On our way back north, we ran into the family group we'd done the Lamanai tour with on Monday, heading south from the Palapa Bar. The women were all standing beside their golf cart, which had a noticeably flat tire, waiting for their husbands to get back with a new tire. So we stopped and chatted with them for a few minutes, then headed on our way north.
We met our friends Debra and Bill (Taking Belize blog) today for lunch at Ak'Bol. Actually, we met them at the bridge north of San Pedro and the four of us rode our bikes to our condo to give them a quick tour and to introduce them to Paisley. Then we rode down to Ak'Bol. We had a nice lunch and great conversation about various experiences we've had here in Belize. Debra and Bill just moved here two weeks ago so are still getting settled; while we're five months into our retirement lives here, so it's interesting to exchange perspectives. I ordered the Falafel burger with tabouli on the side, but unfortunately they didn't have the tabouli today, and they didn't tell me that when I ordered, so I was served a huge side of fries...dangerous stuff. I would have ordered something else if I'd known that I'd be getting fries, as I'm trying to watch my weight, but fortunately I got some help from my friends on the fries. Barry's veggie burrito looked really pretty! We ended up talking at the table for a couple of hours over a couple of Belikins. Before we knew it, it was 3 pm, and Barry and I still needed to get to the bank. Not realizing it closed at 3, we biked back into town with Debra and Bill. We left them off at El Guapo bike shop so Bill could get his chain tighted, then headed to the bank, only to find out we were a bit too late. Oh well, at least I burned off a few of those fries! On our way back north, we ran into the family group we'd done the Lamanai tour with on Monday, heading south from the Palapa Bar. The women were all standing beside their golf cart, which had a noticeably flat tire, waiting for their husbands to get back with a new tire. So we stopped and chatted with them for a few minutes, then headed on our way north. P.S. Stay tuned for the "Birds of Lamanai" blog posting. We were so busy today I didn't get a chance to do it, but I am sure I will be able to get it done tomorrow...
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What a fun night! We rode our bikes into town early Friday evening to attend the Saga Humane Society's pasta cook-off at Mojito's Bar and Grill on the San Pedro beachfront. These monthly events, featuring a different food theme each time, support a wonderful cause, and really, who can resist pasta? In addition to pasta, there were special prices on "Meow-itos" (mojitos), "Bark-aritas", and other drinks. We met our friends Robert and Maureen there, and were early enough to get a great table. We were supposed to meet our "virtual friends" Bill and Debra (Taking Belize blog), whom we've been corresponding with for quite some time, as they were arriving in San Pedro this very day to begin their retirement dreams here in Belize. Unfortunately, unlucky Friday the 13th struck them, and they missed their original flight out of Houston due to difficulties returning their rental truck, so they arrived on the island too late to join us. The four of us enjoyed some mojitos and great conversation and bought some raffle tickets from the darling local children circulating around. When we brought our pasta dinners back to our table, we had fun discussing our favorites. With nine delicious entries, it was really hard to decide! When it came time to vote, Robert chose the chicken parmesan fettucine, Barry and Maureen picked the pork lo mein, and I chose the spicy bowtie pasta. When the winners were announced, Robert's favorite came in third place, and Barry and Maureen's pick came in first! My favorite, unfortunately, did not place. I guess some folks just can't take the heat. :) We were all getting a little tired by this time (hey, we're retirees!) so didn't stick around to see who won the raffle drawings. I am assuming we would have gotten a call by now if we had, so I'm not holding my breath. We used our headlamps again to ride home on a beautiful dark and starry night. The road from Reef Village up to Grand Caribe had just been re-graded, making for a smoother-than-normal ride. There's honestly nothing much more fun than night riding. Kinda makes you feel like a kid again!
