Another day in tropical paradise! After breakfast we saw four of our friends off to the mainland and spent some time in the hammocks before a little dip in the ocean. Its funny, you take a swim and you’re practically dry in 15 minutes (hair and all). On another note, my hair is so full of salt, I don’t even recognize its original silkiness; I am in desperate need of a spa treatment.
After lunch, Joe and I took a boat ride with one of the hotel guys (aka boyfriend of our cook). He took us back to his house on a nearby island where we got to meet his brother (a boat mechanic), his three giant hogs and to see where he lives. The island was mostly covered in mangroves and was somewhat disgusting. He is using his island as a garbage dump site to increase its size by covering the garbage in sand. Basically he is using garbage as a cheap fill. I won’t even describe the hogs except to say: I am GLAD I don’t eat pork anymore!
And just my luck his dog had just had three puppies and I got to pet and play with them!! A long haired brown, and two shorthaired black and brown, they were so cute. There are dogs everywhere in Belize and Mexico. Some of them looking dirty and lonely. I wanted to take them all home and bathe and feed them. It is hard to understand why they don’t do more for their pets, but I guess when people are so poor...
Next he took us by ¨bird¨ Island, which has been completely taken over by birds. He said you can only sit in your boat for about 15 minutes before they start to come after you. It was crazy, tons of birds flying overhead (I have some good pictures). The water is so beautiful here and not very deep next to the islands, you can jump in for a swim. He took us by another island that was split in three from a past hurricane. It used to have one owner and now there are three. I don’t think there is much organized real estate on the islands as our guide told us that once you have lived on an island for a certain period of time, you can call it yours. I have to say that I prefer the mainland!
He also pointed out a boat that looked relatively new. He said that drug lords use these boats to transport large amounts of drugs and then abandon the boats once they are done. Locals and police have begun claiming them as their own!!
Along our route home, we were joined by four mating dolphins that were leaping out of the air in pairs. It was really neat to see them in their natural habitat. Apparently they are usually quite friendly, but not during mating season, so we just carried on!
We enjoyed our last night on the Caye walking around with our adopted children and playing crib with an American couple. We have enjoyed our stay here, but are looking forward to our next adventure!
After lunch, Joe and I took a boat ride with one of the hotel guys (aka boyfriend of our cook). He took us back to his house on a nearby island where we got to meet his brother (a boat mechanic), his three giant hogs and to see where he lives. The island was mostly covered in mangroves and was somewhat disgusting. He is using his island as a garbage dump site to increase its size by covering the garbage in sand. Basically he is using garbage as a cheap fill. I won’t even describe the hogs except to say: I am GLAD I don’t eat pork anymore!
And just my luck his dog had just had three puppies and I got to pet and play with them!! A long haired brown, and two shorthaired black and brown, they were so cute. There are dogs everywhere in Belize and Mexico. Some of them looking dirty and lonely. I wanted to take them all home and bathe and feed them. It is hard to understand why they don’t do more for their pets, but I guess when people are so poor...
Next he took us by ¨bird¨ Island, which has been completely taken over by birds. He said you can only sit in your boat for about 15 minutes before they start to come after you. It was crazy, tons of birds flying overhead (I have some good pictures). The water is so beautiful here and not very deep next to the islands, you can jump in for a swim. He took us by another island that was split in three from a past hurricane. It used to have one owner and now there are three. I don’t think there is much organized real estate on the islands as our guide told us that once you have lived on an island for a certain period of time, you can call it yours. I have to say that I prefer the mainland!
He also pointed out a boat that looked relatively new. He said that drug lords use these boats to transport large amounts of drugs and then abandon the boats once they are done. Locals and police have begun claiming them as their own!!
Along our route home, we were joined by four mating dolphins that were leaping out of the air in pairs. It was really neat to see them in their natural habitat. Apparently they are usually quite friendly, but not during mating season, so we just carried on!
We enjoyed our last night on the Caye walking around with our adopted children and playing crib with an American couple. We have enjoyed our stay here, but are looking forward to our next adventure!
Unreal. Stay where you are... I'm on my way! LOL I wish!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, how many unoccupied little islands are there? Perhaps I could claim one. It's tempting! (as long as it's not near garbage/hog island).
There are tons of little islands around here, but I wouldn´t want to live on most of them, especially not bird island. They didn´t seem very hospitable! Miss ya, come home soon!
ReplyDelete