Friday Update

I didn't make it to the ruins up north today It was going to be an all day trip driving and not much time to spend exploring. Plus, I was still give out from hiking yesterday. (I swear I use my treadmill!) Last night I was waking up every hour on the hour with leg, arm and back cramps. I had really dehydrated myself so I decided on R&R this morning. Afterall that was the reason I made this trip in the first place.

I went into Placencia for lunch and ate at Wendy's. No, not "Where's the beef?" Wendy's. THIS Wendy's and  it was awesome! I dined alfresco and watched tourists and traffic filter thru the narrow street. I also met a very nice couple from Germany at the table next to me and we chatted after our meal. They rode the bus down from Belize City and it was notta good. I quickly informed them Maya Air was the only way to go. After hearing their tale I'm glad I didn't go with my usual preference for riding the bus to capture all the local flavor.

After lunch I did some souvenir shopping and spent a couple hours photographing kids and beachcombers while I sucked down rehydrated with "Reef Juice" at The Tipsy Tuna. Then I headed back To Barnacle Bill's to set reservations for my fishing trip tomorrow and wound up getting some free photo lessons from Bill shooting bats. I'll share those later after I get home and edit. I was actually embarrassed that I didn't even know how to adjust all the settings on my camera for the tips Bill was giving me. It was like Star Trek without a Universal Translator. I am such a noob.

Now I know why everyone keeps commenting on how light my camera is. Bill brought his Nikon out and it's easily 5 times heavier than mine. Then he brought out one of his lenses that by it's self weighs more than my camera and lens put together! I could just imagine how big a PITA it would be to lug that weight around. But I also imagine his Nikon is 10 times more durable than my Canon T3.

Ooh, forgot to mention I ate dinner last night at Mango's in Maya Beach. Great food! I chose the broiled lobster special and it was dee-lish.

That's all for now, I've got an early wake-up for deep sea fishing. The weather is supposed to turn crappy after tomorrow so it's going to be my last chance. There's no way in Hell I'm going to come all the way down here and NOT go fish and snorkel the World's 2nd largest Barrier Reef.

And if I haven't been perfectly clear, Barnacle Bill and Adriane are the greatest hosts you could ever wish for. You've got to come here and see for yourself! This place is awesome!