Sunday, April 5, 2020

Mosaic Monday #74: Let's Go to the Beach!

Sand between my toes.  The smell of salty air wafting on the breeze.  A rum-infused cocktail nestled in my hand.  I have been day-dreaming about all of this, especially since it is a given that our planned family vacation to Grand Cayman in early May is now nothing but a dream.

Coincidentally, I recently cleaned out my bed-side table (so much free time on my hands!), and was tickled to get re-acquainted with a travel journal I began in August 2011.  Would you believe the first entry was about our trip to Belize?  Yes, another beach vacation.  So, I thought this would make a great post for today.  I may not be going to the beach anytime soon, but I can certainly re-visit one through my memories.  Pull up a sun chair and a Rum Runner and let's go!

The journal - 2011 to 2014
Belize is a nation on the eastern coast of Central America, with Caribbean shorelines to the east and dense jungles to the west.  Offshore, the massive Belize Barrier Reef, dotted with hundreds of low-lying islands called cayes, hosts rich marine life.  And that is why we traveled there.  In the spring and early summer of 2011, all four of our family members became certified scuba divers, and Caye Caulker would become the first place we utilized our new skills in the ocean.  Exciting and a little bit terrifying.  


Sometimes you have to participate in something  to know it is an experience you don't want to repeat.  Such was the case with our diving on Caye Caulker.  Quite simply, we didn't know what we didn't know.  Here is what we learned.  One: drift diving has some risks.  On one dive, #1 Son had trouble with his ears, and when he re-surfaced with Spousal Unit, the boat was 400 yards away and the boat driver couldn't hear them shouting (the fact that he was listening to music with earbuds didn't help).  They eventually got his attention and he returned to pick them up.

Two: diving beyond the protection of the reef means wave action, an abundance of wave action.  Fortunately, none of us tend to get seasick, but it certainly offered some challenges when entering the water.  We still tell the story about #1 Daughter and how she was the first one to leave the boat on our first dive ever - she showed no hesitation when she flipped backwards off the side while the boat was pitching up and down!

Three: we like to dive in clear water.  On a couple of our dives, the dive master said "head down to the bottom and I will meet you there".  Five minutes later, we huddled near the sand with our dive buddies, and we can't see a thing beyond our fins.  If we can't see him, how will he see us?  Obviously, we all survived, but it doesn't do much for the length of your air supply when you are sucking it down due to nerves!
#1 Daughter found this conch shell in the water near the beach

Sign says "Amanda's Place"
Lest you think that our trip was a total bust, I can say that we enjoyed the small pool that came with our accommodation, a house called Amanda's Place.  Amanda lived across the street, and we felt an immediate connection with her since she was originally from London.  At one point during our stay, the kids fixed the pump cover in the hot tub, and she treated them to ice cream at a shop down the street.  Her dog was called Scrumpy, and her cat Boy was a regular visitor to the yard around our house.

As with all tropical environments, flowers bloomed in profusion.  At our guest house, a hummingbird frequented the hibiscus.  Small lizards skittered among the foliage, and Amanda explained that those you find outside the house are called a wishwilly.  Lizards inside a structure are geckos.

Exploring the island was a simple affair since you can stroll from one side to the other in 15 minutes.  No cars are permitted on the island; the most you had to watch for were speedy golf carts!  We witnessed a wedding on one of the beaches, and were amused to see children playing soccer with a shoe on the kicking foot and a long sock on the other.  Of course, no beach vacation is complete without stunning sunsets; we liked to watch ours from the Iguana Reef Inn.

We sampled a number of restaurants on the island.  Our favorites were: the Happy Lobster due to variety on the menu; Syds, known for its superb Fry Chicken with stew beans and rice; the Bakery - piles of sticky, gooey, yum yum baked goods.
Caye Caulker main street
Fiddler crab
Christmas tree worms (Internet)
Snorkeling is a must-do on an island like Caye Caulker; we did plenty on our own and also purchased a snorkeling tour that was a good value.  A green Moray eel came out of a crevice and began free swimming when the tour guide clapped his hands under water.  Part of the tour included Shark and Stingray Alley; the tour guide would hide food in large, empty conch shells, and the animals would find it.  I was fascinated by the Christmas tree worms, the common name for Spirobranchus giganteus, a marine worm that lives on tropical coral reefs around the world.  When startled, the worms rapidly retract into their burrows.

