The Cannon Family's travel blog

Only one day left in paradise and we had saved the best for last: snorkeling! We set out with 15 of our new friends, one boat captain and two guides to go explore the second largest barrier reef in the world (our guide added that it is the largest living reef since the Great Barrier Reef has been deteriorating but I can neither confirm or deny that statement.) It was a half an hour boat ride across some choppy water as the sun slowly broke out from behind the clouds.

First stop: Bird island.  We got up close and personal with dozens of frigate birds, cormorants, and yellow footed boobies.  Then off to the reef.  Our first snorkeling spot was quite a challenge.  One guide started leading a group to a specific part of the reef but the rest of us were stuck.  The current was so strong we couldn’t get around it to join them.  I have never worked so hard to stay in one place in my life!  I consider myself a pretty strong swimmer but I was exhausted trying to figure out how to catch up with the 5 or 6 folks who managed to follow the guide.  Finally, I gave up and joined a large number of others who also assumed their swimming was somehow substandard.  The second guide explained that we had just found ourselves on the wrong side of a really strong current and so the boat captain drove to a different spot where the current wasn’t as strong.

That’s more like it!  There are the sergeant majors and rainbow parrotfish!  The brain and fan coral.  The sand divers and a few rays.  The sun had come out and the water was calmer.  After a little while, the others found their way to where we were and the boat was loaded and headed out to another spot famous for sighting sea turtles.

We all jumped in and the guide insisted that if we wanted to see the turtles, we needed to stick close to him.  Well 17 people can’t stick close without collisions and flippers in the face. I got fed up with feeling claustrophobic and headed in a different direction.  I was much happier to be alone in open water even if I didn’t get to see any turtles.  Apparently the turtles didn’t like crowds either because as soon as I broke off from the group, one swam right in front of me.  I swam slowly behind him trying to get some good pictures before I had to turn back so as not to lose sight of the boat.  It seems I was the only one who spotted a turtle that day.  Go me!

Back to shore and our last afternoon on the beach.  By the time we had lunch and got some beach reading in, it had become apparent that our sunscreen had failed us pretty miserably.  Even though we had applied liberal doses of Banana Boat Ultrasunblock 60 that we had purchased in the village, we were both pretty crispy with bright red backs and other very burned bits.  No more sun for us so we bellied up to the bar for our last hurrah.  One of our new friends from South Dakota had set himself the challenge of going through the entire drink menu during his stay.  He had paced himself to be able to finish comfortably before realizing there was an entire 3rd page he hadn’t accounted for.  That meant that he had 8 drinks to cover in one evening.  The entire resort was interested in seeing how he could accomplish that feat.  He made it through quite a few in the afternoon before we wandered into town to buy some earrings before dinner.

We showered,  lathered on the aftersun lotion and tried to find clothes that didn’t sting too much.  Dinner for our last night was grilled lobster and like all the other meals here was fantastic.  There was even gluten free carrot cake made with cassava flour!  It would be a fine send off.  But we had to finish cheering on the drink quest so after dinner we found ourselves back a the bar helping him get through the last couple of drinks:  the shot menu.  That’s where we had our run in with several YellowTails, a couple of Bee’s Knees, and of course the infamous Red Headed Mermaid.  He had made his quest and we had helped cross the finish line. It was a spectacular way to wrap up the week.

We awoke to howling winds and crashing surf. The sky was dark and angry and did not bode well for a quiet beach day. Good thing we had other plans. After a brief but intense shower during breakfast caused us to eat our first meal indoors, we got geared up for the day’s adventure – a hike up a waterfall!

Not for the faint of heart or flip-flop shod, a dozen of us set out for the Mayflower Bocawina National park. Armed with water and coated in Deet, we started the 2.9 km hike that would take us up to the top of Antelope Falls, nearly 1000 feet above the rainforest floor. We passed Mayan ruins and dozens of types of trees and plants with a great narrative from Simon the driver/tour guide. He was spectacularly well informed because he volunteers as the head of a local conservation group that works in the rainforest. So for two hours we slowly progressed up inclines both slight and steep, sometimes stopping to hear about leaf-cutter ants and other times pausing because the trail was too steep and narrow to support more than one person at a time.

