Day Sixteen: April 5, 2012

Today was by far the best day of my life! I know I have said that before in some of my blogs but today was a day I will never forget. 

We went to Rocky Point, which is where the land meets the reef, on golf carts.  It is only 14 miles, but because we were alternating between driving on the beach and driving through the jungle, it took about 2 hours to get there.  About a fourth of the way there one of the golf carts blew a fuse and we were stuck for a while.  We finally reorganized people on the golf carts and we continued on while one of the guides stayed behind.  On the ride we stopped and say Cuban “refugee” boats is the best way I can think to describe them.  People wanted to leave Cuba made these boats out of time and rubber and an engine made of pipes, car rims and tons of other things you find around the house.  If these people found their way to Belize and were discovered Belize had to send them home to an unknown fate.

Once we go to our location we threw on our snorkel gear and jumped in! It was a different experience than Hol Chan because the water was much shallower.  We saw a 4(ish) foot barracuda, a really big lobster and beautiful angelfish.  We also found conch that we would be eating later in the day.  I thought that I would a lot of conchs but I didn’t know what it looked like if it was alive or not and my guide quickly let me know that all of them I found were dead haha! Finally one of the guides took my over and was helping me decide if the conchs were alive or not.  (I finally found one and I got to keep the shell after we ate it but I am getting ahead of myself).  I did cut my leg on the reef and that doesn’t feel good but nothing could ruin this day. 

After we were done snorkeling and collecting conch we went to go bbq.  The guide made FRESH conch ceviche with tomatoes, onions, cilantro and tons of lime juice. (Remind me to tell you the story of what I ate when the guide was cleaning my conch… lets just say they wouldn’t tell me what it was until after I ate it.)   After that he grilled grouper and we had fish tacos.  I have never had better seafood in my life.  It was amazing to eat food you had just taken out of the ocean. 

At lunch I met Santiago.  Santiago was a local man that looks like he was been on the island his entire life and doesn’t intend on leaving… well until he met me.  He told me I was the most beautiful girl he has every seen in Belize, he liked the way I move, and that he wants to go home with me to Canada.  I told him multiple times that I am from North Carolina, which is in America, not Canada, but after a while I gave in.  Everyone was picking on me that I was never going home and Santiago and I would stay in my jungle of Belize forever.  He didn’t smell like someone that I could spend forever with haha!

After lunch we went fishing on the reef.  It was really scary because we had to wear our flip flops to keep from our feet from being torn apart by the reef. At that point I was too scared that I was going to be knocked over and stung by a ray so I couldn’t focus on fishing.  I did catch one snapper though!

The sun was going down so we finally had to head home and I am exhausted. I cant think of a time that I have been this happy and relaxed.  Today was truly the best day ever (just ask Jessica, I said that phrase about a million times!!)