Belize: Day 6

Ahhh...I am blogging from the paradise of Placencia so now I will tell you how we came to be here.

This morning, we awoke around 6:30, after sleeping for about 12 hours, and were ready for the day. We knew that we wanted to try and leave the city so we pulled out the computer again to try and figure out how to get out of the crazy, dirty San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, and make our way to Placencia. We found a flight that left San Pedro at noon that would put us in Placencia by 1:30 pm. The flight definitely beats a 1:30 boat taxi, a 20 min taxi to the bus station, and then a 2:30 bus ride on dirt roads to Placenica. Next, we looked for a few places to stay. Since we are coming through Belize during the beginning of the slow season, finding a place to stay has not been hard at any point in time. We found a place that we preferred but if it was full we decided we would just walk down the beach until we found what we wanted: a $50 room with AC, internet, and a mini-fridge.

At 8:00 am, we left the room to try and find some breakfast. While we were walking down the street we found a little place that looked like a cafe so we went in and sat down. Once we looked at the menu, we walked back out. I have never paid $20 for breakfast and wasn't about to start while we were in a foreign country. So we walked on and soon stumbled upon our little bakery. I got a ham and cheese breakfast pastry and a jam pie and Ash got a cinnamon roll for and a little pig in a blanket for the road. Next, I was in search of some fresh juice. We walked into a store that was produce only and I asked if they could blend some fresh juice up. We walked away with some cantaloupe juice and paid only $4 for breakfast for the two of us. THAT is the way it should be done. It reminded me so much of baguettes and orange juice in Europe.

We went back to our room to find out if we could check out early and get a refund for the unused day and had to wait about 2 hours because the owner, Lily, was out in town. After reading, and another short nap for me, Ashley got us most of our money back and we were able to check out.

Soon after, we headed to the airport. This is not your typical airport. The planes hold 7-14 passengers and the runway is packed dirt. The gates were chain link fences and the boarding passes were laminated pieces of colored paper that said "boarding pass." This is where I wish I could download my pictures so that you could all understand the fullness of this tiny airport. Nevertheless, we got on an airplane, a seven-passenger plane, and we headed out to Belize City. We changed planes which was really getting off long enough for us to go in and use the restroom, before we boarded the plane again to go to the International Airport. After picking up our final two passengers, we flew the 35 min to Placencia. Ashley was very lucky and on our second flight, he got to sit in the co-pilot seat which is used for passengers. He enjoyed watching the pilot use the gauges and switches to operate the tiny aircraft and also enjoyed the 180 degree view from the cockpit. There is no barrier between the cockpit and the passengers as on regular planes so even from the back seat, where I was sitting, I could see most of the gauges and through the windshield. Again, I wish I had the camera cord so I could show you all.

Once we landed, we took a taxi to the town of Placencia and were dropped off near the SeaSpray Hotel, our lodging of choice. After walking down the sidewalk for about 10 min, we found exactly what we wanted for only $54. We are just 100 feet from the beach and the beach here is spectacular, unlike the islands we were on. Plus, we ended up in a great room with a very knowledgable office secretary who has helped us out quite a bit. Outside of not having a kitchen, we are in the nicest room we have stayed in so far. We have a beach, the seabreeze, the sand, the room, all for such a small price.

Placencia is truly paradise. I wish that you could all be here with me. This is my vision of a great honeymoon on the beach.

Some things that we have noticed

• All of the dogs here have no owners and the exact same snout. Whether the dog is a chihuahua or a lab or a mut, they all have the exact same nose...I'll let you think what you may...
• Americans could use a little more color in their lives. Here, everything is so colorful. In the states, we use reds, browns, etc but rarely use all of the colors to create art and beauty with all that surrounds us.
• There is this habanero pepper trend here. The only peppers we have found are habaneros. And they are everywhere. Habanero dishes, habanero sause, habanero peppers, everywhere habaneros! They are grown in the foothills of the Mayan mountains so I guess if figures but why habaneros? I am on vacation and I don't want to burn twice.
• The Belize accent is much thicker when they are talking to each other and we can't tell what they are saying. But when they talk to us, they use the watered down version of the accent and we can tell what they are saying.
• Everyone talkes about how there is so much crime in Belize but when we talk to people that actually live here, they tell us that it is the safest place around. Either way, I think we will still watch ourselves.

Till Later...

