Making Lemonade

We are going on our third day in Belize and have been a little disappointed about the fact that we haven't been able to do what we really came here to do, which is snorkel. That, however, hasn't stopped us from having a great time, because the area is beautiful, the people are super friendly, and it has forced us to be a little more creative, which we've done.

Now I don't know much about snorkeling, but apparently it's the thing to do in Belize. In fact, it's famous for it, and almost everyone we've spoken with has indicated that they are here for that. We are on the island of Ambergris Cay, which I believe it the big island off the coast. There is a massive reef about a mile off the coast which you can see when you fly in, and I've been told it's second only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia for snorkeling.

The problem we've encountered is that it's been windy, and they don't take people out snorkeling with these windy conditions. I can see why, the water is choppy and the turbid because of the sand being churned up. While it's disappointing, we've been having a load of fun, nonetheless. The place we are staying at, the Cocotal Inn, and you can't beat the location. We are right on the beach, and even though the winds are a bummer, they do keep things cool. We are on the second floor and get an amazing breeze right through our front door. The weather has been hot and humid, so it's a welcome respite from the searing heat.

There is a pool so we've been swimming a lot, and they have bikes that they let us use. We have been taking full advantage of that, and let me tell you, it's a blast riding along the beach. Me and N have been going on these adventures along the shoreline, and it's not unlike off-road riding in the hills, without the hills, of course. The beaches that we've seen are not that extensive, it's not really a beach-y place, but the coastline is beautiful.

We have also been riding into town to get food and hang with locals. The guys who work here are locals and we've been asking them about places to eat. The suggestions they've given us are where locals eat, and that suits us just fine for a couple of reasons: we like to sample the local food, and it's cheaper. The coastline of this area is fairly developed and you can tell they are targeting tourists because it's a little more upscale and expensive. I don't really want to drop the money to eat pasta or hamburgers in Belize, so we've been riding into town and eating pupusas, tamales, empanadas, and all sorts of stuff with Latin names. It's really fun trying these things out and more importantly, venturing into the land of the locals.

Not sure if the weather is going to clear up, but for now, we're making the most of our time together. Like they say, when you have lemons, make lemonade. To that I would add it's not where you are or what you're doing, but who you're with.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Betty Crocker Recipes for the pic.