Sticker Shock

When we landed in Ambergris Cay we were picked up by a taxi and taken to the inn, but not before stopping at the store to get some supplies. The driver asked us where we wanted to go, which is ridiculous when you consider that we had just landed and we'd never been to the island before. I said to take us to the big store, but he kept plugging this one store, the Greenhouse Market. We said fine, so we stopped to get food. The room we're staying at has a complete kitchen, so it's nice to have food and cook at home rather than going out to eat every meal. 

The place was your typical island store with the usual variety of exotic (and not to exotic) dry goods and unique local comestibles, though prices definitely shocked me. Now the exchange is about 2:1, but even at 50%, the costs were high. I was amazed, so much so that I bought instant coffee because it was the only stuff that was reasonably priced. Now that we have been here for a few days and have visited other stores, I get a sense the driver was in cahoots with the store, which is kind of lame, but innocent until proven guilty, right? Maybe they're all in it together.

We bought a bunch of food, anyway, because we didn't have much choice in the matter. Enough, at least, to get us to the next day, but after that, we'll be looking for that elusive local experience that is not only more authentic, but must be cheaper, as well. Here's to hoping that's true.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

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.

Robots, Race Cars, Lacrosse, and All Sorts of Fun

I forgot to mention that last week, after a busy day of lacrosse and girl's socializing, we headed over to the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth to attend their annual open house. We figured it would speak to the kids, and sure enough, it did. It was a complicated evening because N had lacrosse, and A had to tag along but it worked out perfectly because all of her hockey buddies, including her BFFs, all play lacrosse and have brothers that play lacrosse, so they all end up at the same place. It's beautiful, actually.

It sure makes my life easier because the kids are on auto pilot. The most complicated part is meals. Since we were on a tight schedule, I decided that Subway BLTs in the car were in order. I picked up the sandwiches en route to lax, and then kept them in an ice chest while the kids had fun. N's practice ended at 6:30, and the Thayer open house ended at 8:00, so we didn't have a lot of time, but also didn't want to miss it. I gathered the kids up and we headed over, arriving at Dartmouth around 7:00. Mom was going to see a movie from 7-9, so we were going to meet her at the observatory. In case you didn't know this, Dartmouth has an observatory, and they open it to the public from 6-9, weather permitting, but more on this later.

The engineering event was cool and fun, the kids were definitely intrigued by some of the stuff, especially robots and machines, while some of the bio-engineering stuff was a little beyond their comprehension. The event culminated in a room with a 3-D printer and all sorts of machine shop stuff, and it was packed. We saw a lot of people we knew, and it was a nice way to spend a Friday night. There was an electric race car that apparently races in a big event down south, so I thought it would be a cool thing to check out.

The engineering gig finished around 8:00, and we headed over to the observatory, but it was cloudy so it was closed. Bummer. We decided to meet mom at the movie theater, and we had about 30 minutes to kill, so we walked around the campus and just relaxed. Mom appeared around 9:00, pleasantly surprised to see us.

We went home and went to sleep, tired after a long day and needing rest for our big trip, which we are currently on, but that's a story for another time.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Peyri Herrera for the pic.

Taking Off For Belize

Since we are now experts at traveling light, we managed to get 10 days worth of stuff in one backpack for each of us, and one big bag for other stuff. The kids are amazing, they get almost all of their stuff in their backpacks. The canvas bag is for food and snacks. That's the beauty of traveling to a warm place, you don't need a lot of heavy stuff. When we traveled to Quebec City, we needed a lot more space.

We flew out of Boston on Monday and arrived in Belize that afternoon, with a stop in Miami en route. It was cool and crisp in Boston as we departed, but by the time we were in Miami, you could feel the heat. It was in the mid-80s and humid. I realize a lot of people love this weather, but it's only April, I don't know how they survive the summer.

