Bella Goes to Caye Caulker

Okay, guys, WE'RE BACK! I'm still pretty sick, but I have an appointment in two days with Dr. Laurie when she gets back from the U.S. In the meantime, grin and bear it, right?

Kindest Kid

Mariano Calderon was just named "Kindest Kid in San Pedro, 2012" in a contest for school children between the ages of six to ten. (If that won't get you beat up in Texas, I don't know will!) The contest was sponsored by "Be Kind Belize" to recognize children who are especially kind. Way to go Mariano! Proud of you.

 

Caye Caulkering!

We took off for Caye Caulker yesterday: Tom, Shelley, Jane, Karen, Angie and moi! It's been raining just about every day, but we lucked out. The water taxi over and back was sunny and smooth, and there was only one brief "pineapple shower" while we were there. 

 

Srimp, anyone?

Paradiso

We thought about stopping at a "roadside" barbecue place (even though there are no roads) where the barbecued shrimp kebabs looked delicious. But you know Tom. He refuses to eat anywhere where the food, to-wit: "srimp." is misspelled. So we opted for lunch at a tiny little place called Paradiso where you sit outside after you order at the counter. Fresh salads, fresh bread, wonderful sandwiches. Yum. The big hit was a Greek salad with tons of feta cheese. The amazing thing was how good the ingredients were, because--as I've pointed out before--we live on an island! Fresh lettuce is a rarity let alone romaine lettuce. When you see Paradiso, you may have the same reaction I did: "Can't we go to a real restaurant, guys?" But am I ever glad we stopped there. It will be a "must stop" the next time we go to Caye Caulker.

 It's considered "low season" here, so the tourists were sparse. We had a great time swimming, sunning, laughing, shopping, and otherwise tourist-ing. 

 While waiting for the water taxi for the return trip, we had the opportunity to read the "no parking" sign near the dock. Please note that these rules are not just made up on the spot. In fact, they are by order of C.C.V.C./C.C.T.C.C. and C.C.T.O.A.L. Don't mess around with those folks.

Here's a link to a great video from Emily and Jared Akers who came from Kansas to San Pedro to go scuba diving. Really good content and high quality. You'll like it! Thanks for sharing, guys.
http://vimeo.com/42514435

Fruit Stand at Caye Caulker

Oh, by the way, the Toledo Chocolate Festival in Punta Gorda was a big success. The newspaper pointed out  that guests, in addition to all kinds of chocolatley foods and desserts, were treated to a "traditional Maya dinner of pork pibil with side dishes." This is not a misprint.

Y'all come visit. Maybe we can go to a pibil and srimp barbecue. You're gonna love Belize!