Ambergris Caye, Belize (11/7/08)

As fate would have it, the very same day I gave notice to Unilever, Travel Zoo announced ridiculously low fares from NYC to Belize. Never one to pass up a chance to travel or soak the sun, I booked (for $200 RT!!) and decided to head down alone for 6 days for some r&r before starting my new job. It's a tiny country with only about 320,000 people but it has a rich history and diverse culture. Once part of the Mayan, and very briefly the Spanish Empire, it was most recently affiliated with the British Empire, prior to gaining its independence in 1981 (from Wiki). In 2007 I started my summer travel adventure in Caye Caulker so this time I opted for the other, more developed island, Ambergris Caye. You may not realize it but you've definitely heard of this island before... probably as early as 1987 when Madonna sung about it in "La Isla Bonita" or maybe more recently in 2001 when Fox aired the Temptation Island reality show. Either way, my blog will not be the first pop culture mention for the 25 square mile island.

I decided to do things a bit differently this time around. For your viewing pleasure I actually created a movie to entertain you and for your reading pleasure I'm going to forgo the day-by-day account and share some highlights by topic instead. Enjoy!



Average Time To Bed: 8:00 pm.

Average Time to Rise: 6:15 am (followed by a 4-mile run on the beach every morning!)

Best Meals: Lobster burrito at Waraguma; Puttanesca-style Cobia (fish) at Wild Mango's; Rice/Beans/Stew Chicken from a street vendor in Central Park; Calamari & Shrimp Salad in a light Peanut Sauce at Blue Water Grill; Creole Conch @ Lily's.

Best Drinks: Iced Mocha @ Island Perk; Michelada @ Cholo's Sports Bar (zinga!)

Biggest Disappointments: Getting a bad Magnum (which must have been melted and frozen many times in transit to the island); Not having a hammock at my hotel.

Biggest Surprise: Being treated to a snorkeling session by people I had met 20 minutes earlier.

Best Raining Morning Activity: 60 minute therapeutic massage.

Most Intense Moment: Having a sea version of a vulture swoop down above my head to try and steal the chum from the sharks I was swimming with!

Most Cathartic Moment: Sitting on my balcony listening to Dixon set thinking about myself, my goals and my purpose in life.

Best New Travel Friends: Patty & Todd from Boise; Yousef & Ahmed from Jordan; Mohamed from Lebanon; Andrew & Miguel from Ambergris Caye; Jennifer and Tenisha from Portland; Girls from San Antonio; Little Girl (name unknown) from Ambergris Caye; Roy Elvis from Ambergris Caye; Elliot and Samantha from NC.

Oddest New Travel Friend: B**** (name withheld) from Jersey City who within the course of a few hours told me everything about his: estranged daughter, crazy ex-wife, drug addictions, millions made, millions lost, views on free trade, thoughts on the bailout, food interests, sex life, rent, social security payments, etc.

Books Read: Water for Elephants, Tribes

Best Mini-Adventure: Renting a bike for the day and exploring all of north island.

Most Satisfying Travel Moment: Knowing many of the locals by name (and vice versa) after only a few days.

Most Annoying Travel Moment: Having to listen to the cat calls from all of the island men (but then again, that happens everywhere)