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Showing posts from March, 2023

Day 7: saved the best for last!

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We started the morning off with a quick home-made breakfast so we could meet Alphonse at 7:40am for our third and final snorkel trip. This time, to Hol Chan Marine Park and Shark/Ray Alley! Oh boy did it mot disappoint. Hol Chan: We then moved to “shark/ray alley” still within the marine park. Words cannot describe it as well as this: Or this: One of my favorite photos: More shark/ray alley: And as we boated away: Adios, Caribbean Sea, and gracias!!!!

Day 6: more snorkeling!

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We started the day with a delightful breakfast at the Mesa Bistro. We tend to enjoy breakfast out and then make lunch and cook dinner in our palapa! After breakfast and before pool time, Geoff and the kids did their second day of picking up trash on the beach.  Then we had tons of pool time before lunch, before we waited for our 2pm snorkeling trip with Lil’ Alphonse! The GoPro forgot to get charged (oops!) so pics are from another underwater camera, photographed, as we can’t get the pictures off it. Oh well! We went to Mexico Rocks in the Ho Chan Marine Reserve and Tres Cocos. It was absolutely breathtaking.    At the very end, after the kids and grandparents were out of the water already, Geoff and I were fortunate enough to meet a moray eel! Our guide had not told us one lived in the brain coral our boat was above because moray eels can be aggressive if you get too close. But I dove down to look at something else and the eel and I came about 2 feet from each other (bot...

Belize day 5: we got to snorkel!!!!

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We finally got to snorkel! We went to Caye Caulker North Channel and then to Coral Gardens! We went with Lil’ Alphonse ( https://ambergriscaye.com/alfonso/ ) and could not be happier. We are going out on snorkel trips with Alphonse tomorrow and Friday! (Breakfast at Estel’s by the Sea was pretty great, too!) So was drinking straight from a coconut that came down in last night’s wind!

San Pedro —> Caye Caulker

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We left Ambergris Caye today and took a 30 minute water taxi ride to Caye Caulker, another small island community. It was a blast! We left from Central Park in San Pedro, of course snapping a picture at their sign before boarding the boat.  30 minutes later, we got off at Caye Caulker, a VERY sleepy island village. We walked the whole main street - which is pedestrian only for most of it.  At the end is the “Split”, the end of one part of this island and a narrow channel to the next part of Caye Caulker.  There, we found a bustling bar/restaurant called the Lazy Lizard. We were mostly interested in more swimming so we ate some food there to swim there! On our walk back to the water taxi dock, we learned about feeding Tarpons, so we went to check it out.  Then some reading and eating before the water taxi ride and more pool time! Good night!

San Pedro —> Secret Beach

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Today was amazing. We followed suggestions and went to Secret Beach. Secret Beach used to be a secret / local spot. Then it became a bit more known but still offered no amenities and you had to take your own food and water. Now the small beach is lined with bar/restaurant spots vying for your business. But we didn’t care and were grateful to find a beach with no wind and be able to snorkel!  It’s a 45-minute golf cart drive, one way, along very bumpy and remote roads, on the opposite side of the caye to San Pedro. We were told we *might* even see a crocodile basking in the sun (we didn’t, but not for lack of looking!)! Upon arrival, we set up at the Blue Bayou and immediately went snorkeling.  We left our little spot in paradise to check out the “Water Park” (kids’ request, though Geoff had a blast). Whoa! Back to Xanadu we went and straight to the pool for tons more swimming. Then dinner at a delightful spot named The Deck at The Alaia Hotel.  The wind forecast is way be...