Sunday 4/22/07
Whoopie! Slumber party! - This morning Jeremy and I packed a bag and hopped onto "Calico Jack" for an over-nighter to the nearby island Cay Caulker. We couldn't bring "Max" because the water is a bit shallow there, but we are confident that she will be safe for 24 hours by herself. Cay Caulker is lovely, sleepy little island town. We had a great time wandering around on the unpaved roads and soaking up the local color. The reef here is really incredible too. First we took the dinghy to a little sandy spot called shark and ray alley where about 20 large stingrays were circling around and around swimming within inches of us! Then we went to the enormous reef which starts off very shallow and drops off to about 20 feet or so. I swam with an eagle ray that was about 5ft. across and was chased by a 6ft. green moray! It was a really great snorkel, after which we went back to "Calico Jack" to start our 3 hour long sail back to Ambergris and "Max".
Monday 4/23/2007
Time to head a little further south, this time to Tobacco Cay of the "Drowned Cays". It is a beautiful 6 hour sail with perfect conditions. It is a picture perfect scene as we pull into the tiny anchorage at Tobacco Cay. The water is absolutely pristine and the small island itself leaves nothing to be desired- it is covered with tall, bushy palm trees, two beautiful beaches with a bit of surf crashing on the long reef just off the beaches. Immediately after dropping anchor Jeremy and I jump in the water! After playing for a bit we dinghy to the island and are greeted by Charlie who gives us a quick tour of the island (for $5 Bz). Only five families live here. There are two small resorts, one restaurant and two tiny bars on the island. You have to make reservations for the restaurant by 10am, because they have to go to the town of Dangriga on the mainland to buy the food. After a nice snorkel off the beach we head back to the boat to relax and make dinner. Joanne and I agree that this is one of the prettiest places we have ever been to!
Tuesday 4/24/2007
It is our turn to host a field trip. Today Joanne joins us for a mainland excursion to the town of Dangriga- the second largest town in Belize. We have to buy fresh veggies and drop off trash, but the main reason for going to Dangriga is to visit the best hot sauce factory ever- Marie Sharp's. Jeremy has been a fan of her spicy products for about ten years. After anchoring up we have an interesting experience dinghying in. First a local man enters the shallow water to help pull us over a mud bank and into the river where we meet several other enthusiastic locals, some running others off to ensure that they are the first to greet us. As we walk away I can't help but be a little unsure of the safety of our little vessel, especially since the guys were so insistant that it was in good hands. But we haven't much choice, so we hop in a taxi and are on our way to Marie Sharp's. we turn left off of the main road and pass fields of habanero peppers and fruit orchards. The factory is small and quaint and Marie Sharp herself is present after the tour as we stocked up on sauces at wholesale prices. 8 miles back to town, past wild jungle and tiny houses. In town we buy some fresh fruits and veggies at the market (yum pineapple and papaya!) an pick up a belizean cd (punta pop). All stocked up, we pay our dinghy sitters (it was still there - whew!) $10 bz. ($5 US) and head back to the serene Tobacco Cay. Right after arrival Jeremy and I are right back in the water- well, actually I am in the dinghy pulling him behind while he searches for tasty conch. Suddenly a pod of about 8 dolphins is all around us. I throw on my mask, fins and snorkel and jump into the crystal clear water with the dinghy line in my hand just in time for the last dolphin to swim right up to me. Then it went just feet below me and turned over on it's back to get a really good look and squeal at me! I have day dreamed of such an experience since I was a little girl, and it was all the magic I had imagined. What amazing animals! Jeremy said that several dolphins in the pod came up and checked him out before I made it in the water. We looked at eachother with wide eyes, gave a big snorkel-clanking embrace, and continued the dive together, seeing a large sea turtle, eagle ray, 7ft. nurse shark, & a barracuda. I love it here!
Wednesday 4/25/2007
A quick early morning sail south and we are at South Water Cay. It is also quite beautiful, but much more well groomed and resort covored. The best part about this cay was when the four of us threw on our scuba equiptment and did a reef dive from the dinghy right off shore. The numerous reef fish here are very beautiful, but the many different kinds of vibrant colorful coral are what made the dive for me. We saw a group of scientists on Tobacco Cay who are here just to study the area's coral, and now I can see why. Huge blue and purple cones, bright orange fingers, large plates and much more. It was a great dive- but an expensive one. Jeremy lost his dive knife and I lost my snorkel! Oh well, Travis has a spare snorkel. It's a good thing too because I think I would die if I couldn't play in the water here! After the dive we go back to "Calico Jack" for some fresh pinapple pina coladas, and then to "Max" for a tapas dinner.
