A Newtonian Beach BBQ

If you have been following our blog, you know that we are avid fans of Captain Carl and The Newt. So...when Julie and Andrew (Rob's sister and brother-in-law) visited a few weeks ago, booking a full day on the boat was not even an option, it was a necessity.

This particular day, we opted for the full monty: 2 snorkel stops, fishing, spearfishing, beach BBQ, and a stop at Caye Caulker. I had doubts that we could fit this all in and still enjoy each destination. Carl proved me wrong.

From L to R: Rob, Leonard, Carl, Julie, Andrew
Aboard The Newt

Living in Belize and on Ambergris Caye, one of the main tourist destinations in this area is Hol Chan Marine Reserve. We have visited this destination once previously, however, I did not snorkel it last time. The national park is known for it's numerous marine wildlife and this visit did not disappoint.

Check out their website: Hol Chan Marine Reserve

Sea Turtle

Eagle Ray

Nurse Sharks and Ray

After a great snorkel at Hol Chan, we then headed to Shark Ray Alley. Shark Ray is also located in the Marine Reserve. I chose to sit this one out and be the "over-the-water photographer". Rob and Andrew headed in to swim with the sharks. Carl and Leonard fed chum over the boat, which brought out a gam of sharks. It was quite a sight to see.

That is Rob....swimming with the sharks.

They swam right up to the boat. I could have fed
them from my hand.

Andrew swimming with the sharks....
although it doesn't seem there are many sharks in this shot.

These nurse sharks showed up in herds.

Next stop for the day was a little reef fishing. Although I am not a big fisherman, I do love this part of the trip. It is super relaxing and I get extremely excited when something bites and fish start coming in the boat. With us doing a beach BBQ later in the day, it was extremely important that we starting catching fish immediately.

We got the lines in the water and the fish were biting in no time.  I could tell our BBQ was going to be amazing....and very filling.

Andrew with his first catch.

Leonard cleaning the conch that Carl
picked up earlier in the trip.

As Leonard and the rest of us continued to fish, Rob, Andrew, and Carl threw on some fins, grabbed a speargun and headed out to dive for some fish. This is Rob's favorite new hobby. He absolutely loves to spearfish and talks about it continually. The last time he spearfished, he got a few grunt fish, but nothing substantial. This time, Rob actually speared a snapper and a few other fish that we ended up fileting and eating later in the day.

Rob, Carl, and Andrew getting ready to spearfish.

I made Carl pose for this picture. Ha ha.

This was Andrew's first time spearfishing and he hit a few fish, but they were fiesty little buggers and wiggled themselves off his spear. I am assuming they didn't make it much longer, but long enough not to make it on our boat.

Carl disappeared for at least an hour. He swam as far away from the boat as he could, as this is the way to spear bigger fish. I could always see him off in the distance, but then I would see his fins fly up in the air and disappear under the water. He always resurfaced, but not before I would worry, as he seemed to be underwater longer than a normal person. That is why we call him Mer-man.

Before we knew it, we had caught a few fish on the lines and then Carl made it back to the boat. His exact words, "Sorry guys, but there are no fish in this area. We are going to have to go somewhere else."

I was thinking...that is no fun. I was ready for him to come back with something really neat to show us.  And then he got me.......

Check out this HUGE hogfish Carl speared. I was in awe. It was one of the coolest things I have seen yet on The Newt.

Carl and his hogfish. I think Rob (bottom right) is wondering
if anyone noticed the fish on his spear....poor guy.

I did a little research on the hogfish, as I like to learn what we are eating and seeing on a daily basis.  A hogfish is a member of the wrasse family. It is one of the larger species in this family and got it's name from it's very long "pig-like" snout.

The hogfish is also a sequential hermaphrodite.  WHAT, I said?  That means it actually changes sex during different life stages. The juvenile hogfish is female and when it reaches a certain age maturity (usually around 3 years), it changes to male. Interesting?!?!!


So with our huge hogfish and others in tote, we headed to a beach to finish off the BBQ. I watched with amazement as Carl dug a hole in the sand, found some wood, lit a fire, and cooked our lunch. It was like something out of an adventure book.

Carl making our fire.

Our lunch is cookin'.

Julie and I waiting patiently for lunch.

Within minutes, our lunch was served and we were all in heaven. We had as much coconut rice, fresh fish, and conch that our stomachs could take in. It was seasoned just right, with fresh veggies and that "Belizean" spice. It was seriously one of the best meals I have had yet in San Pedro. You definitely cannot find seafood any fresher than that. And the experience of catching it, cooking it, and then eating it, all within the same few hours, was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

So with our bellies full and our hands still holding the rum punch, we headed to the split at Caye Caulker to enjoy the remainder of the day on The Newt. We walked the town, showed Julie and Andrew every place we have tried in the past, did some shopping, and ended up at The Lazy Lizard. You cannot experience Caye Caulker without hanging at The Lazy Lizard!

