Belize Expedition–Day 3
April 14
Sunrise to the east no less grand than last night’s sunset to the west.
After a breakfast featuring local bananas, pineapple, papaya, mango, and citrus, we’re offered a choice of activities. Joe and most of the men go out in a motor boat fishing with Mike and I choose paddle-board instruction with KIMike and several members of another tour group in a nearby wind-free lagoon. It’s not hard for me to stand, paddle and learn some navigation tricks, but I refrain from trying a head stand and other balance poses choreographed by a yoga instructor in their party.
After fighting the wind on the way back, I meet Joe, whose first fishing experience has been getting a cut from snagging a big sting ray.
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The rest of his group have all caught fish.
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This includes J.P., a shy solitary man from New York who comes up with a large barracuda that will supply a good part of tonight’s dinner, and who turns out to be an assistant professor of pediatric oncology.
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Joe has made friends with Sue, the guide for the other group, who has taken them white-water river kayaking before coming here. Turns out she lives most of the year in Driggs Idaho, a ski town not far from his home in Ketchum, and they know several people in common.
After lunch Sue offers a geography lesson followed by a session of kayak safety procedures in the water that include three kinds of rescues, including the “scoop” method whereby an injured or unconscious person can be loaded into a capsized kayak and righted by their companions.
Later I have a swim in the uncomfortably warm water, remembering my recent exhilirating immersion in the 50 degree water at Pirate’s Cove near home. I’m still not getting the hang of using the surprisingly inexpensive ($150) Olympus underwater camera I bought for the trip. But the new solar charger needed to resupply the battery seems to work.
The conch calls a considerable crowd for happy hour, and the staff arrange for a BBQ dinner to be served downstairs on the sand. Tonight is the last night of the season for Glover’s and a stiff rum punch is available along with beer. The dinner is even more lavish than the previous night’s: chicken, pork and several kinds of fish, local fruit and veggies, home baked bread. As soon as the sun drops, Mike and Felix, a Belizean guide of the other group, begin drumming, soon joined by KiMike on the Marracas.
Mike tells us their instruments are rhythms are traditional Garifuna.
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The music starts slow and after more rum punch is consumed gets faster and louder. The grounds and kitchen staff start dancing on the sand, draw in the guests, and soon everyone is whooping and hollering. Though the day’s exertions and the booze had me ready for another early bedtime, the dancing releases new energy and keeps things going for a couple more hours under the rising moon.
Photo by Lionel Webb
Photo by Lionel Webb