Belize: Day 5 Continued

Once we arrived at the bottom for our final training dive (60 feet) we completed our final skills demonstration to complete our certification: take your mask off and put it back on then clear it, navigate underwater with a compass, and hover just off of the bottom of the ocean floor. While I was working on taking off my mask and clearing it, a giant Hawksbill Sea Turtle swam by Ashley. Once I was finished with my skill and I reopened my eyes, the instructor signalled turtle to me and swam me over to where it was swimming away. It was about four feet in diameter and maybe six feet long! Ash said that there were two sucker sharks that were six feet long that were swimming along underneath him. I was so jealous that I didn't get to see more of him.

After we finished our first dive, 40 min, we surfaced and spent about an 1:30 on the surface eating lunch and chatting while two of the divers with us completed a rescue diver course. While we were up there, we ate PB&J sandwiches and a fresh watermelon that I had cut up earlier that morning. Can I say, I just love all the fruit here!

During our second dive, as certified divers and also to 60 feet, we saw a lot more fish. I saw many Anglefish that were nearly one foot in diameter. I also saw a spotted drum fish which is black and white, like a zebra. I find it so amazing that all of the colors we create are actually colors that exist in nature, something that is especially apparent while looking underwater at the reef. The reef was as healthy as we had seen it. Many hurricanes come through the area and damage the reef just outside Caye Caulker. This is one of the reasons why Caye Caulker is so quiet and laid back.

After finishing our diving for the day, we went back to the dock where we finished our paperwork and got our certificates as certified divers. We then rushed to pick up our laundry from the laundermat and we returned our bicycles. Then, we walked home, packed our freshly laundered clothing into our suitcases and headed for the boat taxi to take us to Ambergris Caye. The boat ride was about 45 min and mostly pleasant.

We arrived on Ambergris Caye to a bustling city and a very unpleasant surprise. The streets are narrow and full of cars, golf carts, bicycles, pedestrians, and street vendors. There just isn't enough room for everyone! We did not have a pre-arranged place to stay here so we started walking down the street with our suitcases in hand and asking questions of taxi drivers that wanted to take us around. We stumbled upon a little info cabana that had a few people at it that get paid to arrange tours, places to stay, dives, etc for each places but get paid a commission by the places not by the tourists. They gave us a map and helped us find a place to stay. It was a bit of a dive but it had everything that we wanted, wireless internet, AC, private bathroom, and a mini-fridge, for only $50 US/night. We walked around the town that afternoon to look for a grocery store and a place to get an appetizer. We found a bakery, Jedda- Smile, that was similar to a European bakery but with a Latino spin on it. Instead of 10 different kinds of rolls and hard breads and a variety of pastries, there were different kinds of flat breads, tortilla chips, soft rolls, and mexican pastries. We also found a little bar that made some great appetizers that filled us most of the way up. After leaving there and walking around a bit, we were so overwhelmed by the fast pace that we went back to our room before the sun went down to see if we could get out of there and onto another location.

Before leaving, I had read about a place, Placencia, that seemed very quaint and quiet- more of what we were looking for. We decided, while falling asleep looking at the computer, that if Lily, the woman who owned the hotel, would give us our money back for the second night, we would try to make it there tomorrow. Ashley and I fell asleep, he had the laptop on his lap, by 7:00 and didn't awake until about 6:30 this morning. It felt so good to sleep for so long and to rest from all of the stress of the city.

Belize: Day 5

Today, Ashley and I awoke early again in order to finish our dive certification at Frenchies Dive Shop. This time, we went to "The Waffle House" were there are breads and cakes made. Each morning, the woman who ownes this place also makes little meat pies. Yesterday, one of the women at Frenchies had some of these and they looked and smelled so good, I had to have one this morning. They were just as good as they looked and smelled. I bought three, two for me and one for Ash. Ash got one bite, I ate the rest.

After we took our final exam (after sweat and turmoil, Ash got a better score than I did) we went out to complete our final training dive. We dove to 60 feet for our first time. I finally felt like I understood the feeling of neutral boyancy (floating above the bottom and using your breath to steer) and Ash was able to equalize much better this go around.

More later...

Belize: Days 1-4

Day 1: Our first flight left Salt Lake City at 1:00 am on May 10, 2009. We arrived in Belize City after a long night with little sleep and little to eat at about 12:30 pm, local Belize time (same as Utah time). We got a taxi and went to the boat dock for our water taxi that would take us to our first destination, Caye Caulker. The boat ride was about 45 min and when we arrived, the property manager for our place, Bobbi, met us there on her golf cart to check us in and take us to Casa Roja, our home for the four days following.

Since there are very few vehicles on Caye Caulker, we have seen about 4 so far, everyone gets around on a golf cart, a bicycle, or two feet. Since the island is only 2 miles long and 1/2 mile wide, it is easy to get around on foot. However, after Ashley and I checked into our little home (we have the bottom floor) we left to rent a golf cart for the rest of the day to become acquainted with the island more quickly and to pick up groceries.

