Finally....a real scuba dive!!

No one needed to set an alarm this morning. At 5:30am a simultaneous lightning flash & clap of thunder had everyone practically jumping out of bed this morning. Everyone was thinking, oh no, another day with hardly any snorkeling or scuba diving, but the weather changed and it turned out to be the best weather day since we got here.

When everyone else was taking their 7:30 dive, LuRue and Montana and another woman, Lisa, walked around the island counting how many sooty tern chicks there were. They counted around 14, but are sure they missed hundreds of them hiding in the coral rubble.

After breakfast, Simon gave a fish ID talk. Then he took Montana and LuRue out for their first scuba dive! We both thought it was very fun and interesting, and quite the experience. We only went down to seven feet, but got to take a short cut, by not learning all the needed things to go deeper. In other words, we kind of cheated our diving lessons. We both agree that it was easier than we thought. Once in the water, it was just swimming around. We both had different problems, however nothing serious. Montana's ears refused to pop and LuRue had troubles clearing her snorkel mask.

They got back right around lunch time. We had chicken salad for lunch with lots of lettuce. YUM!

After Lunch, LuRue, Montana and Lisa went out for a snorkel. Lisa just came to try out her new underwater camera, and she left early. Montana and LuRue stayed in the water about two hours. We saw some new species of fish, some of which are very unusual, such as a cowfish or a queen angelfish.

That was all for the water that day. After getting back LuRue and Montana just relaxed and did a quick edit on the pictures they had taken.

The group is very congenial & meals are enjoyable with everyone exchanging diving information, sharing stories of where they live or work that they do. After a late dinner, some stay up until the wee hours, but Montana and LuRue are usually back in their room, writing this blog and getting ready for bed about 9:00pm.

No Scuba, Still Snorkeling

We had a late start to our day. Instead of the ReefCI people picking us up at 9, they picked us up at 10. Then, instead of going to the snack shack, we arrived at a boat dock. We met the owner of the dock, an iguana.

It took a while to load the boat, but we finally got going. This week, we have three new ReefCI guests, substituting the three that left last week. There is a couple from Croatia/Lower Slovenia and a women from California.

Even though from the docks the sea looked calm, but on the boat, a short way from land, the water got really choppy. It was like we were riding a roller coaster. The front of the boat would ride high out of the water and slam down, spraying everyone, but the people in the back, us, definitely got sprayed the most. Both of our fronts and backs were drenched and LuRue's hair was like she just took a shower. Montana's hair was like a rat made a home in it. It was about a two hour boat ride.

About an hour after we got back and settled again, we went out for a snorkel. The sea was pretty choppy and water kept leaking into Montana's snorkel. However, there was lots to see. The best viewing was, by far, the queen angelfish.

















Everyone is settled into their old routine's from last week. Isn't it nice to get back into our wet bathing suits and wear it around all day!?! The new comers are being introduced to the history and philosophy of ReefCI.

Drumming, Dancing & Dining

A lazy morning of catching up on emails & getting repacked for tomorrow with a little laundry thrown in. After finishing off our leftover chicken, we hung out until it was time for the taxi to take us to the drumming lesson. Taxis here might be anything with wheels…a local woman living up the street picked us up in her van accompanied by a young woman & her baby sister. The driver told me not to close the van door, & since no one here seems to bother about seat belts, I hung on to the overhead handle in case we took a fast corner.

We were met at the Warasa Garifuna Drum School by a young man with a wide smile named Ray. The “school” was a covered shelter with a floor of sand next to their private home. Also there was Ray’s parents & younger brother in addition to Ray’s Scottish wife. He gave us a quick background of the culture, which mainly consists slaves who were cast out of Honduras by the British as undesirables. With no one strong cultural identity, the Garifunas now are a mixture of Africans with some other cultures mixed in as well, French, Mexican, etc.

Montana and LuRue were given the beats for the large drums, while Ray played the smaller more complicated drum. Montana asked to try the smaller drum & surprised Ray by picking up one of the more complicated rhythms right away. In the meantime, LuRue struggled with one of the basic beats on the larger drum, never quite getting it right.

