Snorkeling Adventure

I started the day with a manicure and pedicure for 35 Belize dollars while Honny relaxed in the hammock. A few years back, there was a hurricane named Hattie that wreaked havoc on the island. It was so powerful that it split the river in two, taking a chunk of the island with it and leaving Caye Caulker in two parts. Up at this split, there’s a really colorful boat captained by a true Bob Marley enthusiast. Apparently, he offers one of the best snorkeling tours on the island. It wasn’t cheap, though—we had to pay 50 Belize dollars each. This included fruit, rum punch, lunch, and gear. We snorkeled at Coral Garden and Shark Ray Alley (a nature reserve). The first spot had beautiful corals and fish, while the second was really interesting and different. The water was quite shallow, so we couldn’t wear flippers; they would damage the seabed. Shark Ray Alley was teeming with stingrays, sharks, and barracudas—a pretty dangerous fish with big teeth. The stingray is a large fish with wing-like fins, kind of like a giant flounder. It's related to the fish that killed Australian Steve Irwin. Our Bob Marley captain knew everything about stingrays and taught us how to hold them. He also showed us how to handle and pet a shark. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to do that since there were only young, untamed sharks that day. We spotted the barracudas from a safe distance! :) At one point, Honny dove down about 8 meters to grab a big conch, which we’re bringing home. It’s really beautiful. The meat from these conchs was what we had for lunch, served with rice. It was incredibly delicious. We also enjoyed fresh fruit—pineapple, watermelon, and coconuts. The punch was passed around for most of the boat ride. It tasted great—coconut rum mixed with fruit juice. On the way back to Caye Caulker, we saw seahorses and jellyfish, the funniest creatures. One of the crew members didn’t snorkel with us. He had just undergone surgery… or was stitched back together after a knife attack in Belize City. So, I guess we can say we were pretty lucky while we were in town. We had dinner at the same chubby guy’s place as the night before. The food is simply amazing. How often do you get served lobster…? :) The good things don’t need advertising. Our Bob Marley captain from the snorkeling trip and the chubby guy with the delicious lobsters don’t advertise. Word of mouth spreads that they’re the best.