Hey!
So we are now about 1/3 of the way through our trip, already! Time flies! We are on Ambergris Caye in Belize, it is really beautiful here, but I will catch you all up first to where the last e-mail left off!!
Our last day in Belize, we went to a place called the Tourist Village that Belize City has set up for all the people coming off cruises to shop in without having to venture into the 'scary' city. We thought it would be convenient because all the shopping would be centrally located. We had many interesting experiences here. First, as we were walking towards there, everyone thought we were cruiser (of course) so kept asking us to braid our hair, when we said we weren't on the cruise, they just left us alone. I said at one point, 'I am not on the cruise and am not going to look like a freak walking around with braids!' An American couple, prob in their 30s, behind us overheard us, while overheard 'on the cruise' and he starts laughing and goes, 'We survived the city! Check your pockets! HAHAHA!!!' They were both heading back to the cruise. Kristina and I just looked at eachother and laughed because of how ridiculous these two Americans sounded. They played perfectly into the typical American stereotype. We have come to realize, that Belize City does not deserve the bad rap it has gotten from scared Americans. We never felt more like travelers then tourists in our lives. We continued walking along, and people were trying to sell us stuff, for significantly much more then it was the day before, so we of course wouldn't buy anything. We were mainly ignoring them, and one guy goes, you dont need to be afraid of me, and I go, 'I'm not, i am STAYING in this city! I am NOT off of the cruise!' He goes, 'really?' then left us alone. Once people found out we were not cruisers, they gave us much more respect and dropped their prices on things. One guy didn't beleve us and even asked where we were staying, once we told him, he promptly left us alone, he said he was shocked, but glad, that Americans were staying in his city. The whole tourist compound was like another country, all pretty and not rough around the edges like Belize city. We immediately decided that we liked the real world better and were very glad we stayed in the city even though many people warned us not to. It is an extremely unique and intersting city and I am glad I got to experience their culture. The city and people in it were very warm and welcoming to us. We rode public buses to the zoo, and were the only non-locals on it both times, and we felt perfectly safe. Life is different here, much slower. People ride on top of trucks, its funny and scares me just looking at them!
After our trip down to fake Belize Land, we went to the zoo afterwards. Zoo being a relative term. It is called the Belize Zoo and it has animals that have been rescued from the entertainment industry and in bad conditions from around the area. It is not your typical zoo, and it is very small. Animals are in completely natural habitats with small, almost invisible fences. So we got to get up close to the animals, it was really awesome. There was a leopard there and right as we approached his exhibit he apparently had chased a lizard up into the tree and got stuck!! We watched this huge cat up stuck in a tree forever, he was afraid to come down, it was funny, cute and sad all at the same time. finally the zoo people got him down with food, his name was junior. While he was up there, a branch had fallen that the lizard had been on fallen into his little pool/water area. He spent like 15 or so min trying to get this huge limb out of the water, it was really funny watching him. His behavior is something you never would be able to see in a regular zoo due to the zoo confines. It was really a unique and once in a lifetime experience.
At our hotel, we met this crazy guy from England who currently lives in Coppenhagen. I told him that I have a friend who lives near Bath (colin!) and he goes Bath? Its not called bath (i pronounced it like we do) and then he goes, it is pronounced baath, with a long a. it was really funny. he was crazy, he was in his 60s. and bought us Belikin beers at the hotel. I HATE beer. It tastes like rotten socks to me, this was no different, Kristina says it was good. I managed to get it all down. Yuck.
The following day we set out on a water taxi to Ambergris Caye. We sat in the back of the boat because I wanted to see the sceneray as we went by. Here is a tip I learned, when traveling like locals, do as the locals do. No locals were in the back. Why you ask? Because you get SOAKED with salt water for an hour and a half on the way to the Caye!!!! Kristina and I were covered and felt disgusting. We couldn't see because of all the salt water, and for me sunscreen in our eyes. It was a sucky experience, but a learning one. I put on sunscreen before the but ride, but because we took a sea bath on the way there it washed off and I got burned pretty badly. Kristina was much worse because she didn't have any sunscreen on. The sun here is brutal. Central America is near the equator and the sun here is STRONG. We have been applying sunscreen 4-5 times a day or more, and you still get burned. It sucks. You burn in places you never would have thought of putting sunscreen. My wrists are scorched!!! Weird, huh?