The flight was a pleasant experience for two reasons. First, there was a movie, which I was thought was a thing of the past. One of the biggest challenges in traveling with kids is entertaining them without the use of video games. Meals are important, too, but you can plan for that. It's hard for a kid to sit for 6-8 hours in a cramped airplane, even if it is fun and exciting to travel. I bring my laptop and tons of DVDs for the kids to watch, but there is a finite amount of time you can use the computer before the battery runs out. International flights are brutal and long, but they usually offer multiple movies, and if you get a more modern plane, they have the awesome screens right in front of your seat. You can't beat it.

You don't get those perks on domestic flights, and I've noticed they no longer offer movies, which is a bummer, but again, flying has just become more functional, less about comfort and enjoyment. This flight on American Airlines, however, they were showing Spiderman, which was a bonus for all of us, because we'd never seen it and it's probably not something we'd go out of our way to see. This also meant we could save battery power on laptop so we could use it for the second leg of the trip, which for the record, also had a movie, sort of.

Anyway, the flight was pleasant, there was a slight delay with an equipment issue, which you never like to hear about, but what are you going to do? It was about 3 hours to Miami, then about an hour layover, even with the delay. We had food and snacks so we were all set. Then, on the second leg, not only did they have a video (it was a TV show, not a movie), but the flight was barely 50% full. When does that ever happen? As a consequence, we got to spread out, and it was a comfortable trip. The kids used the laptop to watch a movie and I watched the TV show and took a nap.

Once we were in Belize City, we spent a little time in the Philip SW Goldson (how'd they come up with that name?) airport before boarding a small prop plane to Ambergris Cay, which is where we are currently staying. For anyone who hasn't traveled in Latin or South America, or for that matter, anywhere that is not an industrialized nation, the airports are always an experience. Much like you would expect in a movie, sort of rustic and small, hot and provincial. Sometimes it's amazing they land big jets there, but they do. It reminded me of Costa Rica or any of the Caribbean Islands. They seem to have the same decor, sort of dull muted colors on the walls and guys who look like soldiers walking around. There's always a small stand serving local food, most of which is fried, and a small souvenir shop. It's really an interesting experience, and I chatted with the woman in the shop and she gave us some tips on what to check out.

Once we checked in and went through security, we took a Tropic Air plane to Ambergris Cay, which is where we are currently staying. The flight was only about 15 minutes, and we were on some sort of prop plane I couldn't identify. That's a job for the Amazing PR Man. It was a pretty smooth flight, even though the cabin was sweltering, and then the shuttle came to get us and transport us to the hotel. It was nice to get to our flat and change into shorts.

The island is nice and inviting. The weather is warm and breezy, and maybe a bit more developed than we anticipated. Apparently there are lots of American tourists and ex-pats who have made this their home, and this area that we're in seems to cater to that demographic.

The cottage we are in is beautiful, and we have been doing a lot of exploring, but that's a story for another time.

Until then, thanks for reading.

First Day of Travel

Our first day on vacation, once we got past the episode with the critters, went really smoothly, and got me to thinking that it's a great way to plan a trip. First off, it's nice to spend the night at a hotel prior to your plane flight. Granted, this makes travel more expensive, so it's not always an option, but it affords you a lot of time to get ready, not to mention salvage the destruction of your tomato plants if need be.

We took our time getting ready, and had a nice leisurely meal before we hit the road, which is great because eating while on the road is not always easy. Learning from our past experiences, we packed a ton of food for the plane flight. Flying today is not the warm and fuzzy experience it used to be because the airlines don't give you much in the way of food or anything. It's a bare bones experience, but we really can't complain because it's still pretty affordable, and it's really about just getting to your destination. Besides, we complain too much anyway, when in fact we have so much we should be grateful for, but don't get me started.

As any parent knows, traveling is more of a challenge with the kids, so we pack plenty of sandwiches and snacks. You can't have too much, so we bring what's reasonable to carry. This allows us to try to bring stuff that is at least marginally healthy, as well. The drive down was smooth because it was Sunday and we avoided rush hour, and our hotel was nice, as well. We couldn't stay at our beloved Embassy Suites because it was just too expensive, but the Holiday Inn Express worked out just fine. The hotel was close enough to the airport, and the parking was great because we left the car in what seemed like a safe spot, really close to the front entrance.

