I signed up for a snorkel excursion, which I went on today. Michael suggested we take a walk along the boardwalk. He says it's the longest boardwalk in the world. As I left the snorkel tour place, a woman outside her stand yelled out to me. The restaurant was Brenda's Restaurant, and she was Brenda.
"Hello lady, you want some jerk chicken? Some rice and beans? You've been waiting for chicken? Because it's been waiting for you!"
You know, once I thought about it, I was hungry. I told Michael I ordered chicken, rice, beans, coleslaw, and a rum punch from Brenda. He said it sounded like a swell idea and got his own meal and drink.
So the jerk chicken was excellent. Brenda also brought out the best macaroon I've ever had and also a really solid bread pudding.
Chicken, rice, pineapple, coleslaw.
Macaroon? More like GREAT macaroon.
Bread pudding. Most underrated dessert out there.
Brenda's restaurant. Where the magic happens.
View from Brenda's restaurant. Where the magic happens.
Another group was finishing up their meal. A man from Oregon talking about how Yelp is a scam, and his Thai wife whose haircut made her look like she just walked off the set of Brink, the sensational 90s Disney Channel Original Movie. They sat across from Connecticut, a man who said his name about three times over the course of the afternoon and I still don't remember it. Oregon and Brink left, and Connecticut kept eating.
Michael was telling me about some of the people he met. He credits himself with Bill Clinton easing up on civil forfeiture in the 90s (don't we still have a ways to go on that one though?).
"I met Gorbachev once. I saw Kissinger at a distance at an airport."
"Kissinger should be in jail, man," Connecticut said, introducing himself into our conversation. Connecticut could use a close shave and a cleaner pair of cargo shorts.
Want to know what a conversation with two nomadic men north of 60 about politics sounds like? Whatever you're guessing is probably accurate.
Two women came by and sat down as well. They were from Alaska. Dory has been living in Belize for over 2 years now, and Sam is visiting her friend for a couple weeks. Dory hasn't ever had a proper career, just going from one job to the next, and now her son is out of the house, and she just upped and left so she could figure out who she was by herself, not who she was in relation to someone else.
Another middle-aged couple sat down as well. They were from Idaho. I don't remember their names, so I will refer to them as Mr. and Mrs. Idaho. They came down with their adult daughter and her spouse. Mr. and Mrs. Idaho run a summer camp in Sun Valley during the summer.
When I was at the cave tubing meeting ground, there was a gift shop with a bunch of tan hats that said BELIZE on them. They're so dorky. I always wonder what kind of person actually pays money for that. It is the quintessential dad hat, but also why do dad hats have to be so unflattering and weirdly colored? Anyway, my point is Mr. Idaho was wearing a dad hat and a Hawaiian shirt, and when we were talking about Richard Sherman (there was a game on last night), he made it clear he loved that guy's "DON'T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT ME" speech. Mr. and Mrs. Idaho were tight.
As the youngest person there by about 30 years, some of the older people were curious about my being in Belize by myself. Sam from Alaska has a son my age and a daughter 3 years older, so she immediately put herself in my mother's shoes.
"What did your mother say when you told her you were coming down here?"
"Well, when I first told her, it was a few months ago, and I said I wasn't going to not do something because nobody would do it with me, and she said that was great. And then as we got closer to me leaving, she would ask, 'so who are you going with again? Where are you going?'"
"You make sure you email her every night."
Sam was pretty cute too. She gave me a pair of earrings with flip flops because she decided it wasn't her style after all.
Me and my new best friend Sam.
Dory and Michael talked business. Dory had a place up in Corazol, in Northern Belize, that she was trying to sell. Good place to dock his boat. They started talking about novels Michael had written. One of them was on Amazon. Science fiction - Rings of Time. Dory said she wanted to write a book.
"I want to write fiction," Dory said. She was slurring her words. "Can I write fiction? I don't want to write about my life. It'd be too sad."
Mr. and Mrs. Idaho left before the drinking got out of hand, and also to watch the Seahawks-Packers game. I was surrounded by Seahawks fans. The couple from Idaho. The two women from Alaska. We were 50 yards from a bar showing the game, though, and everyone in there (all three patrons) were Packers fans.
End of first half, when the Packers had it locked up.
Great game. Okay I'm not going to talk about football anymore. It was cool watching it in Placencia though, on a nice TV at a bar on the water.
Around 6 Michael and I headed back. I had an early night. I am loving these early nights. I never fall asleep before midnight at home. Going to bed early is so great.
The next morning I headed into town for the full day of snorkeling. I wore my super cool but super light pants and a tank top. I didn't bring a towel because I figured the sun would dry me off and also because I didn't think of it.
