Last thoughts

It’s as challenging for me to transition out of blog mindset as it is to transition back to New England (though these summery days in the 70s have definitely taken the sting out of the latter). Thus, a few final thoughts/images/observations/memories that are still with me:

1)      Sam H. snuggling with her reading buddy at Gallon Jug  Community School.

2)      Max playing Tiger in the Jungle with his GJCS pal, despite the noonday heat and wearing a balloon hat (Max, not the kid).

3)      Thomas helping me muddle through “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” with the little kids … and my consternation at the idea that Miss Debbie didn’t have that one in her repertoire, though she is actually teaching In the Jungle AND her last name is Lyon!

4)      Haley’s various triumphs, including the zip line and the sharks … but mostly the passion I saw in her at the school, which I haven’t often seen her exude.

5)      Colie’s energy. Everywhere. All the time. And his depiction of himself as a child at the dinner table. Yikes.

6)      Blair’s unending (and much deserved) birthday celebration. But mostly her genuine enthusiasm for everything we did.

7)      Aaron striding across the sand at Sunbreeze trying to sneak a chocolate cake into his room as a surprise for Blair’s 2^nd birthday night (no idea where he stored it). And the collective effort that went into accomplishing that! (not Aaron hitting his head on stuff or being too tall for an outhouse or a jungle shower …)

8)      Cat on horseback galloping across the field at Gallon Jug.

9)      Ping trying to keep a straight face as a chubby little boy in a “Manuel” t-shirt whistled at her. A lot.

10)   Emma blossoming into the person everyone wanted to hang with.

11) Sam G.'s transformation over the years from little kid to tour guide on the trip, and her constant efforts to help and problem-solve where needed. Sometimes, her sass.

12)   Every other crazy thing that came out of Maddie’s mouth. And her guitar playing.

13)   Ozzie’s everpresent music – the sing-alongs, the guitar strumming, the humming he always does even when people are talking. I wonder if he knows music is always seeping out of him? Also the secret smug look on his face when Maddie got “randomly searched” twice at the airport, instead of him.

14)   The constant good nature of the group, its preternatural punctuality, its patience with us adults and our family, its thoughtful observations, its constant questions, its obvious intellectual curiosity, its endless enthusiasm … and so much more!

Thank you for sharing your kids with us - they made the trip! And thanks to Colie (below) for safely flying us out of San Pedro on Sunday ...

Peace.

Last supper and on the road

(Seriously, how many allusions can I awkwardly cram into a title?)
Last night we gathered at 6 for a sunset group picture by the water and a last dinner together at Caliente. the meal was great, the mood jovial (if a bit nostalgic already!) and the crowd excited for one last ice cream (technically, frozen custard) at Dande's and one last stroll through town. We came through a large (for the island) political rally celebrating the recent victory of the red guys (I can never remember - I think red is UDP and blue is PUP - out west the flags were all blue, but here red won the island). There was music, lots of food and a throng of local folks happy that Manuel someone had won the day. Max managed the coup of the night when he talked the "Manuel" t-shirt of the back of a boy who was trying to sell him necklaces. If college doesn't work out, Max has a fallback career on the streets ...

The group hung around the hotel again last night and slept early. It's a good thing, as many of them were up before 6 to watch the sunrise on the beach with Matt (I took on the difficult task of Staying Asleep). The kids are up and at 'em this morning, scrounging a last breakfast and taking a last look around (thoughtfully gathering souvenirs, perhaps?) Our puddle-jumper takes off at noon and launches us into a long day of travel. We'll be happy to see Doug Burbank at the helm of a Brooks busette on the other end! See you all soon!

Superb snorkel!

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. The weather was perfect, the current at the cut in the reef neutral (so swimming wasn't a fight) and we were the first boat to Hol Chan Marine Reserve this morning so there was no tourist traffic. Add to that our excellent guides and a lot of good swimmers and the result was a tremendous morning under the sea. I couldn't begin to recount the marine life, coral and other sights we saw, though you'll get a sense of the variety from the pictures. I always have such high hopes for the water camera, and am usually disappointed - the pictures never, ever capture the beauty of what we see. Nonetheless, you'll get a murky green idea of it, thanks to Matt and Maddie, who took turns chasing critters in both camera and video mode (unedited video to come shortly, I hope). Everyone did well - our first-timers were intrepid (Max even joined 4 other kids on a deep free-dive through a small cave in the reef - yikes!), old hands saw new sights, and everyone loved the turtles and screeched in their snorkels when the first shark appeared (nurse sharks - don't worry!) The more still they were able to be, the more of the less flashy but no less spectacular life they were able to notice along the reef. Our guide Lloydy teased a huge green moray eel out of its cave (yuck!) and brought a southern ray and a small shark to the surface so the kids could examine and pat them. Overall, a tremendous experience. I don't expect they'll soon forget it.

Quiet day

The sun took turns with intermittent afternoon showers, and as this was the first day with no formal plans, that allowed the kids to sleep in, lounge by the pool, explore the beach, poke around in the shops, and find the best bootleg movie shop (unless you work for the FCC, in which case, they were at the library). I very responsibly stationed myself at the pool for much of the day and shrieked about sunscreen regularly. Pretty sure I scared a bunch of college kids who, for some reason, seemed oddly sensitive to loud noises this morning. We were a tad worried that they were bored, but learned that they were as happy for a quiet day as we were.

