Browse Category: outta here

Hello from Belize!!

We are here!!  We landed in Belize City on Sunday morning around 11:00 am Belize Time (+1 from SF).  We then took a cab to the Seaport for a 40-min water taxi ride to Caye Caulker, our first destination.  The weather is hot and humid but the water is clear and blue-green.  There’s a nice breeze so the heat is tolerable.  Our condo is right on the waterfront with a balcony from the second floor, a hammock (that we took from a neighbor), and A/C (thank goodness).

It’s really quiet here.  The island is super small and everything is slow and laid back.  We took a walk around and there isn’t much excitement, which is a nice change of scenery.  I had my first tast of Belikin Beer (the nation’s beer) by 12:00 pm with some shrimp salsa with chips.  Ah…

Later we went down to the Lazy Iguana for some more beer and a dip in the Carribean Sea.  The water is disturbingly warm.  Comfy but I’m seriously not used to having no cold shock as soon as you jump in.  We tried out the underwater digital camera that I bought before coming here.  I was nervous because it looks like a regular digital camera but you can take it underwater.  It didn’t leak or anything so I guess it’s officially ready for our snorkeling trip today.

There are random dogs hanging out here.  They wander around looking for food but they’re obviously cared for because they have collars and tags. As I was laid out by the water, I noticed a shadow above me and as I opened my eyes I saw there was a big wet nose hovering above me.  It was a nice black dog checking me out.  Jesse was so tempted to push him into the water.

We are scheduled for a full-day snorkeling trip aboard a sailboat today.  We’re going to some of the best snorkeling spots on this side of the world.  I’m excited but also nervous about getting seasick.  They said that they have a pill that I can take.  I wonder if it’s just your average Dramamine but they swear by it.  We’ll see how that goes.

Bienvenido a Miami!

Yep, we’re in Miami now.  Once we landed in Dallas, we were directed to the ticket counter and they offered us $5 vouchers (per person) for lunch, a flight to Miami in the afternoon, $10 vouchers (per person) for dinner, a complimentary overnight hotel stay, and a flight to Belize from Miami the next morning.

So, we’re at a Crown Plaza near the airport now and should be getting on the first flight out to Belize around 10 am tomorrow.  So, for dinner we had some tasty Cuban food at Miami International Airport and I got a hot shower after a long day of three security lines, two 3-hour flights, and sleep deprivation.  Despite all the run-around, I still feel like I’m on vacation.  I’m just not quite in the city I was hoping for but we’ll get there.  One more thing that helped our day run a little smoother was the fact that we didn’t have any checked luggage.  Phew!  Not only did we save $15 per bag but it was one less thing for us to worry about when we missed our connection.

Now what?

I ended up falling asleep around 2:00 am this morning and was awoken around 3:47 am to catch our 4:00 am cab pick-up.  It was pretty painful but we made it to the airport by 4:20.  We checked in at the kiosk to discover that our 6:00 am flight was delayed an hour.  Already?!  We were in doubt about making our connection so we called AA and they told us to go to the ticket counter to see if we could get rebooked on a different flight.  Well, we had to leave the security gate and stand in line for an hour (missing all the 6 am flights) and the ticket guy said that we would have enough time to make the connection.  It would be close but we’d have enough time.  So, we stood in line for nothing, went through security once more, and boarded our 7:00 am plane.  All was good again until the pilot announced that his co-pilot was running late and that he’d be arriving in 25 minutes.  What?!  All was lost by then and we were screwed.  We sat on the tarmac for an additional hour and didn’t take off until 8:00 am.  We just arrived in Dallas/Fort Worth at 1:00 CST and totally missed our 1:05 connection to Belize….the only flight to Belize for the day.  Boo…  American Airlines blows.

So, we’re going to figure out what’s next.  Stay tuned!

10 days

Ah…I’m officially on vacation and have solid 10 days off from work.  Seven of those days will be in Belize and I can’t wait!  This afternoon couldn’t go any slower at work as I counted down the number of patients I had and then the number of minutes I had left before hopping on the BART shuttle.

On my way home, I hung out at Embarcadero Station to meet up with my mom who was coming from SFO.  She was brave enough to take BART from SFO and did it like a pro.  We took Muni home together and she has settled in for a week in SF with Koa.  With just a few tips on how to turn on the TV, how to use Google Maps to get public transit directions, and where to find the Safeway, she is ready to go!

So, it’s about 1:00 am, our bags are all packed, and I’m in bed surfing the internet with the TV on.  We’re staying up all night to catch our 4:00 am cab to SFO.  Our flight is at 6:00 am and I’m planning to take a nap on the plane.  We’ll see if I manage to stay up or not.  In less than 12 hours, I will be in Belize, baby!!

Getting Ready!!

In less than a week, Jes and I will be in Belize!! In preparation for some jungley goodness, we went to Sports Basement and REI to pick up some stuff for the trip today.

I have an old pair of Tevas but they’re not very comfortable and I have a tendency to stub my toes when I’m hiking around rocks and tree roots. So, I picked up a pair of Keen Venice H2s that are really comfy and easy to slip on and off. We’re planning to go on a cave tour that involves walking through a few rivers so this should keep my toes protected…and they’re pretty cute too!!

I was also on the hunt for a lightweight long-sleeved shirt. I was looking for something simple but after I was told about the Exofficio “Buzz-Off” Shirt it was all over. It’s still lightweight but it’s treated with “insect shield”, which is supposed to keep the skeeters away. For someone who’s pretty much mosquito bait, I was pumped up to give this garment a try. Yes, it costed more than the usual shirt but it’ll be my eternal camping shirt now.

Table for 15 1/2

This morning we met up with everyone for a little Dim Sum before heading out for our return flight to SF.  Brother and Joy joined us and we ended up squishing 15 people plus a small child at a table that is really meant for 10.  We even tucked Elise away in the back corner as she slept in her carrier.

It was such a great way to end the weekend and I was impressed with the turn out of this morning’s brunch date.  It was like one gigantic family gathering with three sets of siblings, 2 children, and a bunch of old friends of at least 19 years.

By noon, we headed out to the airport.  Thanks for the ride, Brother!!  Once we arrived at the gate, I got a random call from Vyl.

Vyl: Hey, are you at LAX?

Me: Yeah, how’d you know that?!

Vyl: Uh, so am I – at Gate 7.

Me: Hey! So are we!

I guess she was sitting around waiting for our flight and noticed two people that looked like us from afar.  So, we had the pleasure of flying back to SF with Vyl who happened to be down in LA for a wedding as well.  It’s funny that we’d seen each other just the week before and didn’t realize that we’d both be in the same place.  Go figure.  To make matters a little more interesting, she glanced at our boarding passes and saw that our places in line were B18 and B19.  Hers was B17.  Pretty trippy.

We got home by 3:30, which gave us a good Sunday afternoon to rest.  We had pre-paid the Dog Walker to come 4 times so I treated myself to an evening of staying in and letting Koa go out with Adrienne as I lounged on the couch.  I felt so spoiled and it was awesome.