This place could be home!

It's been exactly one week since we left the place I (Matthew) could gladly call 'home'.  Well, probably a 2nd home...I don't think Carly would go for it!  Carly has already filled in details about our Hol Chan/Shark Ray Alley trip.  For the record, this snorkeling trip was nothing short of fantastic.  And she is NOT kidding about swimming with a 6'+ shark.  I jumped in the water immediately to get the chance to swim with this creature knowing that they rarely, if ever, cause harm to humans.  What a rush...along with all the jacks darting around you feeding on chum.  UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL!!  I can't wait to do something like that again.  I am left wishing that our underwater photographs turn out as we'd hope.

"High Temple" - Look closely, that's us way up there!

At any rate, when I first talked to Mom on Monday, she asked what my favorite thing about the trip was.  At the moment, I hadn't been able to wrap my head around that question because everything was great.  This definitely wasn't a cop-out answer; I just honestly couldn't determine the best part of the trip.  However, after some reflection, there was one thing that stood out to me the most.  It wasn't the snorkeling or the trip to the Maya Ruins or the fishing trip.  You might ask, well what else could it have been?



It was the people and the culture.  Being this my first (of many more to come) international trip, I guess I really didn't know what to expect.  It helped that English is the official language of Belize, no doubt.  Everyone was simply friendly; and it was absolutely genuine.  We made many friends while on the island simply by striking up a conversation with anyone and everyone.  They were happy to talk with us at length.  One day I stopped Tomas (the manager of the hotel we stayed at) while he was working to repair the beach from the hurricane back in October to ask him a simple question.  It turned into and hour and a half conversation that including everything from religion to local politics to the length of time it takes for a coconut to ripen to the frequency of hurricanes and the historical damage they've created on the island.  This was not an anomaly.  Javier, Kristian, Trevor, Wayo and Glen were equally open to talking about anything and everything; even about buying land and starting a business....I've been brainstorming since midweek on the island.

Save for the sailing trip on Wednesday morning, everything we did was fantastic!  Couldn't have asked for more.  More on the sailing trip verbally...it's just too much and too crazy.  But I think someone is going to die or get a hand chopped off....you're curious now, aren't you?  We'll just have to set up a get together over dinner and drinks to discuss the happenings.

The trip provided a perfect blend of activity and relaxation for Carly and I.  And the friendships we made will last forever; something for which we will be forever grateful.  Oh and don't forget the food we ate on the island...amazing!  Almost every review I read leading up to the trip noted that there were no bad restaurants on the island.  They were right.  And about my attempt to sustain myself on Belikin (from an earlier post); I almost succeeded but in the end it was just too much.  My body was screaming for water!  I'm stronger for it and vow to give it a try again come September 2012 in Ireland!  Only this time with Guiness...

If you're looking for a vacation idea, Ambergris Caye (pronounced key...don't forget it!) is it.  Don't just trust us; try it for yourself.  I'm certain you'll enjoy. 

Take care all until our next trip. 

Matt and Carly

Hol Chan/Shark- Ray Alley rewind...

So folks I know that we drifted off at the end and we did not do a blog about Hol Chan or Shark-Ray Alley as promised. Our apologies. I think between myself getting sick and Matthew trying to make me feel better, we were not thinking about the blog. Let me give you a brief synopsis of Hol Chan and Shark-Ray Alley... BEAUTIFUL and HORRID! :)

Hol Chan was beautiful with the colorful reef and amazing wildlife and Shark-Ray Alley was horrid with the sharks, sting rays, and black spotted eagle rays all around you!!! Okay, well, only horrid for me because I am a big CHILD!!! Matthew loved it and swam after the rays. Once I was comfortable in the water, we went exploring for sharks, as they wanted nothing to do with us. We found 3 all together and one was seriously 6 feet long or bigger! It was huge!!! Now, as I was getting comfortable swimming and enjoying all of the wild life, the sting rays came underneath us. I was still fine, no worries, they stay on the bottom. Ugly creatures, but I can deal with ugly as long as they stay at the bottom and keep to themselves, which they do! However... the eagle rays DO NOT! They swim to the top and like to get super close... No, No, No, I don't think so. I swam as fast I could back to the boat and boarded ship before they could be me. Matthew was laughing so hard and decided that he wanted a picture of this nasty creature and swam after it. He actually swam after it!!!

