Un-Belizeable Day

 Someone settled right in with her Cheerios on the beach chase.

 Give me a shovel and a bucket and everyone will have a nice day

 Welcome to Goff's Caye

 Yes, this is where we spent 3 hours in Belize

 My kids are happy and settled

 I was actually able to read a page of my book.  Miracle.

 Daddy going on the 45 minute snorkeling tour off the beach of the Great Barrier Reef of Belize

 We stayed here

 Two in on the digging action now

 Happy with our sand castle (not a lot of resources)

 Decorating it--Seth wants to add a crocodile to the moat.

 Perfect day at the beach

 Don't worry, be happy

 She definitely knows how to enjoy the good life

 Enjoying the beach--I think Seth is asking me about the guy on our tour going to the bathroom.  Ha, ha.  The things he notices.

 What a view.  The kids loved the pelican balancing on the rocks against the surf.

 Sharing snacks so nicely

 Time for a dip in the sea

 Loving swimming in one of the most beautiful places on Earth with my girl

 Loving Goff's Caye

 Got Seth to go in the water and he actually enjoyed it.  Love this moment that Rich captured.  Couldn't be happier.

 Seth wanted to get out of the water and Savannah and Rich stayed in and took some self portraits.  Love their smiles!

 So cute!

 Going to enjoy Belize City

 Someone was very excited to find her very own store in Belize.

 We had lunch at the Radisson Hotel in Belize City and this was the view

 Sushi Bar on the ship before dinner

 Face painting at Camp Carnival

 Me and my happy girl

Mexican Midnight Buffet with decorated fruits, ice sculptures and desserts.

Belize is a place that I have always wanted to go since being in Guatemala.  Even though Belize used to be part of Guatemala before the civil war, it is nothing like Guatemala in style or feel.  It is a caribbean island, own by the Commonwealth and everyone speaks English.   What Belize is famous for is being surrounded by all these beautiful cayes to snorkel the "great barrier reef of the Caribbean."  We chose to go to Goff's Caye which is unspoiled by civilization and is a beach the size of a football field with a batoom, a pavillion and two garbage cans.  It was our own Gilligan's Island for a 3 hour tour.  They had people come in to sell goods and food, but basically it was an incrowded, pristine beach with just our tour and tour guides. 

Our ship dropped anchor and our high speed ferry boat picked us up from the gangway and whisked us away to the caye located 12 miles from Belize.  The ride was fun and fast.  We arrived at the Caye in 20 minutes and were immediately taken with its beauty.  You had a choice to snorkel off another boat, the beach or just enjoy the beach and swimming.  Rich snorkeled with the guide off the beach for 45 minutes while the kids and I enjoyed the beach and the water.  Even though our weather was perfect, the water and sand were churned up due to a storm coming, so the coral and fish were not as vibrant and easy to see as usual, but Rich still enjoyed his snorkeling.  The kids and I had a great time building sand castles, finding hermit crabs, and wading in the shallow and calm part of the water.  When Rich came back we all enjoyed the beach, water and shell seeking for another hour and a half before were brought back to the ship.  We still had three hours to explore Belize City before all aboard, so we went to the city.  We found it dirty and the merchants pushy, so we browsed in a few shops  and then went to the Radisson Hotel for lunch and got some beautiful views and enjoyed a very elegant hotel and yummy cuisine in a safe and air conditioned environment.  We then went back to the ship, watched it sail away, swam, showered, had sushi as an appetizer before dinner and then both kids enjoyed a Disney movie and face painting at Camp Carnival as we had dinner.  The kids quickly figured out that Camp Carnival for 2 hours is WAY more fun than sitting at dinner in dining room. Savannah especially love Camp Carnival and participated in many activities and Seth went three times in the evening with Savannah and we were very impressed that he was brave and enjoyed interacting with the staff and other children.  Maybe there is hope that he will go to preschool next year, but if Savannah wasn't there with him I don't think he would have gone.  Remember that Savannah is the best thing since sliced bread and if she is doing it, it is alright.