Puerto Penasco, Mexico - July 2005

My group of friends had so much fun celebrating birthdays in Las Vegas, that we decided to celebrate more 40th birthdays in Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point).
When we first arrived, we had a few problems - like half the house did not have air conditioning. After a few beers and the property manager sending somebody, there were no worries.

The house was nice inside, and had tilework throughout. Much of the house was decorated in a sea-life theme.

Once we saw this hutch with the martini glasses art, we knew we picked the right place. Benigni felt right at home too.

Most of the weekend was spent on the beach.

When we weren't on the beach, we spent time just hanging out at the house and spending time with friends. We fired up the BBQ and grilled fish and meat for dinner, and ate left overs for lunch. We have some great cooks in the group, so nobody went hungry. For the "official" birthday celebrations, we went out to dinner one night. The food was ok, but not nearly as good as what we made at the house. Plus, there was about 1/2 inch of standing water on the floor of the women's restroom when I went, which sort of grossed me out about eating at the restaurant.

When we needed a break from the beach, we spent some time in the town. I had great shrimp cocktail in one beachside restaurant, and the seafood tacos were great too.
Based on all the statues around town, shrimp is obviously an important part of the economy.

Desert Botanical Garden - Phoenix

Roll out the barrel (cactus), roll out the barrel (cactus) of fun.

What better way to spend a nice spring day in Phoenix than at the Desert Botanical Garden.

If you time your visit right, you can see the cacti in full bloom.

Butterflies at the gardens

Each spring, the Desert Botanical Gardens sets up a spring butterfly exhibit. It is a very colorful and relaxing experience to be surrounded by butterflies.

I wonder what metamorphosis holds in store for me!

Belize (Nov 23-30, 2004)

After I arrived at the Phoenix airport, I learned that my flight to Houston would be delayed for 2 hours. I only had 1.5 hours in Houston to make my connection and fly to Belize. There was another plane boarding for Houston, so I asked if I could get on it. I was allowed on, but warned that my luggage might not make it in time. Great. Luckily, I had packed a change of clothes in my carry-on bag - something I rarely do! I took the earlier flight.

When I got to Houston, I checked the status of my luggage. It was still in Phoenix. By the time my flight to Belize took off, my Phoenix flight was only half way to Houston.

After arriving in Belize City, sans luggage, I hopped a flight to Dangriga. It's not often you get to see the pilot's view as you approach the airport. It's also not often that you see the runway ending so close to the ocean.
Just about to touch down at Dangriga.
The pilot offered to let a passenger sit in the front seat, but nobody took him up on the offer.
Once I was safely on the ground at Dangriga, I needed to figure out where to catch the bus to Maya Center. I decided it would be easiest to just take a cab to the bus station. I had about an hour wait before my bus (an old school bus) so I shopped for some basics like shampoo, deodorant, and bug spray.
My first stop in Belize was at Tutzil Nah Cottages in Maya Center. At $15 a night, this should be interesting!
My room was very basic, but clean. The room contained a bed, a table and chair, and a fan. The fluorescent light required that you play with it a bit in order to turn it on. The bathroom and shower were in separate buildings across the courtyard. The shower was cold water only and the bathroom was basically a concrete block outhouse, but had a flush toilet.

My host and guide was Gregorio Chun. His children, Fiona (age 6), Daniel (age 5, not shown), and Gabriel (age 3) were delightful, and I spent afternoons and evenings playing with them. They really enjoyed the books and flashcards I brought them.

Coconuts ripening
Local children

I played several games with the local children. One was "bat" which was really softball, but they used an orange as the ball (could be blinding if it sprayed juice as you hit it) and a broom handle as the bat. We also played soccer and practiced math and reading.

Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Preserve

My first morning, I woke up (without luggage) and took a stroll around the area. I found this iguana in a hibiscus.
I also spotted this butterfly.

I spent most of my first full day in Belize kayaking through Cockscomb with Gregorio as my guide. Most of the river was flat and peaceful, giving me plenty of time to spot birds, iguanas, howler monkeys, river otters, and other wildlife.
One section of the river contained big rocks and rapids. Before each set of rapids, Gregorio pulled me over and explained how to navigate though. After making it through each rapid, I pulled over to dump the gallons of water from my kayak.

At one point, I heard rustling along the banks, and spotted tails poking through the tall grass. I pulled over to the river bank, and saw the most incredible sight. A group of 50 coatis had decided to cross the river! (see red lines in photo to find the coatis).
They climbed up the trunk of one tree on the bank to my left. The branches of that tree connected above the river to a tree on the opposite side. The crossed the river, then scurried down the trunk of the tree to my right. AMAZING!!!

After another hour on the river, it was time to head back to my cottage. I took a cold shower and washed my clothes, since they were a bit muddy and smelled like the river. (I had my airplane clothese to wear). While I was showering, Gregoria received a call that my luggage was at the Dangriga airport. He went to pick it up for me. After dinner, it finally arrived. Hooray!!!!


The next day was Thanksgiving Day in the US. I was very thankful that I had my luggage and was able to hike through Cockscomb. At the start of the waterfall trail, I watched a crested guan hop to the top of a tree, squawking on its way up. As it reached the top, an ornate hawk-eagle snatched it!
After some initial struggling, the guan went silent. I waited to see how the eagle was going to get it out of the tree, but it didn't look like that would happen soon. I continued the hike, and on the way back, spotted the eagle eating the guan.


The waterfall trail was very beautiful, but a bit strenuous at the very end, with quite a bit of scrambling over rocks. After a hot hike (and accidentally stepping in an ant mound) the cool water under the falls felt incredible.
After hiking, it was time to head back to the cottages for a quick shower and lunch. After lunch, I stood on the highway and waited for my bus to Plancencia.

Between the ant mound, the river kayak, and playing with the children, I received quite a few bug bites (mostly and and no-see-ums).