Finding Nemo

We were up and at'er and straight to the dock to catch our water taxi which was powered by triple 200 horsepower yamaha four-strokes. Our 600 horsepower water taxi blasted our keesters to our island oasis. We were skimming the lagoon surface at 45mi/hr with a palm tree island on the horizon.

On board we met Sandra and Steve, our new found American friends. We partnered up and chartered a snorkeling boat along with two European fellows, Stephan and Matais. Our guide Daniel sailed us to three amazingly beautiful spots along the Barrier Reef. We donned our flippers and masks and dunked ourselves into the fish bowl. We were intimidated in the beginning but we were quickly adopted by our schoolmates... the tropical fish. Among some of the species we were able to identify were sting rays, Nerf shark, parrot fish, tarpon, barracuda, sea turtles, Mora eels, crabs, groupers, brain coral, and countless other colorful tropical fish.

Our snorkeling tour lasted a better part of the day but it seemed like only minutes. Occasionally Greg or I would be in our own sea world and get separated from the pack swimming after a school of fish. We would pop our heads to the surface, lost, with only our tour boat on the horizon. Alas we would always find our pod and continue on with our sea world adventure.

On board the vessel Baby Boy we were well taken care of with food and drink and rum punch for the sail home. On one occasion Greg tossed some orange peels into the water, these large silver fish attacked the peels like packs of wolves. Greg would have lost a finger to one of these veracious eaters had the guide not warned him only seconds prior to the take.

Our plan was to catch the last water taxi home. Greg did not want to leave the island paradise of sand, palms, golf carts and bicycles. But we decided that the smart idea would be to return to the main land. With that decision made we strolled down to the wrong wharf to await a boat that would not come. Thus we stayed, met up with our American friends, and spent the night sleepless in our cockroach hotel.

We caught the first boat back in the morning to the sweltering heat of the main land at 8:00, loaded the bike and headed on a tour of Belize. We rode 70km of sandy dirt road. We cruised comfortably at 80km/hr atop the crests of the washboard roadway. The scenery was beautiful and we plucked an orange from a roadside orange tree. Exiting the dirt road we intersected the Hummingbird Highway. We spotted a Mennonite bakery at mile 33. Joanna supplied us with oatmeal cookies, cinnamon rolls, and banana bread. Greg was in heaven. The Hummingbird Hwy had it's ups and downs and zigs and zags and we eventually arrived at our destination city of San Ignacio. We booked a caving trip for the morning and went for pizza. Greg's favorite.