February 2005

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Where is Belize?

For our 10th wedding anniversary, we spent 5 amazing days in Belize, Central America.  We would HIGHLY recommend visiting if you enjoy tropical weather, great beaches, snorkeling, scuba diving, Mayan ruins, rain forests, wildlife, or rest and relaxation.  Everyone speaks English as well as Spanish since it was a former British colony.  The U.S. dollar is also accepted everywhere at the same exchange rate of BZ$2 to US$1.  Shops and restaurants also accept credit cards.

Photo courtesy of Lion Den.com.

Accommodations

We stayed at White Sands Cove in the northeast corner of Belize on the island of Ambergris Caye (map) a few miles north of the town of San Pedro.  We loved how it's secluded and peaceful, but not too far from the action.  Several great restaurants were a short walk away.  San Pedro was less than a 10 minute water taxi ride where we shopped, dined, and parasailed.

One of the things we really enjoyed about White Sands Cove was the service.  When we arrived at the end of the pier, someone was there to carry our luggage, which was nice after a day of traveling.  During our stay, Marlon booked all of our excursions and dinner reservations for us while we laid on the beach.  The grounds were maintained each day and always inviting.  Our rooms were cleaned each day too.  Since we were renting a condo, we weren't sure if we we getting daily cleanings like a hotel or no cleanings at all like renting a beach house for a week.  Marilyn let us borrow a flashlight for a walk on the beach until we could buy our own the next day.  Hugo made sure we loved his mixed tropical drinks.  Everyone there always made sure we were happy.  It didn't take long to unwind and enjoy our vacation.

What a way to start the first morning!  This photo was taken from our balcony.  Because of the barrier reef, this was as rough as the water gets.

Betsi and I enjoyed the hammocks by the water.  There was even a two person one at the end of the pier (above photo).

Imagine yourself in these chairs...

A dip in the pool was a nice alternative to the beach.  Notice the absence of crowds.  It was rare to see more than 2 other couples at any one time on the beach or at the pool.  Peaceful.

Fun Things to Do

The view from parasailing 400 feet high was breath taking.  The water was so clear and you could see the reef on one side, the both sides of the island on the other.  Snorkeling with nurse sharks and sting rays was at first a bit unnerving, but exhilarating after a few minutes in the water.

For Jeff's anniversary present, Betsi rented a fishing boat for the day.  We fished, ate our catch for lunch, and snorkeled later in the day.  Since Jeff hadn't fished since he was 12 and Betsi never fished, Clemiente took care of us by baiting our hooks and unhooking our fish.  Betsi and I each caught two fish.  At the end of the day, Betsi could boast she caught the first fish (seen here), the longest fish (seen here), and the heaviest fish.

After a fun day of fishing, we enjoyed a great dinner at Capricorn restaurant.

We took a day trip to the main land for some fun on a zip line through the rain forest in the morning and cave tubing in the afternoon.  On the zip lines, we walked part way up the side of a mountain and zig zagged our way down from tree platform to tree platform.  Safety was paramount to our guides, which gave us confidence.  The cave tubing involved walking 45 minutes through the rain forest to get to one of this cave entrance. We sat on an inner tub and floated in the cave with a guide and headlamps.  There is a secret inside that wows everyone.  We tried to take photos with our disposable water proof camera, but it was too dark.  We eventually came out the other side. 

100 More Photos

Here are some more great memories in this photo album.

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