them we would be a few minutes late, and to ask them to please wait for us. It's good to have friends in high places, I guess. We screeched up to the dock at 5:33 pm, and raced on to the taxi just in the nick of time!

Back on Caye Caulker an hour later, we picked up our bikes and swung by Anna's for more pupusas (yes, we're officially addicted)! Here's a picture of her at her little stand. Sorry it's a little blurry - not sure why!




Now we're home, exhausted but exhilarated by this amazing day. If you ever come to Belize, don't miss this. It is, truly, the most incredible thing we have ever done in all our travels!

Belize - Day 8

Well, no dive again today. We went by the shop last night to see if we were on, and they had a snorkel tour listed for today, so we were not surprised to arrive there this morning and hear that the dive was off. In fact, we didn't even take our dive gear with us when we went to check in, suspecting we weren't going out. Oh well, after our long day yesterday, and with a full day booked tomorrow, we're happy to have a day to relax! Also, we were woken up in the night by a squall moving quickly through. We had all the windows open and our towels outside on the line, so we had to jump up and batten down the hatches! After that bit of exercise, we were both awake for a little while and the bird were singing loudly at 5:45.

We came back home for a few minutes to grab a shirt for Andrew and some cash, and went off in search of Sunday breakfast - one of my favorite things to do anywhere in the world! Earlier in the week I saw a restaurant advertising banana pancakes, but that restaurant was closed this morning (Catholic country + Sunday + lent = not a lot open this morning). As Andrew said "Let's ride around an look for other places. What else have we got to do today?" And the hunt was on. We stopped at several places so that I could look at the menu - lots of fry jacks, eggs, and even waffles, but no banana pancakes. Finally, at the Happy Lobster - success! We grabbed a table outside and placed our order: banana pancakes for me, eggs and fry jacks for Andrew. Fresh pineapple juice for both of us!

Fry jacks - Andrew loves these!

Fresh pineapple juice! You could also have orange, papaya, watermelon or cantaloupe. No picture of the banana pancakes - they just look like regular old pancakes, but they have mashed bananas mixed in and taste delicious!

After breakfast we rode back home and did a little housework. Things start out organized, but after a week in one place you start to "sprawl" a little. We gathered things up and put them away, shook out the rugs, and swept the floors. It was particularly hot today, so we turned on the A/C for a while to cool things off. I watched an episode of Downton Abbey on the laptop, and Andrew & Freaky had a nap.


Speaking of Freaky, now that she's pretty much moved in with us I wish she would make herself useful and catch some of the geckos that are running around inside the house. There was a big fat one in the bathroom this morning and a little one running across the kitchen wall last night. I would post a picture but they move too darn quick!

When Andrew woke up around 12:30, we got our suits on and headed off to The Split for an hour or so. I didn't take any new photos, but just scan back a few blog...it looks just the same! Today being Sunday, many local families were there also. I enjoy listening to the Creole English that most people speak here, even though I can't understand most of what they say.

After the beach, we stopped at Pizza Caulker to pick up a pizza for Andrew. He went on a night snorkel trip from 5-8 pm tonight, so needed to eat before he left. While we were waiting for the pie to cook we chatted a bit with the owner. A Canadian from Toronto who sold everything there 3 years ago to move to the Caye and open this little shack. Sounds like a good plan!

Most of the restaurants look pretty much like this with most of the seating outdoors and very rustic construction. Note the ample parking lot in front!

Back at home I showered and Andrew packed up his gear for his snorkel trip. Then we rode to the dive shop together. Those of you who know Andrew know that he has about the worst sense of direction of anyone I have ever met. This island is approximately 4 square miles, and we have been over the central 3 square miles of it at least 100 times over. However, he still doesn't know for sure which way to turn at the end of our driveway. Sadly, we have never ever turned right out of our driveway. Not once. Once I dropped Andrew off I swung by to see my new friend Anna, the keeper of the pupusa! I picked some to go, along with a fresh bottle of horlata, so that Andrew can have a snack when he gets back. If he makes it back. He thinks he can find his way back from the dive shop on his own and, as I type this at 8:30 pm, no sign of him yet! Keep your fingers crossed we don't have to send out a search party! :)

Tomorrow we're off to the Actun Tunichil Muknal or ATM Caves, which is a cave famous for containing Mayan ruins and skeletal remains from sacrifices. It's about a 90-minute drive from Belize City, so will be a long day. This time we're taking the waterproof camera, so will post some pictures when we're back!

