Thursday, March 29, 2018

Cruising Belize 2018

Here are a selected group of photos from our winter in Belize this year. Other than a one day tour of part of Belize south of Placencia with Renate & Jim & and his daughter Trina on Emerald Seas, when we visited a huge Spice Farm, two waterfalls and a small Mayan ruin, we cruised the Belizian cays, reefs and atolls. Hopefully these pictures will give you a feel for our time here. Our first visitors were Pam & Peter Grace, neighbors from Shrewsbury in February and our second (and last) were Russ Wolf and Larry Barns in March. Great times!!
Lotus Flower at the Spice Farm 

These flowers grow over rapidly spreading vines and are
among my favorite flowers


These brilliant flowers grow up or down.

Fruit trees of many kinds line the paths and provide shade for
some of the spices underneath


A view of the larger falls where we swam.

And the smaller falls we stopped to see on the way back

Scott, Heather, Peter and Pam Grace. They visited us in
Placencia, Belize for a week.

Pam & Peter exit the small Maya Airlines
flight from Belize City to Placencia.

Jerry and Deborah celebrated their 50th
Wedding Anniversary with us all at the
Paradise Resort

Dinghy Raftups happen spontaneously where a large group of cruisers gather - too many to meet on any one boat. Here in Spapadilla Lagoon we had 20 dinghies tied up. Then we pass appetizers around and enjoy our sundowners. 

Renate reads to Ama after I finished my art class with her.
She lives with her parents on Hideaway Cay in the
Pelican Cays and we've known her since she's been a baby.

A view from the Mayan site we visited during our one
day tour of South Belize.

Here those blue flowers above hang in chains from vines and frame a bridge over a pond filled with those pink Lotus
 flowers during our visit to the Spice Farm.

Coffee beans just harvested

Another view from the Mayan ruins.

An evacuated royal tomb

The view over Sapadilla Lagoon from our anchored boat as the sun starts to set. Hundreds of birds circle and then roost on
the small cay in the center as the sun sets.

Jerry, Scott and Deborah from Czech & Mate listen to Dave
from Cordelia playing and singing on our boat 

Just after sundown at Turniffe Atoll looking over at Emerald Seas

Scott, Heather, Russ, Renate and Jim at Yoli's Bar having BBQ just before we went to meet Larry's plane.
Lucky Heather with her two handsome friends on Scott Free
Russ and Scott with friends from Chicharnee at dinner on
King Louis Caye
Approaching the bar at EZE on South Water Caye
We were lucky to have a spontaneous concert by a group of
talented drummers, singers and later dancers!
Renate, Larry, Dave and Jerry 
Russ cuddles up to Deborah and Ellen
Larry enjoyed a long talk with a local fisherman
Many families cruise too with their kids and dog.
One thing is constant - beautiful sunsets!!