Just a Three Hour Tour...

     Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale. A tale of fateful trip. It started from a tropic port aboard this tiny ship...

     After returning to Texas for a short time in January, we left once again. Only this time we buttoned up the motorhome and boarded a flight to Belize. Arriving in Belize City, we met our traveling friends, Geoff and Brenda, then boarded a shuttle to the town of Hopkins. This was a three hour drive through the countryside. We took an unplanned side trip to the Marie Sharps Hot Sauce factory. This is a family owned business that dominates the market in Belize and generally in Central America. They use only habanero peppers and come in a variety of flavors and "heats". We saw Marie from a distance but didn't get a chance to speak with her. (Understandable since we just kind of dropped in.) Once in Hopkins, we checked in at the Tipple Tree Inn. A really nice set of rooms in a house on the beach. It is run by a couple who have lived in Belize for 20+ years. Tricia is from England, her husband is from the USA. Tricia spent a lot of time sharing with us her history and how she came to be there. She was very nice and very accommodating.

Our room at the Tipple Tree

We spent the day wandering around Hopkins. It is a very small village without a lot of city sophistication. We visited a variety of roadside fruit and vegetable stands and even a bakery. We bought some last minute supplies and perishables for the upcoming week and things that we couldn't bring via our airplane trip.

The view from our room at the Tipple Tree

     The next day we boarded the catamaran for our trip to the island:  Glovers Atol. This island is approx. 50 miles east of Belize across open ocean. It is, literally, about a three hour trip. You pass a myriad of reefs and border islands. Some are uninhabited, some are the home to very high dollar resort establishments. Luckily the seas were relatively calm and the trip was uneventful. In fact, we came across a huge pod of dolphins who surrounded us and gave us quite a show. We arrived at our destination without incident.

     Above is one end of Glovers as we approached. When we got there, all of us helped to unload the catamaran and received our cabin assignments. On the island, there are huts over the water that you walk down a boardwalk to enter. There are cabins on the beach. And there is a dorm where the singles can bunk and stay. We had the cabin over the ocean.

Brenda and Geoff's Abode....

...Complete with Osprey family

Our home for a week

     In the cabin there are bunk beds and a queen size bed. There is a kitchen area with propane stove. There are a couple of pots and pans along with plates and silverware. You can buy bottled water either in little bottles or five gallon jugs (that is the only way to get fresh water)

     There were windows or doors on each wall that could be opened or closed depending on what you needed.

     Here are the showers and bathroom facilities on the island. The showers use brackish water (not fresh but not fully salt water either) that is only the temperature of outside (in other words, luke warm at best). The toilet is up the stairs and is a compost toilet. You do your business, then add a cupful of sawdust shavings from a nearby bucket. Paper goes in another bucket. Just a step above primitive.

     There is a trail around the island that you can walk and it takes about 20 minutes to complete circle. There are more coconuts than you can shake a stick at and you can eat all of the ones you want. Your hosts on the island will prepare meals for you if you wish (for a price). They go fishing daily and you can put in your order. You can get filets in varying weights or get the whole fish, depending on what you want. We bought 1 lb. filets a few times. Had Barracuda once, Jack another day. During season there is a lobster dinner. We were at the end of the season but still it was a great dinner. They also made a homemade coconut cream pie that was unbelievable!

In the ocean this morning, on the table tonight

     On Tuesday and Thursday they baked fresh bread. We used it for lunches and dinners. During the day you could dive, kayak, swim, snorkel, or just laze about the beach. The reefs were teaming with fish and corals of all kinds and shapes. There were rays and nurse sharks all around but we never felt any danger.

     After a week on the island we packed up and rode the return back to Hopkins. A quick shuttle back to Belize City and then we flew out the next day. We had a great time! It is kind of like camping only on an island.