Placencia, eh?

After Garifuna Settlement Day I headed south to Placencia where Liesbet was stationed in their truck camper. Wow...Placencia, which is on a peninsula , is quite the place. ONe narrow sidewalk runs through all the shops, restaurants, and hotels; to the west of the path is the lagoon and the towns main road; east of the path are the beautiful, white sandy beaces and the tropical Caribbean sea. The fear is that someday soon this lovely area will become overwhelmed by tourists, but for now the sight of foreigners, myself included, is not too suffocating. I spent a couple days relaxing on the beach, swimming, reading and going to happy hour with Liesbet. Even though we had only known each other for about 2 weeks I felt like we had been friends forever (traveling makes bonding quite easy). She is extremely well traveled so I had a lot to learn from her, and it was refreshing to have someone to talk to about triumphs and struggles in life as well as the mundane: the cost of fruit or bowel movements...ya know.

Myke is a snowbird from Canada who spends 6 months every year baking on the beach in Placencia. I met him, like I have met most people, through the network of travelers. He offered to let me stay in his spare room for a couple of nights, which was absolutely superb! His sense of humor, honesty, and sincere kindness were pleasant qualities to be around. In fact, he is who I have to thank for helping me get some pictures on my blog. I was ready to give up, but he kept me at it for hours until we figured it out. In the morning he made fresh squeezed orange juice and coffee, we used his slow cooker to make a delicious lunch, and he revealed his reserved plot of beach where he spends most of his day. An overall superb housemate, and if I wasnt bad for his health (he is trying to reduce his sugar intake and I found the towns cinnamon rolls...oh delicious) I probably would have stayed awhile longer.