7 Feb--Half Moon Caye Arrival

7 Feb -- Arrival--Half Moon Caye

Half Moon Caye is part of LightHouse Reef Atoll, and where we went for lunch the day i dove The Blue HOle.

 ....i've been trying to organize a trip there to do some serious snorkeling  ... before i head off to Utila :)

the Caye (island) is managed by the Belize Audubon Society and i have been emailing them in Belize City finding out what i needed to do to stay out there a couple of days .... i can camp in a tent.... bit they do have rooms in buildings that i can rent :)  ... and there are kitchen facilities, showers, and composting toilets, like we had at Glovers.  i need to bring my own sheets, towels, food, and ..... drinking water .... that's the 'biggie' as far as transportation is concerned.   but i've got it figured out.

the 'getting out there' is the difficult part.   there is no water taxi nor shuttle service out there ... you need to 'hitch-hike' a ride out their with one of the Dive Boats that is going to the Blue HOle.    Darrel said that i could go out with Aqua Scuba when they go out there ... the problem is that they don't have a set schedule... they go when they have enough people signed up ... and when the weather is good .... so i've been emailng the Audubon Office that i might be going on Wed ... then, no, they are not going on Wed .. maybe Thurs ...  then maybe Fri ... and so on ... but she said that is typical and they are flexible since not that many people want to go out there under those conditions.   so, i've been patiently keeping in touch with Darrel and with her ... and

... it finally came together.   Aqua Scuba had a boat going to the Blue HOle on Sat !   ....i already had menus planned and most things bought and packed for the trip, due to the several 'false alarms' over the last week.   so Fri i made my final list and in the evening i walked to the store to buy another gallon of water.   on my way i passed the Sports Bar, and heard live music ... a band playing great 60's and 70's music ... right here on Caye Caulker, ...and the place was packed!    i couldn't resist, i walked in, and couldn't leave !    i guess they play every Fri night  :( .... i need to get out more !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    ...i stayed for a couple of hours, then got my water and went home and did a last check on my list.   i was excited and ready!

up at 5:15am ... i asked for a taxi to pick me up ... i could handle my snorkel gear, sheets, bug net, food, camera equipment and clothes ... but i couldn't carry 3 gallons of water at the same time  :(     LuLu the Taxi Man was on time ..thankfully !

the ride out there was a pretty rough ride ... a 'cold front' had come in, and the waves were big ... several people didn't look so good, and one girl tossed her breakfast over the side of the boat ... poor her!     .....i am so fortunate that it doesn't bother me ... i think it's like a carnival ride  :)



here is a map:
the boat came in from San Pedro and picked me up at Caye Caulker; we headed southeast and crossed through the beautiful clear turquoise waters of Turneffe Atoll
then out to LightHouse Reef, and the Blue HOle ...   2+ hour journey ...

while we were going through Turneffe, we saw a 'Pirate Boat'  ...   :)

we took a larger boat today, it had a deck above where the Captain sat ... (i know it has a name) ... so you could go up there and have a better view of the 'Hole' ... you can see the coral on the outside and then the darker blue in the middle ... you still need a plane to get the full view  :(

they dove the Blue HOle and i elected to snorkel ... i didn't think i really needed to see the Blue HOle again; and i'm glad i did ... my mask was totally fogged up and leaking, not the conditions under which i want to be at 140ft  :(     .... i don't know what's with it ...  but it is aggravating ...it was good for a couple snorkels, but fogged up on both of the dives i did with Ken :(   ...  maybe i just should have left it at the bottom of the sea in San Pedro!   

so, although i couldn't really see much, i could tell there were a lot of corals that looked really pretty through the fog .... i aimed my camera and took a few photos ... i am glad i did ... it really WAS pretty ... no 'fish' photos because i couldn't really see them  :(

really pretty corals of all colors ... nice to see that they are healthy !

because of the distance from shore and the cost ... going to the Blue Hole is expensive, so not that many people come out here ... and the ones that do are mostly divers ... so the coral doesn't take much of a 'beating' from snorkelers ... unlike West Beach in Roatan  :(       ...so nice to see (through my photos)

i'd like to do that snorkel again ... with a clear mask !

back in the boat, we headed for our next destination ... Half Moon Wall for the divers ... and the second snorkel was basically snorkeling from the boat to the shore at Half Moon Caye ... mask was better .. but the current was really strong, i'm ok with it; but most of the people were struggling; i saw several people standing on the coral   OUCH!   :( ... i kept my mouth shut ....... so we headed right for shore and didn't do much 'snorkeling' ...   but i took a few photos and thought this would be a good spot to return to while i was there ...

a pretty little Queen TriggerFish... one of my favorite and one that you almost never see in Honduras ...

at the dock ... looking at my new home for a few days ... ahhhhh... paradise

we had a nice lunch, then i got my bags and crate of food and water off the boat, said goodbye and thanked Darrel and Aqua Scuba and checked in. 