The excitement just kept coming, as a tropical storm began to threaten the island at the end of our stay.  The last day of our visit, we left the island on the first boat, earlier than planned.  The vessel was crammed with people who all had the same idea.  We made it safely to the mainland, and stayed overnight at a Radisson.  I had a new appreciation for the term "batten down the hatches" as we watched workmen install steel shutters on the restaurant windows while we ate  our last supper brunch.  Fortunately, the storm landed south of us, without affecting our return flight.  From beginning to end, it was a memorable trip!




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39 comments:

  1. Good evening, dear Angie! Remembering on vacations is a possibility in this Corona based days. Or like your fine example, making a travel journal. Belize must be a fantastisc tour. The captures speak about better times.

    Stay healthy...

    Happy MosaicMonday

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  2. Thanks for sharing your world as it once was. A mix of fun and danger makes for a memorable holiday that is for sure! Even the simple things we have taken for granted, like dining out, seems like a treasure nowadays.

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  3. ...while I was in Maui I felt safe of an uncrowded beach, but then I read this article this morning:

    https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-04-02/coronavirus-ocean-swimming-surfing-safe-beaches-los-angeles

    Take care Angie.

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  4. What a gorgeous place and lovely memories. I'd love to be on a tropical beach right now, as long as it's safe that is.
    Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade

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  5. So glad you had a grand trip. You have some lovely photos!! Have a grand week!

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  6. Thank you Angie for sharing your 2011 Belize adventure today. Thank you too for hosting your 74th Mosaic Monday.
    Hugs.
    Joy

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  7. How interested and we sure enjoyed hearing about Belize. Rumor has it we might move there, but we probably won't because of our feral family, we won't leave them. The Dad likes to dive too, at least he did many moons ago.

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  8. What a wonderful trip you had, your diving adventures sound wonderful and a big learning experience.

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  9. I hope these memories of Belize help you through these days of staying home. Your trip sounds wonderful! You'll be on a trip soon I'm sure. We just have to get through this coronavirus time!

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  10. What a wonderful trip and the memories will be with you forever.. Thank you for sharing your adventures.

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  11. Thank you for that wonderful beach diversion. What a great trip you enjoyed. Sorry about needing to cancel your May trip. Our son in law was supposed to be in a wedding in upper New York state and it will probably have to be postponed if they want guests...What a time we are living in.

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  12. thank yo for the beach holiday. I could do with that right now.

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  13. Lovely photos, and the beach is one of my favourite places.

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  14. Oh my, this sounds like a memorable vacation indeed, Angie! Even so, it sounds like you all enjoyed your stay in Belize and learned quite a bit about island life. We cancelled a cruise in Italy for June. Sadly, I think I'm done all together with cruises after seeing what is going on right now, but my husband is telling me not to "overthink" things. Stay healthy!

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  15. I follow you to that beach any day, just ask!
    Such wonderful place and so much to see and learn. Love it!

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  16. Beautiful Caribbean pics, close to home
    Have a nice safe week

    much love...

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  17. A memorable trip, indeed! Belize sounds like a paradise for adventures. I’m not so active and adventuresome like you, but I also could feel your excitement and the pleasure, which are full grown when it is remembered. Stay safe and well, Angie.

    Yoko

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  18. Hi Angie, thanks for the visit and the comment, much appreciated. Yes Easter is upon us but with the situation as it is we will not be celebrating anything and no Easter eggs. We are in day 23 of lock-down and it looks like it could go on for a lot longer yet. Loved this post it sounds a lovely spot, the only places I have loved snorkelling are Mauritius and fresh water Lake Malawi, Stay safe and keep well, Diane

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  19. Hello, I am sorry your Cayman trip had to be canceled. I hope you can reschedule soon. I loved Belize, we went there in 2014. Hubby loved snorkeling in Belize and he has dived in the Caymans. I do love seeing the sealife, beautiful images. Great photos and happy memories! Stay safe and take care! Wishing you a happy new week!