All in all, Hol Chan and Shark-Ray Alley was a lot of fun and probably the best snorkeling that we did on our trip!

We promise to post pictures of our entire trip once we figure it out and if not, we will get them on Facebook ASAP!

Love,
Carly and Matthew

A Ruinin' kind of Day

Friday= Lamanai (an amazing ruin on the mainland of Belize). It was a super long day today, as both Matthew and I were up at 6am because we had to be 3 docks down from our hotel by 6:50am to catch part 1 of our 3 part journey!

We had decided before we left for Belize that we wanted to one of the mainland tours, but we weren't sure which one we would choose. After talking to Suyapa, Tomas, and a few other locals we decided on Lamania. We went back and forth between Lamanai and the Cave Tubing excursion. We actually booked the cave tubing and thought about it some more and changed our minds. The great and (bad) thing about San Pedro is the laid back reality. These people are not putting on a show, they are truly cool, calm, and collected. I find this relaxing while on vacation, but could never handle it on a daily basis.

I digress... so we changed our minds and decided on Lamania. WHAT A GREAT CHOICE!!! We started off the first leg of our three legged race on a boat that left San Pedro and  took us to a little town outside of Belize City called "Ladyville". (note: there is no Manville) :) The first boat ride took us by Caye Cauker, another tiny island, breezing by Belize City in the distance and finally up the Old River (1 hour). Once we exited the boat, we had about a 30 minute drive to the next boat which would take us up the New River to Lamanai (1 hour boat ride). The trip to Lamanai was about 2.5 hours and we have to do that in reverse on the way back! My times may be a little off, but we ended up at Lamanai around 11:30 or 12noon.

Lunch was thankfully provided and it was absolutely delicious!!!! There were the traditional rice and beans with stewed chicken, potato salad, vegetable salad, and fried plantains. Once all of our belly's were full it was off for our guided tour of the Myan Ruins of Lamanai with Eddie. Eddie was also our captain for the second boat leg and was super knowledgeable. I however, have gotten ahead of myself and need to go back a few legs!

Leg One: Boat ride from San Pedro to Ladyville. The boat ride over to the mainland was WINDY and COLD. Of course, Matthew and I both dressed for warm San Pedro weather and today was cloudy and windy in the morning. Needless to say the majority of the first leg was miserable... until we ventured into the Old River. We were able to see and get pictures of a green iguana (which happened to be orange, men and their damn changing colors), crocodiles up close, and lots of different species of birds. While on the Old River we also had a delicious breakfast (chicken and cheese inside of gourmet bread and fresh fruit, and hand squeezed orange juice) while taking in all of the wonderful animal life.

Leg Two: Van ride to next drop off (I can't think of the name of the town, unfortunately). Our Searious Adventure guide was fun and lively giving us an education on everything Belizean. We learned about why and where certain fruit trees/plants grow, what is in season, how the picking process works for cashews (now it explains why cashews are so darn expensive), as well as some insight into the school systems both on the island and mainland. Matthew and I were in the back seat of a 13 passenger van and I of course got car sick. I was sooooooo glad to be on non moving ground for a few minutes, breath in some fresh air, and hop on another boat. It was sunny out for this part of the leg!

Leg Three: Boat ride with Eddie in WIND and CLOUD!!!! We were once again cold, but thankfully we stopped numerous times for different wildlife photo opps. There was so much to see and hear on this trip it was hard to take it all in. Eddie would weave in and out of different off shoots of the river and go us the Lamanai in one piece, as promised. As I mentioned before, we are a fantabulous meal and then headed off to tour the Mayan ruin on Lamanai.

Lamanai which I didn't know is the Spanish historic name for Lama’ an/ayin, which means “submerged crocodile.”  Lots of the temples had crocodile carvings on or around them. Our first stop was Jaguar Temple, it was massive and had two Jaguar masks on either side of the center steps. On our way to the next temple, we saw, or rather heard the Hollerbush Monkeys! They were facinating to watch and stick together in families of 8-20 monkeys. There wasn't too much monkey business going on since we were on a guided tour and needed to continue on. Stella was a small temple that we visited next and Matthew and I were able to get our pictures taken together at this ruin.

