Island Time

After a bumpy ride down the island we arrived at the sea garden cottage. We unloaded our stuff and got a quick tour from Michael. I asked him what time it was and he said "You're on island time mon" We thanked him and after a little unpacking decided to walk back down towards front street and hit up a grocery store and grab some food. We headed back towards front street and when we got there decided to explore the area a bit. We found a beachfront bar/restaurant called brisas del mar and decided to have a beer. After looking over the menu for a minute we decided we were pretty hungry so we ordered some tacos and ceviche. The idea of ceviche has never been appealing to me but after Callie convinced me to try it I can tell you I have been missing out! After paying the bill we decided to walk down to the north end and check out the split. By the time we got there it was starting to rain- straight up downpour. So we headed into the closest bar for refuge. Luckily the rain passed quickly because Callie and I were both falling asleep in our beers as the jet lag kicked in. After a quick stop at the grocery store we headed back to the house. It was around 6pm and we decided to lay down for a minute before having some beers and chips. Two hours later I woke up and seeing Callie still sleeping I decided to turn off the lights and save the beers for the next day. Woke up Tuesday morning to the sounds of palms swaying in the island breeze. After a quick breakfast of potatoes, onions, and peppers (the Callie special) and toast we headed out to lounge by the pool. Ahh so nice. A little while later we decided to head down to the split and try out our new masks and snorkels. The split is a section of the island that was made during a hurricane a few years ago and basically split the island in two providing a nice swimming and snorkeling spot. It was hopping! The bar at the edge of the split is the Lazy Lizard and they sell buckets of beer for $20 belize. ($10 american). Pretty sweet deal. They also have some safe looking teeter-totter tables in the water that we might try out since we both have our tetanus shots up to date. After a few sips of beer I decided I had to try out my new snorkel and jumped into the water. It was so nice and warm. I saw some fish and a sting ray- got some cool photos that I will post later. After our second bucket of beer the afternoon rain blew in an we found refuge under the tent of the budget man- a Brooklyn raised man who moved to belize to sell food and live the island life. He makes different dishes everday and serves them with delicious sides. We had some jerk chicken. The rain passed- or so we thought and we got back on our bikes to head home. Suddenly it was pouring rain again, beach-cruisers flingning mud up on our backs and faces. After a quick siesta I made some fresh salsa and we had happy hour on the porch. We decided to walk to dinner so that we would'nt have any mud slinging going on. For dinner we went to Rose's bar and grill. They have the menu set out in front of the restaurant and you pick what you want and they throw it on the grill. We had a shrimp kebab and a shish kebab and some bbq chicken. While waiting for the food I looked down at the table next to us and there was a crab just chillin. It reminded me of the scene from the little mermaid where the crab escapes the kitchen. The fish kebab was dee-licious. After dinner we headed over to bambooze for a night cap. The slogan on their sign is "happy hour everyday from 4 til everybodies happy". They also have swing seats at the bar. All in all it was a good first full day.