16/05/2005 by drops.

Wa’s up?

We’ve been on Caye Caulker (off the coast of the north of Belize) for over a week now. It’s a beautiful tropical island with a real mix of peoples - ex-pats, Africans, Hispanics and Mayans - all living under one motto: Go Slow! There are no high-rise hotels as such, just plenty of single- and double-storey guesthouses and wooden cabanas. Also, there’s very little fuel on the island so everyone gets around by foot, bike or golf-cart. Very relaxing!

We have a lovely room in a guesthouse with a verandah, featuring a hammock and two resident lizards we’ve named Jazzie and Jeff. This side of the island is blessed with a very welcome sea breeze, which keeps us cool and blows away the mosquitoes and sandflies. We’re sure we’ll miss this when we go inland. There’s at least one kite-boarder out there most days; Colin would love it.

On the island there’s no real beach where you can swim, but the sea-life is superb. Neil is now a certified diver (Mum, you’ll be getting my PADI card soon) and has been playing with nurse sharks (they’re like puppies!); Mari, with jellyfish (ouch!). Neil went to 40m yesterday, and also saw a turtle. Mari saw a barracuda while snorkelling (the bad guy in Finding Nemo), and loads of other colourful reef fish and molluscs. She also got badly sunburnt, and is now sporting very attractive red and white stripes on her legs. We’ll be going on a sunset cruise on the Caribbean tomorrow.

On Thursday we’ll be visiting family friends (Bob and Jill) in Belize City, and then we’ll be off to Orange Walk and San Ignacio for Mayan temple ruins, and exotic kayak rides up jungle rivers.

That’s it for now. We haven’t been able to post pictures yet. We’ll let you know as soon as we do. Please post your messages by using the comment option on this site.

- Neil & Mari

23:17:27 - Monday, 16.05.05

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08/05/2005 by drops.

Hi All,

We arrived in Miami tired after a 9-hour flight, but happy to be finally on our travels.Miami has been a surprise to us. For starters, it is so hispanic that you’re more likely to hear Spanish than English in the street. We’re getting used to empanadas and cafecito (Cuban coffee) for breakfast. It’s also safe - at least where we are. Forget the image portrayed in Miami Vice and so on. It is also more tropical than we expected. The heat is scorching already and we’ve quickly learnt to dart from the shade of one coconut palm to the next when walking on the street.The hotel is just a stone’s throw from South Beach - golden sand as far as you can see. This morning we got up before dawn (not difficult, as our bodies are still in UK time…) to catch the sunrise on the Atlantic Ocean. It was a stunning and beautiful sight.

Yesterday we visited Little Havana looking for a vibrant central American vibe, but only got seedy and eerily quiet streets. Three hours of walking in the Miami heat for nothing. We eventually got to Villa Vizcaya, an early 20th C folly built by someone with too much money and a desperate desire to impress. It was a real mess of styles, with ceilings, tapestries and masonry pilfered from Italian palaces, but the views of Biscayne Bay and the gardens were worth it. Mari was particularly taken with a stone caravel (ship) built just out into the bay and originally reached by gondola.

Tomorrow we fly to Belize for yet more sun, sand and sea. Life’s a bitch!

- Neil and Mari

21:07:54 - Sunday, 08.05.05

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