I woke up this morning with butterflies in my stomach.  We were going or a full day of sailing and I’m notorious for getting seasick on the calmest water (i.e. Monterey Bay on a kayak).  Anyway, I took some Dramamine, had some toast and coffee for breakfast, and boarded a 50-foot sailboat.  It was such a calm day that we had to use a motor to get to the three dive sites.  But I was still waiting for the queasiness to start.  But it didn’t!

On the first stop, we saw a bunch of coral and fishies.  Jesse also got a photo of a manatee that was hanging around under our boat.  On our second stop, we wandered Hol Chan Marine Reserve with our guide.  Jes dove 30 feet thought a cave and we saw a turtle!!  On the third stop, we swam with nurse sharks, sting rays (I touched one), and more fishies.

After the third stop, we had some decent wind and finally got to sail back to shore.  We got a nice shady spot on top of the boat, drank rum punch, listened to some groovy reggae music, and chatted with a guy from London.  By the end of the trip, we all had sunburned shoulders, and I was still standing!!  The only hiccup of the day was after the first stop.  It was nothing really.  I wasn’t even nauseous.  I spit-up a mouthful in the cup, threw it overboard, and went on with my day with not even an inkling of nausea.  Woo hoo!!!  Thank goodness for Dramamine!!  One more thing…underwater camera didn’t leak or die!!

We are here!!  We landed in Belize City on Sunday morning around 11:00 am Belize Time (+1 from SF).  We then took a cab to the Seaport for a 40-min water taxi ride to Caye Caulker, our first destination.  The weather is hot and humid but the water is clear and blue-green.  There’s a nice breeze so the heat is tolerable.  Our condo is right on the waterfront with a balcony from the second floor, a hammock (that we took from a neighbor), and A/C (thank goodness).

It’s really quiet here.  The island is super small and everything is slow and laid back.  We took a walk around and there isn’t much excitement, which is a nice change of scenery.  I had my first tast of Belikin Beer (the nation’s beer) by 12:00 pm with some shrimp salsa with chips.  Ah…

Later we went down to the Lazy Iguana for some more beer and a dip in the Carribean Sea.  The water is disturbingly warm.  Comfy but I’m seriously not used to having no cold shock as soon as you jump in.  We tried out the underwater digital camera that I bought before coming here.  I was nervous because it looks like a regular digital camera but you can take it underwater.  It didn’t leak or anything so I guess it’s officially ready for our snorkeling trip today.

There are random dogs hanging out here.  They wander around looking for food but they’re obviously cared for because they have collars and tags. As I was laid out by the water, I noticed a shadow above me and as I opened my eyes I saw there was a big wet nose hovering above me.  It was a nice black dog checking me out.  Jesse was so tempted to push him into the water.

We are scheduled for a full-day snorkeling trip aboard a sailboat today.  We’re going to some of the best snorkeling spots on this side of the world.  I’m excited but also nervous about getting seasick.  They said that they have a pill that I can take.  I wonder if it’s just your average Dramamine but they swear by it.  We’ll see how that goes.