P.S. I just now hear Andrew locking up his bike downstairs - I won't tell him I doubted his ability to find his way home, if you don't!

Picture of Chocolate

We haven't seen Chocolate the past couple of days. Not sure if he's away, or what. For those of you who have asked - here's a link to a picture of him.

http://www.sanpedrosun.com/old/07-294.html

Belize - Day 7

What a fun day today! Up early to have breakfast before catching the 7:30 am water taxi to Belize City. It's a 45 minute ride, so it's good to have a book on my iPod!

Pic of the water taxi

When we arrive in the city, we're greeted by Jason, who is also the guy who picked us up from the airport on Sunday. He's arranged for our activities today so we load in to his van and we're off. After driving about 15-minutes out of the city, we stop at a little store to load up on water and some snacks. Then it's another 30 minutes to the Belize Zoo. Slogan "The best little zoo in the world". It was a lovely little place with a small selection of animals native to Belize. We saw several animals we'd never seen live before and some we'd never even heard of. Here's some photos...

Andrew was thrilled to be able to pay $5 to go in and feed peanuts to these parrots. They would fight with each other when he was restocking. I declined to participate, except to photograph the joyous event. Birds are so creepy!

These two pics above are tapirs. They are kind of like cows, but smaller with a weird nose like an anteater.


A jaguar sleeping.


A mama Howler monkey and her baby.


Crocodile...



...and another one.



This thing looked like a pig. It also pretty much smelled like a pig.


As you can see, you shouldn't pet it.



I can't remember what these things were called but they were having a great time. One also reached through the fence to try and grab Andrew's toes.

One of the little walkways in the zoo. It was a lovely little place. Whole thing took us less than an hour to get through. Even with the bird-feeding stop!

From the zoo, it was back in the van to go to the big resort where they do the cave tubing and the zip lines. There we were met by more guides - Oscar for zip lines and Said for the cave tubing. Zip lining was first, as it was a hot day and they agreed that the river would feel even better after hiking up to the lines. The zip lines were very fun - 7 in total! We both agreed that we would like higher and longer ones, however. One of the guides told us that there is one in Costa Rica (where he was from) that totals almost 2 miles of lines, with heights reaching almost 1000 feet. Guess we'll have to go there next time!

This was the first little one that got you ready. They called it the "Chicken Run", because if you were freaked out on this one, the others were out.

Finally, it was on to the cave tubing part of the day. Good thing because zip lining helmets and harnesses in the Belizean jungle humidity make you very sweaty! We changed in to swim suits, met up with Said, and were on our way. Sorry - no photos of this portion of the day, folks. We didn't bring the waterproof camera. Next time! For those interested, here's a link to the resort site so you can see some of their photos...

http://cavesbranchoutpost.com/Home.html

While there were other groups tubing with guides today, we were our own group with Said so he let the rules slide quite a bit. No helmets or life jackets for us, hooray! We also will be allowed to tube "free", meaning we didn't have to be tied to our guide. He tells us that many tourists (especially "cruise ship people") have a hard time following the flow of the river and spend a lot of time bashing in to the sides. The guides tether them to help prevent that and also to help the guide keep track of their pack in the dark cave. Said either thinks we can fend for ourselves, or doesn't particularly care if we get lost or concussed. Regardless, we're happy about our freedom, even it if comes at price. What's one more injury on this trip!

To get started tubing, we had to hike about 30 minutes through the jungle to the entrance of the cave. Said then asked if we'd like to jump in to the pool from the rocks above the entrance. Uh, yes! I have a sneaking suspicion this was also against the rules, but it did give him a chance to assess whether or not he had made a mistake by letting us go without life jackets. The pool was a lovely shade of aqua and was filled with little minnows that would eat any dead skin off of you. Cute, until the bigger ones started to show up. Ouch!

The caves were amazing! Huge stalactites and stalagmites that were likely a million years old, limestone walls that the water had carved in to interesting patterns, and sections that glittered like gold from the minerals. We very quickly came to an area that was a sink hole that was open to the sky above. There were stairs coming down from the top to give access to the "Crystal Cave", which is a 6 hour tubing/walking tour through a very long cave. Said had us "pull over" at the next to a small waterfall, and we hoisted ourselves out of the river to explore the sink hole. Again he tells us, this is not typically allowed due to the risk of a tourist falling on the rocks and suing. Again, either he doesn't care if we die or didn't think we looked to be the litigious type. Either way, it was very cool!

