Swimming With the Sharks
SNORKELING AT CAYE CAULKER
I cannot believe that I waited this long in my life to go snorkeling! Why, why, why? If I had done this sooner, it might have changed my life. I don't want to go home - I want to stay here and go out in the water with the fishes, rays, and sharks every day. Is it too late at 72?
Yesterday we were served breakfast by Oty and Gaby at D'Nest and met a delightful young couple from England who were about to head out for the airport after a 10 day stay in Belize. Since our trip was just beginning, we asked them what some of their favorite places were. They told us about Crooked Tree reserve where they saw a myriad of birds including the largest bird in this hemisphere - one with a 12 foot wingspan. Their description sounded idyllic, so we called and made reservations for two days at the same place they stayed. I am glad I brought along my long lens. Maybe I will get some great bird shots.
We are staying at De Real Macaw on Caye (pronounced "key") Caulker, the more laid back of the two large islands. And it is laid back. Walk around bare footed in your swimsuit with a beer in your hand. Rent a bike or a golf cart, there's not a car to be seen. Boats of every kind for every purpose - except none of them are the huge yachts you see in every American marina.
We shopped last night for food for breakfast and Ron and I made fried potatoes, cheesy eggs and toast for everyone along with good Belizean coffee. Then we took a walk to see if we could make reservations for a snorkeling trip. Our host here at Macaw recommended Anwar tours just a bit down the beach. We strolled along til we came to it, and then discovered that he had just filled the boat. Initially we were disappointed, but made reservations for the afternoon trip.
After a hot investigation of the rest of the island, we stopped at a bar for a bucket of beer to cool off. Listened to Alan Jackson singing "It's 5 o'clock Somewhere" and some Jimmy Buffet, then made our way back to our apartment. Ron stretched out in the hammock on the porch and I made an short-lived attempt at reading on the couch before dozing off. After a much-needed nap we were ready to go snorkeling.
I was hesitant about doing this because I am not confident in deep water, but our guide, Omar, was so reassuring and he promised that he would be right there if we had any problems. We had life jackets, so I knew I wouldn't drown, but I had never even had flippers on my feet before, nor had I used a mask and snorkel so I was a bit scared of simply making a fool of myself.
Omar gave me an extra life jacket to hold onto and he kept the end of the belt so he could pull me along if necessary, but I pretty quickly got the hang of it and soon we were both spotting fish and he was telling me what their names were. The blue tangs were gorgeous and we saw lots of varieties. I had left the underwater camera on board for the first stop because I didn't feel very confident about managing everything at once, and later I wished I had taken it because that's where we saw the most colorful fish. The second stop was Shark Alley where we got to pet a sting ray and watch Omar plant little fish in empty conch shells for the nurse sharks. Soon we were surrounded by sharks and rays - it was amazing! Unfortunately, we didn't get a lot of good photos, but Ron did get some, like this one of a barracuda.
To cap off this fabulous day, we went to the open-air movie and saw "Philomena". Talk about paradise! Padded benches and adirondack chairs, sand under your feet, and good company - plus a terrific movie, uh, sorry, film, as they say in Belize.
We arrived on Wednesday, and today is only Friday. How much better can this trip get?
I cannot believe that I waited this long in my life to go snorkeling! Why, why, why? If I had done this sooner, it might have changed my life. I don't want to go home - I want to stay here and go out in the water with the fishes, rays, and sharks every day. Is it too late at 72?
Yesterday we were served breakfast by Oty and Gaby at D'Nest and met a delightful young couple from England who were about to head out for the airport after a 10 day stay in Belize. Since our trip was just beginning, we asked them what some of their favorite places were. They told us about Crooked Tree reserve where they saw a myriad of birds including the largest bird in this hemisphere - one with a 12 foot wingspan. Their description sounded idyllic, so we called and made reservations for two days at the same place they stayed. I am glad I brought along my long lens. Maybe I will get some great bird shots.
We shopped last night for food for breakfast and Ron and I made fried potatoes, cheesy eggs and toast for everyone along with good Belizean coffee. Then we took a walk to see if we could make reservations for a snorkeling trip. Our host here at Macaw recommended Anwar tours just a bit down the beach. We strolled along til we came to it, and then discovered that he had just filled the boat. Initially we were disappointed, but made reservations for the afternoon trip.
After a hot investigation of the rest of the island, we stopped at a bar for a bucket of beer to cool off. Listened to Alan Jackson singing "It's 5 o'clock Somewhere" and some Jimmy Buffet, then made our way back to our apartment. Ron stretched out in the hammock on the porch and I made an short-lived attempt at reading on the couch before dozing off. After a much-needed nap we were ready to go snorkeling.
I was hesitant about doing this because I am not confident in deep water, but our guide, Omar, was so reassuring and he promised that he would be right there if we had any problems. We had life jackets, so I knew I wouldn't drown, but I had never even had flippers on my feet before, nor had I used a mask and snorkel so I was a bit scared of simply making a fool of myself.
Omar gave me an extra life jacket to hold onto and he kept the end of the belt so he could pull me along if necessary, but I pretty quickly got the hang of it and soon we were both spotting fish and he was telling me what their names were. The blue tangs were gorgeous and we saw lots of varieties. I had left the underwater camera on board for the first stop because I didn't feel very confident about managing everything at once, and later I wished I had taken it because that's where we saw the most colorful fish. The second stop was Shark Alley where we got to pet a sting ray and watch Omar plant little fish in empty conch shells for the nurse sharks. Soon we were surrounded by sharks and rays - it was amazing! Unfortunately, we didn't get a lot of good photos, but Ron did get some, like this one of a barracuda.
To cap off this fabulous day, we went to the open-air movie and saw "Philomena". Talk about paradise! Padded benches and adirondack chairs, sand under your feet, and good company - plus a terrific movie, uh, sorry, film, as they say in Belize.
We arrived on Wednesday, and today is only Friday. How much better can this trip get?
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