Photos of Our Belize Trip

We went to Belize for a friend's wedding in Hopkins and stayed at the Almond Beach Resort.  We decided to go a few days early and stay on Caye Caulker to go scuba diving on the barrier reef.  We stayed at the Seaside Cabanas there.  We really loved Caye Caulker.  

Here are some of my favorite photos of Belize.  We really, really liked it there.  It's so laid back, everyone is friendly, and even the food we had was awesome.  The rest of the photos are on our web album:  Belize April 2010.  Enjoy!!

More details of our trip will show up on our travel blog within the next couple of weeks if anyone is interested.

Fresh Fish Selection for Dinner.

Walking Along Front Street in Caye Caulker.

Beautiful Blue Caribbean Water

Lots of Breeze, Biking, Birds, Piers, and Boats

The Motto of Caye Caulker.

Our Hotel (room where the balcony is on the upper left).

Blue Hole swimming hole.

Waiting to go on our second dive on the southern barrier reef.

Relaxing on the pier.

Mike was a groomsman in our friends' wedding.

Oh, and we snorkeled with nurse sharks!

Caye Caulker, Belize

We just got back from a day of snorkeling with Raggamuffin and Mike is taking a cat nap, so I thought I'd get in a quick post to tell you how awesome it is here.  We flew into Belize City with a layover in Houston.  We grabbed a sweet stationwagon cab, that could have belonged to Huggy Bear in a past life, to get from the airport to the Caye Caulker (CC) water taxi.  Kids were just getting out of school when we got here and waiting for the same 4:30pm water taxi to CC.  The ride was about 30 to 45 minutes in a crowded water taxi filled with kids.  It's amazing that kids go back and forth like that everyday.

We checked into our awesome upstairs cabana that is right on the beach next to the water taxi pier.  Our place is pretty cool and colorful and has free wi-fi.  We walked around the island to check it out and grabbed dinner at a place recommended by our hotel receptionist.  Basically, you can just walk around at night and see what everyone is grilling out for dinner and decide what you want to eat.  I don't think you can really go wrong.  At Rose's, between the two of us, we had fish kabobs with beans and rice (a Belizean staple) and coleslaw and roasted potatoes.  Delicious!

This morning, we got up and went to eat breakfast at Glenda's, a place recommended in my guide book.  We had some eggs, ham, homemade cinnamon rolls and fresh squeezed orange juice.  It was a great meal to start our day.  We took a snorkeling cruise on a sailboat today.  It was a perfect day of sailing, snorkeling, reggae music, fish sandwiches for lunch and rum punch on the way back.  The only thing that didn't turn out so well is that I got sunburned on my bum!  The only place that didn't stay protected!  Oh well, sitting will just be a little uncomfortable the next couple of days.

We are planning on going scuba diving tomorrow, but now it's time to go find some delicious dinner and drink more rum!

Apple Turkey Picadillo

Here's yet another easy, healthy meal that we like to make quite a bit...Apple Turkey Picadillo.  We found it in the Eating Well magazine.  It's made with turkey and has fruit and vegetable servings in it.  We serve it with tortillas on the side.  I recently discovered it goes very well with a Belgium beer...like Spaten Oktoberfest Beer.  It brings out the clove spice.

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 8 ounces 99%-lean ground turkey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 medium tart green apple, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup chopped tomato
• 3 tablespoons chopped green olives
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup sliced scallion greens

Directions

1.  Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic; cook until soft, stirring often, about 2 minutes.  Add turkey; cook, stirring and breaking up, until lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes.

2.  Sitr in cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and cloves; cook for 30 seconds.  Stir in vinegar, scraping up any browned bits.  Stir in apple, tomato, olives and Worcestershire sauce.  Reduce heat and gently simmer, stirring often, until any liquid in the pan has reduced to a syrupy glaze, about 8 minutes.  Stir in scallion greens and serve.

The finished product....

Mike's Trip to Lake Tahoe

Mike took a trip to Lake Tahoe last weekend for a bachelor party. He was lucky to get to ski at Heavenly this year. We usually take a ski trip every year together, but it didn't work out this year due to our Australia trip. He said he found a new way to get from Reno to Lake Tahoe that has better views of the lake and mountains. Here are some gorgeous photos he took on his trip.

Our Newest Obsession

If you like Thai food, the next time you go to a Thai restaurant and haven't already tried this dish, order the mango with sticky rice dessert.  It is soooo good.  We just discovered this a couple of months ago and have already had it a few times.  It's seasonal, so not always available.  I think we need to figure out how to make it ourselves, it can't be that hard.

Our First Big Earthquake

I'm always saying that I never feel the little earthquakes we've had since we've moved here, but I felt this one today!  It was a 6.9 magnitude (upgraded to a 7.2) one down in Baja Mexico.  Mike and I were sitting at our computers when the building started shaking.  We were doing the laundry and I thought our dryer was spinning out of control.  We just kept looking at each other and things started rattling on the walls.  We both got up and ran under a doorway while we waited for the shaking to stop.  It kept going, so we ran outside and that's when it stopped.  This all happened in about 20-30 seconds, but it felt like at least 5 minutes.  My heart is still racing as I'm writing this blog.  The cats are still a little spooked as well.

Mike had just secured our bookshelves to the wall last weekend.

I thought I'd let everyone know all is well, just a little worked up, since it's hitting the news and another 4.1 one shook outside of Sacramento shortly after we felt this one.

There are actually a lot of little aftershocks going off as I write this that we are feeling:  http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/latest.htm

Camping By The Ocean

This was the second time we've camped at Carlsbad.  The first time was December 2007 and it was so cold and no one was camping.  This weekend the campground was full and pretty packed.

The view of the ocean (on the other side of the bluff) from our site.

Mike taking charge of the campfire

Our usual roasted hot dogs for one dinner, this time with some baked beans.

Tasty Burgers the second night.

 Keeping warm by the campfire, they have such tall fire rings.

Easter morning breakfast, delicious pancakes.

We are taking a lot of camping trips this year.  This was our second one, our next one is camping outside Yosemite over Memorial Weekend.