The first time we were together all day was for dinner at the Blue Water Grill, one of our favorite eateries on the island, handily attached to our hotel. Afterwards, a group of the seniors had dredged up a full-on birthday cake in town and surprised Blair with it - turns out they have declared the 3 nights we are here a 3-night birthday fest for her. For some, tomorrow will represent the Feast of St. Patrick - for us, it will be the closing night of the Festival of Blair.

Matt just had the shock of his life after he gathered the group to give them "the speech" about going around town together tonight to see the live music or whatever, only to have them say, "Actually, our plan is to stick around here tonight."  Matt's jaw hit the floor - first time every he hasn't had to worry about corralling them. Again, magic!

Tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. we head to the docks for our snorkel expedition, and will certainly have pix to share tomorrow afternoon. The weather has been lovely and not too windy (which it often is in March), so visibility should great. Everyone's excited about it! (well, Haley not so much, but she'll come along for the ride and maybe we'll get her to pat a ray or something ...)

That's all from sunny San Pedro, where no one is sunburned or food poisoned and everyone is eating well and no one has been sold to pirates. So far.

Safe in San Pedro

No pix yet - just wanted to report that we made it safe and sound to San Pedro. Long drive, transfer to water taxi, hour-plus speedboat ride and we got to Sunbreeze Hotel in the late afternoon. What are the chances the guy sitting in the seat in front of me grew up on the same street as Matthew? I can't calculate them but it's true - he moved down here 7 years ago and is a bit older than Matt, but sure enough, they grew up within a few blocks of each other in Manchester, NH. Small world, once more ... (I never even wrote about the prep school family at our first place and the other weird coincidences we've come across).

Had a nice dinner tonight at the Patio (sand floors, great seafood) which is owned by the family of some kids at the Island Academy, founded and run by our Brooks friends the Bowens. Lady Dixie Bowen came out to meet us at the end of the meal (after Blair got her frozen Key lime pie with a candle and an 18th bday serenade from the whole place). and the kids left to wander around the beachfront. Matt and  I caught up with Dixie and it was great to know she is doing well. The kids got a chance to meet her briefly, and that was nice.  We heard great stories of her recent meeting with Prince Harry, who was here on a tour of ... some British protectorates and former colonies in this region.

Below are some pix from yesterday - chillin' at Chan Chich, the view from the Escarpment, and the bonfire after dinner (it kills Matt that we're burning scraps from the mahogany lumber mill that he'd pay through the nose for at the hardwoods store in NH ....!)

We have 2 full days of sun, splashing and some amazing snorkeling ahead of us before we pack up and take off on Sunday. Pictures to come ....

Last day at Gallon Jug

I'm sitting on the porch at Chan Chich listening to an excited group of birders argue over which type of bird they just saw using words I've never heard befeore ("Was it a slatty-tailed or a violaceous trogun?" I feel like I've fallen into an avian Jabbberwocky). One older gentleman in particular is bragging up a storm - he just saw a jaguar on the road to the villege (note to self: tell Sam and Emma not to run that way in the morning ...), and when he ran out of juice with that story he started on about the harpy eagle he saw last week in Panama. Don't let their mild-mannered looks fool you ... these folks are as competitive as any sports fans I've ever met.

We spent the morning in groups doing a few things - visiting the school, touring the agricultural operations here and riding (as the group rode by the school Jake came running out and Emil hauled him up onto his horse for the rest of the ride!). Blair, Cat and Sam G. got a special treat - Emil took them out for a gallop around the mango groves. Video to come later.

The kids got Matt's patented Reader's Digest tour of: the coffee plants, the cacao grove (ask them about eating the gooey white goop in which the seeds grow inside the pods), the coffee roasting plant, the cacao processing (ask them what a roasted cacao seed tastes like), the mahogany timber mill, the furniture makers, the hot sauce kitchen ... I'm sure I'm missing something.

I brought the bulk of the group out to Chan Chich to relax and swim for the early afternoon and Matt gave Blair and Cat their private tour after riding - they got lucky and saw a wild peccary along the road, as well as 2 playful spider monkeys by the parking lot. Add to that the howler mom and baby thhey saw yesterday and they win the wildlife-spotting prize (though they were not in the group that saw the big ol' tarantula last night ...)

Speaking of cacao ... have I mentioned the chocolate treat Zander shared with me last night? Though they grow and process cacao here, they don't make chocolate from it (sadly). But one of the women in the village has been fooling with the roasted cacao, and last night Zander shared a bit with me. It was amaaaaaaazzzzzing ... and the girls are jealous and want to try to make it themselves. The woman in the village uses a Mayan metate (stone tray and smushing thingy - sorry for showing off my technical jargon) to grind it up, so we'll see how the girls make do.

The timing is working out - the kids are ready for the next leg, will sleep well tonight and likely in the van tomorrow as well as we make the long trek back down the bumpy dirt road, east on the western highway, return our vehicles, get a ride to the water taxi and take the boat the hour ride to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye for some sand and sun. A few pictures of the day below ...