Belize City

We had a very breezy day in Belize - not the gentle Caribbean breezes I had imagined. We took a catamaran out to the coral reef for a snorkeling excursion. The water was choppy, so we only had about 40% visibility, but we decided to go ahead with the snorkeling. It was still enjoyable, in spite of the waves, reduced visibility, and large number of people. The reef was pretty cool and we saw some decent fish (Barry saw a stingray). Jim got to hold a small, spindly starfish.

After the snorkel, we went to "Starfish Island," a very small private beach resort island where we got to hang out for a couple of hours. We spent some time just relaxing in lounge chairs by the water, be we also walked around some (no far to go!), sat in hammocks, watched fish off the pier, and visited the pool where we got to hold large starfish and see a lobster. I also say a stingray near the shore. We both grabbed a local beer at the bar before getting back on the catamaran to return to the ship. On the catamaran, they served rum punch so we were well-lubricated by the time we got back.

Starfish Island

An unusual 6-legged starfish. Well, I thought it was unusual.

We were back onboard pretty early, and my flip-flop broke on the excursion, so I decided to tender to the mainland to shop and just so I could say I actually saw Belize. There was an extensive touristy shopping area, of course, and it took me quite a while to find out how to get beyond the shops into the actual city (such as it is). I finally made my way to the street and walked to see the lighthouse and small park not far from the shops. There was not really much to see, and I didn't have a lot of time, so soon I returned to the shops, bought a chocolate truffle and some flip-flops, and returned to the ship. On the tinder back, I was with our new friend Nicholas and, and I met some nice guys who were brothers, Mark and Andrew.

Gywen and Benny had taken a city tour of Belize City. They said it was interesting but very hot, and they weren't particularly impressed. Gywen nearly left her purse behind, but she remembered it before boarding the tender back to the ship. She went back to find it and it was still there!

In Belize City with Santa and some random person.