Then the troupe put on a performance for us of several Garifuna songs, using drums, shakas (like maracas), and song. The last part of the afternoon was the dancing. At least LuRue could shake her hips enough to get a smile and thumbs up from the mother. Ray worked with Montana on how to shake her booty. We’ll be going back next week for a drum-making exhibition.

We got back to Blue Belize in time to head out to Asha’s for dinner—Montana having BBQ ribs & LuRue trying the lionfish. We have eaten there twice now & still can’t see why it’s so popular. We think it’s just OK.

We were surprised when Simon & Tracy from ReefCI came in. They pushed another table up against ours & said they were expecting more. Before we left, we did meet three new divers, a woman from the US and a couple from Croatia/Slovenia.

More lightning & rain tonight. Sure hope we don’t get another tropical depression moving through.

Once on the island, LuRue’s computer went completely dead. Then it beeped for awhile & eventually came back to life. Now Montana’s computer has gone into permanent hibernation. We keep trying to nurse it back to health, but for now we’re expecting the worst, but hoping for the best.

If our blog suddenly stops, you’ll know the reason why.

Nectar of the Gods--Chocolate!

Today was an opportunity to do some random things. A day to wash out some clothes & get creative on how to dry them in this humid climate—thank goodness for fans.

As soon as we left the apartment, it started to rain, but it was an off & on thing that doesn’t seem like another mini-hurricane moving in, in spite of thunder & lightning last night. First stop was the fruit market…a series of tables set up along Front Street for the mornings only. A nice selection of about any kind of tropical fruits imaginable. Montana picked out a fresh-looking bag of cut-up mangos.

Next stop was toward the end of Front Street at the Chocolate Factory. We went in for the free tour advertised. The shop is small, but the whole process is done there, from the beans to the finished products. One other couple was with us the young woman walked us through & demonstrated each step. Taste tests were great! Of course we had to make a few purchases for our fridge in the apartment!

On the way back to town, we ran into Heather McKillop, whom we had met yesterday at the Chocolate Factory while asking about the tour. Heather is with Louisiana State University & with a team that discovered an ancient Maya Canoe Paddle. She pointed out the small building just up the street that has a full-size replica from a 3-D printer. The original is going to be presented there next Friday, so we’ll be getting back from Sapodilla Cayes in time to see it before it is officially presented to the government of Belize. The paddle was discovered in 2004 in mangrove peat and has been been preserved for its safety since then. For archeologists, this is a huge discovery. Heather really encouraged us to come. Today we did go to the building & looked at the 3-D replica, a marvel in itself.

We went to a grocery store & picked up a few supplies, but we’re planning to eat dinner at Asha’s tomorrow night, so we didn’t want much.

More off & on rain on the way home, but we think the storm has passed. LuRue cooked up some chicken to have in the fridge for whenever anyone gets hungry. Otherwise the afternoon was very quiet & lazy with reading, music,  and maybe a nap or two.

There's No Place Like PG

We got up at 6:45 again and ate breakfast. After breakfast, we got packed and ready to leave to Punta Gorda for the weekend. 

The boat, however, did not leave until like 11, so we hung out on the hammocks and inventing strange games, such as I Spy and tossing rocks into shells. In other words, we pretty much wasted an hour of our life. 

We then got into the boat and left to Punta Gorda. It took over 2.5 hours to get back. LuRue talked to Lindsey, but other than that we just listened to Caribbean, Reggae, music remixes. It was a bumpy ride and the boat driver was spinning the wheel like crazy to stay on course. 

We got to Punta Gorda and LuRue made a couple of phone calls to figure out our weekend. While LuRue ate lunch, Montana took her first shower in a week, which LuRue will take in a few minutes. Montana says it felt like she forgot how to take one.

