Stuck in Paradise Again

The view along the beach as I head out for coffee; if you could see close up, somebody out there on the pier is lighting up a cigarette--it was dark enough that the flame caught my attention.

An hour or so later, the sky is getting bright. Note the palm tree.

Usually, the fronds lean in the directions the trunks are growing...out to sea. Not today or yesterday.

If I move, the thing is going to blow right into the building on the right. :-)

Well, maybe not, but it's blowing way too hard for snorkeling, which is what we are here to do. So we are walking around town, enjoying the view, holding up the coconut palms, things like that. Yesterday we saw the town proper...today we will walk or bike into the neighborhoods. A local realtor's window has property from under $40,000 for unimproved to around $160,000 for a nice lot with a nice house. I'll be interested to see not only where the sunbirds live but also where the locals live. Probably not in a place like this photo...just a guess. Watch for my riff on economics later. :-)

Here we are, a collection of folks waiting to take the ferry from the Belize City pier to Caye Caulker. We watch the luggage go on board. Our tickets say we depart at noon. Folks line up. A fellow gets off the boat and says "We won't be leaving until 12:15." It's hot, so just about everybody disburses. About three minutes later he unhooks the rope and starts boarding. Everybody rushes to get a seat. Maybe because it isn't clear that there are enough life jackets to go around??  More likely it's because only the seats around the edge have cushions and backrests and it's going to be a long, bumpy ride for the uncushioned.

This fellow at least had a pillar to lean against and his little girl had daddy. Watching him gently calm her, hold her, and play with her on the 45-minute ride was a treat. She started out happy, then got scared, but quickly felt quite safe again as long as she was on her daddy's lap..

Fish and fruit are the two highlights of Caye Caulker food. This is breakfast. The folks behind us are looking at a tourist shop. I overheard the proprietor at another shop talking about her colleagues who have folded up and left because the tourists aren't buying. I'd like to buy something but the prices are out of my league.

Everybody is having a bad hair day here. It's funny to see ladies with lots of hair In the wind, it all stands on end even when the wind stops. Tech note; we have two sets of clothes each and they have shifted from very-chilly to very-hot quite well. I just jettisoned the rain jacket, the multipocket vest, and the silks underneath, rolled up the pants and the shirtsleeves, bought some cheap beach shoes, and I'm pretty comfortable! It's a good thing that these wash out in cold water because the hotel we are in has no hot water in the sink (there is in the shower, though).

The main part of town is blissfully quiet because there are not cars or trucks. I'm curious to know how supplies get to stores. In Italy, trucks and buses are restricted to certain times and zones. That doesn't seem to be the case here. Small mystery!