Last night we were invited to join our friend David and his buddy Bob visiting from Virginia for dinner in town. David, who lives on the beach a bit north of us, is normally golf cart-free like us, but had rented a cart for the day to show Bob around Ambergris Caye, so he picked us up on their way back into town at the end of the day to turn in the cart. We're so used to riding our bikes into town that taking a cart provided a completely different perspective. After returning the cart and picking up David's repaired laptop at computer shop, we walked through town and ended up on the outside deck of the Holiday Hotel for a dinner at Celi's. I never realized you could eat anywhere other than inside the screened dining room, so this was great, as Barry and I always prefer to eat outdoors whenever the weather permits. And tonight was a perfect night under the rising full moon, with just the right amount of southeast breeze. We had a couple of drinks, a good meal, and good conversation. Those guys have the funniest stories about their rugby days and had me laughing a lot. Bob is a sailor so we talked some about boats and sailing as well. I managed to resist the lure of dessert as I'm trying to lose the few pounds I've gained since moving to Ambergris Caye in August. After dinner we walked up towards the water taxi dock, stopping at Cholo's for a nightcap since we were between the hourly northbound departure times, as usual. The 8:30 pm taxi north was packed, and I was surprised because there didn't seem to be many folks waiting to get on, but when it's time to board, passengers seem to come out of the woodwork. We couldn't have fit another person on the boat, except in someone's lap!
For the first time ever, we experienced engine problems on the water taxi as it pulled away from the dock. The motor died, and the captain was unable to get it re-started at first. The strong wind was blowing us back into other docked boats, and people on our ferry were having to fend off to avoid smashing into the other boats. Fortunately, just as the bow was heading straight for another boat, the motor roared to life, and off we went. Whew! It was a beautiful night for a boat ride with the full moon high in the sky by now. I always wish we didn't have to get off at what is usually their first stop heading north, Grand Caribe, because it's so much fun being on the boat, wind blowing through my hair. It's delightful to be in such a warm place in January and continue wearing sandals even in the evening year-round! This morning we got going earlier than normal (for us) and fought a stiff breeze to bike up north to Grand Belizean Estates for some birding. Barry had such good luck seeing so many birds last Sunday while I was sick that I was hoping for a repeat performance, but for some reason, the birds were not quite as plentiful this week. Perhaps it was simply too breezy for them to be out and about. We had to be patient and look harder than usual, but we did end up seeing a couple different types of herons, several egrets, cormorants, plovers, a Greater Yellowlegs, Killdeers, Common Black-Hawks, Tropical Kingbirds, mockingbirds, grackles, and a couple of ducks (possibly American Coots, but too far away to identify). Most interesting was a pair of parrots that chattered loudly as they flew overhead, then into the dense roadside foliage, allowing us only a quick glimpse of their green backs, so no hope of making an identification this time. Perhaps we will get a chance to see them again one day. Just outside GBE, Barry spotted this small fellow, which we later identified as a White-Collared Seedeater, on a weedy shrub by the sandy road. A new bird for our life lists! On our way back, we stopped at Aji for a delicious Mediterranean omelet breakfast. Chef Hugo served us himself, and we had a delightful breeze through the trees in this perfect tropical setting. We could make a habit of this, and may! I've been noticing the large leaves on these trees turning color here and there and find it very interesting. I always assumed no leaves turned in the tropics, but apparently there are exceptions. I don't know what tree this is -- perhaps a reader can enlighten me? As we got back to Chico Caribe, we noticed this medley of herons amidst the copious seagrass that has floated towards shore this morning. Unfortunately, it is filled with plastic trash -- the scourge of Belize. Belize is a study in contrasts -- the beautiful right alongside the ugly.
We were kind of slack on the picture-taking, but we had a fun visit with Chunky and Ruthie today. Barry and I first hit the public library, Maria's fruit stand, and Super Buy South for a few groceries. We then rode over to Coral Bay Villas to meet Chunky and Ruthie before lunch, and the four of us made our way on our bikes up north. After a quick stop at Casa Pan Dulce for some rolls and garlic bread, we continued on to our condo, where we dropped off groceries and locked up our bikes. Before we could get going over to Lazy Croc, it started pouring; a typical Belizean rainstorm that seems to come up out of nowhere. Wasn't it sunny just a few minutes ago? Yes, I thought so!
