Bonita and Freida in Belize...

As many of you know, we have 2 Chihuahuas living in Minnesota. We sure miss them, but I think Belize would be a little too rough for them... They are a tad bit spoiled... But we do have our two with us in spirit and stuffed Beanie Babies. The other day Phil set them up in the window and I though it was so cute...

And this is what they would get to look at out the window all day... Nice View!

Another Days Work....

Some work days are tougher than others.... And Saturday was one of the not so tough days for me. Pat invited me to go with her and 2 guests on a privet snorkel tour. The resort is looking for a new all day (9a.m.-3 or 4p.m.) trip. The goal was to see some great snorkel stops, see the local Keys (or Cays), get some history of Belize, some nature, and a nice lunch stop. We found it all!

This is Jaguar Reef's new boat. Very nice and smooth.

This is our snorkel equipment. And Nick our guide.

Nick has been a commercial fisherman for most of his life, as was his father. He has worked for Jaguar Reef now for 4 years as a guide. He does snorkel trips and fishing trips.

Its is 17 miles to the Reef. The Great Barrier Reef of Belize. Many of the keys are in a protected "park" and you pay to use the area. Its in the cost of your snorkel trip form the resorts. There are park rangers in boats that check on who is there and what they are up to. They take very seriously the care of the keys as to protect the creatures that live there and the structure of the Keys as well. The keys and the reef itself help protect the main land of Belize.

If you have some extra money, you too could buy your own Key! This is a Key with a man maid sea wall going around it. It is true, Lenoardo Dicaprio owns a key in Belize.

Heading to some mangrove. Yes, there are sea crocodiles in these areas...

A home on a Key

I wish you could see how green-teal the water is over the coral. The picture does not do justice. The brown area is coral. Water about 8 feet deep.

That me! Another Day at the office....

We stopped at South Water Key. This was on the wall of a restaurant of a research facility. The Key has a research Facility, a privet home and a resort.

Places to stay at the research place.

Boating to the other side of the Key.
Blue Marlin Resort from the sea.

The lunch stop. Blue Marlin Lodge. I will have to bring Phil here for a few days.

Inside the dining room

A look out the door. Everything here is run on batteries and generators.

And a security system...that would be him napping in the sun. Later to be found napping in the shade.

One of 3 or 4 little places like this. They also have little cabins and other places to stay. It is a popular place for dive groups to come and stay.

If you can see where the water changes color... that is the Great Barrier Reef. Like a rock wall that goes for miles and miles.

Ahhhhh......

After a great fresh fish lunch and a tour of the resort, we were back in the boat. This is another Key. It has a pile of Conch Shells. There is a season for hunting/fishing conch.

On the go again through some mangroves ... Love the looks of the roots.

Through the passage of Tobacco Range, near Tobacco Key

To Bird Island

A female Frigate Bird

The male Frigate Bird with his red throat all puffed up. It's the start of mating season..

About a 20-30 minute boat ride back... You can always see the mountains of Belize when out by the reef. Its very beautiful coming back.

And back to the Resort. This is Jaguar Reef.

There is so much to see and do in this country, its AMAZING!!!

TODAY SHOW

Make sure you watch the Today Show on Monday and Tuesday. They will be in Belize! I think its going to be Matt at the Blue Hole. Last weekend we had a small Today Show crew spend the night at our resort...I don't know if it was related to this event on Monday and Tuesday or if there will be more things to come. Even though they call it their "Ends of the Earth" show, keep in mind Belize is a smooth day of travel (2 hours from Miami) and closer than you think...hint hint hint....

Dragon Flies

This past Sunday, snapped a few photos of the Dragon Flies that were migrating through the area. This has happend a few times in the past few months. Very cool. All you see is this cloud of the little guys flying through the air. They stop to rest and pose for some photos.

Chetumal Mexico

On Monday Nov 10 we left the resort around 6 and took the 7:30 flight to Belize City. We then caught the 9 a.m. express bus to Chetumal Mexico. It was fun to drive through Belize and see the main towns we have not seen yet. It was also neat to see all the flooding in the norther districts. We saw sugar cane fields and took note of how the homes and villages differ throughout the country. Once you cross the border to Mexico, the road turns to a 4 lane highway. We arrived in Chetumal around Noon. Chetumal is known for its great shopping. They have a mall, a Sam's Club, a smaller version of Walmart, and 2 large markets. And, yes, a McDonald's and Burger King.

We checked into the Los Cocos Hotel. It was just 2 blocks from the Old Market. We walked there and did a little shopping.On Tuesday we spent some time at the mall and the Bodega Aurrera (Walmart's small store) we went to find a little lunch and a Margareta. This was a few block down the street form our Hotel.The streets are nice and clean with lots of friendly people. They don't speak much English in this area, but are so helpful. We kept walking down the main street to the park at the end. Lots of beautiful things along the water front. I don't know what the history of Chetumal is, but they have a lot of monuments.Out on the pier.Dinner was great! It seems like it was a very popular place as it filled up before we left. Great grilled steak Tacos!!The grillEverything you order seems to come with a dish or two of Salsa, beans and or guacamole. I am not sure, But I believe this panting has to do with how Mexico got its name...
The streets of Chetumal. Very safe place! Most all the stores are open until 9. Lots of food vendors in the evening.
Yes, that is hot dogs wrapped in cheese and bacon... some then have a corn tortilla wrapped around it and deep fried. We didn't try them, too full form lunch and dinner.OK... this is the BEST BREAKFAST I have EVER had! Its called Cazuela Vercruzana for $60 pesos. It is thin thin fried eggs layered between corn tortilla topped with a black bean sauce, white cheese and a spicy sausage. So good!!
We loved Chetumal! We will be back for sure!