After looking around the sink hole for a good 20 minutes, we jumped (literally) back in to our tubes and entered the main portion of the cave. In total, the section we were in was approximately 3/4's of a mile long, and was as dark as can be. Using our head lamps we could see bats hanging from the ceiling, along with amazing formations in the limestone. The whole tour seemed to only take a few minutes, so we were surprised to see that almost 2 and 1/2 hours had passed by the time we were at the end. We thanked Said profusely (and gave him a nice tip) and found our way back to Jason, who was waiting for us in the parking lot.

Starving, we were grateful to hear Jason say that we were stopping for lunch just a few miles up the road. Waiting for us at a restaurant in the middle of nowhere was stewed chicken with a mole-type sauce, rice and beans, and slaw. I don't know if it was because we were so hungry but that was one of the best things I've ever eaten!

Jason dropped us off at the water taxi about 4:15, and we were back in Caye Caulker at 5:30. Happy to be back on this little island that we love, we picked up our bikes (we had stashed them at the rental office for the day) and pedaled home.

After hanging up our wet things (we're supposed to dive tomorrow so we need dry towels), we got back on the bikes and headed back in to town. We were low on pop and I am having some pretty serious peanut butter withdrawals! We also picked up a couple of cans of cat food to try and keep the cat quiet (which worked, by the way!). We were intending to pick up pizza for dinner when I spotted a woman in her yard selling pupusas. Score! In case you didn't know this about me, I will eat pretty much anything that someone is selling from a rickety old stand or out of a truck or cooler, because I think it's about the best food you can find anywhere. This time was no exception. Pupusas, for those who don't know, are little cornmeal pancakes stuffed with beans or pork or chicken or cheese or spinach, or any combination thereof. They then get fried on a hot griddle until the insides are all hot and melty, and the outside is crispy. There is a Salvadorian restaurant in Minneapolis that makes them but, I assure you, this woman in her yard has them beat hands down. For aAgain, I didn't have my camera with me, but we'll definitely be going back there so will get a photo next time. For $7.50 US, we got four different pupusas and Andrew also got a bottle of home made horchata - a cold Mayan drink that is made from rice, sugar and cinnamon. Bargain!

So, that's it for today. It was a great day but we're tired. And stuffed full of pupusas! Tomorrow morning we're scheduled to dive, so keep your fingers crossed for no wind!

Belize - Day 6

We started out the day up early and hoping to dive. We were skeptical that it would happen, however, as the wind was blowing quite hard. Nevertheless, we gathered up our gear and rode in to town. Once at the dive shop, our suspicions were confirmed - too windy, with 10-12 foot waves. Not good for the small dive boats here on the island. We made plans to try again on Sunday and thanked the staff there for prioritizing our safety, despite the fact that they will be without any income for today.

Now with the day free in front of us we had to decide what to do with ourselves. We biked back home to drop off our dive gear and decided we'd do a load of laundry at the laundromat. We gathered up a bag of clothes and were back on our bikes in to town. We started our clothes washing and decided we'd pick up the few groceries we needed - fruit, salt, bread and more cream for my coffee. I've been feeding to to that damn cat, Freaky, in an effort to keep him from meowing at me through the screen door non-stop. Now I've created Frankenstein and the monster must be fed or it will turn on us! We stopped at the necessary shops and stands for our items, and ran them back to the house before going back to pick up the laundry. The house we're staying at has a lovely clothes line, so we opted to hang them to dry instead of using a dryer.

With our errands run and chores finished (laundry and sweeping the kitchen floor - whew!) it was time to head back to the beach! Luckily, we had a much better experience than yesterday. Before spreading out our towels, we ducked in to the Lazy Lizard where Andrew spent $10 on a bucket full of 6 beer. Even better than the price was the fact that they didn't open them all so we were able to bring the 4 he didn't drink there home! I ordered a slushy lime drink ($5 for those who are interested) and we hit the beach.

Bargain beach beer bucket!

As we sat cooking ourselves, I couldn't help but look wistfully at the various women who were confident enough to put on string bikinis, despite the fact that most of their bodies were far from perfect. I notice this often when we travel to beach destinations and think how wonderful it must be to have such a positive body image. Or, perhaps, not have a mirror. Either way, it's an enviable position to be in. Maybe one day...

After grossly increasing our odds at melanoma, we headed out in search of lunch. It was 1:30 pm by that time and food options during the siesta period are limited. We managed to find an open restaurant that we have been to before and enjoyed and lunched on ceviche, chicken tacos, and sweet tea. On the way home we snapped this picture of a little cemetery overlooking the beach - beautiful!

