Belize: Monday, August 23, 2010
Our second day of our Belizean honeymoon began at 7:30AM. We started off with a cup of coffee while we waited for 9:00AM to roll around so we could call our bank to get our cards cleared. At 10:00AM we caught a water taxi to San Pedro where we were finally able to get some cash. The exchange rate is pretty simple down here: US$1 = BZ$2. Both are accepted on the island, which is convenient. After stopping off at the ATM, we took a walk through the streets of town to get a feel for the place. The front streets closest to the beach are the most Americanized, and the most safe feeling. We went off into the back streets, though, looking for some real local Belizean fare. We found this at El Fogon. So delicious! The place was hidden behind a fence covered in vines with a tall gated entrance. We walked in to a dirt floored canopy with three benches. We were met by a woman who spoke very little English, but just enough for us to order two Belikin Stout, the fish fillet, and the pork plates with rice and beans. The food was phenomenal! Everything was homemade with fresh ingredients over a fired hearth. Tons of flavor! The fish came with an onion chutney consisting of red onion, banana pepper juice, and lime juice. The rice and beans were cooked perfectly with a fried plantain on top. I really think we may have to return to El Fogon before the end of our trip. After lunch, we began hunting for supermarkets to stock up the kitchen. We didn't have to hunt long, as there seems to be a market around every corner. They definitely weren't the biggest or the most stocked, though. We probably bought items at four different shops before we got everything we needed. During our tour, a man on a bicycle stopped and asked if we needed help finding a place to go. We let him know that we were just cruising, and then he just went off about how much racism there is in Belize and that Americans only support the Mexican and not the black man. He then went on to say that he could just stab us and take all our money, but he "wasn't that type of guy." Alrighty then. Cue us heading back to the front streets. Out on the shore, we found a table of beautiful handmade jewelry made by a mother and her son. The boy was in the middle of making a blue lizard bracelet which I intended to purchase once he was finished beading it. While we waited, we went in to a beach front bar to grab a drink. While at the bar, we heard a woman complaining to the owner about a man on the streets being very rude and threatening. Hmm, sounds familiar. We gave a description of the man on the bike to the owner, who then called the police to find the man and remove him from the island. Thank goodness, because I was really worried about roaming the streets after that incident. After getting my bracelet, we hopped onto the water taxi back to the resort to unpack our goods and dip in the pool. Our purchases consisted of six Belikin beers, rum, freshly ground Belizean coffee, a pineapple and rum mix, a coconut cream and rum mix (mix both for a pina colada,) an 8 pack of Coke Zero, a loaf of sliced bread, tortilla chips made on the island (best tortilla chips we've ever consumed, by the way,) 3 limes, some sliced bacon, ham, cereal, and milk. That should save us some money. After unloading, we booked a snorkeling trip for Tuesday running from 8:15AM to 4PM and took a dip in the pool. Once 7:00PM rolled around, we walked over to the sister resort for their weekly BBQ. They had live music with tables surrounding the fountain. Well, actually they were surrounding the large bushes surrounding the fountain. Nothing more romantic than staring a bush. The food was so-so. I had the fish which was sauteed with red, green, and yellow bell peppers while Johnny had the off-the-bone ribs. Both were served cold. Like I said: so-so. Way overpriced and way under quality. Once we finished eating, we headed back to the room where as soon as we took a seat, the sky opened up and let loose a massive amount of rain. Lucky us! Now, at 10:06PM, I plan to turn in. Big day tomorrow, and I could really use the catch-up sleep.