Belize City, Belize

The only thing that can mar a morning spent snorkeling at Sargeants Caye on the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere is Pica Pica! Apparently these little buggers are actually the eggs from mature coral that are setting off on their own. We swam through a swarm (school, whole large cloud) of them and they sting! And, I mean they STING! But, according to our dive master, who look mildly surprised as I came shooting out of the water spluttering and flailing my arms as my mask filled with water, they only affect some people. 

In our group of 7 only one other man and I reacted when every surface of exposed skin felt as if it were being assailed with acupuncture needles. We are also the only two who admit to being tormented by Mosquitos. Jerry, the guide, assured us that no permanent damage was being done---"they're not like jellyfish". I can't tell you how little comfort we took in these words.

Besides the killer Pica Pica we saw gorgeous fish ranging from small neon blues to large spotted things with frills, live conch and stag, brain and huge fan corals. Jerry might have given us the genus and species of all of them, but a million needles in your body tends to cause trivia to flee from your brain.

After some snacks on the dive boat we spent some time lounging on an island drinking rum punch. We then returned to the ship, one of 4 cruise ships here, which were all anchored quite a distance off shore to avoid the reef, and because it's fairly shallow and they can all remember the "Costa Concordia".

Fortified by a shower and lunch we took the tender into shore to check out Belize City.  There is a large cruise port facility here and they warn you travel in groups, wear no jewelry, and to be alert if you go outside the area on your own.

So, of course, we marched right through Diamonds International out onto the street, turned left, left again at the bridge and ended up "in town". We never felt unsafe and there were police every 100 yards or so, but there really isn't much for tourists to see in town. There were more banks than a city of 80,000 might reasonably need, some cool old government buildings, and a very 1950's department store that we wandered through which was blessedly air conditioned. 

The Capital is no longer Belize City, as it was moved about an hour inland as the hurricanes kept destroying the records and flooding the buildings. 

Before heading back to catch a tender we fortified ourselves with the local beer (of course you say) and chatted with the bar tender who was born and raised here! 

Now we are sitting on the balcony watching the last tender disappear behind the neighboring cruise ship, listening to the steel drums up by the pool, and wondering if Fritz will order yet another Princess Love Boat Dream for dessert? Any bets?

P.S. Molly, I am still tormenting school children wherever I go. Your father says that one day I will be arrested. Here's today's willing victim!