They then went into town to talk to a wildlife conservation center about the program, “Ranger for a Day.” On the way, we stopped into a chocolate factory to ask about the free chocolate factory tour. We got to the wildlife conservation center, but figured out we couldn’t do the “Ranger for a Day” this weekend, so we planned it for next weekend and decided to do the chocolate factory tour tomorrow. On our way back, we stopped at Asha’s Seafood and BBQ and ate dinner. It was not as good as everyone had said, but they were out of all the foods we wanted to order, such as lionfish, BBQ pork ribs and sweet potato fries. They also had no good desserts. First day of the trip, we think, where for sweets, we only had a tiny taste of chocolate from the chocolate factory.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

We got up at around 6:45. We ate bacon, eggs, and bread. After breakfast, Simon had us and two other men watch a PADI learning how-to-dive video. After that, Simon had a talk on identifying coral, then all the divers went out to identify coral.

LuRue is sure she overheard Simon say to someone that then he would figure out what to do with Montana and LuRue. But no one came and Montana & LuRue were stuck on the tiny island with nothing much to do. For awhile they looked at reference books on coral to try to identify the different types. Then they went up on the roof of the main building & tried to take a panoramic picture. From the roof one can see all the shores of the island. Worse yet, one can see all this inviting Caribbean ocean practically inches away from anywhere on the island.

They were getting desperate to get into the water. LuRue asked one worker if we could swim where we had been a couple of days ago, but he said no, that the sea was too rough & the current was too strong. Right at the dock, there is an enclosed marina about the size of a large pool. The guy said it would be OK to swim in there, so we did. About half of the area is so shallow, our stomachs practically rubbed on the bottom. Then we swam over a sunken tire, some soles of old flip-flops, the guts of a lion fish, but we did spot the rare tomato fish (a half-slice of a tomato). But eventually we found a deeper part where there were actually a few fish. It was also deep enough that we could practice some of our diving skills learned on Tuesday. OK, so it wasn't the snorkeling experience that you would want to write a post card about, but at least we got away from the confines of the island and into the water!

After our "swim", everyone came back & just as the lunch bell rang, Polly, Simon, & some others came over to discuss our dilemma. Everyone feels very badly that the weather has been so lousy & that no one has had the diving experience they expected. We agreed & said we understood, but were hoping that we would think of some solution, such as snorkeling in one safe section. But Polly explained that the currents around the island can be strong enough to carry even the strongest swimmer away. But they had all discussed the situation & saw that it would be safe for one of the guides to take us snorkeling that afternoon. We jumped at the chance & after lunch got to go snorkeling for about an hour with Harry.

Montana joined another game of volleyball & they played until almost dinnertime. LuRue talked with some of the others, particularly a woman from California & another from Wales.

Dinner tonight was fresh-caught lobster from just offshore, finished off by desserts.

The Water is Alive

We thought we were going to sleep in, but island life begins early. Both of us were up & dressed before 7:00, just in time to attend the meeting for the early dive crew. Since one of the students has only until Friday to complete his course, he & another guy got a condensed lesson, while Jason gave us a slide show on fish ID. He then took Montana and LuRue out for a snorkel. The weather is still a bit rough, which roils the waters, but we still got to see several things. Most things we had already seen in Bonaire, but we did get to see our first Gray Angelfish.

Breakfast was about 10:00 because the divers' boat broke down temporarily. Food is generally good and is plentiful.

Polly gave three of us a mini-course on underwater photography. She has some absolutely spectacular photos of reef corals, fishes, & creatures. She has perfected her skills over the years, using different settings to enhance the details she wants, & uses strobe lights for the deep water pictures. She commented that Montana's is the best point-and-shoot camera you can get.

Since the seas were too rough for an afternoon dive (and even an evening dive later), Montana and LuRue decided to take a walk around the island. Montana wanted to walk faster because LuRue had on  uncomfortable crocs. We timed ourselves. It took LuRue 3 minutes, 10 seconds...Montana strode along in her sandals & was back at the starting point in 1 minute, 27 seconds.

We were also given a talk on corals. It got a bit technical, so some were not as interested as the rest, especially when it became political about regulations, their enforcement, and the encroachment by neighboring countries.

Before dinner, a volleyball game started & Montana held her own with the rest, including a 6-foot college girl who plays on her school team.


We covered some interesting talks at dinner...most of the guests are college students--three from Wales. Besides us, there is a young professional couple, and two middle-aged women. We are 10 guests in all.