Mexico Rocks
Monday we all went snorkeling at Mexico Rocks and Tres Cocos. We had originally reserved bikes for the day but the girls and John came back with such glowing reviews of their previous trip that we changed our plans so that we could all do it. An excellent choice! Our tour didn't start until 2 pm so a trip was made to the bakery for cinnamon rolls, to the market for eggs and the fruit stand for fresh pineapple. They talked the fruit stand owner into slicing the pineapple for us. Susan made a big omelet with onions, peppers and cheese and, with our fresh fruit, rolls and coffee, we ate like kings and queens. Then Clay, Jean, Christine and I hiked uptown so that I could retrieve my GoPro, left on the boat from the previous Saturday dive.
We ate a nice lunch and caught the Li'l Alfonse express. It's bit of a boat ride to the north end of the caye and Mexico Rocks, but Alfonse kept up a friendly and continuous patter to entertain us. Abruptly he started yelling and pointing, "Shark! Shark!". Somehow he had spotted a Bull Shark in the water. It looks like nothing more than a black shape in the water, He whipped the boat around and we got a glimpse of a large, compact shape moving through the water at a serious speed, and then he was gone.
Mexico Rocks is cool. It's about 2/3 of the way to the reef from shore. It's a series of coral heads clustered like islands in a small area. We saw lots of small fauna like Damselfish, many different wrasses, Tangs, Rock Hinds, grouper, an Ocean Triggerfish and, most spectacular of all, a Lionfish. We also saw a couple of rays who came for a handout. Alfonse led the tour and would pop up every 30 seconds or so with some information on a specimen that he had just seen. He chummed the water briefly and created a flurry of activity.
It had been a decent workout so by the time we got back to Banana Bach, we were tired and hungry. We cleaned up and walked down to Antojitos, a local place right across from our favorite neighborhood bakery. We were greeted by a very eager young man and I was even handed the TV remote. We ordered margaritas and Belikins. The food was not fancy but it was tasty. I had a seafood enchilada with fish and shrimp. When we were done, we got into a lengthy conversation with our waiter. He told us his life's story and his current plans. He even told us two "coffin" jokes. Afterwards, satiated and weary, we headed back to Banana Beach. We talked for awhile, packed a little and then hit the hay.