After a long day of flights we finally landed on the island of Ambergris, and Darren, Bonnie, Kelley and I were ready to go. We grabbed a golf cart, took all our stuff to the condo and headed out for some food and drink.

On the way to find food there was a stop in the road where they were collecting funds for the Special Olympics. They had the lit Olympic torch there and they asked us if we wanted to hold it and take a picture with it. We really should have, but we had just arrived and were in need of some food and drink.

So our first stop was the Palapa Bar where we enjoyed fresh conch, shrimp, tacos, and of course Belikin and rum drinks, it was good to finally relax. The Palapa Bar sits over the water where they have lights that point into the water which attracts spotted stingrays and a whole lot of other fish. After we had all the fun we could have there we headed back towards the condo, but guess what, there was another bar. So a quick stop at Carlo and Ernies at the airport runway for a few more drinks, then we were on our way back to the room, after all it was 9:30.

Since we had arrived last night when it was dark we really didn’t get a chance to see the property where we were staying. It’s a nice condo just across from the beach on a small lake.

Okay enough of that, time to get this day started. A quick cruise on the golf cart down to a little beach front restaurant for some breakfast to get the day started. After a good breakfast it was shopping time, we hit most of the gift shops and found just about everything we needed at this point. As we were looking through one of the shops we heard sirens, which is very unusual for a town where golf carts are the majority. Everyone came out to see what was happening, it was the parade for the  Special Olympics, complete with kids and marching bands.

After a good breakfast and some serious shopping it was off to a drive north on the island to check it out and see what was new.  A few miles down the road there was a guy who was looking for a ride, so of course we said “hop on in.” Turns out he was headed to “Secret Beach”, where we had never been. It was a long dirt road ride into the lagoon side of the island, but boy was it worth it.

As we approached Secret Beach there was a beautiful beach with coconut trees, a bar/restaurant, and  great atmosphere. Kevin the guy we gave a ride to, knew a guy on the beach there who was serving up fresh cut coconuts with rum, of course we had to have some, after all coconut water is good for you. After soaking up all this atmosphere and a couple drinks we all thought it was time we should probably put a little more food in us. Kelley and I opted for Lion fish tacos while Darren and Bonnie had shrimp and grilled lobster. Great food in an incredible setting.

It was a long drive back from Secret Beach and of course by this time we were getting thirsty again. So a quick stop at Paco’s Tacos on the beach for a couple more thirst quenching beverages. There was a Panama license plate that I tried to score for Randy, but the bartender was pretty attached to it since she got it on her trip to Panama.

Now we are headed back to the condo, but guess what? You got it, there was another awesome beach bar that we thought we needed to stop at. That’s the problem in San Pedro, there is a beach bar every few feet. This was a great little beach bar right on the beach with chairs in the water, hence the name “Sandy Toes”.

Now we are headed back to the condo. As we were driving past the airport there were 4 young kids (maybe 8-10 years old) who had just gotten out of school and asked us of we could give them a ride. How can you say no to a group of very polite school kids looking for a ride home. These kids did not just sit there, they were very inquisitive and asked many questions about what we were doing and where we were from as well as talking about school and how much they loved it. It was a great experience to interact with these young children who have such a great outlook on life. Try picking up 4 young children in uniforms in the states, that would not turn out well.

Okay now we finally made it back to the condo for some much needed water and coco water to try to rehydrate a little. After a little rest it was time to hit it again. Off to Carlo and Ernie’s near the airport to have a beer and watch the last couple planes come in for the night.

After the last one landed we were off to Robin’s Kitchen for some of the best chicken and beans & rice on the island. Robin’s is a small little roadside place that we had been to before, but tonight there was a special treat. There was a local guy there with an acoustic guitar who kept us entertained all night, he even played “Sweet Caroline” which we all sang to, and there was only 6 of us there. Another great time!

But wait that’s not all! The Crazy Canuck bar was having hermit crab races tonight. We get there just in time to get us a couple crabs before the race starts. You have to name your crab so we all have semi-normal names, but when he starts calling out the names of the crabs, wow. Let’s just say pick out 3 obnoxious dirty names and put them together and that is the name of their crab. After was all said and done Darren and Kelley both won some certificates for another bar. Probably just what we needed. Yeah, right! Anyway it was a great fun filled day and this was only the first 24 hours, with many more to come.

Tomorrow we are set up to go fishing. Since I’m writing this a few days late, I know what happened, but you’ll have to wait until I find some more time.

Sorry, it takes too long to upload pictures with the internet here so it will be awhile before the next post.