Sunrise
My last day in Belize started with watching the sunrise on the beach. Although Joe and Connie said they wanted to join me, I think they stayed out much later than I did the night before, so I didn’t wake them. There was no one on the beach but the lady walking her dogs that we saw some mornings – she’d wander out to the end of different piers and watch the sunrise. The beach was covered with hermit crab tracks – the security guard rakes the beach every night to erase all traces of seaweed and footprints, so it’s interesting to see what kind of activity took place each morning, when we came down for our walks.
Hermit crab tracks
Anyway, it was a gorgeous sunrise. I loved the peace, the colors, the sound of the birds and the waves and the wind in the palm fronds. I know I’ll get to see many sunrises from my FL beach, but this one was special.
More sunrise
Then Sandy and I took our last walk, marveling how much faster we were moving – stopping to take pictures makes for a slow walk! After that, it was a rush to get showered, changed, packed, say my goodbyes, and head to the airport. It was hard leaving new friends, since we don’t know when we’ll see each other again, but at least I made new friends to say goodbye to!
The view from my seat
Sandy drove me to the airport in the golf cart, and we promised to get together again soon in FL. As I boarded the puddle jumper to Belize City, the crew member told me that they needed a co-pilot, and had me sit in the front of the plane. I promised the pilot I wouldn’t touch a thing, and enjoyed my birds’ eye view as we made the quick 17-minute trip to the mainland.
The view as we landed
The rest of the day was your usual – airport lounges, security, expensive snacks, and waiting. Luckily, the massive snowstorm that hit the NE didn’t impact any of my flights – then again, would being stuck in Belize have been a bad thing? I was back in Jacksonville by 9:30, tired, tanned, and ready to be home. But first, I had friends to visit. Gary and Patti are part of my music world, and I don’t see them often enough. So I headed to their house, where we caught up until the wee hours.
Athens Gate from the dock
And thus ended my Belize trip. It’s already a distant memory – except for my peeling tan and empty suitcase, waiting to be stowed. The trip was fun, the country beautiful, the turquoise waters intoxicating, the beer cold, the food delicious. I made great new friends and reconnected with old ones. Listened to amazing music. Caught up with my musician friends who make my life that much fuller – and crazier! Experienced a new place.
Goodbye Belize
Will I go back? Someday. But there are so many other places I need to see first. Do I have regrets? Of course, don’t I always? I wish I could have snorkeled, but it just wasn’t right this time. I wish I’d eaten more local food, drank more fruity rum drinks. I wish I had another week to lie on the beach, and not run around doing music stuff. I wish I had seen some ruins – but didn’t want to take an entire day to do that. All in all, it was a good trip. Now I just have to sort through the memories, and get back to my real life.
The view from a few hundred feet
Which is insanely busy right now. Work, company, more traveling, music – I’m not sure when I’ll have time to breathe. Or write! But for now, I’m still unwinding from my Belize Adventure. Thanks for coming along – next time, you blog and I’ll stay home and read about it!
