9th April to 13th April 2012

Sea Spray Hotel in Placencia, Belize

Bus from Dangriga to Placencia took 2 hours and cost $10 belize each.

Hotel right on the beach, Double room with ensuite, A/c and a fan. $50US per night so quite expensive.

Arrived Easter Monday and quite a few places had been open over the Easter Weekend and were now having a few days rest, so places were closed.

Tuesday 10th April

Andy diving with Whale Sharks 8.30 pick up and not back till 6pm - I was beginning to get a little worried as had expected him back about 4pm. The boat crashed into the reef on the return journey and they had to wait for another boat to pick them up. Andy saw whale sharks and Bull sharks, visibility was not too good but that is because of the fish spawn. The Whale sharks were quite deep too.

I swam in the sea, sunbathed and generally enjoyed the relaxation.

We ate at a Creole restaurant. Andy had Barracuda in creole sauce and I had Barracuda in garlic and butter, served with raster rice and fried beans. Very Yummy. Finished off by a creamy Italian ice cream from Tutti Fruity Ice Cream parlour.

Wednesday 11th April

Andy diving with whale sharks again, this time visibility was clear and the sharks swam right near him and one over the top, it was about 40 ft long. (check out the video).

I swam in the sea, sunbathed and generally relaxed. I got chatting to an American Lady who was born and raised in France, then married an American. She was very interesting and easy to talk with.

That night Andy decided to treat me and go to an expensive restaurant. We chose Rumfish and Vino. It was run by an American couple and was very pretentious. The Menu was limited and the food confused. Andy had Caribbean Fish stew - which included dried Chinese mushrooms, olives and fennel. I had Turkish Flat Bread - which consisted of a pastry base spread with humus and then lamb meat on top with tomatoes, olives and parsley. When asked if we had enjoyed our food we gave our feedback, the excuse was that food is not always readily available and so sometimes they have to substitute ingredients. Also they like to put the own style to dishes. My answer why not use ingredients that are readily available and keep to traditional recipes.

Thursday 12th April

No diving so we chilled on the beach and walked the very little town of Placencia. According to the Guinness book of records it has the narrowest high street in the world, it's just a concrete board walk through the middle. There is also a main road for buses and traffic.

We went back to the Creole restaurant that night and tried the coconut infused curry with prawns and Grouper, served with coconut rice.

Next stop Utila, Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras and a very long journey to get there.