sharks, rays, and chicken poop

"If the phone don't ring, you'll know it's me."  -  written on the wall of the Tex Mex diner we found on our bike adventure

Are they really playing chicken poop roulette? YOU BETTA BELIZE IT!
We are already 20 over capacity on this bus. Can we fit one more?? YOU BETTA BELIZE IT!
Is it really a 12% tax at select restaurants? YOU BETTA BELIZE IT!  (FU Ali Baba)
Did they really play music at 1:00am and then start again at 5:00am ... Right outside your window? YOU BETTA BELIZE IT!
Did "the FUR" really make it all the way down here?? YOU BETTA BELIZE IT!
Was the Blue Hole totally spectacular? YOU BETTA BELIZE IT!
Is it hot here? YOU BETTA BELIZE IT!
Are we having an awful time? NO! We are having fun.


Bren went on a scuba trip to the Blue Hole.  It is 30 miles off the coast, 1000 ft across, 500 ft deep, surrounded by coral, and blue.  He dove down, on his deepest dive of his life, to a depth of 125 ft.  At about 100 ft down Bren started to see the tops of huge stalactites.  Some of them were six feet across and 40 ft tall.  He was able to swim in between them.  He was only down at depth for eight minutes before needing to start the slow assent to the surface.  On the way up Bren saw the silhouettes of two big sharks as well as the tops of several others swimming below him.  Kinda eerie.  He had two more dives that day but off of crescent moon island.  Here he was able to enjoy more color, more fish, and less depth. He saw lion fish, turtles, lobster, and schools of thousands of fish that would part around you as you swam through them. He managed to get stung inside the mouth by a jellyfish. While Bren was off on this adventure Kate was.sleeping in! She woke up late, took a real shower and wandered around town to find a place that was still serving breakfast. She sat down at Ruby's Cafe to have a cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee with a few of the locals. After chatting awhile she wandered up the beach to find a shady spot to read and journal for awhile. The sun was hot, but it was a beautiful day on the island and it was fun to visit with some of the locals. In Belize the official language is English, but most everyone also speaks Spanish as well as an interesting blend of the two. The people seem proud of their English roots, and according to the man at the ice cream shop that Kate found later that afternoon, school is conducted mostly in English here because they speak Spanish in the home. It has been easy to communicate with people, but difficult to understand them if they are just talking amongst each other! Overall it was a good day of rest for Kate and adventure for Bren!

Bren and Kate woke up the next day to go snorkeling at the Hol Chan marine reserve and Shark Ray Alley about a half mile off the island. We(we know sometimes we are changing between 1st and 3rd person, sorry) were picked up off of the Yacht Club dock by Serious Adventure tour company and they took us on a guided tour of the reef. First at Hol Chan there was a natural channel lined by coral reef on either side. As soon as we were in the water we were surrounded by fish. Carlos our guide pointed out everything from turtles to eagle rays. Bren dove down to swim through a natural coral tunnel only to encounter a rather large fish inside. The coral was beautiful and the wildlife was abundant! BUT, it was nothing compared to what Shark Ray Alley had to offer.
As soon as the boat pulled in to our next snorkeling destination we were surrounded by 4-6ft long nurse sharks and a multitude of sting rays. So, we jumped in! At first Kate was terrified and stayed right next to Bren and as close to the top of the water as was physically possible, but with time she gained a bit of courage and ventured out on her own. At this point Bren had discovered that if he laid on the bottom (it was about 10ft deep here) that the sting rays would swim over the top of him/right into him. Good thing Kate had the camera to capture this risky moment. Carlos our guide put food in the conch shells to attract the sharks and rays so that he could go down and grab one. Bren and Kate both touched the slimy sting ray and the rough nurse sharks, but Kate turned and got the heck out of there as fast as she could after touching them!

Kate and Bren followed their snorkeling adventure by renting bikes from the hostel and touring the south and north ends of the island. They followed the rough sand/dirt roads through the mangroves until they finally arrived at ... the Dump! Woops, they should have followed the signs and headed towards the beach. They found a nice TexMex restaurant to the south of town where they enjoyed a plate of chips and fresh guacamole... and plenty of water! As they continued North they decided to off road it and ride along the shore of the beach. Luckily you can do this because according to the locals, the Queen owns 66ft of land next to the ocean so none of the beaches can be private. This was a bonus for us as we avoided some pot holes and enjoyed an incredible view along the way.

Did they see Crazy Stupid Love at the Paradise Theatre to close out their day? YOU BETTA BELIZE IT!

This morning Bren and Kate took a water taxi to Belize City where they caught a bus North to Corozal Town where they will be staying for the next couple of days.

Awesome,

Kate and Bren