unBELIZEable!

It is.  unBELIZEable.  Only a few days into the journey and I tend to agree with the locals who like to use this phrase a lot.

no filters ... seriously.

We were more than ready to embark on another adventure.  4 years ago this week, Max had his appendix removed in Bolivia.  It's been 4 years since we've donned our backpacks.  4 years since we set a course for places unknown and unfamiliar.  It was time. 
With only a 2 week break, we thought we'd pick somewhere not too far away and a country not so big that we couldn't explore a few different parts of it.  As we started to dream, we found out that West Jet had recently opened flights to Belize and the price was right!  So in the spirit of the Ikea commercial .... "start the car!!!" (not that we were going to drive but you get the point)

So today, I write to you from a little island (1 &1/2 hr ferry ride) off the coast of Belize called Ambergis Caye.  All these years when I've sang along to Madonna's song about her dreams of San Pedro, I had no idea she was referring to the capital of this island which has adopted the nickname 'La Isla Bonita'.

🎵Tropical the island breeze

All of nature wild and free

This is where I long to be

La isla bonita

The island is charming, laid back, and simple.  The mode of transportation out here is either by boat or golf cart.  It is either a 20 min boat ride to town from where we are staying or a 50 min golf cart ride.  Guess which one the kids wanted to do?  The roads outside of town are not paved and full of potholes but the journey might have been more fun than the destination itself.

island speed ...

"I've got it pinned, Dad!" 😉

Where we bought our groceries for our stay.  Not exactly the same selection as Superstore, but it suited us just fine :)

golf cart mecca

While exploring the town and walking along the beach, we came across a water slide that was too irresistible to pass by.  Hanging out on the dock, we made a new friend named 'Jumbo' ... a sweet dog who swam with us and loved to play fetch with coconuts. 

Ambergis Caye is also famous for its diving and snorkeling.  Yesterday we went on a snorkeling tour which included 2 stops.  One was at Hol Chan Marine Reserve - part of the barrier reef which is only a half mile offshore.  Wish I had an underwater camera to capture the spectacular coral formations and diverse marine life!  We saw all kinds of different fish including a barracuda plus a moray eel, eagle rays, sting rays and even a couple of nurse sharks!  Our guide 'Pepper' was able to help us spot things and tell us the names of the creatures we were seeing.  From there we cruised over to a place called Shark Ray Alley.  It was traditionally a place for local fishermen to clean fish but the many creatures attracted to the fish guts ended up becoming a tourist attraction.  As soon as we arrived (hadn't even turned off the motor) our boat was surrounded by at least 20 small and some not so small and intimidating nurse sharks.  Apparently, when they hear the hum of a boat motor, it is like a dinner bell summoning them to be fed.   We were told they aren't aggressive and were far more interested in the food 'Pepper' brought along than us.  Never the less, it took me a few minutes to work up the courage to jump into waters that are teaming with SHARKS!!!! 😱  Jeff jumped first, with no hesitation, and was even broadsided by a few of the sharks.  I went in after snapping a few quick photos of our guide feeding them and was not sure where to jump in at first as not to land on top of one of them!  The kids took a few more minutes to find their nerve and then jumped in to watch the sharks feed.  Below us, there were also several sting rays swimming around in the relatively shallow waters.  One was the size of a queen bed!  You should have heard all the muffled squeaks and squeals as we felt surrounded by LARGE marine life!  It truly was a once in a lifetime snorkel!

Tomorrow we leave for our second of 3 stops in Belize.  We have had a very relaxing time here on the island 😎

Is this a photo or a painting?