Well - we are really on the countdown now. Just one more full day to go in Belize, before we start the journey home. We have a night in LA and hopefully some shopping in Santa Monica to sweeten the bitter pill... but seriously I am going to have some real re-entry problems. I made the mistake of logging on to my work email today and it all feels a little too real. We have had a busy time since my last blog. Who would have believed that life in a seaside village could be so action packed. We have been adopted by the Gardiner family (Placencia goes back to 5 original families and the Gardiners are one). When I say "adopted", I mean that we have been big suckers on the tour front, but they ... read more

So, here we now are in Placencia. And boy it's good... before we came we had booked 2 nights at our hotel. When we arrived we extended it by a further 2 nights and we've now decided that we will stay here until we leave. Placencia is a tiny peninsula on the south east coast of Belize. Just 12 years ago, it was a fishing village with 12 houses, processing conch and lobster for export to Jamaica. It's fair to say it's been "discovered", but it is still incredibly laid back and just the kind of place you want to be for a beach holiday. For a start, it has a beach, which Caye Caulker, though gorgeous, lacked. There are 2 streets, that run the length of the town; one is actually a footpath. All the ... read more

Rachael and I have just emerged from our 3 day sailing trip, which ended up being brilliant. We did have our doubts on the first day as it was wet and cold... as we crouched in my cabin, being the larger box (a double; R's was precisely the size and shape of a coffin), playing cards we bravely commended ourselves (in true Pollyanna style) for our resourcefulness. With cards and a book, we can do anything... although we may not have been talking to one another by the end. Fortunately, the weather did improve, although yesterday was the only day that was truly sunny, so more what we had envisaged. The boat was a 46 ft catamaran, so quite comfortable. The other passengers were a Canadian family with their 10 year old son, plus friend visiting ... read more

Rachael and I are having a lot of fun writing our blogs and we have to be careful to try and include new material. It is a mistake to discuss possible blog entries, or read each other´s, because then I find that I lose all power for original thought... so if you see familiar things, that´s why. If you´ve had trouble getting Rachael´s blog, here´s the address again: http://www.travelblog.org/fred.php?id=231558 She should be loading some photos as we speak. Unfortunately I can´t seem to work out the connection on this computer, but will try another day. ¨Do you speak wine¨¨ of the title is because I said to our waitress the other night: Habla vino tinto? My Spanish is not that bad, but I was obviously having a bad moment, or it was Freudian. Anyway it confused ... read more

Hi All Lovely to get your messages... itçs always nice to get news from home. In case you are wondering, there are no apostrophes on this keyboard, which seems to be a Spanish one. Anyone who knows me well will know that this is killing me, but I will just have to get my head around it. Anyway, back to the fat Americans of the title... we had 3 good days at our hotel, but decided that it was definitely time to hit the trail again. Main reason was that I was starting to make friends with some unusual travellers. The jacuzzi - donçt know how to spell that - was stunning. Right on the edge of the lake, so you could sit in it at sunset watching the last rays of the sun over the ... read more