So, we continue to travel on and on until we come upon this gigantic structure that had to have been 12 stories high (picture each story getting smaller). Well, this was the one that we were all suppose the climb to the top. Matthew bolted right up, but not me. I climbed slowly and carefully so that I wouldn't slip and fall. I eventually made it to the top with Matthew and the rest of our tour group and I was SOOOOO GLAD that I DID IT!!! The views were awesome and we promise pictures are coming. So, now the hard part for me, having to now get down this massive structure that does not have an elevator. Slowly, but surely and with the cheering on from fellow group members. It was a great accomplishment. After that though, my legs were still shaking and walking was a struggle, I did it slowly!!! our fourth and final temple was called Mask Temple. This temple actually had/has a toomb inside of it, but due to guests abusing items within the toombs, they were forced to seal the entry way. Matthew and I once again got our pictures taken with the one of the masks.

After a morning of travel, lunch, tour of Lamanai, and checking out the gift shops... we headed back to do the three legged trip one more time. However, in the afternoon, it was warmer and the sun was out!!!!

We were able to get some awesome pictures of animals, ruins, sunsets, and people and hope that our tour group had as much fun as we did! Overall, I think both Matthew and I are happy with our choice... I would ask him, but he just crashed on the bed and is asleep already!

Love,
Carly and Matthew

Next up: Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley at 9am on Saturday Morning

Is this love that I'm feelin'?

Yesterday morning, on a whim, we decided to join our Canadian friends, Dan and Lisa, on a sailing/snorkeling trip to Mexico Rocks, Tres Cocos and one other unnamed place after they asked us to go along.  I say on a whim because the boat was leaving near 9 AM and we found out about the trip at approx. 8:45 AM.  What the heck, we decided to join them.  The trip was to last from 9 AM until 1 PM which fit our schedule perfectly since we had another snorkeling trip planned to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley leaving from three docks down at 2 PM.  That would give us just enough time to grab a quick bite to eat at Wayo's and hop back on the boat.

However, things didn't quite turn out as planned.  We set sail north to Mexico Rocks with the aid of the motor (yea, it was certainly cheating to the avid blow boater) and reached our destination within the hour.  Mr. Baxter, a native Belizean, was the Captain helped by Ricky, a Hoduran (more on these two fellows later).  Once we arrived at Mexico Rocks, Ricky hopped in the water with us to guide us around while searching for conch.  The water at this location was about 15 feet deep which was a welcome change from the very shallow snorkeling we did on our fishing trip.  Here we saw large plumes of coral teeming with life.  The diversity of life was amazing. 

After about 30-40 min. we pulled anchor and sailed south to Tres Cocos with the wind doing all the leg work this time.  This time Mr. Baxter led the expedition with the goal to find a lobster.  Another nice snorkeling area similar to that of Mexico Rocks and no such luck on the lobster. 

This is where things get interesting, if you will.  From Tres Cocos, we had a pretty long journey by sail to the next snorkeling location which allowed Mr. Baxter and Ricky (a sure rastafarian, wearing Bob Marley gear and dreads) to get into a deep conversation in Creole about something.  Well, first of all, they offered us weed and asked us what we did for a living.  After politely turning down the smoke, I told him that I worked in civil engineering and that Carly was a cop working for the DEA!!  hahaha.  His face turned quickly serious but I settled the tension down quite quickly after telling him I was joking.  At any rate, Mr. Baxter went on telling us about this situation he was in with a priest from Hondorus stealing some of his money (he's in the pearl and gold business).  After a long and confusing story, the one-sided conversation finally ended and I'm pretty sure that someone is going to die.  More on this story verbally...

