Finally, some photos!

 Imagine waking up next to this.... Named Murphy the Disgusting Bastard by Torr, this horrid creature hung out on our tent for 2 days.

 The over-the-water cabanas at Glovers Reef.

 Main temple at Xunantunich, Tor is up on the top (on the right side of the second block from the left) for scale.

 A view from el castillo at Xunantunich. From the top you feel as if you are a part of the sky.

 What a babe!

Torrance in front of the outlier and victoria peaks in cockscomb basin.

 Lisa in the Maya kingdom of Xunantunich. The big pyramid at the back is the same one that's in the other picture (El Castillo).

We learned that black howler monkeys are next to impossible to photograph with a point and shoot. Trust us, They're cool.

Our camp at Glovers reef!




So we've used this internet session for a few photo uploads. We'll do a full update about Cayo district, Cockscomb, and southern Belize (where we are now) the next time we're online, when we will be live from Guatemala!!!


Love from Lisa and Torrance.

Glovers Reef

First, to Jordan and Isis, we feel the same way about you two! Thanks for making the first comment on our blog (my money was on my mom!). Also, thanks for keeping it real.

Ok, so our last update came from Sittee River, just before our foray out into the ocean. We`re happy that we did the Glover`s Reef trip (it was a bit of a splurge from our low budget trip).

We snorkeled at least twice everyday. It was amazing! We saw eels, and sharks and millions of parrotfish, surgeon fish, angel fish, trigger fish (Lisa is being a fish nerd so I`m gonna cut this off - the point is there were a ton of fish). We got stalked several times by huge barracudas, and Lisa developed a severe fear of them. To be fair, they are scary.They are definitely scarier than the street dogs at night! Especially when they group up in gangs of 3 or more and look are you with those yellow eyes...We were told to chase them and they will get scared and leave you alone. Torrie and another guy on our trip, Jared, tried this. It doesn`t work. It just makes them hungrier.

Probably the most amazing fish that we saw were the eagle rays. They can be huge, like the Manta Ray, and they come swimming - flying-  out of the deep blue water on the reefs` edges. Tor`s favourite was the giant spiny lobster, that was actually close to a meter long (no exaggeration, it was bigger than most dogs). We were so excited when we saw it clambering along on the bottom. We were also sad, because we don`t think anyone will ever believe us about how big it was. It is actually king of the deep.

Needless to say, our intentions to read multiple books each went straight out the mosquito net.

We were lucky to spend the week with a great group of people. We camped and potlucked all together and ate coconuts that Tor split open like a jungle man (his words, not mine). Perhpas the most enjoyable part was the car ride out to the bus junction when we piled ten people and ten people`s luggage and then some into a minivan.

We lit glorious campfires and roasted fresh fish and other treats (we even made homemade pizza!!) over the flames.

There were definitely some downsides though...maybe downside is the wrong word. Though the family that operates Glover`s Atoll Resort were pleasant enough to us, we were uncomfortable with the way the staff were spoken to and treated. The staff were so friendly and great, but there definitely seemed to be a superiority complex from the management. It has been a bit tough for us being so young and being able to travel through a country where most of the people we meet don`t have the same opportunities as
us, and this element of Glover`s exasperated this. Nonetheless, we had lots of fun with the staff, the other guests, and the family`s daughter. The endless snorkeling, warm water, and Caribbean sunsets weren`t bad either.

Also, humongous hermit crabs roam the island unchecked, and are fun to feed, race, etc.

Yesterday, after a long day on the road, we reached San Ignacio (Cayo), which is in the mountains near the Guatemalan border. This town is definitely a change up, there are lots of non-beach activities to do, which will be a great change-up for us. We are doing some planning today, and hope to see a few Maya ruins, and maybe do some caving and hiking! Last night, we joined a few of our island mates (there were 5 of us on Glover`s that all came to San Ignacio yesterday) for our first Tawainese-Belizean meal, which was really fun.

The tentative plan is to spend 3-4 days in the mountains, and then head south again.

Until next time,

Lisa and Torr

P.S. the computer we`re using has cheap internet, but unfortunately it doesn`t allow uploads of pictures. We`re looking into the best way to dump a heap of pictures (onto facebook or photobucket or something), and we`ll let you know when we figure that out.

Whirlwind week - Caye Caulker, Sitee River

A few more words on Sarteneja before moving on to our next stops...

The place we stayed in Sarteneja, Backpacker's Paradise, is also trying to start an organic agriculture demonstration plot (or series of garden plots) to boost the supply veggies for their restaurant and also to encourage organic farming around the village. They already grow many fruits (oranges, zapotes, pineapple, custard apple, banana...) and also tomatoes, peppers... They also keep chickens and have a chicken tractor (a really neat way to clear land where you let chickens do all the work!). Nathalie, the owner, showed us how to work with the chickens on our last day in Sarteneja.