Cliff, i think is the Manager out here, and Bill are very nice guys ... and they put me in a 'nicer' building than the one i 'signed up' for ...  i have a little 'apartment' all to myself.    my building is the white one ... and i had the whole left side that you see  :)

 ... kitchen, with frig and stove, and 2 bedrooms !!!!!!

...2 bedrooms, so i had to decide which one i wanted to sleep in   :)    i picked one, started unpacking, and then decided on the other one ...
i got my bed 'put together' ....

then i headed out for a snorkel .... after experiencing the current on the way in, i asked which side of the island would be the best to snorkel ...  here ... in this lagoon ...

ahhhhhhhh, it really felt good to get in the water by myself and just go at my own pace and where-ever i wanted  :)

first thing i saw was a couple big Midnight ParrotFish ... these guys are really big.   i'd only seen a glimpse of a couple in Roatan ... i got much more than a glimpse today  :)

a 'cousin' to the Midnight ParrotFish is the Rainbow ParrotFish ...

and this juvenile 4 Eye ButterFly Fish against the coral ... actually this area had been hit hard by the 1961 Hurricane Hattie and has mostly rocks ...

this cute little Juvenile BLUE Tang ... yes, it is YELLOW when it's a baby  :)

a mean-looking big fish showing his teeth .... a Dog Tooth Snapper ... and his teeth did look like dog's teeth ... i've seen them before, but none of them were showing their teeth like this one  :(

a huge school of StopLight ParrotFish ... over a hundred i am sure ... they were everywhere !

 and several Porcupine Fish ... swimming freely around, which you don't see very often ... most times they are hiding under a rock or coral .... they were big too !

i was starting to get cold and time to come in ... i was just cruising parallel to the shore when i saw this big lobster .... everything seems to be bigger out here !   ...he was pretty bold .... again, usually they are hiding .. it's very unusual to see them out and walking about, especially during the day ... but this guy was boldly climbing up one rock then another ...

this is a 'protected' Marine Park ... i guess he knew he wasn't in any danger ...

i cleaned my equipment and took a shower; when i got back to my room, i realized i left my other underwater camera and case and ALL my extra batteries and battery chargers and ipod on the boat  :(     without a battery charger, i can not take any more photos :(  ..... now THAT really upset me .... maybe i'm getting too old for this.... i seem to be so irresponsible lately   :(

the little bit of internet that we have here is down tonight, so i can't even ask to make sure they found my camera stuff on the boat  :(    ... HUGE BUMMER for me   ..... and for all of you too, i imagine  :(

i fixed myself a drink and some dinner:  a lipton-type soup mix, with sauteed onions, garlic, carrots, and jalapeno, extra pasta, and a can of chicken .... topped off with some cream cheese  :)   ...it was pretty good for roughing it  :)

it was 7pm, dark and quiet ... i worked on my blog for awhile and went to bed at 8:30 ....

4 Feb -- Around Madi's

4 Feb -- Around Madi's

back at the 'ranch'   ... Madi left again for 4 days this time, medical problems with her sister forced her to take her to Mexico, ....but we have a new volunteer ... from Poland, and her name is Aldona ... now that is really confusing when Madi starts yelling ... we never know who she is needing .... but ... Aldona is helping check people in, as well as taking care of half of the cats ... so that bit of stress is off me  :)

you might think this is grotesque, and i admit it is ... but it is also very fasinating for me ....  i walked out on the deck the other evening and saw this big white puffy 'basketball' floating in the water ... and it had 'spines' all over it ....

instantly i knew what it was ... a Porcupine Fish .... the cute one that i like with the 'human eyes' and sweet smile ...  usually looks like this :

these fish can inflate themselves to ward off predators ... i knew this .. but i've never seen it happen ... and here it was .... albeit, it was dead ....

sorry for those photos....i hope no one has nightmares over that   :(


...and another HUGE project i just finished !    ....the other half of the upstairs from the 10-bed Dorm will someday be a small 'apartment' .... but, it's just an unorganized mess of 'stuff' .... lots of Madi's things and LOTS of tools and construction 'stuff' .... it was all over the floor when i got here ....

and the other part looked like this ... stuff everywhere ... totally unorganized ... there were grocery-type bags with various nails or screws in them ... there were bags full of all different kinds of nails, including ones that were rusty, bent, or broken off ....

i organized the whole thing ... matched up nails and screws and put them in jars with labels on them ... then i found a 'shop vac' and even vacuumed the place .... it looks really good ...  

i know my Daddy will be proud of me ... i remember he had nails in jars ... but he had the lids nailed to a board and they hung down and he could just unscrew the jar .... or, Daddy, am i dreaming that ?

wonder how long it will stay that way after i leave  :(

31 Jan - Diving and Jerry Jeff

31 Jan - Diving and Jerry Jeff

my Dentist, Ken, was down here last year doing a clinic at the elementary school, and we did a couple dives together... he came back again this week and we made plans to do it again.

i got to see the sunrise

and my favorite sign at the end of the dock ...

