Boat Bound for BCE

Today, almost right after breakfast, we headed out on the boat, back to the mainland. We got to the mainland and had to wait for a taxi for about 15 minutes. The taxi drove us to the bank, so LuRue could get money out of the bank account to pay everyone she needed to. She had been told, from this bank, you could draw at most $800 out of it. So, LuRue tried to draw $800 out, and it seemed like it was working, but no money or receipt would come out. So, we went to get assistance, but no one could seem to find out what was going on. We were shown to almost every station at the bank, until, finally someone tried a dollar and it worked. It turned out that you could only draw $500 BZ from the bank, each day. Whoever told LuRue you could draw $800, was misleading.

The taxi driver had been patiently waiting outside and he drove us back to Blue Belize. We got in for, like, the third time. Right after we got in, we went into town again to look for a lunch. We went to the Snack Shack, but it was not as good as we were told, or remembered. We ordered a burrito, coleslaw as a side (only LuRue ordered that), an oreo milkshake and a mango smoothie. The coleslaw side was actually mixed in with the burrito, which made it look disgusting to Montana. The burrito tortilla was too spicy for LuRue and the mango smoothie was not at all what Montana had remembered. The only thing that was good was the oreo milkshake, which LuRue ordered and let Montana have a few sips.

After lunch, we walked over to the Belize tourist center. The real Mayan paddle was on display. We thought the paddle was pretty cool, and how similar the 3D replica was to the real paddle. The lady archeologist we had met before was there & told us exactly how she & her team had found it. A dedicated team who ducked into mucky waist-deep water time after time, holding their breaths so they could dig us posts.

This is the 3D replica

This is the real paddle

After looking at the paddle, we walked over to the nature center to figure out if we could do the “Ranger for a Day.” It turns out they had not planned for us, so a young woman got on the phone & LuRue talked to the head ranger. He said, No problem & that three other people are coming, too. So, we are all planned for tomorrow. We went to the grocery store and bought some snacks for tomorrow, before going back to the apartment.

When we got back to our condo, both of us took showers and LuRue tried to figure out how much cash she had left before going out for a birthday dinner. Montana got curried chicken with white rice and LuRue got fried chicken with white rice. We both got the pumpkin cake as a dessert, which, both thought was really good. We walked back to Blue Belize and got ready for the next day.

Now that we are posting the blog, we are frustrated that we forgot to take a picture during Montana's birthday dinner. Her camera was there, but apparently we were distracted by a large group of young people  who might have been Peace Corps volunteers. I guess posing next to a 1400-year-old Mayan paddle will have to do instead.

Diving, Dissecting and PIE!

We woke up at 6:30. While the others were snorkeling, we walked around the island, LuRue took more pictures of the island to show Mark and Teresa, because when they went to ReefCI, it was on another island. After breakfast, we went out for a snorkel and did a lap around the island. We saw two triggerfish, which is pretty unusual to see. We saw all three kinds of angel fish, queen, grey and french.

We had lunch and at around two, Simon took us out for our last scuba dive for this trip. We were gone for about an hour. There wasn't much unusual to see, but we still enjoyed being down under the water. Simon pointed out a few things, but sometimes neither one of us knew what he was pointing at.

Right after we got back, Jason, the marine biologist, was dissecting some lion fish as part of the work of Reef CI. A few of us were helping. Lisa and Montana took turns measuring, checking for "noodles" (small projections that indicate a juvenile), then filleting. The next step was the interesting part. After prying out the stomach, you had to see if it had gonads or eggs, then the stomach was removed and the contents were analyzed. Montana says that LuRue was too much of a wimp to try it, but LuRue has gutted her share of chickens and fish & preferred to be the photographer. It was amazing how the things could be identified even though they were extremely tiny, such as a quarter of an inch long. A log was kept and will be sent in to a group that collects information for Belize.

Montana joined a game of volleyball while LuRue visited with some of the other guests. They served some delicious curried lobster for dinner.  And then after the meal was over, everyone began singing Happy Birthday to both Montana and to Harry, who is the nephew of the owner & works on the island. A scrumptious lime cream pie was brought out for each birthday person & was quickly devoured. What a great way to end the day!

From Sharks to Shrimp

Today was a day quieter than yesterday. Most of the people were out on dives, so Montana and LuRue photographed things around the island and played some games.

After lunch we were on the boat heading out to look for whale sharks. A very bumpy ride, but just when we thought there was nothing to see, Snake (the boat driver) spotted the signs he was looking for…a bunch of birds circling close to the water & diving in. As we approached, we were told to get ready to jump in off the edge of the boat. We all jumped when we were given the sign,,,all 11 of us, so we made quite a splash. Montana and LuRue had to orient themselves after they surfaced to see which way to go. We followed the main swimmers and LuRue saw some spots disappearing into the deep, but no shape of anything. Montana was a couple of feet behind me & didn’t even get to see the spots. We got back onto the boat & several more times Snake said to get ready, so we were all ready to spring, but each time the whale shark we were creeping up on outsmarted us and dove right away. We had to head back so that the divers could stay on schedule. We did get to see a couple of photos taken by the front swimmers, but even they weren’t as great as what we were hoping for. Lots of excitement & anticipation, but both Montana and LuRue have decided that it’s not worth a second trip if they go again tomorrow. Neither of them got pictures too.

A short time after lunch, Simon took us scuba diving again, this time around the other half of the island. We saw lots of colorful fishes & corals. Simon had to help LuRue one time with the buoyancy release valve because she was beginning to float to the surface. Both Montana & LuRue felt pressure in their ears, very similar to ascending or descending in a plane, but it was just more annoying than anything. We stayed at about 9 feet in depth, but it is amazing what a different feel there is compared to snorkeling. You kind of feel like you are flying--going in, around, & through coral formations.

At around 6:30, Montana and LuRue went out for a night snorkel. We had to stay around the grassy area, and didn't see much until we got to the dock. We saw lots of sea urchins, brittle stars, red and white shrimp, lobsters, an eel and much more. 

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.