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Hello again! I must go ahead and warn everyone that this entry could be very slack. I believe I have been affected by the local laided back atmosphere, way too much sun, and an abundance of Cuban cigars. Let me just put it this way; my brain and body are fried. On the mini-bus ride from Flores to Belize City and the cigar boat over to Caye Caulker, Dad and I met a group of 5 Swedish girls travelling the coast. We spent the next three days in Caye Caulker snorkeling, scuba diving, and having nightly dinners and entertainment with the group; but I will discuss that in more depth later.

Soaking It Up!

Jeremy Curl
2006-08-28 14:40:16

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introduction dive with an instructor. On the way out to the Turneffe Islands I nearly got seasick, so I popped a motion sickness pill (I nearly hurled). There were 15 divers on board, so we split into groups of five. On the first dive, we made our way down a reef wall to a depth of 80 feet. I was loving every minute of it; I have found a new sport that I love! The feeling was amazing. I would float upside down and look up at the surface which was far, far above. The water was so clear I could see the other groups way off in the distance. The next two dives were both around 60ft and just as exciting. We saw giant lobsters, two huge Moray eels, stingrays, a sea turtle, barracuda, Nurse sharks and many more fish of different size, shape, and color. At one point, we found a Nurse shark resting under a coral arch on the sea floor. I went around in front of it and my dive master snuck around behind and tapped its tail. The shark shot out of its hole and passed underneath me. It was so quick and powerful as it darted off and out of our site. What an experience! Returning to the island, Lisa and I were plum worn out. She went to crash, while I found Dad and hunted down some food. Dad and I enjoyed some grilled barracuda in garlic sauce and sucked down some fish bowl size lemonades. Being too tired to go out, I just kicked back in the room with Dad, burned down some Cuban cigars, and listened to some soothing music. Just as I was dosing off, the girls came by to bid us farewell because they were off to Mexico early the next morning.

Having seen everything on the island and no Swedish girls to goof off with, Dad and I decided to checkout Ambergris Caye. This island was the most popular of the cayes and the congestion reflected it. The streets were full of cars, golf carts, and tourists. We sure missed Caye Caulker. San Pedro, which is the main town on Ambergris Caye, was totally Americanized and more expensive. Although we did find a cozy little hotel (Ruby's) with a great view. Over dinner, Dad and I discussed our options seeing that we had a week till we were due in Antigua. I had checked on scuba tours going to the Blue Hole (a 400ft deep crater in the ocean), but there were no trips until Friday and it was very expensive. So, we came up with a better plan. Visit the Bay Islands of Honduras and see some Mayan ruins (Copán) on the way back to Guatemala. This was a great plan, but there was a logistical puzzle to be solved. The ferry to Honduras only leaves on Friday (too late) and taking a bus was also too long. After giving it some thought, drawing up diagrams, taking measurements,
working some equations, and finally checking the flight schedules; we figured out the puzzle. But so sorry! You are all going to have to wait for the next entry to find out our plans! Till then; take care and we're outta here!