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Just Arrived
Fresh off the boat Last week I was in San Pedro. It all seems like yesterday, so far away...
Belize, in Central America, was the stop after Miami. We stayed on Ambergris Caye (island) which is east of the Belize mainland. The main town on the Caye is San Pedro - and if this isn't the place that Madonna sang about then the locals have done a good job in convincing people that it is!
We arrived in Belize International airport and the humidity was practically unbearable. I thought New Orleans was humid, but it was nothing in comparison to this place. Our cabbie that took us from the airport to the marine terminal explained that Belizeans had a lot of time for the English because Belize was a British colony until 1981. There are still British troops stationed on the mainland and during our stay we were asked countless times if we were in the army. It was only on our last day that we were told that we would have got lots of stuff half price if we'd have said yes!!!
We had to get the water taxi boat at the marine terminal in order to reach Ambergris Caye. After
Our 'hotel'
And the preferred method of transport - golf karts swerving the blatant rip off attempt when buying tickets, we boarded the boat and set off. About twenty minutes into the trip we heard a big bang on the underside of the boat. The crew jumped straight up looking really worried, which didn't help matters, although it was quickly clear that although we'd lost power, we weren't going to sink. It transpired that a 'wheel' had broken and the delay wasn't too bad as a speedboat came to pick us up and take us to our destination. The break out on the open water gave me a chance to appreciate just how lovely the Caribbean Sea is. It was turquoise, warm and ever so clear. It rarely gets too deep between the reef and the cayes and you can nearly always see the seabed.
We knew that we were arriving out of season so it was no surprise when we got a drink upon arrival at San Pedro that it was pretty quiet. The local beer, Belikin, was ok. We stuck with it because it was only about 75p a bottle (we're pikeys these days!), although in less touristy parts of Belize it would have cost closer to 25p.
After a snapper sandwich and a beer we checked into a hotel (with air-conditioning!) and hiked the full two metres to the beach. The water was like bath water, it was so warm and relaxing. The only downside were the large patches of seagrass that grow all around the Caye. This grows because waves and currents don't reach the island as they are all neutralised by the barrier reef (the world's second largest) that runs parrallel to the beach, about a mile offshore.
Belize was the first place that we had more than three days in, so it was the first time that we were able to kick back and properly relax - a fundamental element of any Caribbean visit! The most energetic things that I did during the week were an early morning beach run and a bike ride. We hired the bikes and rode north, out of the main tourist centre, which was only three or four blocks long. We planned to ride a long way along the coast to other areas that we had been told were well worth visiting, although it wasn't until we'd be going for about half an hour that we realised
that the combination of terrain, heat, lack of gears (and laziness) made this unlikely. We did get to one place and it did happen to serve cold beer and we did happen to stay there for quite a long time and we did happen to ride back home in a zig-zag pattern.
The highlight of my stay in Belize, and the highlight of my trip to date, was the day of snorkelling. You can see some photos below, but they don't do the marine life any justice. I've never been too keen on Stingrays, but by the end of the day I had managed to 'hug' one, which involved treading water and holding it in a kind of 'rock the baby' way with one hand under each wing (it had a five foot wingspan). It was a strange experience because I was looking it straight in the eyes from really close up! I managed to touch one of the sharks, which were not aggressive and would not bite unless attacked, although the bigger ones were about ten feet long and they looked quite intimidating. The shark felt like wet sandpaper, although our guide, Eddie, thought it would be funny
Exploring
Pedal backwards to brake to let go of it and push it in my direction as it darted off. I guess it was funny - for everybody except me! I came very close to making a personal contribution to the range of aquatic oddities on display...
There were Moray Eels, Pufferfish, Thimble Jellyfish and all sorts of creepies out there, but the most scary thing was the sea turtle that had bitten about 25 people in recent months. Now, our guide Eddie was good value and he didn't stop titting around the whole time, but I believed him about this one. There were about four or five turtles swimming with us and none of us had a clue which one it was. They were all pretty big, maybe 4ft, and their mouths were large too! Every time a turtle came close I disappeared as quickly as I could. It was towards the end of that swim that I saw a turtle chasing Eddie and he was having to fend it off with his feet/flippers. Rather him than me.
Before setting off on this trip I'd decided that I would take every opportunity to try things that I hadn't tried before, so with
this in mind I got up early one morning and went to a fishing shop. For the sum total of 2GBP I got a hook, line, weights and enough bait to last the whole day. Once I'd found a rod (for rod, read stick) I was ready to go. I walked out to the end of one of the docks, 'cast' my line and within seconds I felt a nibble, only to pull the hook up and find that the fish had just pulled the bait from the hook. This was the order of the day, so I stopped after about half an hour. I returned at dusk, determined not to give up and after about 15 minutes I finally got a bite. It might sound stupid, but I was completely unprepared for catching a fish. I pulled it up onto the dock and it started wiggling like mad. When it stopped spazzing out it just lay motionless with this look of intense fear in its eye. I tried twice to hold it while I worked the hook out but it was too evasive and its fins were really sharp. In the end I just got the hook and pushed
A Stingray
Not the best photo... it out without touching the fish. It all seemed quite cruel and I must admit that I'm not 'hooked' on fishing.
Since Belize I've spent the best part of a fortnight in West USA. I'm currently in Venice, Los Angeles and tomorrow we fly to Tokyo. So much more to update you with!
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