Unbelizably Behind

I am so behind! At life, but also in blogging. We've been in the UK now for three and a half weeks. What a crazy time it's been! I sit here typing on my desktop computer that finally made its way to us (via our super speedy 18-day air shipment, note sarcasm) that is temporarily set up on our temporary flat's coffee table (not exactly ergonomically sound I tell you!). We have many more stages of temporarity (pretty sure I just made up a word there, but I'm going with it) until we will be settled. And while so much of moving here the second time around is so much easier, some of it is as difficult as it was the first time. The chaos we are living in currently is rather frustrating and at times overwhelming. And with school having begun last week, it's yet another year of new scholastic beginnings for our family at yet another new school. This would be a whole lot easier if the kids had been able to return to their former school here. Anyway, so much more to share about our first nearly month here, but also trying to play catch-up on blogging. So before I get to more details on our return to London I've got to wrap up our trip to Belize . . .


I can't say it wasn't a nice mental break sorting through photos like this one today.


The second half of our Belizian/Guatemalan holiday took us to the Caribbean island of Ambergris Caye. To get there we took this 15-seater airplane. It was a bit unnerving at first; these tiny planes sure don't inspire much confidence as they teeter side to side in flight and make very bumpy landings on bandaid-sized airstrips. I mean check-out the security measures!


Boarding this plane was as simple and procedure-free as boarding a city bus.


Yeah, this is whole plane and that guy up there next to the control panel is the pilot.


If we go down, the contents of this little pocket is all I've got!




Totally oblivious to the unusual flying conditions Madeleine barely puts her book down to buckle her safety belt. And on these planes, you really do need a nice snug seatbelt!


Our gleaming AIR CONDITIONED rental condo was a welcome sight after melting in the dirty, sweaty jungle.


First dip in the resort pool. And our first exposure to some of why summer is considered low season for Belize tourism. Not only is it hotter than usual, it's also more prone to storms (aka wet season). Most of the week we were there, it was super windy. Like don't-leave-your-towel-on-a-chair-or-you-will-never-see-it-again kind of windy. At times it was unpleasant. And a tropical depression actually did make its way through while we were there. The nigh-time winds whipping up against our cement-built condo were a bit rattling. But other than the loss of power for a few hours and the loss of internet for a couple of days (apparently the whole country lost internet; how does an entire country lose internet anyway?), it was not much of an issue. Putting up with these inconveniences was worth it, however, because low season also means cheap season!


Our resort


























Probably the most desirably located LDS church on the planet. Like maybe 10 steps from the aqua blue waters of the Caribbean Sea!






Evenings at the resort were pretty amazing.






What would travel be without food? We followed the advice of locals and hit two locally favoured dining spots. We had some pretty wonderful seafood. Here seafood-loving Dallin was in heaven. He finally got to live out his lobster fantasies (a heck of a lot cheaper than the £45 lobster he once tried to order at a restaurant in London).


In these parts Fanta is like water.




Our very favourite restaurant. Sand/dirt floors are common in restaurants here.


The coconut curry was to-die-for, so good we came back and had it a second time.








San Pedro is the one and only town on the tiny island of Ambergris Caye. The island gets more remote as you go north or south of San Pedro. Our resort was a ways north of town, which is ideal because San Pedro is great for getting what you need and good restaurants, but it doesn't offer much in the way of peace and tranquillity.


I was struck by how much Belize felt like a third world country. Ambergris Caye was no exception. Most homes are wooden shack-looking structures; I shudder to think what would happen to this country in the face of a serious hurricane. Streets are filled with pretty shabby vendor stalls and shops. Even the proper shops are pretty dirty, and you better check out the expiration dates on food stuffs before purchasing. Everything comes with a layer of dust, and I think if you live here you just get used to being sweaty and dirty all the time.


I was surprised at the lack of fruit. Not just good fruit, but fruit at all. There was very little anywhere in Belize. I had to overwrite what must have been a faulty stereotype I attached to central America as being a fruit rich corner of the world. We had nearly no fruit the entire trip, and not for lack of trying!


















Golf carts. It's how they roll on Ambergris Caye. Very few cars on the island, and access via car is really restricted. Everyone drives golf carts. On dirt roads. It's pretty primitive and partly explains why it's impossible to escape the moisture and dirt, but it also contributes to the relaxed vibe that attracts so many visitors. We rented our own cart for the week, but don't let the Flinstone wheels fool you, the rental rates were surprisingly steep! It's a bumpy ride considering there is only one small area that is actually paved and the rest of the island is pot-hole ridden dirt roads. You quickly learn how to navigate the bumps without ejecting any passengers (none of whom wear seatbelts, hello it's a golf cart!).




On our journey to the south end of the island


We got caught in a torrential downpour. It was intense. We saw it coming, but we were so far north of San Pedro town that the only shelter we had was our golf cart. So we just carried on. Lighting striking left and right, and loud thunder crashing directly overhead. We were getting totally soaked, like to the crotch kind of soaked, but with rain pelting our faces we zoomed back up the island (well as fast as you can "zoom" in a golf cart on a dirt road). That decision to wrap my camera inside a plastic bag in my non-water proof canvas bag turned out to be a pretty good one. Whew! This storm was honestly my favourite memory of the whole trip. After a certain point we just surrendered to the rain and enjoyed laughing the whole way back.


Aqua blue waters off the dock of our resort

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Scott and Dallin were able to do some good snorkelling on a day trip out to Shark Ray Alley and Hol Chan Marine Reserve, where they snorkelled among rays, sharks and other less dangerous sea-life. Belize has a world renowned coral reef. I don't have the pictures from that snorkel trip at hand right now.




After swimmer's ear sabotaged a holiday in Turkey for Dallin, it's all about the pre-emptive ear drops at the end of the day!