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  20. I think many of us have become armchair travellers, Angie, reminiscing over archived snapshots and past travel journals. However, this crisis will also pass and I am sure many more enjoyable trips are in the future.

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  21. How nice to sit here with my coffee and go on an island adventure with you! I've never gone in the ocean with a snorkel but I know it must be amazing to see what you see! Beautiful photos and memories! Thanks for the party. I needed one this morning! Take care! Hugs from Florida, Diane

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  22. Thank you for hosting, Angie! Take care.

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  23. what a bummer about your trip....

    i have never learned to scuba dive, but have been snorkeling many times, such an adventure to see things from that vantage point!! your images are beautiful!! i really love those conch shells, my grandmother use to have them all over her house!! it sounds like a great trip, pretty closing picture!!

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  24. Luckily, we made it to Belize before the outbreak and I have a year's worth of posts to create. So many photo memories! I've never dived, but I've learned all those lessons too. This year, I was recovering from surgery, so I let the other snorkelers go ahead of me and just hung by the boat. I wasn't taking any chances.

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  25. What a wonderful trip you had to Belize and you get to revisit it again by sharing with us. Thanks Angie!
    Take care and stay safe.

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  26. What a lovely trip! Great photos. 😊 Kit

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  27. How refreshing to see your beach photos when everyone is cooped up at home! looks like a great vacation.

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  28. Angie, Thanks for the trip to the beach. Love the scuba diving photos! The shells are really pretty. Have a great week. Sylvia D.

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  29. Hi Angie, Thank you so very much for your very kind words. You truly are such a bright spot and I am thankful to know you. Things are just seemingly beginning to shatter all around the world and when one reviews their own life and what may become of it...all of a sudden everything change, even quicker than to have learned about my twin sister's illness. I cannot believe that I cannot visit her right now, when she needs me more than ever. She is all alone with her cat and losing ground every day. She seems to have fooled her Oncology team with her fragile self, and it is finally catching up. I love my time with the birds and other wildlife, but I am sticking very close to home now. They say our country will see worse things this coming 7 to 10 days than ever in our lives. Paying that all of the precautions taken will have worked. Blessings to you and yours~

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  30. Fun memories! We don’t dive or snorkel, but we loved Belize (the rest of it, not the Caye where we didn’t go).we backpacked there .... Long ago memories for us.

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  31. Have I told you that you're a great storyteller, Angie? I've only gone snorkeling a few times in Hawaii, but I could imagine myself there with you. Swimming in a warm sea is my happy life. Maybe in my next life I'll get to scuba dive. :-)

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  32. Great post! I like the name wishwilly.

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  33. Ah - great shots. It would be lovely to be at the beach right now in a healthy world!

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  34. Sweet memories and looks so inviting ~ Life has changed for all ~ Lovely photos ^_^

    Be Well,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)
    PS ~ Zoe 'on the mend' gratefully ^_^

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  35. Stunning Angie, it fits together well. The beach has wonderful, the Crab, beautiful.

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  36. Memories are made of such trips Angie. A tropical beach would be just wonderful now - like those white sand ones we experienced in Dominican republic or Mexico? But looks like we can't even experience Knott End beach for a while yet as we are still locked in like naughty kids. And there's 75 F predicted for weekend!

    Stay well and safe.

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  37. I keep cabin journals and since 2001 there are about 13 of them, the last few that I've included pen and ink illustrations. That's been fun. All my old travel journals are long gone from previous moves and clean outs. I now have two RV trip journals which also include watercolour map illustrations. That's been a lot of fun. Now I've started a COVID-19 journal for our isolation here in Washington State. It isn't as much fun but I think it is an important time to record and remember. - Margy

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  38. Looks like it was a great trip of adventure and surprises. I get major motion sickness on boats and some planes so definitely would have been feeling queasy. My younger self would swim in any kinda water, but now I'm not so much a fan. :/

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