San Pedro

Thursday

We had debated what to do in the morning prior to heading to San Pedro to spend the rest of the vacation on the coast on the island of Ambergris Caye. We settled on taking a taxi over to another Maya site, Cahal Pech. Upon arrival, we passed through a museum, and then down the steps to a sparsely forested garden. The site was likely chosen as it had once overlooked the confluence of the Mopan and Manal rivers. There were several plazas and temples, and the stone formations created a maze-like structure in the interior of the living quarters. There was a smaller ball court, and the false arch construction similar to what we had seen at Tikal. We hung out for a bit in the main plaza, watching an acouti hop around the courtyard.

We passed the time on our journey to the Water Taxi in Belize City talking with the driver about a number of topics related to life in Belize: people, culture, holidays, food, etc. At the terminal, I exchanged the paper tickets, and we waited in line at the dock whereafter we soon boarded the boat. It had rows of plastic seats in the middle-- maybe 15 to 20 per row. There were translucent plastic curtains all around the deck, I suppose to keep the water spray out when it was choppy. The boat was nearly full, as we headed out and stopped first at Caye Caulker, where people get off, and others embarked. Boxes of produce and other goods from the mainland were also hauled out. We arrived maybe 30 minutes later at the dock in San Pedro, and headed to a covered area where the luggage would be reclaimed. It was a bit of a free-for-all, as the bags were brought over on carts. People clamored and pointed out their bags, and porters brought them over, fastidiously checking the baggage claim tickets on the pieces of luggage with the ones that everyone was so eagerly presenting. After about the third cart-load our bags arrived, and we then looked around the area for the person who was supposed to meet us there and present us with our golf cart, which would be our main mode of transport the next few days.

Eventually Mark showed up, much to our relief and the European family standing next to us who had made a similar booking. He brought us the carts and explained the ins and outs, and we then went up the road to our hotel.

We checked into our condotel, which was a spacious suite with living room, kitchen table, and a full set of appliances including a range, full fridge, and washer / dryer. While showing us around, the hotel employee mentioned we might see their 'pet', but I wasn't sure what he was talking about. Shortly after he left it became clear, as we saw a giant crocodile swimming effortlessly in the mangrove waters just behind our deck. We later came to find out from one of the condo residents that there were actually three big cros back there! Glad I didn't decide to walk down the steps to the beach head!

We had dinner at the hotel restaurant, and that's when I first noticed the pervasive and odious smell of sargassum that was washing up on the beach in huge quantities.

Friday

We took the golf cart back south to San Pedro, and had breakfast at a beach side restaurant. We walked around the area stopping at a gift shop for some shirts and magnets, as well as a chocolate shop. Then it was time to get on the boat for our snorkeling excursion. Unless you are a diver, which by comparison makes doing so seem trivial, snorkeling Hol Chan and checking out Shark Ray Alley is a San Pedro must-do!

The coral did look a bit bleached, but there was still a lot of thriving wildlife. I saw sea turtles, squirrel fish, parrot fish, a barracuda, and variety of corals and anemone. The guide, Kyle, was a bit obnoxious as he would surface every minute or so to explain what we were seeing. This in-and-out caused me to swallow sea water, and necessitated adjusting my mask a lot, so eventually I just ignored him and did my own thing. The current was quite strong as well, so we all had to hustle to keep up.

After the Hol Chan Cut exploration we hopped back in the boat to head to reef alley where Kyle and the other guide / boat captain, Russel, chummed the water for the nurse sharks. Almost immediately there they were. Some looked to be as long as eight feet. I jumped in eagerly, and was startled as a big nurse shark swam by me. There were also a lot of yellowtail snapper that twitched in unified murmuration, as though each of their individual nervous systems were connected as one. Once the food was good, the nurse sharks soon swam away, and I headed back to the boat for some refreshments of fruit and soda.

It had started raining a bit on our way back, and we took shelter inside a restaurant right next to the dock where we had just disembarked. After it cleared up we headed back to the hotel to clean up and go to dinner at the Truck Stop, a lively spot we had seen the previous night. It had several food stalls, a full bar, and a live stage, where some dude was playing reggae on synthesizer while his two kids handled the percussion.

Saturday

We boarded the tiny Tropic Air Cessna Caravan 208B from the tarmac at the San Pedro airstrip. It was tight quarters especially for some of the taller dudes who had joined us for our flight. Looking out the window I saw expanding shallow turquoise waters, and then the verdant green of the rainforest as we flew inland.

We had a ton of time to kill at the airport before our flight to DFW, so we got some lunch and had a couple of parting Belikins. Great trip! Next time I go back I'll have to check out the southern coast including Hopkins and Placencia, and definitely make it back to San Ignacio to explore the ATM Cave and the other big Maya ruin of Caracol.