Reggae Nights.....or the perils of too many panti rippers

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Well we are still in Placencia paradise and still loving it. I'm not sure how Lucy is going to drag me onto the plane in a couple of days' time. She'll just have to wave a credit card bill in front of me I suppose, because if I didn't have to, I wouldn't be leaving here!

We've had an idyllic couple of days since I last updated you. Two days ago we booked another snorkelling trip, this time to Laughing Bird Caye, which is set in a Marine Reserve about 12 miles from Paradise (as I've renamed Placencia). We went with an American couple and our guide, Gerald, part man, part fish. Like everyone we've met, he is very laid back and really friendly. We had a fantastic day, boating out to the little island, which is a tropical paradise. A tiny dot with white sand and palm trees there are some picnic tables and a couple of small structures there, which accommodate the two rangers who live there. The island is surrounded by coral and sea life, so you can only imagine how much fun we had that day.

That night however the real fun began. As has become our habit, we headed to the Barefoot Beach bar for happy hour (Pina Coladas, Daquiris and our favourites the panti ripper), where to our delight was a local band - Inner Vibrations. They were fantastic, and before too long the place was pumping, with locals and tourists happily dancing to the excellent reggae music. All plans of leaving for dinner were abandoned, but we also discovered that the Barefoot bar had some excellent food. We were having such a good time that Lucy turned to me and said, "every day just gets better and better" which is completely true and not just the panti rippers talking!

Lucy and I soon befriended one of the band members, Saylah, who kept us entertained between sets, and also dedicated a song to his NZ friends. We are official groupies of a Belizean reggae band! Still having a ball, when the band finished we went on to the Tipsy Tuna which is right next door and danced some more with Saylah and the local Belizeans. Lucy got a bit hot in the "sweatbox" which was where the DJ and dancing were, but we had befriended the local policeman, Jeffrey, as well and he sweetly offered to turn on the air conditioning for her. Given we were the only non-locals in there she declined, meanwhile I was merrily dancing without a care in the world.

The next morning however the effects of the panti rippers were not quite so welcome. We had booked on a tour of Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary with Doyle, a local guide who had been recommended by everyone we came across. We waited at the appointed meeting place for Doyle, and when he arrived, we recognised him immediately from the bar the previous night. If we were feeling delicate, he wouldn't have been feeling any better, that's for sure! With or without the hangover, he is an excellent guide and we had another fantastic day. It is also known as the Jaguar Sanctuary, as it is home to about 50 jaguars. We didn't see any (not surprisingly) but we saw their pawprints! And toucans, howler monkeys and other beautiful bird life. We had a nature walk, with Doyle explaining about the wildlife and the plants as we went. Then lunch prepared by his mum, Diana, who Lucy and I had met the previous day (when we went snorkelling, incidentally Gerald is Doyle's uncle, so we've nearly met all the family!), then after lunch we went river tubing through the jungle for about an hour. It was fantastic as we floated on the river, admiring the dense green rainforest, admiring the birds, and trying not to get tangled in the vines! A lot of fun. Also on our tour were an American couple, and a Canadian couple, Charlie and Dawn, (also from Vancouver, which must be a great place with all the nice Canadians from there we've met!), all lovely, so it made for a fun day.

It's such a small little village, so you are always bumping into the same people. Later that night I bumped into the American couple from Cockscomb, who have offered to send us photos from their waterproof digital camera, so once I get them I'll post photos here. Susie was really interesting, as she plays on an elephant polo team, which as it sounds, is polo played on elephants! She tells us that NZ also has a polo team, with Steve McDowall in it. Every year they play in Thailand, against the LadyBoys, which made us laugh. Who knew? I also bumped into Charlie and introduced him to the delights of the panti ripper, and also to this travel journal. He wanted some R-rated content, but I'm still working on it Charlie!

We also met the Kiwi woman living here. Because it's so small, word got round, and Annette bounded up to us in a restaurant with "Kia Ora!". She is the first NZer we've come across on our travels, so good to hear a familiar accent. She's married to Sonny (who's Doyle's cousin!) and has been living here for 17 years. She runs a gift shop called the Beach Bazaar. Funnily enough, some other NZers have also been here for a couple of nights. Sonny told me about them when I went to the gift shop, and sure enough, soon after we met them. Word had obviously got out, as they had heard about us too. So as you can see, it really is a small, relaxed and friendly place that will be so hard to leave.

Every day really does just get better and better!

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Photos

Paradise found
I'm never leaving! It really does look just like this

The barefoot beach bar
A great spot to hang out

Fresh fish!
The food here is fantastic. Fresh fish, conch, lobster...

Recovery on the beach
It's not all bad