I got to the tour a little early. The man working there is also a musician who has traveled all over Europe and the US touring. He moved back to Placencia three years ago.
"We might not get to do the snorkeling tour today," he said. "It's too choppy."
There was no wind, so I didn't understand what he was talking about.
"When are you leaving?" he asked.
"Tomorrow."
"So this is your only day." The man thought about it. "We'll go out today."
I didn't think anything of the almost-canceled tour. I went to get a coffee. It was a nice walk - Placencia is a nice town. I haven't mentioned this yet, but something I noticed about Placencia is how nice the cars are. They're not luxury, but they're Toyota Tundras in Placencia versus whatever make I've never heard of in San Ignacio. They're within two years old in Placencia versus older than I am in San Ignacio. It's all the expats and tourists.
Anyway, the walk was nice, and the coffee is maybe the best coffee I've ever had.
Placencia.
The name of the coffee shop is a play on words.
His name is Java.
Above Grounds Coffee Shop.
When I came back to the snorkel place, Chandy and Frank had also arrived. They were a couple from Seattle who had a son who was my age. They are grandparents. Chandy had back surgery in October. Swimming in salt water made her feel better.
We got on the boat where our tour guide, Tiger, got behind the wheel to take us.
"We are going to Silk Caye. It's 22 miles off shore. It will take us an hour. After we snorkel for a bit, we will eat, and then we will see the turtles."
22 miles? Okay. I guess it's worth it to go to the second biggest barrier reef in the world. The first biggest is in Australia. That one is called the Great Barrier Reef and it's on wikipedia.
We very quickly understood why musician man owner was hesitant to send us out today. There were some seriously choppy waters. It was fun at first, but it didn't let up. We were soaked within fifteen minutes. Chandy had not been informed about how choppy it was, and she had mentioned her own condition, so she was understandably upset. I began worrying about my no-towel situation.
"Are you from Seattle proper, or just outside?" I asked. Chandy and Frank had an accent that wasn't particularly urban.
"We live in a boat just outside the downtown area."
"Oh that's nice! I have family in Graham."
"No kidding! I'm an Arlington girl. We just moved to Seattle a few years ago."
CALLED IT. Farmland. Chandy and Frank are great. Chandy complimented my pants, because she is a woman with excellent taste.
After an hour of getting soaked and almost losing my contact, we made it to Silk Caye. It is an island that is literally the size of my apartment. It has a bathroom and a barbecue on it. It is a national park.
Come vacation in sunny Silk Caye.
Look at that beautiful bathroom.
I am already cold.
We snorkeled around the Caye. It was okay, but my goggles kept fogging up. Also, bobbing on the surface of a windy sea is, well, not relaxing. And the water wasn't freezing, but I wouldn't use the word "warm." I was already looking forward to the hot shower I was going to take when I got back to the hotel.
The wind had only gotten stronger, and I was only in a wet bathing suit. Luckily there was another tour there, and Tiger's second cousin was leading that one. Tiger scored a towel for me, so I was a little less cold, but still very cold. It might have been the coldest I've ever been. I talked to a woman from Michigan on that Silk Caye, and she was also freezing, so I am validated.
Cold.
Clothes drying. Chandy likes these pants, and it's easy to see why.
Tiger cooking up some fish and potatoes. Sheet metal is protecting our food from the wind.
Tasty. But I was not interested in going back in the water at that point for sea turtles. I was too cold. I could feel that hot water from the shower I was fantasizing about on my skin. I was only three hours away from paradise.
We motored to the second location, which was about 200 yards away. The sea turtle apparently hung out by a fishing boat. These guys had a clothing line set up as well. I will never see so many clothing lines again as I have seen on this trip.
Fishing boat.
We saw a turtle in the distance and I decided to suck it up and go back in. I was also told to stay away from the turtles.
I took a deep breath and jumped in. What a difference a couple hundred yards makes! The sea floor was covered in grass. My goggles weren't fogging up. We swam closer to the fishing boat and suddenly it was a wealth of animals I've never seen in the wild up close. An enormous turtle going to town on some grass. Sharks within a couple feet of where I was floating. Manta rays. Schools of fish. And this was all within water about seven feet deep, so when sharks or manta rays swam directly below me they were really, really close to me. But it's super chill I totally didn't freak out because I know they can smell fea- that turtle is not eating grass, it is eating a crab that is trying to crawl out of its mouth right now, and I suddenly understand why I'm being told to stay away from the turtle.
So that last snorkel bit was really amazing. Tiger took us back to shore. I immediately went back to my hotel and took my hot shower. I've never been this cold in my life, but I've also never had a hot shower feel that perfect.
It's been a crazy trip. I'm going to go eat dinner.
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