At any rate, we finally reached the final snorkeling destination and this one was extremely shallow!  Ricky hopped in the water with us to take us through the coral passageways.  We were both much more comfortable in the shallows this time as we had a guide and more experience.  Mr. Baxter warned us back at Mexico Rocks not to touch any coral and drove the point home again this time since it was so shallow.  And by shallow, I mean we could literally touch the bottom with a partially bent arm in some areas.  We were no longer swimming above the the fish and coral but within it.  It was something of a breathtaking experience.  More fish, a Spotted Eagle Ray (more commonly known as a Manta Ray) and our first SHARK, which freaked the hell out of Carly!!!  It was a small one, however, as it was only about 3.5 - 4 feet long.  Dan also had a small run-in with the coral and was scrathed pretty badly on his back and arm.  It looks soft but supposedly is as sharp as a knife.  Well, Dan found out. 

After returning to the boat, Mr. Baxter dumped some anti-infectant on it and said "Don't worry, Man. It will be okay." in his best Creole accent! From here, we were quickly returned home at approximately 2:10 PM; 10 min late for our other snorkeling trip.  We were, to say the least, snorkeled out for the day and asked to reschedule the Hol Chan/ Shark Ray Alley trip until Saturday morning.  As is ordinary here in San Pedro, our request was granted with no problem, man.

We showered, grabbed lunch with Dan and Lisa at Fido's (pronounced Fee-Doze, as their shirts say) where Kristian made me a Pink Lemonade as a joke, walked back to the cabana and fell asleep to Bob Marley's original rendition of "Is this love" playing down the street. 

In the evening we headed down town to get our first taste of pupusa's; another recommendation of Javier who works here at the cabana.  They were fantastic, as is everything else here on the island.  Back to the cabana and, after struggling with the internet, we crashed for the evening. 

Here I sit today on the lounge chair watching the sunrise over the reef while all the children walk by to school; boys to the south and girls to the north.  I'll have to inquire about this today. 

Today is going to be a chill day for us as we are planning to rent a golf cart (San Pedro's main form of transportation) and check out the island north and south.  Check back later for today's good times.

Oh and yes, this is love that I'm feeling.  I LOVE this island!!

Salud!
Matthew and Carly

Ooooh, Barracuda!

I have a story to tell you all, but I am too much of a child to begin, climb to the climax, and then end a story, so I will begin and end with one thing: i got one i got one i got one (ooooh Barracuda). Matthew was successful as well in his fishing expedition and caught trigger fish, yellow tail snapper, cherry grouper, mutton fish, and snappers out the galore (black, red, etc.)... I also caught a trigger fish or two, a few tellow tail snappers, a cherry grouper, and some sort of snapper! SUCCESS!

However, Matthew was a little queezy beyond the reef, so we ended up coming on the inside of the reef and everything was fine. While the guide, Abel, Matthew, and his grandson Mariano continued to fish, I got bored and hot, so I decided to snorkel. Snorkeling was a challenge at first because I have to remember to not breathe through my nose (if you do, water enters the mask and it is no good). I finally got the hang of it and could see all of the fish nible at their hooks. It was a pretty awesome experience to be under the boat or water and see the natual instincts of fish.

We had a relaxing boat ride into the "bay" side of Ambergrise Caye for our beach BBQ. Captain Abel prepared the most delicous Yellow Tail ceviche... Believe me when I say that that ceviche may hve been one of the best appetizers here on San Pedro and eaten  by me anytime! He also prepapred boat and beach side the most delicous main course meal of Yellow Tail, butter, mayonaise, peppers, onions, tomatoes all wapped tightly in aluminum foil. Abel then took this to a secluded beach area to cook and we ate this delectable dish water side on the boat as we drifted out to the bay.

Matthew and I were able to get in a few snorkeling trips while fishing. One particular place that we went to for snorkeling is called Tres Cocos. Tres Cocos is one of those areas that was fun to swim and get turned upside down pretty quickly. I had to keep looking around to find the boat. Matthew and I got some great pictures with the underwater camera or we hope that we did! ::fingers crossed::

We came back to the hotel, chilled, read, and eventually made our way to Wayos. then down town for dinner at Carambas.... I am glad that we went to dinner there becase they had some great local dishes!!!

As I write this now, it has taken me proofing the entry, Mtthew as well... it is a strggule to finish this entry without falling asleep.

So, I will say farewell to you for today! We will be back and at it sometime tomorrow.