Bury me here, please!

We were back home by 2:30 pm and spent a few hours on the front deck w/ the cat. She definitely likes Andrew better than me, despite the fact that I'm the one feeding her, and likes to curl up by him to snooze in the shade. Traitor! We like the front deck in the afternoon. It's shady and there is a breeze and we can watch the traffic go by. What little of it there is, anyway. We are probably about a mile from the main action on the island, which suits us just fine. It's nice and quiet here and town is an easy walk or a very quick bike ride. This afternoon we see a hummingbird in the flowers, and a guy who is raking dead foliage and other trash from the sides of the road. He has headphones on and is singing at the top of lungs.

For dinner tonight we went to the new Italian cucina that opened in January. Word on the street (yep, we're that "in" here) is that it is the best place to eat on the island. We had looked for it a couple of nights ago but couldn't find it. We ran across it again yesterday and made sure to appropriately landmark it - between middle and back street, turn at the bank. I forgot the camera at home but trust when I say that it was a lovely little place and you could tell it was newly built. There were both inside and outside table options - meaning that one half of the restaurant had a roof and the other half didn't. There was no wall in between. The kitchen was open and had some of the fanciest Wolf equipment I've ever seen. At the bar there was an espresso machine that likely cost more than the gross domestic product of the whole island. It all seemed especially glamorous in comparison to what most of the restaurants or residents are cooking on here. For example, the grill at our rental house is made out of a bisected beer keg (clever & excellent reuse). Most of the restaurants are using something similar, such as old propane tanks with charcoal, or else a stove that someone threw in to a North American landfill in 1978. I couldn't help but notice that the chef cooking on this fancy equipment didn't have any shoes on. That made me envious. It would be really fun to come to work without shoes, don't you think?

Oh, and the food... it was quite good. We both had pasta dishes and I can see why people here really like this place. It's very different from what you can get everywhere else, which is more island-style foods such as jerk, curry, and rice with beans. The service was also very good. Unfortunately, as those who know me will attest, I don't particularly like to go out for pasta. It bugs me just a little bit to spend $15 on a plate of food I can make equally well at home for $5. Oh well.

As has become an unfortunate nightly habit, we stopped for ice cream on the way home. In an effort towards harm-reduction, we have located a shop that is at the opposite end of the island from our house, rather than the one that is about 1/2 way closer. I'm sure the extra calories we burn pedaling the extra distance home are at least equal to the calories in a single-scoop coconut ice cream cone, right? :)

That's it for today, folks. Tomorrow morning we head out early to Belize City for the day. We're doing the "Triple Crown" tour of the zoo, cave tubing and zip lining. Photos to follow!

The Price of Travel

I'm pretty much a mess on this trip - physically speaking. Andrew reminds me that I'm pretty much a mess on every trip - physically speaking. I guess I've blocked that out as I prefer to think of myself as a very hardy traveler (don't we all?). For starters, I have a sunburn on my back from our snorkel trip on Tuesday that is still fairly painful. Bra straps are a challenge and sleeping on my back is completely out. As well, I've been victimized by sand fleas and have scratched my ankles raw. One of my friends from home suggested that I buy some cat flea collars and wear them as anklets. I may be fast approaching that point.

I have also developed some sort of odd scaly rash on both arms. Andrew pointed out that it's probably some sort of reaction to the sun, and he says I've had it before on other trips. Again, I don't recall.

Finally, my feet are approximately the size of canned hams. This is the one glorious side effect of traveling I DO remember! A big thanks goes out to my dad for so generously passing on the genetic trait of travel-related water retention.

Andrew's list of ailments are all injury related. He does not seem to be bothered by the sand fleas and, while a little red on his back, he was smart enough to put a rash guard on for some of our snorkel trip. His injuries include some nasty scratches on his arm from Freaky (see previous blog) and a big hole behind his right knee. We don't know exactly what that is from, however I noticed the blood streaming down his leg on our big walk yesterday (again, see previous blog). The most likely culprit would be the mangrove branches we were crawling through during our search for the missing key (once again, see previous blog).

These are the prices you have to pay to travel, it seems. Worth it in the end? Definitely!

Belize - Day 5

We had a leisurely start to the day, today. Despite my best intentions, I was up at 6 am so made some coffee and got to work on my grant proposal. Andrew got up with me but stayed upstairs reading. I had to call him down about 7:30 am to come and amuse the neighbor's cat (Freaky) who had been outside the screen door meowing at me non-stop. Andrew went out to pet her but she scratched him when he tried to rub her belly (keep in mind, we're dog people) so he lost interest and went back to bed for a couple of hours. I finally took the lap top out on to the front deck and the cat curled up in the shade to nap. I was able to finish working in peace!