We have some pictures from Sarteneja.

 Backpackers Paradise:

Shipstern Wildlife Reserve, Owl Butterfly:

Shipstern Wildlife Reserve, Lookout Tower View:

We have several more pictures from Sarteneja, and from Caye Caulker where we went next. The internet connection here in Hopkins is very slow, and it's going to take to long to post them all. we're hoping to make some facebook albums for all our pictures on one of our next internet sessions. We'll keep you updated.

Alright, so after sleepy Sarteneja, we went by bus and water taxi (via Orange Walk and Belize City) to crazy Caye Caulker. Caulker is basically a tropical island paradise, well within an hours trip of the international airport. the result: tourist central. expensive food, crowded streets, pushy, less friendly locals (who are accustomed to rich, rude tourists), and pricier accommodations. Caye Caulker is still a beautiful place to stay, and we found a small fixer-upper cabana hotel that was affordable, clean, and run by a really friendly couple. Colinda Cabana's is a little ways down the beach from the main craziness, but still really close to restaurants, etc. Including Chan's Take out Window, a little hole in the wall place with solid rice and beans and a banana milkshake that I'm pretty sure Lisa likes more than she likes me. Great dock to hang out on as well.

The snorkelling, which was the reason we went to Caye Caulker in the first place, didn't disappoint. we did an all day tour that stopped at three different spots, and they all offered great snorkelling! We saw sea turtles, sharks (sharks mate!), rays, and hundreds of different fish. I (Torrie) swam through a coral cave about 20 feet down, and hurt my ears a little. worth it. The reef seems to be suffering damage though...our guide said hurricances, but I (lisa) don't doubt it is also having so many people pass through each day.

We are out of internet time for now, but take a look on google each at the Hummingbird Highway to see the incredibly beautiful route we traveled to our current location in Sitee River. We are off to Glover's Reef on Sunday and will update on that adventure next week.

Sarteneja. Saar-te-nay-ha. (ENG) Calm, little fishing village in the north of Belize.Carribean sea. The most perfectly charming place you may ever be...

We are closing our second day at Backpacker's Paradise in Sarteneja. Forget what we said about Corozal being laid back, this place is on a whole new level. This sleepy little town is a fishing town, but seems to be more where the fishers live and rest when they aren't fishing down the coast between Belize City and Placencia. We have met a few fishermen, and they have been wonderful.  Most of the town speaks Spanish, but they all can speak english really well too.
The food here is great and inexpensive, which we are into. The surrounding area has a lot to offer too. Yesterday we went to a nature reserve called Shipstern, and walked a nature path and went up a 150 foot observation tower,and went through a butterfly garden. Yeah.

Today we began the day with a two hour kayak, which was really glorious. Then we had a swim, and later in the afternoon some thunderclouds rolled in so we took cover in the shelter and cooked some dinner, read, etc. Tough day. Tonight during the rainstorm a scorpion dropped down right beside me, so that was scary.We want to put up pictures right now, but our internet time is up, so we will do that next time!
So long for now,

Lisa and Torrance

Corozal

After three hectic days in Mexico, we have arrived and begun to settle into Belize. Our first stop has been Corozal: we arrived yesterday and are staying at the Sea Breeze Hotel, a cheap little spot across the street from the bay. The pace here is noticeably slower and more relaxed than in the big centres of Quintana Roo, Mexico (Cancun, Chetumal etc).  The people here are wonderful, most speak spanish (we're only 8 miles from the border), but they all speak creole and English as well. Our hotel is managed by a Welsh expat named Gwynn, who is quite pleasant in the morning and gets steadily crankier as the day goes on. This town is a really neat multicultural place - there are also many Chinese and Indian families, too.

The town itself looks just like you might imagine a small Caribbean town would look. Because of its English history, some parts of town look like Oak Bay, but with a few less palm trees (Tor's joke).

Ok, on to more interesting things (it's Torrie again, we've been alternating every few sentences), THE WATER IS GLORIOUS!  Our hectic few days in Mexico, included too many buses (some of whom ripped us off), a few taxis (some of whom ripped us off - learning curve?), hostels miles from the water, and uber-inebriated Australian party-animals. The Corozal life goes as follows: fresh fruit from the market for breakfast, lounging on the dock, quick swim, a stroll uptown to a Maya ruin that's literally in the middle of a neighbourhood, longer swim, empanadas for lunch, really long swim, game of crib, another walk through town, a swim so long the locals start to wonder if we're alright, beans and rice for dinner, lounging and reading after dinner. Bed at 8pm... Tough, I know.

Tomorrow, we plan to head on to Sarteneja. Sateneja is a small fishing village down the coast a little ways. There is a place to stay called "Backpackers Paradise," so we aim to find out whether it lives up to it's name. We'll let you know when we can, so long for now.


Love Lisa and Torrance

P.S. some pictures: