Belize

Back in Berkeley

It was really nice.  More than nice:
Lovely, beautiful, relaxing,  needed.

I got a sunburn (shoulders), though.
That, and a tweaked (right) elbow,
and blisters on a thumb and toe.

un-Belize-able.  Kenya Belize it?
I didn't go to Kenya, but I have a hat
I bought a t-shirt and a basket
(and brought home some shells, too)
I miss it already!
(but it's nice to be home, as well)

We (Sara, Pierre, Augustus, and I) went to Caye Caulker
pronounced Key Cocker
there are 3 theories how the island got its name:
sailers actually caulking their boats
"corker" - sailers getting cork for their casks
and the anglicization of "hicaco" (the coconut plum)
(so that's why it's not mentioned in Wikipedia)

Belize used to  be British Honduras
They speak English
The gvt, (but not the people, actually, I'm told)
wanted independence, which they got in 1981 (recent!)
They use BZD (belize dollars 2bzd:1 american dollar)
both currencies are used.

The motto there (in CC) is: Go Slow
which I've taken to heart, and brought home with me.
We ate well, and I spent like $300+
I ran out of money, actually, and made it simpler,
by putting things on my "tab" (to SPA)
which was not strictly tabulated,
but i'm told is around $150
I bought gnc omega 3, and muttivitamins before i left, too.

I have a dogwalk today (at 1p, Orion)

so ya, Pierre and I went kayaking, and saw
some big fish (turbot?), some divebombing pelicans, jumping fish
(and of course i single handedly fought off an alligator
while P got speared by a swordfish!)
we also biked around the island, and saw
the cemetery, catholic church, wildlife sanctuary, rasta church,
asemblea de dios, casa de dios.
I was told not to poke around the cemetery.
hopefully i didn't get zika, but all of us got bit.
the 4 of us came in by water taxi from Belize City (where we spent a night).

(belize of the beast)
cheap food, panty-rippers
We ate well, ate italian twice, met Dutch travelers
(I learned Holland is a province in Netherlands)
The two taxi drivers (from, to the airport) were helpful
There's drugs, corruption, cronyism, "bosses"
 but also
swimming in the ocean with Augustus,
swinging in hammocks
riding in golf carts
and seeing shad, needlenose gar, melodious blackbird,
red-throated frigate bird, miniature crabs (and sand-mites!)
there were pigeons, petrels(?), a humming bird, ants
and we saw a small jellyfish, pulsing
as well as globs of jelly (kinda egg shaped) (ambergris??)
(I recently learned ambergris is "whale vomit")
Lots of stray and wandering free dogs (including Ipu (e-poo))
we didn't see seahorse, or sea turtle, or sharks
(because we didn't scuba or snorkel out by the reef)
there were little ant-hills in the sand in the shallows, underwater
We stayed at Wish Willy's (air b and b house, i think)
we saw wild lizards and (grey) iguanas
(my belize t-shirt has a (green) iguana on it)
it was hot and we kept the fans on.
SPA all went out swimming while it was raining.
I thought of enya (caribbean blue), and madonna ("tropical the island breeze")
reggae was popular

I brought Moby Dick to read, but didn't
Didn't go into the jungle (but the flight in came over a lot)
so no howler monkeys, jaguars, toucans, or climbing pyramid
i'm told the pyramid is rebuilt, not authentic.
the cave-tubing was praised by Joy, next to me, on the flight to Houston.
We considered taking the "manatee madness" tour.
global warming, the island was hotter than usual (but i liked it)
balmy breeze (say cheese! -ha, a reference to brie)
maybe next time! You better Belize it!