Tobacco Caye

I was so thrilled to get on a boat...the sea! Me, Dane, and 2 of the local islanders zipped across the water in Captain Fermin's boat. The wind and the blue meets blue horizon were phenomenal. Approaching the island was such a hoot - how could this tiny chunk of land in the middle of the ocean be inhabited by human beings? Palm trees and little huts ringed the edge of the sandy island. Captain Fermin let us off on one of the wooden docks.

We explored the entire island in under 2 minutes and decided to stay at the Paradise Hotel. It's small cabanas took up about 1/3 of the island. We moved in and then headed out to the beach where we drank Belikins and watched the pelicans...oh it was poetic alright. (Belikins are the local Belizian beer - dark and delicious). The sunset was obviously breathtaking and then we were off to dinner.

All of the hotels on the island serve 3 meals a day since there are no restaurants or stores. The only purchases you can make on the island are at the round, grass hut bar.

Our first evening meal we sat with Fred and Virginia from Switzerland. What a delightful couple: intelligent, thoughtful, attentive and overall delightful. The next evening Liesbet from Belgium arrived and joined what had become a group of friends. I learned so much during our meal time chats. Dane is extremely intelligent regarding national and international politics, Fred and Virginia have travelled extensively and are quick to laugh, and Liesbet had wild tales from her trip: she has been on the road with her boyfriend and 2 dogs in a truck camper in Central America for 11 months. The whole group was amazing and it was serendipidous that we all landed on the island at the same time.