About 10 am, I woke Andrew up so we could have some breakfast. More tortillas with eggs, cheese, beans and tomatoes. Also, some bananas we bought at the stand yesterday and the remnants of the pineapple. We then headed in to town to run a few errands - buy postcards and get more pop and a few bottles of beer. While we were out, we stopped in at the Lazy Lizard, a popular bar on The Split.

The Lazy Lizard - what a view!

I had a lime daiquiri and Andrew had a Bailey's colada while we watched the kite boarders do their thing.

They are really amazing! I would love to try this but the guys who do it say that it takes at least a year to be able to go 50 yards before falling. I'd likely break something.

Road construction work in progress. They bring up buckets of sand from the bottom of the lagoon and then use it to fill the holes in the roads (which are also very hard packed sand). Hey, at least this construction doesn't tie up traffic!

Finally, much to Andrew's dismay, we asked some random stranger to take our picture.

It was particularly hot today and the water at The Split looked amazing! We decided to run home, put our suits on and come back for a swim. This would be where things turned south. Upon returning to The Split, we locked up our bikes and headed to the beach. We got on our snorkel gear and headed in to that beautiful turquoise water - heaven! There wasn't much to look at under the water so I got out after about 10 minutes and went up to sit in the sand. Andrew continued to float away in the water for about another 15 minutes.

Upon returning to the beach, Andrew announced that he was going to get us drinks - yay! Unfortunately, he was back in about 15 seconds saying "We have a problem." While he was out snorkeling, the waterproof case he had some money in and the key to the bike lock came out of the pocket of his swimming suit. We put our gear back on and headed out to look along the mangroves to see if it had lodged there, but we couldn't find it. We asked at the bar if anyone had turned it in, but no luck. With the current it could totally be in Mexico by now. There wasn't a huge amount of money in it, but the missing key to the bike lock was definitely going to be a problem. We gathered up our gear and walked the mile or so back to the management company office for our rental property, as we had also rented the bikes from them. We explained what had happened to the woman who was there, and asked her if she knew where we might find some bolt cutters. After sighing heavily and putting her head in her hands (I can only assume this is because this is probably the worst disaster she has ever heard of running a vacation rental business), she informed us that the only set of bolt cuttters on the island (really?) belonged to "George", the resident mechanic. She tried to call George but didn't get an answer. She then called George's wife, who said George was outside working on a cart, so we could just come by. She tells us George lives on Middle Street "by the bank", and we head off again on foot.

We find George easily, he hands over his bolt cutters without much explanation and we continue on. By the time we arrive back at The Split we've walked a good 3-ish miles in the baking sun. Luckily, the bolt cutters slice through the padlock easily, and we're back on wheels! We ride back to the other side of the island to our rental house (about 2 miles), grab some cash, and head back to George's. When we return the cutters he asks for $2 Belizean dollars for their use. We give him $5 US with many thank you's, knowing we would have happily paid $20. Before I leave, I should have chat with the sole owner of bolt cutters on this island about a business strategy centered around the willingness of tourists to pay hefty sums of cash to alleviate what they perceive to be a crisis situation. Hell, if he would have given us a ride to The Split in his golf cart and cut the lock for us, he could have easily charged us $40 US! On second thought, forget George. I'm getting my own bolt cutters and we're moving to Caye Caulker!

Our last stop on what is quickly approaching a "3-hour tour" is the hardware store to buy a new padlock for the bike chain. The only one they sell is a little more suited for the door of a medieval castle than a bike, but it will have to do. Upon completing our mission, we gladly head for home, yet again.

By the time we arrive it's 3:30 pm, we're hot and covered in salt from our swim. We're also starving! I have a quick shower and Andrew fires up the grill to get the charcoal heating. We cook the burgers we were going to have last night (the meat didn't defrost in time) and eat them with some potatoes and a cold beer. Voila! Things are looking up again!

About 6:30, we rode our bikes in to town to confirm our scuba trip for tomorrow morning is still on. The dive assistant tells us that, as of now, it is. He does tell us that we should know that it was very choppy this morning, so they may cancel at the last minute if the waves are 10-12 feet again tomorrow. We're ok with this, as we'd rather be safe and dive another day. We grab an ice cream cone (hooray, they've restocked the coconut!) and pedal back home. Let's hope for a less exciting day tomorrow!