We chatted for a few minutes while waiting for the rain to taper off, during which time Paisley gave Ruthie's legs a thorough washing (she loves the salt). Sure enough, within minutes, the rain had stopped, and we were able to walk over to the "the Croc", where we all indulged in far too much food. It was fabulous as always. Thankfully, there were no dessert specials to tempt me this time, but I was stuffed from hot wings and baked mac-n-cheese. Barry still managed to choke down a slice of the Drunken Rum Cake. Since the Croc will be closed next weekend for Christmas, we were glad to get a lunch in today. And it's always fun to spend time with Chunky and Ruthie. Thanks for joining us, guys, and for the garlic bread...ooh la la! This Sunday morning we decided to do something different and ride down south of San Pedro rather than our usual route up north. The road south of Victoria House is much improved since the last time we rode down there and appeared to have been recently graded. Traffic was almost non-existent, and the mostly smooth sand made for some great riding, especially after the jarring cobblestone roads in town. There was still the occasional puddle, but many fewer than our last attempt at this ride. We made it down to mile 5.5 south of town, which appeared to be about as far as you can go, though we might be wrong about that. Barry had already ridden 13 miles in a north loop before picking me up to join him, so we figured this was far enough. We were getting pretty hungry by this time anyway, and we planned to have brunch in town, so it was time to head back that way. We decided to get our brunch at Estel's on the beach, where we had a table in the sand with a perfect view. Breakfast was slower in coming than usual because the place was packed, but it was worth the wait. I was so starved I dug in before Barry reminded me about the obligatory food shot! Today was a big day for me as I went over 2000 miles of cycling for the year. Most in Chapel Hill on my road bike, of course, but a good number since our beach cruiser bikes arrived in Belize in September. This is the most I've ridden since my cycling accident in 2005, so I'm delighted to have been able to accomplish this, since I'm certainly getting no younger. Fortunately, cycling can be enjoyed at any age for healthy folks, and I hope to do so for many years to come!
Regular readers of this blog will remember that I broke two spokes earlier in the week and had to get them replaced. However, I knew I really needed to bite the bullet and replace all the spokes in my front wheel with stainless steel ones, as many were looking pretty rusted. The spokes on the rear wheel were not nearly so bad, so that one could wait. So today we purchased a full complement of thirty-six thick stainless steel spokes at Castillo's and took them to El Guapo for Henry to rebuild the entire front wheel for me. He did a great job, but it was quite a long wait. Barry went ahead and took all our groceries back home in his bike baskets, then doubled back around to meet me and watch Henry finish the job. Henry insisted on giving Barry a lesson on spoke lacing; it's more involved than I realized! Truing the wheel took much longer than lacing the spokes, but finally the job was done, and my front wheel should hold up for a long time now.
It had gotten quite late by this time, well past our usual lunchtime, so I suggested that we stop at the Funky Monkey Bar & Grill for lunch on the way back. This proved to be a good choice as it was a perfect day to sit outside and enjoy the breezes. In sharp contrast to yesterday's gray off-and-on rain, today's bright blue skies were a real pick-me-up, and the temperature in the 70s couldn't have been nicer. There was a decent crowd at the restaurant, including Hugo and Victoria of Aji, along with their little dog Lulu. The owner, Dale, was there, of course, and we met friendly bartender Javier. We split a yummy pizza with ham and green peppers that really hit the spot, and enjoyed a couple of drinks (Belikin Sorrel Stout for me, the holiday brew). It was fun to do something unplanned, like stopping for lunch at a place we'd been meaning to try. These pictures suffered a bit from a smudge on my camera lens...my apologies. After riding our bikes into town for groceries, and paying our friend Robert a quick visit at Royal Palm Villas, we headed home for lunch. Before we started making our usual sandwiches, Barry got on his laptop and went into Facebook, where he saw that the Lazy Croc had posted a photo of their special -- Smokehouse Shepherd's Pie. It looked amazing, and only took us a few seconds to make the executive decision to head over there for lunch. After all, "the Croc" is dangerously close -- almost within smellin' distance, but not quite (thank the gods!) They were also having sweet potato pie today, one of my favorites, so off we went.
The Shepherd's Pie was even better than it looked in the photo. It was so filling that I had to get the sweet potato pie to go; hopefully I'll have more room after dinner. It was the perfect warming lunch for an overcast, blustery, cool day on Ambergris Caye. How cold was it? We're talking low 70s, people! We had fun today at lunchtime when new friends Robert and Maureen introduced us to friends of theirs, Sharon and Richard. The four of them made their way north on their bicycles to have lunch with us at the Lazy Croc, our next-door neighbor restaurant. Both couples hail from Vancouver and have condos at Royal Palm Villas, south of San Pedro, while we live approximately two miles north of town.
