2015: What a Year to Be in Belize! Part Three

Present day:  I am just back from gorgeous Sleeping Giant Lodge in Cayo and super charming Hopkins, Belize.  And…AND…I’ve been “short listed” to go to Kerala India thanks to everyone’s votes!  All I need to do is present a copy of my passport (check) and report to India.  INDIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  on February 14th.

Kerala.  One of the world’s largest producers of my most hated spice.  Black pepper.  But I bet the plantations are gorgeous.

Nothing like the old Belize City to Houston to Frankfurt to Mumbai to Kerala commuter flight to say HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO ME!

But since it is a Saturday, I won’t tell you about my recent trip just yet…Saturday is one slow day for blog reading.  So I’ll continue my recap of 2015 – One Great Year to Be in Belize.

Or…in Rhode Island…where I left off.  I usually go to the states to visit my nephews once (and if I’m lucky, twice) and May is the perfect time to do it.  It almost assures great weather.

And then I wrote a post about things that I bring back from the states.  Ugh…reminds me that I JUST broke the Bodum three days ago.

Coffee milk – the state drink of Rhode Island.

I wrote about the new Di V’u Restaurant on the Wet WIlly’s Dock – new then.  It is now Palapa Bar.

Best view.

I went parasailing…and it is 1. Not scary 2. A fantastic way to get a view of the island.  I even saw dolphins.

The 11th Annual Eco-Challenge kicked the butts (or arms) of a bunch of island residents…2 days kayaking around Ambergris Caye.   It’s coming up again in a few months…I hope you are already training.

I then headed down to Hopkins Village for the Mango Festival.  SUPER FUN.  And man…do I love mangoes.  Even when I’m paying triple the price from a bunch of little boys.

I met Miss Emma…one of the coolest people I’ve ever met.  This 74 year old powerhouse and her farm really are national treasures.

June is all about Lobster festivals in Belize.  In 2014, I hit all three – Placencia, Caye Caulker and San Pedro.  2015…only two.  Here’s the one in Ambergris Caye.  Where I was a food judge and ate about half my body weight in lobster.  Life is rough…

I “met” visitor Danielle Burruss on Instagram and she sent me some AMAZING photos from a charter flight over the barrier reef.  One day.

And then on to…dare I say it?  My favorite lobster festival.  Caye Caulker.

I took a walk down to the south end of Caye Caulker for the first time.  Some gorgeous and interesting things…

July and I was off to beautiful Mystic River Resort – where i saw my first wild keel billed toucan, I hiked/swam the AMAZING ATM CAVE FOR THE FIRST TIME (and wanted, immediately, to do it again), I milked a goat (and never wanted to do it again)…

…I climbed down into a dry cave and swam in a REMOTE waterfall.  Reachable by horse or Polaris.

I saw this column of stalagtites and -mites that are suspected to have cracked when an asteroid hit the earth.  THAT ASTEROID.  66 million years ago when the dinosaurs went extinct.

I returned to Ambergris Caye to visit one of the most beautiful places – the leeward side of the island.  And just hang out with friends…on a sandbar.

And then one of my my memorable experiences…camping up north with some inner city kids at Camp Basil Jones.

Thanks to Ramon’s Village and their awesome dive crew, I FINALLY made it to the Blue Hole and breathtaking Half Moon Caye.

I am planning a two night trip to Half Moon Caye at the end of this month and…I’m kinda giddy.

I’ll leave it there for today.  My internet is giving me so many problems…oy.  But I am hardly in a spot to complain.  Have a great weekend.

Over and out.

Over and out.