In the end we were treated with a spectacular view all the way to the sea. A few more minutes would lead us to a smaller waterfall and swimming hole where we could enjoy the emerging sunshine and swim in beautifully refreshing water (which is the Belizean euphemism for “cold” btw). Then the hike back down which went far faster than the hike up even with the stop to taste the local termites. Yes, I said taste. Apparently they are reminiscent of woody carrots according to Frank. I passed on the experience.

The rest of the afternoon was like previous days: sunny but with wilder surf thanks to the morning storm, boozy but with more new arrivals joining us at the tiki bar, and just plain relaxing.

Today’s plan was to practice our do nothing skills from yesterday. I’d give us a sold B for the day’s effort. We managed a fair amount of reading time, a couple of walks up and down the beach, and several Bay Breezes ( the drink of the day) -all before lunch!

After lunch we napped a bit then borrowed old bikes to ride into town. It was interesting to see what life outside the resort is like. We stopped a a couple of shops, mostly to replenish our sunscreen which we had completely depleted at our afternoon reapplying session. We also chatted with a few folks at various souvenir stands but didn’t buy anything.

Back to the resort and the tiki bar for more libations and conversations with the new arrivals (from Wisconsin, Ohio, and Colorado) before showering for dinner. It was another delicious meal: rum pineapple chicken for Frank and filet mignon for me accompanied by our cheap Chilean Tempranillo-Syrah blend.

Back to the tiki bar for more cocktails and conversations before retiring for the night.

After the excitement and activity of yesterday, today’s plan was relatively simple: do nothing. All day. This is something we are spectacularly bad at so it was going to take some effort. I am proud to say we did a pretty good job.

Up earlier than vacation generally dictates thanks to the eastern facing room and bright sunrise, we hit breakfast then hit the beach. We had the sands to ourselves most of the morning so it was lots of reading and the occasional dip in the sea. Then we decided to work up an appetite before lunch so a short kayaking excursion up and down the coast was in order. Our next door neighbor on one side seems to be a mangrove and palm forest before the next resort so things are pretty quiet.

Then it was lunch and more sitting on the beach time. There might have been a few papaya daiquiris in there as well (yum!) Later in the afternoon brought shrimp nachos and a few hands of cribbage at the bar. And a few more drinks. Then a round of ladder golf. With a few drinks. And then off to shower before dinner.

Continuing with my goal of eating fresh fish whenever possible, I opted for the sere to start – fish, veggies, and plantains in a coconut broth – before having snapper piccata. Frank had a repeat of the drunken shrimp before his shrimp puttanesca (see a pattern here?). With dinner we had a passable South African Chenin Blanc procured at the airport duty free shop for a whole $10BZD.

We hit the tiki bar for a nightcap or two chatting with our new acquaintances from South Dakota when Charles the bartender took ill and had to be taken to the hospital. It was not our fault btw. That was too much excitement for one day so off we went to rest up for tomorrow’s activity – more of the same.

Our first vacation day started with the alarm going off. Wtf? But it was for a good reason – today’s adventure was zip lining and cave tubing which meant a long drive into the jungle. We grabbed breakfast and had our briefing then it was off in the van with Simon our driver, two newly weds from Connecticut (they got married at the resort on Saturday) and a young couple from South Dakota. About two hours and one obligatory “bathroom” (read: souvenir) stop later, we arrived at the Nohoch Che’en site where the adventure awaited.

We got our helmets and harnesses fitted and then it was off to hike up through the jungle to the first platform. The “baby” run is first and we did the short line quite easily. Then the climbing began. We ran through 6 lines including one more than 1000 feet long across the Caves Branch river. (Pictures forthcoming) It was amazing, spectacular, and so much fun. Even the part where I apparently braked too soon and had to haul myself up to the final platform backwards. Of course that was where the photographer was situated. So I don’t have evidence of the 5 perfect landings I made just the one where I look like an idiot. Such is life. 😑

Then it was on to the next adventure- cave tubing. This required a 25 hike through the jungle to the beginning of the cave system where the river had tunneled through the limestone to form amazing caverns and stone formations. We spent the better part of a an hour floating through cool darkness before emerging into the sunshine for a final float to where lunch was waiting for us

Barbecue chicken, cole slaw and Belizean rice and beans hit the spot. So far I have had no trouble finding GF options. The resort staff have been fantastic. Because it’s so small, they go out of their way to get to know everyone and greet them by name. Sandier generally serves us at the restaurant ( no buffet here) and makes sure that everything I order is okay for me to eat. And they sent snacks on the tour with us: everyone else got cookies and I had a big container of fresh fruit. Yum.