Our first day in Ambergris, we just hung out on the beach and I bought a (purple!!) hammock from a hammock man! It is awesome. (I LOVE purple stuff for those of you who dont know). We met the guy on the boat over, but I didnt want to buy one then, because I didnt know if his prices were good or not, then as we shopped around i realized they were. So we looked for him around the island all day (it is VERY small) but couldnt find him. I was very sad. Finally, later in the day when we were in the water, Kristina goes, 'hammock man!!' I run out of the water and across the beach like a freak trying to wave him down yelling 'hammock man, hammock man!' to get his attention. I prob looked a little crazy, but whats new? Anyways, I got my hammock and I love it. Dont know what I will do with it, but love it none the less. haha. Speaking of the water here, it is AMAZING!!!! It is so warm, like bath water, seriously. It is clear and turquoise and beautiful and the beaches are white and sandy with palm trees. It is really awesome and our hotel is right on the beach an we have a deck, it is so nice. I relaxed and read on the beach after that and then some local came up to me and kept talking to me which really annoyed me because I was enjoying my book. He wouldnt leave me alone and then Kristina came over and one of his friends. They were really dumb, they even thought that belize is a country in west africa. They wanted us to go out to a club later, which we said we would, but we didnt, and know are afraid to see them because they work on the beach haha. They are harmless, just annoying. One of the guys' name was Lava, yes, Lava. Later, we went out to a restaurant to eat. By the way, eating for me here has been next to impossible. In case some of you dont know, I am a vegetarian. This island revolves around meat. I have to got to 3-5 restuarants EVERY time I want to eat to find food that has no meat. And it always tastes like crap because its never on the menu so they just 'create' something. So went to this mexican place and i was really excited to eat real food for the first time in days, they had a vegetarian menu outside, so we went in. But did the menus inside have the vegetarian section? NO!!! That was lunch only, so I had these nacho things that were ok. By the way, on the island whenever I ask for something without meat, people literally dont understand why. Then they say, so chicken? It is hard. As the night went .. the mexican place I began to feel sicker...and sicker....and sicker. It was a rough night for me, but i didnt get sick, just felt like crap. But then the morning came...and it was a different story. Lets just say, I had a fun morning from assumed food posining and I will leave the rest up to your imaginations....
Our second day on Ambergris (yesterday, also the day I got sick) we had snorkeling reservations. I trooped on and went anyways even though i felt like death. kristina and I wore t-shirts over our bathing suits because we were burned. Snorkeling was AWESOME!! I had never been before, kristina had been twice. We went with 4 other people who by the end really annoyed us. None of them could swim, but refused life jackets so the guide had to pull them around one ONE life ring. They wouldnt even snorkel. So we spent a lot of time going slow which was too bad. but underwater was amazing. We saw giant sea turtles, sting rays, fish and sharks!!! Just nurse sharks though, so they were friendly. i felt like i was a part of Finding Nemo, haha. It was really cool though...until the end. we were snorkeling around coral at the end and I think kristina and I got a little over zealous with our abilities and both ended up crashing into coral. For any of you who have never done that, which I guess is most (I know Alison, Kristinas sister has) it is horrificly painful. It feels like sliding and crashing into shards of point glass. And as you hit it you panic, so we both hit it many times. Kristina hit it first, comes up and goes I just cut my leg really bad on the coral, I am bleeding pretty bad, I am like omg, are you ok? Shes like ya, I think so. Then I went back under and I kid you not less then 30 seconds after talking to her I went crash, bang boom into it. We got out of the water shortly after that. Mine are not very bad, they just look like rug burns. Kristinas leg is cut pretty bad though. But shes ok, shes a trooper and she bought vicks to put on it which the guides recommended.
We didnt do much the rest of that day since we were bruised, bleeding and I had been sick. We just hung out on the beach, played water tag with some local kids and I already finished a 400 page book, I need to read slower!! We got pizza last night, and for the first time in 3 or 4 days I got food that didnt make me sick and tasted good and normal. But then kristina got sick from it... Central America has been much harder on us and our bodies then Europe. Oh well, I guess it goes with the territory, it worth it though.
Today is our last day in Ambergris, we are headed to the beach next and dont have much planned for the day. We go to Guatemala tomorrow which we are both excited for.
Ok kids, I think thats about it for now. I will e-mail in a couple days again. Talk to you all later! Wish us luck crossing the border!
Love,
K & K
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