 

the 7am Water Taxi got me to San Pedro and Ecologic Dive Shop early, so i took advantage of the time and went to the Immigration Office and got my 30day Visa extension.   not sure what i'm going to do yet, but i didn't want to be restricted by having to leave here on 6 Feb. 

fun to see Jannel, a friend i met 5 yrs ago, was working there, she checked me in and i got my equipment fitted.  we headed out through the Reef into open water to our Dive Site, The Tackle Box.  we were all getting ready, and i was leaning over the edge of the boat, trying to rinse my mask ... and i dropped it  :(     i HATE doing something stupid !   ... my brand new mask, sinking down down down, into the deep blue.    everyone was busy getting gear on... they said 'we'll get it' ..   they put another mask on my face and i went in ... i looked down and saw lots of coral and grasses and 'kissed my mask goodbye'  :(

first thing we saw was this nice big Nurse Shark cruising by... some of you commented that i was 'really brave' being with those Nurse Sharks on my last post.   Nurse Sharks don't have teeth ... they are bottom feeders, and have 'plates' to process their food ... they are in the same family as a StingRay ... so there really is no danger being around them ... as long as you don't put your fingers in their mouth  :)

it was a great, picturesque dive, with 'finger-like' canyons, with sand bottoms ..

our Dive Master talked about doing some 'swim-throughs' ... i don't do caves, i don't like getting into tight dark spaces; but short 'swim-throughs' are fun... you can see the other side and there is light ... kind of like a short tunnel ... it was short and fun


then i noticed the Dive Master was pointing and signaling 'shark' .... not a Nurse Shark ... but a 'real' shark ... a Reef Shark ... the ones with teeth.     my mask had fogged up a bit, and i couldn't see anything in the distance ... then finally it got a little closer and i saw the Reef Shark ...

i don't feel afraid when i see a shark .... i wouldn't say i'm 'brave', but i don't get freaked out ... i am curious and they are curious ... it checked us out, realized we were not, and didn't have any food, ... and then left ...

then i saw the divers ahead of me, entering another 'swim-through' ... but i couldn't see the end on this one ... and it looked dark in there ... and narrow ... but by the time i was that far in ... i couldn't turn around ... i was in ... it was narrow, and it did have some turns, and i could see the sides and where i was going ... ... and i relaxed and breathed deep and slow  .... around another turn or 2,  and we were out ... and there was a nice surprise waiting for us at the end .... thousands of tiny little fishes swirling around and around in the current ...

Ken posted a video of me navigating the 'swim-through' ... you can view it on my FaceBook page ...

as we were diving, i thought again about my mask, and said my little prayer to Saint Anthony, in case he was listening, that maybe someone found my mask .... when i surfaced, i saw my mask dangling from my Dive Master's arm ... yippeeee ... those guys are great !!!!!    .... and so is Saint Anthony  !!!!!!!!!     :)

we went back to the Dive Shop and had fruits, juices, rolls, and chips and cheezy salsa

... then back in the boat for our second dive ....

there were a LOT of very large Black Groupers everywhere ....  they are not colorful, but their pattern and dark black edging on their tail and fins are very attractive ..

Black Durgon ... distinctive white markings on a TriggerFish ...

and some colorful corals ...

that's me on the left with the white fins ...

after the dive, Ken and i walked across the bridge to the north end of the island, which is less inhabited and way less busy, noisy and conjested .... he had heard of a little restaurant that specialized in LionFish.    it was quite expensive, even by San Pedro standards, but it was First Class ... they even offer a Chef's Table dinner.    Ken had the Pina-Colada LionFish... i tasted it ... very pina-colada-y  good  :)

and i had LionFish Ceviche .... the presentation was beautiful ...

i checked myself into Hostel La Vista in San Pedro ... it's a relatively new Hostel and right in the center of town, across from the park ... i was concerned about the night noise, but it turned out not to be a problem.   i was in a 4-bed dorm with only 1 other girl.    it's interesting to go to other Hostels and compare them to Madi's.    our room was a tiny dungeon with no windows; but it did have a fan, and HOT water shower.   but i would WAY prefer to stay at Madi's !!!!!!!!!!