They have done a few renovations at the split. The changes we are not a fan of, as they put in a big retaining wall by the beach and there is limited boat docking. I used to love the way you could just pull up on the boat, hop out, and relax on the beach. It now seems more "formal" and less of a "lounge around all day" place, but we still found a way to enjoy this fantastic beach bar, as always.




Check out this boat-grill, hammock, palapa....that would
be an awesome day trip.

Great tile I found....this explains Caye Caulker completely.

Andrew and Julie hanging at The Lazy Lizard

The crew for the day (minus Lynn...who was the photographer)

Another great day on The Newt. I am sure there are still many more to come, as we have a few visitors lined up within the next few months. Cannot wait to see what our next adventure will bring!  I do know the manatees have arrived and I am waiting patiently to get out and view them.

Once again, if you are headed to Belize and would like to go out on The Newt with Captain Carl, check out their website (Imagine Tours Belize) or their facebook page (Imagine Tours Facebook). I promise you will have an amazing time.

Bar Hop of Our Lives

With Rob's family in town, we tended to venture out more than usual this past week. This led to an eventful night all over town.....and I mean....all over town!  I will get more into that in a few moments.

Everyone always says, "Wow, you guys live in paradise. It is like vacation every day for you!"

Well....I hate to break the news to everyone, but we work six days a week. So after a hard day, which is mainly on our feet and running around, Rob and I like to head home and relax on the couch, watch some television, or enjoy our gorgeous views from the condo. I have also gotten the reading bug-I have read 5 books in the last three weeks or so. If you have not read The Hunger Games Trilogy, I highly recommend it! Can't wait to see the movie down here! That explanation is for another blog.....

Every now and then we will head out with some friends for dinner and drinks, but that occurs fewer days than not. I hate to be debbie downer, but we are homebodies, even in Belize.

So...back to our eventful night of bars...and bars....and bars....with Andrew and Julie.


Here is how this will go:

Stop 1: El Divino: two for one martinis

Stop 2: Road Kill Bar: buy a shot, get a beer for free

Stop 3: Toucan Too Gift Shop: a little shopping
Stop 4: Fido's: drinks and a little saddle sitting

Stop 5: Tacklebox: drinks and dancing

Stop 6: Albertina: street meat

Stop 7: Average Joe's: a little love from Kevin

Whew....I have a lot to cover.

Stop 1: El Divino
This is a regular place for Rob and I to go to, especially on Mondays. Monday is two for one martini night. You can get any martini on the menu and be double fisted! It is a fantastic deal and we have tried many of the flavors. My favorite: green apple.
We met a few friends at the bar, enjoyed some snacks and a few martinis.  Then it was on to the next stop!  (Sorry...no pictures of El Divino....)

Stop 2: Road Kill Bar

This was a random stop on the way into town.  Rob said, "Oh, I think we need a road pop. Let's stop at Road Kill."
The deal at Road Kill is buy a shot, get a beer for free. FOR $10BZ!  That is $5US! Tell me that isn't a steal!  And it is pretty much any straight shot you would like.  We chose Green Fairy, which is the local liquor made here in San Pedro. I prefer the Red Devil, which is "the sister liquor" to the Green Fairy. Both of them consist of absinthe, which is actually illegal in the States.  Absinthe is a distilled, highly alcoholic beverage. It is an anise-flavored spirit derived from botanicals, including the flowers and leaves of "grande wormwood". It has typically been portrayed as a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug. Maybe this is why it is illegal?  But not in Belize!!!!

Although it is delicious, it tends to make me feel absolutely miserable the next day.  (and the day after this adventure was no different)

Rob behaving himself.

Rob  not behaving.

Cheers! Green Fairy all around.

Stop 3: Toucan Too
Why not stop and do some shopping after having a few beverages?

I think I found a dozen things in there I could have bought, although going back into the store the next day, I do not believe I needed any of them.

Good thing we kept most of our money in our pockets.

Rob has begged and pleaded...and begged some more....to buy a cool hat.  His dreams came true this night. Take notice to the picture below.  I think it looks pretty good...and well worth the wait. We also each got a bracelet so we could be "connected forever". Ha ha.

Stop 4: Fido's
Fido's is one of those "destination bars/restaurants" in San Pedro. They have bands that play on a regular basis and we have been known to shake our booties there on a few occassions. It is right in the center of town on the beach and they have plenty of "tourist activities" to participate in.

Julie heard about "riding the saddle" and she had her mind set on it before we arrived. It proved to be the entertainment of the night and I was in awe of her as she made this happen.

The pictures will speak for themselves.......

THE SADDLE

Julie working her way up and over the bar

Carefully walking out to the saddle....
with a dress on too!

Great wave, Julie. Very impressive.

So after Julie accomplished the saddle, we headed out to our next stop....which probably should have been home to bed, but of course that is not what happened.

Stop 5: Tacklebox

Tacklebox is a great bar out on one of the docks in downtown San Pedro. It is known for late night partying and lots of live music. They have a great happy hour that includes $1 wings. This place has been around for a long time and is located by the water taxi, so it gets a ton of traffic all day and night.