The island is so great! With no roads, the island philosophy is "Go Slow," people even holler it to you off of the street if you are riding your bicycle too fast! Here, everyone is barefoot, and we get to eat lots of fresh fruit! Right after we rented our golf cart, we drove to a place called Femi's Cafe and Grill where the food is cooked fresh when you order. It is an outdoor cafe where the seats are swings and the music is rockin every day all day (except Wednesday).

During the rest of the day, Ashley and I went to The Split, the top of the island where people go to the beach, and swam for a little while. We also went to Frenchies Dive Shop to pick up our dive textbooks and to check in for the next day of dive class.

For Dinner, Ashley and I went to Habaneros for a feast. The menus were the coolest I have ever seen. They were just like a scrapbook and the pages were even made out of natural fiber paper. I wasn't feeling very well (too much sun or something) and so my expenisve meal went mostly to waste. I felt horrible too, because everyone says it is the best place on the island to eat. I just wasn't up for it. Every time I took a bite, I wanted to lean over the side and hurl. However, Habaneros had the best Pina Colada I have ever had. Mmm...coconut juice and pineapple juice blend so much better when they are fresh!

Day 2:

We woke up late today, around 8:00 after trying to sleep through 3 hours of sun in our eyes. In Belize, the sun rises at 5:00 am and sets around 6:30 pm. So after trying to sleep with full sun in our room, we had enough and got up. I cut up a fresh watermelon for breakfast and packed our bag with PB&J sandwiches for the road. We stopped at Femi's again for frozen smoothie drink and then walked down the beach to Frenchies to start our dive classes. At 10:00, we started to watch the educational films on scuba diving. With all of the underwater skills, Ash and I were both feeling a bit nervous.

At 11:45, we took a break for lunch and went to The Split, where people swim at the top of the island, for a little swimming and some lunch. Swimming in salt water is easy but sure tastes bad once you get a little in your mouth. It also stings your mouth, nose, eyes, and throat if you get it in any of those places. But warm water is great and I enjoyed swimming in a giant bathtub!

Frenchies opened again after lunch at 1:30 so we finished our movies then. Most of the way the way through, another gentleman joined us, Guido, from Canada. He is also getting dive certified.

Once we finished watching the videos, we were walking home and decided to rent ourselves some bicycles. We noticed that by walking, we were spending much more time in the sun and getting more sun exposure, causing us to pass our threshold for sunburning with SPF 50. We cut a deal with the rental shop and got them both for three days for $40US. After a little studying at home, we went back out for dinner. We had a nacho appetizer at Femi's, a burger at the Sports Bar (Ash wanted to know the score on the Maverick's game), and then we went to the I&I Reggae Bar for dancing. We had made friends with a couple of local islanders and we met them there to dance.

It was a late night by then and Ash and I had to be at Frenchies Dive Shop by 8:30 the next morning, so we went home and went to bed.

Day 3:

First thing in the morning, I cut up a fresh pineapple for breakfast and made our sandwiches for lunch again. We went to Frenchies Dive Shop to start our underwater part of the certification. First, we got on the boat and drove out to just before the reef where the water was shallow but there was plenty of sand for us to kneel on to practice our skills.

Getting out of the boat was the moment of truth. You do what is called a back entry. This is when you have all of your gear on and sit on the side of the boat and lean back to go in back first. It is easy to do but it is really the moment of truth where you discover that you trust your equipment. Once we were on the bottom we practiced the skills. You have to do all kinds of things like, take the air regulator (the thing you breathe out of while under water) out of your mouth and exhale while you ask your buddy if you can borrow his air. Then you get his spare air regulator, and breathe out of it instead. Everything you do under there is designed to prepare you in case of emergency or accident. But, it is a little nerve racking to think that you could be in a place that you can't breathe with an accident or an emergency. Nonetheless, we got the skills down and it turned out to be quite easy.

After spending about an hour under the water at about 6 feet we had finished our skills portion of the class and drove out to a different part of the reef where we could go deeper and see more. We went on our first official dive. While decsending to the 24 ft. bottom, I had a really hard time equalizing my ears- "popping them" so that they don't have pressure damage. After trying once and resurfacing, I made it to the bottom where the sea life was. It was amazing to see all of the parts of the ocean that you only see on tv. Even though we were not in the most vibrant parts of the reef, seeing fish swim around me and brain coral was enough to sweep both of us off of our feet! We were down for about 45 min before we surfaced and drove back to the shore. Wow! Amazing!

