Thursday Dec. 7, 2006
Punta Gorda is about as far south in Belize as the road goes, although it is possible to take a small 'people' boat to Guatemala. Because of the fairly regular rain I had experienced on this coast (unlike the Pacific where I was spoiled with good weather - only 2 or 3 days of rain in 2 month) I was concerned about the condition of a 9 mile section of dirt road. It turned out to be in pretty good condition, as long as you stayed near the center - which two trucks found out the hard way. I managed to squeeze through, but others waited patiently while they struggled to get out. Along the highway I helped a turtle finish his journey across the highway safely and spotted two vultures sunning themselves after the rain stopped.
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I'd made a reservation at the Coral House Inn for Dec. 3rd - 7th to take advantage of a deal that seemed too good to be true. In Mexico I stumbled across a website listing 33 hotels, inns and guest houses in Belize (ranging in price from $12 - $190 USD/night) offering four nights free accommodation. After emailing them and receiving replies back from most I realized that it was for real, and decided to pick one that was in the middle price range, a good location and that I felt had the most character. The American owners of the four room Coral House Inn had purchased a very old house - which they fell in love with on a road trip of their own three years ago - and completely (and tastefully) renovated it into a modern yet homey little Inn. They were extremely friendly with me right from the first email and upon my arrival I instantly felt at home. It had a beautiful view of the Caribbean from the second floor balcony where the hammocks hung waiting for the rain to stop and they served me fresh fruit and home-made breads (including locally made Creole bread from coconut milk) and jams everyday as part of the free-stay program - which I later learned was completely voluntary and entirely paid for by the individual businesses. Rick and Darla Mallory were the most gracious hosts and I couldn't have had a nicer stay anywhere (even if I had paid). I highly recommend visiting their classy little Inn if you're ever in Belize. Thanks guys.
BTW. It was here that I saw my first firefly. It was so unexpected that when I spotted this bright little light coming form out of the grass beside the sidewalk I though it was an LED light, perhaps on a toy - and then it moved!
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I wanted to catch something bigger than the snapper I'd caught in San Pedro, so I hired a local fisherman for an afternoon, but our catch was pretty much the same. He told me that if I wanted to catch something big I'd have to go out at night. So I paid him a little more and we went out again at 9pm until 9am in his little fiberglass boat without any lights. We still didn't catch the size of fish he kept telling me about (he'd caught a 350 lb Jude fish less than a month ago), but I did manage to catch my first Bara (Baracuda), and he even brought up a nasty looking eel out of the darkness. It was a long, overcast, rainy night, fishing the warm Caribbean for fish I'd never seen before using only plain line in my bare hands - it was an experience I'll never forget.
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