I will leave you with this: i got one i got one i got one!!!!

Love,
Carly and Matthew

Conch Ceviche

Tomas, Javier and Suyapa (all employees of our "hotel") have given us fantastic suggestions for all things Belize, from food to trips to the length of time it takes a coconut to reach its ideal ripeness.  Tomas told us yesterday about a small bakery nearby that makes all of the bread on the island along with many sweets!  We visited this evening to buy some sweets for a quick breakfast tomorrow AM prior to our fishing trip.  WOW!!  What a place!  Everything looked simply delectable and we each ended up buying two items. 

If there has been one thing that has stood out to us since we landed on the island is the ease at which you can talk with the locals.  Most everyone is bilingual and speaks fairly fluent English and they are ALL extremely friendly.  During the last 25 years, the island has morphed from strictly a small fishing village to the travel destination it is today and the locals are embracing it with open arms.  I cannot stress more the level of pure friendship that is displayed immediately followed by a wide smile welcoming you to a conversation.

Last evening and this afternoon we walked to Wayo's, a small bar/restaurant/internet cafe (8 outside bar seats max) along the water, for some Belliken (Matthew) and Rum Punches (Carly).  Edguardo is the owner/bartender, as nice as can be, entertaining and always ready to slap another cold beer on the bar.  Last night, after quite a few rounds (who's counting anyways?), Edguardo, Matt (a 40-50ish Aussie living in the US), Antonio (local), Kathy (cant remember much about her), Carly and I started gambling on a simple dice game.  After many laughs and pretty much an even $$ split throughout the evening, Matt took us for a quick spin around town on his golf cart to get us acquainted with area.  We stopped at another bar along the trip for what we thought was the final round of the night and then Matt brought us back to Wayo's for the LAST round of the night followed by a short walk back to our cabana.  Phew!  After having been awake since 1:45 AM to catch the flight, we pretty muched collapsed in bed somewhere around 8:30 local time (9:30 EST). 

This afternoon at Wayo's turned out to be another interesting time.  Some of Edguardo's friends showed up and were trading mind teasers back and forth with each other.  After being introduced, Joshua decided it'd be okay to let me in on the game and I proceeded to nail down one of the brain teasers they couldn't figure out.  I guess they thought me a worthy opponent and the brain games got harder and harder until I gave them one and stumped them for about 30 min.  Back and forth we went for a few entertaining hours until we walked back to the cabana to relax with book in hand before dinner. 

After a long day of riding the bikes, reading, drinking and conversing with the locals, we decided to go grab some dinner for the first time on the island.  We decided to try out The Reef Restaurant in town after it was suggested to us by some fellow travelers we met at the hotel from Canada. 

Neither of us had ever had conch OR ceviche so why not try both in one dish, right?.  Simply Delicious!  And we can't wait to have more!  Also included on the night's menu were shrimp bites and lobster burgers flushed down by a cool margarita.  Everything was fantastic along with the atmosphere...laid back service on a floor of sand.  It doesn't get much better than this.  A short bike ride back to the cabana and here I sit while Carly sleeps, writing the post. 

Tomorrow, 7 AM we depart for the reef with fishing rods in hand for a day of fishing, snorkeling and beach BBQing.

Love,
Carly and Matthew

Welcome to Paradise

After two delayed plane rides due to "maintenance issues" we finally landed in Belize City. Immigrations and Customs was easy, once we got to that area and there was a taxi outside waiting like it was planned! Our driver drove like a maniac and we loved it because we would have never made our final connector flight if it were not for him and his "illegal" driving (the speed limit here is 15-25). There were "no" stop signs and the speed limits were merely guidelines.

So, we got here to San Pedro... checked in, took in the beauty and went straight to a bar, Wayo's Bar that is! We are back again today for some "adult" beverages as Matthew is trying to sustain himself with no other liquid than Belikin. There is success so far.

We rented bikes and toured the city of San Pedro today... went swimming off the hotel property and all is well! Internet connection is slow and limited, so we will only be able to write briefly and probably only once per day. Depending on how pictures upload... pics may be limited as well...

No luck today, so we will try tomorrow after our fishing trip!

Love,
Carly and Matthew