Then back to the van for the long ride home. Simon treated us to a running monologue of Belizean history and culture: independence from Britain and the change from British Honduras, how Belmopan became the capital after Belize City was repeated devastated by hurricanes, the four main ethnicities found in Belize, a primer on their educational system, etc.

we arrived back in time for a few drinks (caiperismo is now my fave) and a walk on the beach before showering for dinner. Tonight’s delight was steak and garlic potatoes for me and curried shrimp for Frank. We brought a bottle of wine with us so we had some Anthony Road Cab Franc-Lemberger blend with dinner. One interesting thing about this resort is that local drinks are included but imports you need to pay for separately. There doesn’t seem to be any local wine so we brought some and bought a couple of bottles at the duty free in the airport. Good thing too because the local shop is charging $35BZD ($17.50USD) for Gato Negro which we get at Lisa’s Liquor Barn in Penfield for $2 a bottle after rebate.

We picked a few lounge chairs and gazed up at the amazing display of stars for a while. Orion was very visible as were several other constellations. A few games of cards and then off to bed. Another plus for us about this place: no rocking nightlife. It has never been our thing and it’s really nice to be somewhere with a chill “it’s okay to go to bed early” vibe. Not that we need to rest up for anything as tomorrow’s plan is do nothing on the beach all day.

And so we began with an alarm call at 4:30 in our hotel room. We were flying out of Buffalo (since it was cheaper and the flight times were better) but the flight was scheduled for 6:45 am so driving from Rochester seemed way too painful. An airport hotel park and fly deal was the answer. The hotel shuttle dropped us off at 5:15 in blowing gusty snow – several inches had fallen overnight and several ore were trying to fall in the course of the short ride.

We got the bags checked and through security (God bless TSA precheck!) and waited to board the SW flight to Fort Lauderdale. And I poured my Tim Hortons all down the front of my white cardigan. Then we had to sit and wait for the deicing, departing nearly an hour late. And we only had an hour connecting time for the flight to Belize. So did the dozen or so folks on the flight trying to get to Costa Rica. But they held the plane for us. We ran through the airport thinking we had a lot of ground to cover, shoving through crowds milking around their gates. And we finally got there…. 2 minutes later. Turns out the other gate was right around the corner.

We boarded and were excited to get the exit row seat which turned out to not be such a mean feat since there were only 37 of us on the plane! Then came the further delay while we waited for our luggage and we were off! The rest of the flight was uneventful and we landed just a half an our late at the Philip S. W. Golden International Airport in Belize City. Honestly Rochester’s airport is bigger but has fewer duty free shops. Through passport control and customs and on to our domestic flight (!). A Cessna 208 Caravan that seated 10. We were scheduled to depart ar 330 but on check in we were told we’d been moved up to the 240 flight. We grabbed a snack and Frank grabbed a local brew. We had just finished eating when they announced our flight was leaving – the 7 passengers boarded and we departed at 210 for the 15 minute flight. 😳

Then a 30 minute ride that covered 2 of the 4 highways in Belize before hitting the dirt road outside Hopkins, the closest village to our resort.

Finally, 12 hours waking up to a blizzard in Buffalo we made it to the beach in Belize. Our welcome drink was a Mosquito bite which invoked brandy, coconut rum and lots of fruit juice. We spent some time unpacking, wandering along the beach and generally getting a feel for the place before showering and heading to dinner.

The resort is small – only 27 rooms – which means no disco, karaoke bar, poolside bingo, etc. And that is fine with us. Our room walks out to the beach and nothing is more than a few steps away, including the tiki bar. Dinner tonight was delicious: quinoa and pineapple salad to start followed by pan seared snapper and sweet pea risotto and a fruit plate for dessert. Frank went with the drunken shrimp, ribs and soursop pie. We managed to stay awake through all 3 courses but then it was time for bed.