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Nathan and Megan arrived at the International Airport on December 21st! As Dave was flying, I went to pick them up! They'd had a long day before they ever made it here, so they went to the Radisson to have a rest before dinner.
One of the treats that Dave and I received was a free turkey from BERT. I had it in the oven while they were resting. Due to being unable to find stuffing mix or sweet potatoes, I had to make a couple of last minute changes to the menu! Such is life in Belize! We had plenty of wine and Christmas cookies to keep all happy, though.
Sunday afternoon was pool-time, and we enjoyed lunch by the Radisson's pool. After a short tour of the city, we arrived home for a meal of rice and beans and chicken--very Belizean!
Apparently, Dave's lunch at the Radisson had some e. Coli in it, as he became desperately ill. On Monday morning, he took the plane to International Airport for servicing, but became so ill that the mechanic had to give him a ride home! Actually, he went to the BERT office first, which I did not learn about until the next day! Anyway, instead of my staying at work while Nathan and Megan went to Caye Caulker (below) for the afternoon, I spent the afternoon in the emergency room while they gave Dave fluids and antibiotics. What a way to begin a vacation!
Due to a number of irritating occurrences, the plans to go to St. George's Caye on Tuesday were cancelled and late in the day we set off by car for Placencia, a nearly 4 hour trip. We enjoyed driving on the Hummingbird Highway through the mountains, but the potholes in the road, especially when it was raining off and on, were treacherous! (I later saw on the news that an American couple had hit a pothole too fast, and the car was thrown into the ditch. No one was injured, as everyone had seat belts on, a rarity in Belize.) We were able to find The Placencia Hotel in the dark, and we had dinner on Christmas Eve on the Pier.
Christmas Day dawned bright and clear, and after breakfast we headed for the pool! (We were going to lie on the beach, but those nasty sand flies were out and about!) The pool was beautiful--the perfect temperature, a beautiful stone waterfall, and a swim-up bar! Who could ask for a better day in the sun!
In the afternoon, Megan went to work out, and Dave and I took a drive down the peninsula to the town of Placencia. The town is filled with shops, but everything was closed for Christmas. There were people in the streets, partying. And we were able to drive around the airport, where a crossing bar goes down as an airplane takes off! One can see the lagoon on one side of the road and the Caribbean on the other. This area is being purchased and developed by people from the U.S. and Canada. Really beautiful residences!
The sunset on Christmas night was beautiful! And we ate again out on the Pier. The service staff were particularly cheerful and kind!
On December 26th, we went to Dangriga so that Dave could see from the ground another of his frequent destinations by air. The town is known to be a Garifuna town and is very alive on Garifuna Settlement Day, but not much was going on when we were there on Boxing Day (a national holiday, too).
The four of us drove back through the mountains on the Hummingbird Highway. I was not aware of the citrus industry in the area. We also saw a banana grove or two near Dangriga. We ate lunch at Cheers, then headed across the street to the Belize Zoo.
The day continued to be showery off and on. We happened to be there on an apparently active day for the animals. The jaguar is a special creature at the Zoo, and the personnel do a "jaguar lick," during which they place something on the heads of people who sit in a cage with the jaguar on top, licking off whatever it is that is on their heads! Well, some children of a family there were in the cage, and we were able to watch the jaguar do somersaults and prowl around on top of the cage!
The Howler Monkeys were lively! I have a movie that really captures their sound, but I could not get it to load to the blog. The Spider Monkeys were active, too! I'm so glad that we stopped and saw the Zoo again! It is a really special place in the jungle!
The following day, Dave needed to be prepared to fly, and I thought that I should make an appearance at the Child Care Centre. Megan and Nathan went to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, having arranged a snorkeling trip for Saturday morning. They had great difficulty finding a room in which to stay, but located a room at the Mayan Princess. On Saturday morning, they went with "Lil' Alphonse" on a snorkel adventure in Hol Chan and Shark Alley! Nathan had not been snorkeling, so he received a little instruction and dove in! He looked down to see a huge ray swim by! They said that seeing the colorful fish and swimming with stingrays and nurse sharks were phenomenal experiences!
On Sunday, Nathan, Megan and I drove to Cayo to visit Xunantunich Mayan ruins, but the river was so high and rushing that the ferry was closed, and we could not get across to the ruins. Mayan ruins are all over the country with only a small percentage likely uncovered. Another site, Cahal Pech, was nearby in San Ignacio, so we went there! For me, it was something new to see!
Monday morning, I took Nathan to the Child Care Centre where the children greeted him! I was so happy to introduce "my children" to my son! The following day, they asked me if he was still here! And he had the opportunity to meet Ms. Augustine and others with whom I work.
Then it was off to the airport where we sadly had to say "good-bye." I was so happy to be able to show them places that are now my home. I think that they had something of an adventure, perhaps a bit more "third world" than they were expecting. A different kind of Christmas!
How fun to have Nathan and Megan there! The pictures seem straight from National Geographic. What a beautiful country! I'm sorry to hear about the food poisoning, glad Dave was OK!
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