Ashley and I had been in the sun all day and were feeling very tired when we got home so we went to sleep for a couple of hours. When the sun was going down, we went to the convenience store to buy and onion and a new tube of sunscreen. We went back home, made spaghetti, did some studying for class, and went to sleep.

Day 4:

Today we got to go on two dives, both to about 40 feet. This guy in the picture looks just like Ash with yellow fins and a yellow regulator tube. The reef looks just like it does in the pictures! We really enjoyed it!

We got home at about 2:00 and went to Jack's Shrimp on a Stick Shack. Jack takes care of Casa Roja, where we are staying, and he BBQs the most amazing fresh shrimp. They best part is that he cooks up one box of shrimp a day and once it is gone, he goes home. He is so popular that even guide books have his shrimp in them. He is an old white guy that has a completely pessimistic view on life because of his army days. But, man, oh man, his shrimp is good. Ash and I ate 8 each! LeeAnn, you would love it!!! There are eight flavors to choose from and I just can't say enough! After running a few errands and dropping our clothes off at a laundermat, we went home to rest and get out of the sun until dinner tonight when we go to Rainbow's Grill for a chicken quesadilla that comes highly recommended.

Here are a few other things that Ash and I think about Caye Caulker and Belize:

The Craziest thing we have seen:

Ash: The Baby on the balcony with no railing.

We are staying in an undeveloped country where shacks and shanties are abundant. Our first night here, we saw a toddler walking out on the balcony less than one foot from a 15 foot fall. The balcony had no railing and the baby had no supervision!

Rhielle: Barefeet everywhere!

I am a huge fan of bare feet and I love that no one here wears shoes. However, sometimes, I think it goes a little too far. Since this island is undeveloped, there is not a good trash collecting system. The streets are fairly clean but it is normal to see beer caps or bottles strewn about.

My Favorite Thing:

Ash: Seabreeze

Rhielle: Fresh fruit and good food.

I have been looking forward to coming here and having off the tree fruit ever since we planned this trip. The rest of the food is good too. I love beans, rice, and meat for dinner and we can have that all the time. I also just got some bannana bread/cake and fresh fruit always makes for more flavor.

My Least Favorite Thing:

Ash: Islander Theft Paranoia

Everyone has been telling us to watch ourselves, never to carry too much cash, to lock the doors, keep windows shut, etc. Most of this is all common sense when you are travelling but we have heard it so often that we are becoming paranoid about it all. We never take the backpack off and we don't even open the windows in our hot, muggy apartment.

Rhielle: Sweating and Humidity

I know I sound like a big baby but I am telling you, with little more than a swimsuit on, I am sweating so much that I am soaked. Ah, how I love the desert.

I forgot the cord to download my pictures onto the blog so I will have to do it later.

Til then...

Hendrix- Now I get a Husband and a Boyfriend

Ok, I was going to wait to post this but I just can't. He is sooo cute!

For our wedding gift to ourselves, Ashley and I adpoted a dog. I know, I know. Anyone who knows me well knows I am not much of an animal person and I am definitely not much of a big dog person- too much hair and too much jumping. After visiting the Humane Society to look for a small dog, and seeing nothing but Chihuahuas that barked their heads off, I asked if we could walk through the big dog section. Hendrix was the first dog that we saw. He never barked and after running with him by my side (something we have now had to work on at home) and sitting and shaking at the humane society, Ash and I decided that we needed him and he needed us. He is a Boxer/Great Dane mix but actually quite small for his breed.

Can I say, love at first sight?

Married

Some photos of my new hubby and me.

Photos courtesy of John Whetten

Home Again

I just got back from a Backpacking trip to Zion National Park. Neither Ash nor I have ever been in the backcountry there so we got to see something new. I have a few of my favorite pics below. Enjoy!

I had my first hitch-hiking experience on this trip. We were picked up by an 18-yr. old from Ogden on his way to check out U of Arizona for school next year.

I have been obsessed with the texture of old wood lately. We camped near an old cable for lowering timber to the canyon floor. It was beautiful!

I went backpacking as a field-trip for my wilderness nutrition course at school. I had to photograph all of my food before I went. This is my favorite meal and my favorite pic.

This is the old, opened seed pod of a yucca plant. The color inside was so fun and it was so fragile, I had to take a second look after I walked past.

A Hot Chocolate, Good Morning Cheers! always puts a smile on a cold face.

We camped with this view during sunset, full-moon rise, and sunrise. It was truly one of the most spectacular camping spots of my life.