Sunday, March 28, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Caye Caulker Days
Just before sunrise in the morning the birds roosting in the mangroves behind the house begin to chatter and sing. Theirs is a song of the tropics, a mixture of melody and shrill calls. Sunset brings a repeat performance.
As the day warms up the iguanas who live under the house come out to sun themselves. The large male watches his ladies with a gleam in his eye and chases after them whenever conquest seems likely. I have yet to witness any success in that department.
If the weather is calm out back we can paddle the kayaks over to check on the marine life. One regular stop is just north of us where a school of young tarpons have taken up residence and are being protected by the dock owners there.
We are tending four newly sprouted coconuts planted out on my property. Since they are planted in sand we are transporting soil to pack around them for nutrients and since it has not rained recently we are also taking them water. Makes for a good bicycle ride as well.
We are kayaking over to the north island of Caye Caulker (across the split) and hiking around there. In the process we have met some of the north island residents and made some new friends.
Shopping for dinner is also an adventure. You never know when you will find a treasure. For example, yesterday they had avocados and okra. A few days back I found a package of bean sprouts and hurried home with it to make a stir fry. Carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, pineapple, bananas, papaya are almost always available.
There have been more cold fronts and wind this year than I have seen in the past. We have not been able to do much snorkeling as the water is often too stirred up to see much. But we are hoping for some good snorkeling days before we have to leave.
The theme of this island is "Go Slow" which is advice we are happy to follow.
As the day warms up the iguanas who live under the house come out to sun themselves. The large male watches his ladies with a gleam in his eye and chases after them whenever conquest seems likely. I have yet to witness any success in that department.
If the weather is calm out back we can paddle the kayaks over to check on the marine life. One regular stop is just north of us where a school of young tarpons have taken up residence and are being protected by the dock owners there.
We are tending four newly sprouted coconuts planted out on my property. Since they are planted in sand we are transporting soil to pack around them for nutrients and since it has not rained recently we are also taking them water. Makes for a good bicycle ride as well.
We are kayaking over to the north island of Caye Caulker (across the split) and hiking around there. In the process we have met some of the north island residents and made some new friends.
Shopping for dinner is also an adventure. You never know when you will find a treasure. For example, yesterday they had avocados and okra. A few days back I found a package of bean sprouts and hurried home with it to make a stir fry. Carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, pineapple, bananas, papaya are almost always available.
There have been more cold fronts and wind this year than I have seen in the past. We have not been able to do much snorkeling as the water is often too stirred up to see much. But we are hoping for some good snorkeling days before we have to leave.
The theme of this island is "Go Slow" which is advice we are happy to follow.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
My friend, Joan, has been here for almost two weeks and we have been staying busy. We went to Cayo District to see the kick off of the Ruta Maya canoe race. We stayed at the hi-et guesthouse. Les and I stayed there last year too and really like the place and the family that runs it. If you are ever in San Ignacio that is the place to stay.
On the day of the race we got up early (at 0 Dark Hundred) and made our way to the Hawksworth bridge. Below us was the starting line. There were about 70 canoes in the 4 day race and it was great fun to be part of the excitement of the event. (If all goes well I will include a couple pictures taken from the bridge. If they aren't included, I couldn't get it to work.)
We also rented a car while we were there and explored some sites, Barton Creek Cave, the Mennonite home builders at Spanish Lookout, and Cahal Pech (small Mayan ruin on the hill above town.) It was a good trip.
Our first days back on the island were too windy for the kayaks and snorkeling. But the last few days have been perfect. We have bicycled, kayaked, etc. until our legs are sore, we have blisters on our hands and our noses are sunburned. It just doesn't get much better than this.
On the day of the race we got up early (at 0 Dark Hundred) and made our way to the Hawksworth bridge. Below us was the starting line. There were about 70 canoes in the 4 day race and it was great fun to be part of the excitement of the event. (If all goes well I will include a couple pictures taken from the bridge. If they aren't included, I couldn't get it to work.)
We also rented a car while we were there and explored some sites, Barton Creek Cave, the Mennonite home builders at Spanish Lookout, and Cahal Pech (small Mayan ruin on the hill above town.) It was a good trip.
Our first days back on the island were too windy for the kayaks and snorkeling. But the last few days have been perfect. We have bicycled, kayaked, etc. until our legs are sore, we have blisters on our hands and our noses are sunburned. It just doesn't get much better than this.
Monday, March 1, 2010
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