This particular night there was a band playing local music.  They were fantastic! We were there early enough that the crowd had not started to arrive, so the dance floor was all Julie and Andrew's...and they made the most of it.

Get it Andrew.

Julie concentrating......

Reoccuring theme=Andrew's hands up.....

.

Love the hat, Rob.



Stop 6: Albertina

Of course, after some time dancing and burning some energy, we had to stop at Albertina's to get a few items again. This time my selection was a beef burrito with grilled onions. Others opted for a shrimp burrito, pork burrito, and chicken burrito.

I personally think the beef is the way to go....but the mini tacos on corn tortillas also look very delicious.  Maybe next time.....

And once again, for $4BZ, you can get a hefty burrito. My one concern is they are only open at night. I look forward to these burritos on a daily basis.....

I promise I will get some pictures of our street meat and Albertina next time we venture to the square.

Stop 7: Average Joe's

We decided to finish off the night with a quick stop to AJ's to see our favorite bartender on the island, Kevin. He also does our local BBQ on Sundays at The Snack Shack and his chicken is ulimately delicious.

I love talking with Kevin; I have learned so much from him about Belize and how things run down here. He is originally from Orange Walk, which is on the mainland. His family owns a rather large farm and they are known for their fish and shrimp. We also buy our shrimp from Kevin's family for our Tropical Shrimp Paninis. The shrimp are very tasty and you can also get them in many different sizes.

We had not been to this bar in quite a long time, so I was super excited to get to chat with Kev over a frozen rum punch (I should have opted for water at this point in time).

That's Kevin....and he even gave me a
little umbrella with my rum punch.

Julie's eyes are still open at this point,
but not for long......

That's "Nurse" Karen. She visits often and does some work,
but this trip was all relaxation. We love Karen.

 

Wow...that was quite the adventure. Not sure when I will be doing this again! I know I did not function the next day and was ready for bed the minute I woke up Tuesday morning. But all in all, it was a great night and one I will be telling stories about for years to come.

I cannot wait for the next blog: it is The Newt and Captain Carl.....AGAIN! I know...but who gets tired of hearing about boating on the water, snorkeling, swimming with the sharks, and a beach BBQ! Can't wait to share this day with everyone, it was one of the best since moving here.

Day One of Our First Family Visitors

It has been quite awhile since our last blog.  It is amazing how the technology side of your life changes when you get the infamous "blue screen" on your computer.  Thanks to our recent visitors, we are now back up and running with a brand new Dell!

Speaking of our recent visitors, Rob's sister and brother-in-law (Julie and Andrew) came to San Pedro for the past five days.  It was a short and quick trip, but we definitely made the most of it! Due to it being Easter weekend, we immediately put Andrew and Julie to work at The Snack Shack.

Julie helping a local pick out his prizes from the Easter Egg Hunt.

After a few hours at work, we headed up north to do a little bar hopping. We made a short stop to pick up some local Belizean hot dogs at Island Dogs. They are fantastic locally made hot dogs and we get them delivered frequently at The Shack when we do not have time to eat a panini. They are located on front street in front of Spindrift Hotel. We love Dan and Heather, the owners. Heather comes to the pool and The Shack quite often with their children, who are super duper cute.

Cute storefront.

Julie and Andrew ordering Island Dogs.

While waiting for our hot dog order, we headed to the beach and had our first drink of the hop at Wahoo's. This bar is home to the famous chicken drop on Thursday nights. They have some fun "touristy" things to do inside the bar. Julie and I tried out the swings while sipping on our beverages.

Then we headed up to the bridge.  Once we made it to the famous Palapa Bar, we knew we had to do a shot....basically just to get some cool pictures. And you can see why.......

The shot "bar" lowered, holding our shots....peanut butter
and jelly..which ended up being delicious.

Chug...chug...chug....chug......

We then made a stop at The Hotel. This establishment has recently opened and is a pretty high end place north of the bridge. A drink at Molly Malone's, the new Irish pub, and we headed to the rooftop bar and pool. It was nighttime, so we could not get pictures of the fantastic views, but I did try to sneak a picture of the pool and the gorgeous moon that was out that night.

Rooftop at The Hotel. The ocean is somewhat
visible, but the moon was gorgeous. The pool...
a little chilly...but probably fantastic
during the day.

Rob and Julie hanging at The Hotel.

We ended the night downtown at the square. Because of the holiday weekend, it was PACKED! Families, children, visitors, locals....everyone was out. We found our favorite "street meat" stand and ordered a little late night food. My choice is the beef burrito. You can get a big burrito with all the fixin's for only $4BZ ($2 US). They are a great snack at night or even a cheap dinner. Andrew and Julie were also fans.

Sorry...I did not get any pictures of the square or Albertina, our burrito lady. I guess I was too busy eating!

The rest of their trip is to follow........

Up next: bar hop #2.  And it was a dandy!