Many pictures were taken, much good barbeque was enjoyed, and we even got to see a couple of crocs this time! We had never managed to see a croc when we'd dined here in the past. Barry and I topped off our barbequed chicken sandwiches and baked beans with a (shared) piece of Cheri's amazing homemade pecan pie. Yum! This is a dangerous place to live right next door to, and not only because of the crocs! Although Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Belize, many restaurants cater to the large number of American tourists and expats in the San Pedro area by preparing a special Thanksgiving meal. We examined the list of offerings and decided to dine at Elvi's Kitchen, a restaurant where we've had a couple of delicious meals before, in large part because they were offering a Thanksgiving lunch until 4pm, in addition to dinner later that night. We thought it would be nice to eat a late lunch as we often did in the US, rather than waiting so late to eat a big Thanksgiving feast. We invited David, who owns a house on the beach less than a mile north of us, to come along. David is from Virginia, and although he lives here on Ambergris Caye full-time now, like us, this was also his first Thanksgiving here. We splurged by catching the water taxi into town rather than walking. It was nice to arrive in town and not be hot and sweaty as we are when we walk. Unfortunately, when we were ready to order, the waitress told us that they were only going to be serving the Thanksgiving meal for dinner -- not lunchtime. We were disappointed as that was one of our main reasons for choosing Elvi's. She didn't give any reason for the change; perhaps they just didn't get enough people in for lunch to bother with it. After contemplating what to do for a few moments, we decided to enjoy drinks and appetizers instead, since we were all hungry, then come back at 5 pm for dinner. After taking the edge off our appetites with some delicious conch ceviche and chips, chicken fingers, and empanadas, we left and strolled around town for awhile. David has been coming to San Pedro for decades so was able to point out some places that had been around for many years, and even took us into the town cemetery. It is right on the beach and surrounded by a high fence. He told us that the fence was added only after some of the graves washed into the sea. Oops! Like cemeteries we'd seen in the Florida Keys, this one also had the graves raised up above-ground since the water table is so high. Our "virtual" friends and soon-to-be San Pedro residents Bill and Debra did an interesting entry about this cemetery on their Taking Belize blog, with plenty of photos, since we didn't get any. Eventually we ended up at the Hangover Bar at the Holiday Hotel, which Barry and I had never been to. David was a great guide as he knows all the good spots to go. Happy Hour had just started since it was a few minutes after 4pm, so we got some more local rum-n-juice drinks and headed to the nice outdoor seating right on the beach. David was a great storyteller, sharing many experiences he had working for the Dept. of Social Services in Virginia, and before we knew it, it was time to head back to Elvi's for our Thanksgiving dinner. And what a dinner it was! Just check out this menu: We all chose the butternut squash soup as our appetizer. It was creamy and wonderfully flavored. The cran-apple relish added a delicious sweetness. I could have made a meal on this soup and the basket of delicious homemade rolls (wheat, white, and sweet potato) with chipotle butter. Yum! Surprisingly, Barry decided to go with the lobster entree, while David and I stuck to the traditional turkey. This is the second time Barry has chosen a lobster dish recently, much to my surprise, but it was gorgeous and delicious as well. The turkey was wonderful, though, as tender as any I've ever had, and all the side dishes were yummy too. It was so much food that I brought back half my plate in a box for tonight. Lucky me! For dessert, we all chose the pumpkin pudding, which was actually more like a moist cake with cream cheese frosting, but we weren't complaining. It was delicious! In fact, we'd already dived in before Barry remembered to take a photo! After we'd paid the bill and rolled away from the table, we realized we had about a 45-minute wait until the next hourly water taxi north, so David suggested that we stop in at Cholo's sports bar for a nightcap. The water taxi terminal is just a stone's throw away from this open-air place that was filled with locals, so it was a good place to have one more libation (that we certainly didn't need!) before catching the taxi home. Barry and I had spent all the cash we'd brought, not expecting to eat lunch AND dinner out, so David kindly treated us. While at Cholo's, we met "Fish Johnson", a well-known local who sells fish and shrimp from a cooler on his bike he rides up and down the beach, and we placed an order for two pounds of shrimp to be delivered this afternoon (Friday). As of 2 pm he has not yet shown up. He had definitely indulged in a few Belikins by the time we met him, but we did write our name in his little book, so we shall see. We had heard about him, and our neighbor Mike had purchased shrimp from him before, but we didn't know what he looked like -- now we do. It was a clear night with a star-filled dark sky, a perfect evening to ride the water taxi back to the Grand Caribe dock. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are thankful to live in such a beautiful place, for new friends here on Ambergris Caye; and for old friends and loving, supportive families back in the US. We are truly blessed!
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UPDATE!
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