Quaint Placencia

Monday and Tuesday, May 16-17--Dangriga to Placencia, Belize

The bus didn't leave Dangriga until 11:00, so we took our time getting up and away in the morning.  Fortunately, there was room on the bus when it loaded, since they do not allow people to squeeze into seats or to stand on buses in Belize.  We observed people being kicked off the bus the other day because the seats were full by the time they got inside.

The trip was breezy and faster than expected, but it was obviously hot outside.  Because we had a reservation at the Manatee Inn toward the northern edge of town, we watched for its sign so we could get off the bus without going all the way to the end of the peninsula and walking back in the heat.  The room was available, clean, and nice, but it does not have air conditioning.  We'll have to suffer a bit these two days here.

Not having eaten and wanting to explore Palencia, we went out about 13:00.  The town really just has oneemain street and then a sidewalk street, but it is so quaint.  It reminds me a bit of Port Aransas.  We made the loop looking at everything and considering where to eat.  We finally decided on De Tatch which is an outdoor palapa on the beach near our hotel.  We ordered burgers and fries.  The burgers were great, but the fries were sweet and strange tasting even with lots of salt added.

This is too hot a place to be out in the afternoons, so we returned to the room to rest under the fan until about 17:30 when we put on our swimsuits and went to the beach.  There was lots of ruffage where the water was lapping the beach, but just two beyond, the water was clear.  And it was like it was HEATED--like being in a warm bath!  Fortunately, it made us feel a bit cooler, however, when we came out 30 minutes later.

My stomach has been feeling awkward for a few days.  I don't feel an appetite, and I have been burping a lot.  Since lunch was late, we decided just to get some juice and some blueberry Newtons to eat.  We brought them to the hotel and ate them on the porch and visited until bedtime.

It was still warm when we went to bed around 22:00.  Sometime after midnight, it started to feel a bit cooler when the oscillating fan would hit us.  It wasn't easy to sleep, though.  It reminded me of the summer nights in Texas before we had air conditioning.

We returned to the beach this morning after getting up.  The water was refreshingly cool and still with no leaves or seaweed.  We floated, walked, etc., in the area and interacted with a small boy whose mother sells souvenirs while he swims.

We decided to have a late breakfast, but when we looked for the local place recommended to us, it was closed.  Instead, we found two ladies making burritos from homemade tortillas from a cart under a tree.  We each ordered one.  They were so good that we each ordered one more!  From there, we went to an ice cream shop where Wes had a mango cone and I had a sour sop cone.  UMMMM!

By the time we reached the hotel around 12:30, it was HOT again.  We napped and rested inside during the afternoon.

We returned to the water around 17:30 and watched the very orange sun setting as we floated and relaxed.  Again, the water was cooler than it had been yesterday afternoon.  And the salt content is so high that it makes it very easy to float.  There's no problem breathing while floating.

Searching for a place to eat dinner, we passed Grill n' Go (scroll down to page 14 at the link to read about it).  Two different parties leaving there told us it was great and that we should try it.  We had the grilled red snapper (although I don't believe the fish was firm enough to truly have been red snapper) with salad, coconut rice, beans, and beer.  It was good, but it cost about the same as to eat at the Yardarm in Corpus Christi.

Back at the room, we prepared everything for an early departure tomorrow.  We need to catch a bus at 7:00 for Belize City.