Ken had an extra ticket to the Jerry Jeff Walker 'Concert' tonight at Fido's in San Pedro .. and he invited me to go with him  :)     ...anyone out there know Jerry Jeff?    .... he wrote and recorded "Mr Bojangles"  in 1968 ... ahhhhhhh, now you know, huh?   ....he owns a place here in San Pedro and has been having these parties that he calls "Camp Belize" for many years ... and he has quite a following!     ... he got a dance floor full of women when he sang  "i like my women just a little on the trashy side"  ...  :)   ...which he recorded in 1989.

and here we are at the 'concert'  ..

27 Jan - Around Madi's

27 Jan - Around Madi's

what's new with Donna ?
still working here ... Madi left on a Friday to do a Spay/Neuter Clinic in Chetumal, Mexico .... and left me 'in charge' until Monday afternoon  ... i told her never to ask me to do that again!   ...it's not my thing ... i'm better with a drill and a saw  :)
checking people in, taking money, stripping sheets off beds, emptying waste baskets, sweeping floors, cleaning the kitchen, washing sheets, and taking care of Mom ... does any of that sound like fun to you ?   if so, come on down, i've got a deal for you  :)
it was made worse by the fact that the internet was down, so i had no way of knowing if "Hostel World" had booked people in beds and how many beds i had available for 'walk-ins' and people who wanted to stay an extra day or two.   we had all beds (19) full every night she was gone ... it was a nightmare !    ... and i'm glad it's over !


a few new inventions and projects ...
check out my 'door stop'  .... we have concrete floors in the dorm, and i don't drill into it very well.   so, i devised this so i could drill into the wall and still have it stick out far enough to stop the door ...

i needed to fix this dresser so it could be used as a 'lock box'  ... but the drawers are not flush with the dresser, so i had to improvise and add some thin pieces to the dresser .... it was a challenge, but it finally worked.

i bought a new board, painted it, and installed it in the kitchen and put hooks on it to hang our mugs ..........

i don't think i've ever shown you a photo of the 10-bed dorm where i am staying ...
this was under construction last year when i was here ... it turned out really nice !    lots of light in there and it overlooks the sea ...  not bad for US$12.50 / night !

another design ... i hung these little white baskets from the ceiling so the person sleeping in the top bunk would have a place to stash their phone, money, light, etc. when they are sleeping ...

and this is the common seating area next to the kitchen, just outside the dorms..... also overlooking the sea ...most people that book to stay here through Hostel World, end up staying extra nights ... everyone likes it here  :)   

it's quiet and peaceful here ... she makes it very clear on her web page  ...'this is our home, this is not a party place ; if you want to party, go somewhere else'  ...
 
we have 2 new toilets here too, but neither of them had a light, and it was dark in there even during the day.   i decided i was going to 'rig-up' some lights in there with an extension cord ... just to have some light in there, even if it wasn't OSHA approved.   i went to the store and bought my supplies and was on my way home, when i saw my friend, Darrel, from San Pedro.  i met him the first time i came down here with the Belize Banana Beach Babes (the birthday celebration vacation gang, for my good friend, Kathy).   he had 2 friends with him, they wanted to know what i was up to at Madi's.   they followed me home, and i told them my plan.   Darrel said, we can put 'real' lights in there for you, .....with switches, .... if you want....... i didn't hesitate to accept the offer ... he said he went to Electrician school... who knew?    ... and his friend Matthew, used to live in Mishawaka, IN,  (go figure!) ....and worked on those high power lines ... i had professionals  :)

we made a few trips back to the Hardware Store and within a few hours ... we had lights in both toilets !
these guys are great !   ..and it only cost Madi 4 fresh watermelon juices and a bucket of beers down at The Split ....when they were finished  :)

enough on projects right now ...
i took a few photos of the kitties ... this is Reggae, a 'feral from across the street' ... who runs quickly through the yard in the afternoon and hides on top of those 2 toilets to keep away from the other cats ... beautiful eyes !

this is Butter and Sparky ... not siblings, but they are inseparable ... do you think they know they look alike ??

Maskey, i love Maskey ... he has become quite friendly with me... he loves to sleep high up in the Almond Tree on a platform ...

 

i haven't said much about Madi's volunteer that was here when i arrived.   her name is Laura, from Spain.  she's been here for 2 months and will stay another 5 months .... and just had her 23rd birthday, which we celebrated the evening before her birthday, because Spain is 6hrs ahead of us, and that is when she was born.   she is a 'delight' ... young, refreshing, and typically 'silly'  ...  and i'm her 'Belizean Mom' ... :)  
.... this is her with Snowy ...

and i was trying to get a photo of Snowy's blue crossed eyes, but she wasn't cooperating ...  this is how Laura helped me  :)

in closing ... i found a guy walking around with a cart and a Lemon Meringue pie ... actually there aren't any lemons here ... but limes ... they call them lemons ....  need to find him again !