JAMES: The wind. The wind blows constantly off the ocean ceaselessly. It seems to be the worst when the sun is down. First thing in the morning it howls just at sun up. We have a nice little porch with shade which would be perfect for enjoying a cup of coffee, but you can only take it for a couple of minutes until it feels like a challenge just to sit still and keeping your stuff from blowing away.
SUSAN: We decided to take a bird-watching tour today while Jim and Clay went diving. Our boat left at 8 a.m., and the ride was pretty choppy as we traveled along the eastern side of the island. We eventually turned into the Belize River, which is more like a canal on the other side of the island. The water was much smoother, and we enjoyed seeing the more residential side of the island.
On the other side of the island there was a small island that our boat driver, Lahe said was owned by a single owner. Near that island was a platform full of birds. Lahe said it was built there so that the people from that island could sun bath by themself but the birds had taken it over. He cut the engine and we gently glided near the platform. Once we got close the birds decided to take flight.
Our real destination for the day was Rosary Caye. On this small island we were going to see some of the native birds of the area. We assumed we would simply ride in the boat around the island. Little did we know the adventure we had before us! As we approached the caye it was really shallow so Lahe walked the boat closer. Once we got close enough Lahe said we would take a walk around the island to look for birds. It was an uninhabited island with lots of brush and I don't think there were any paths, Lahe basically created paths for us.
Forutnately, we all had Tevas or Keens on so it was easier to walk in the brush and muck! Lahe went barefoot!! About half way around we had to walk through the water and then sank into the muck. I almost lost my shoes and nearly fell -- thank goodness Christine and John were right behind me and there to catch me! I literally lost my shoe in the muck -- but was able to retrieve it. None of us really expected to be in the water, but it was quite cool and easier to walk in than the brush.
After Rosary Caye we went to the north side of Ambergris Caye to find birds there. This too was very dense brush but not as mucky. The most exciting birds we saw all days was the Roseate Spoonbill. There were actually a number of birds from the Ibis family there
JAMES: So this morning John and the girls took a bird watching tour of the north end of the island while Clay and I were scheduled to go out diving. We stood on the dock for about 40 minutes until I decided to check and see if they had forgotten us. Turns out that it was too windy to go out but it would have been nice to know! We are now scheduled to go out at 1:30 which is fine with me but doesn't much jive with the others' schedules.
Well, shortly before 1:30 I get a knock on the door and a message that it was too windy to dive. By that time, the others had returned from their bird watching tour. Turns out they got more than they bargained for. First, it was incredibly windy and choppy on the water and, second, when they started to explore the small cayes, they ended up walking through undergrowth and wading in thigh deep water. Their guide is a lobster fisherman who does guiding in the off season. He was very informative and really knew his way around. Because it is the dry season the boat was having to navigate in very shallow water. Thus the wading. They did end up seeing flamingos and spoonbills but I think were disappointed in the trash and development on these seemingly remote islands. They definitely came back with a story to tell. When they returned, they were hot, tired and dirty so a dip in the pool was next on the agenda.
SUSAN: We got back to the Banana Beach resort around 12:30 pm to find that Jim and Clay were never able to actually go diving due to the windy conditions. So they had to hang out at the resort all morning!
JAMES: Afterwards we headed up the beach for a return trip to Elvi's for their Mayan buffet. It was very good but you can only eat so much so probably not the best idea after two previous nights of gluttony. They had enchiladas stuffed with cheese and fresh local spinach, enchiladas stuffed with chicken in a molé sauce, shrimp tacos, baked fish, rice and beans and delicious flan for dessert. The service was terrific again although at the end the waiter made it a point to mention that the 15% gratuity that was included on our bill might not be enough.
We walked back, exhausted and stuffed and held out till 9 pm before hitting the hay.