The hotel is close to a shopping complex that has a Panera, which is a good option for a meal. You can get food that is reasonably healthy and reasonably priced. A win-win in my book. After a quick meal, it was back to the hotel and straight to be. We had a 8AM flight, which meant a 6AM departure from the hotel. Lucky for us, getting up wasn't too difficult. Plus, the breakfast people were nice enough to let us eat early, and we chowed down. The food was good, maybe a little more variety than the generic junk you always get most chain hotels, i.e. no pre-fab eggs and nasty waffle machines.

Then it was off to the airport, which again, was smooth. The hotel has a shuttle, and it was right on time. We checked in at the desk and had some time to spare at the gate. As hard as it is to wake up, an early morning flight has many perks. First off, you have the whole day still ahead of you, but it's also a little quieter at the airport, and the airlines haven't had as much of a chance to fall behind schedule. It's not much, but I'll take it.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Alan_is for the pic.

Nature's Wrath

Talk about timing, this is one that's hard to believe. As many of you might know by now, I'm growing lots of tomato plants for our garden, both of them. I probably seeded close to 100 plants, figuring not all of them would make it, and if they did, I could give them away. People appreciate that, and even pay money for them. I know I have in the past... not this year.

Our community garden has a greenhouse that we can leave the starters in to grow through the spring, thus avoiding any frost dangers. Plus, they're our neighbors and friends, so they are willing to water the plants when we are away. The setup is amazing, they do a great job of hosting the gardens on so many levels, plus it's withing walking distance. You just can't beat it.

We were planning on being away so I figured it was a great time to put our seedlings into the greenhouse. I contacted them and they said they'd be happy to water the plants, and everything was set, Plus, they're expert gardeners, so they know the drill. I put the seedlings in on Saturday, and on Sunday morning I gave them some water. Later that same Sunday, as we were packed and ready to take our trip, I asked if we could stop by the greenhouse so I could have one last look at the plants, and about 75% of them had the tops clipped or eaten right off, all within the span of a few hours. I couldn't believe it.

I wasn't sure what to do, we were on our way out for our trip. I was so bummed, our precious little seedlings had been decimated, but fortunately we were not in a hurry to leave. We were lucky in the sense that a lot of the seeds had not yet sprouted, so they hadn't been eaten, though a few had been dug up as if the critter was searching for some more to eat. We had to do something, so we gathered up the seedlings and took them back home to the mud room.

We had leftover seeds, so we re-seeded the ones that had tops bit off, figuring they wouldn't bounce back at that point, and if they did, we could just trim off the excess. R and the kids helped, and before long, the job was done. I gave them a quick spritz and then had to ask our friends who were watching the cats if they could do us one more favor and keep an eye on the plants, as well. As you would expect, they were all happy to help out.

Boy, talk about drama before our departure. I'm an animal lover, but sometimes critters can get on your nerves. I think the greenhouse would benefit from having a cat, like Misty and Dusty, our resident feline assassins.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Luke Healey for the pic.

Still Not Ready

Here we are on the cusp of our big trip and I haven't even come close to packing my bag, yet. It seems like every trip we take, we get increasingly relaxed to the point to where we forget things and make mistakes. Then again, maybe that's not such a bad thing because it teaches you that when things go wrong, it's not the end of the world. Big deal, right? Besides, what does the illusion of being in control get you? Not much, as far as I'm concerned.

We just finalized our rental car and we'll be hitting the road at some point today, probably after lunch. We have an early AM flight out of Boston, so we'll be spending the night, which is nice because it is very relaxed getting ready. We can leave at any time because it's just about getting to the hotel. It adds extra cost, which is a bummer, but is a really nice way to go.

Talk to me tomorrow when we have to catch an early morning flight. Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Alison Christine for the pic.