Placencia

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Needing a rest and needing to cross a border to get a new 90 day tourist stamp we deside to go to belize for a week on the beach.
Just our luck it starts raining as we wake up on our first day off but after about 6 changes in our plans a boat going to livingston turns up and the rain dies down so we jump in for a ralaxing 2 hour trip up the river.
Livingston is a great little garifuna town and as we can never seem to go anywhere without seing someone we know we bump into some ex volunteers from casa who we spend the day exploring with.
The next morning we have an early start for a full days traveling to placencia, first a two hour boat ride to punta gorder then three hours in a bus and finaly a 20 minute water taxi. We arrive and start our accomodation hunt, it is the american tourist season and prices are quite steep but we fnaly find a hostel in our price range with space, it isn't the cleanest or very comfortable but after living in the jungle without light or constant water at casa we decide we can cope.
Placencia is fantastic, there is a narrow board walk which serves as the main street and everything is built off that. The atmosphere is very relaxed and friendly and although the sand is quite coarse it is white with palm trees and crystal blue waters. The only thing letting the place down is we are a bit unfortunate with the rain.
Our Daily routine
9-10am Wake up and get some beakfast from the local bakery.
10-12.30 Read books in the hostel and stay out of the rain.
12.30 -2 lunch
2-6 Read on the beach if it is dry in the hostel or a bar if its wet
6-8 Dinner
8pm Back to bed

Not the most exciting or adventure packed descanso but a much needed relaxing break.

Our favourite places included cosy corner resteraunt, and a colourfull cafe that leant me books from its library for 1us dollar a day. But by far the best place in placencia is Normans bakery, the best coconut turnover ever, a coconut bread similar to brioche but filled with a home made coconut jam, the best breakfast you can get. Norman was a great guy too and one night when we got there and he still hadn't finished baking we went to his back garden to sit in hamocks drink beer and watch the sun set over the lagoon while we waited for fresh bread straight out of the oven.

For the return trip from placencia we decided to go via the dlightly cheaper and quicker route of puerto barrios. Stopping overnight in Punta Gorda where we watched rerund of american idol and big cat diaries not to mention took a shower you had to actualy add cold water to.

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