According to a recent golf cart joyride study done within a two-mile radius south of San Pedro town by the Madison Group, 8 out of 10 people do not wave at strangers while on vacation. It was also noted that the locals are much friendlier and being a “smiling culture”, will almost always wave or acknowledge a friendly stranger in some way. Deciding that more research was needed, the Madison group flip-flopped a mile north of town and experienced the same results for the second study.
All kidding aside, it is true, somewhere along the way the world has greatly lost that small town feeling and most people are not used to friendly exchanges with strangers anymore. That is one of the reasons why people fall in love with this island so easily. For the most part, it is a genuinely friendly place. That often gives one a sense of freedom and lightness of being.
Speaking of friends and being friendly, a couple of girls decided to plan a boat trip for about eight of us. Everyone was ready for some Caribbean sea time and it was also a great opportunity to keep enjoying lobster season.
What a great day and here are the pictures to tell 1000 words
The adventure started with catching lunch – lobster and crab. A few of us reminded the boat crew that we were not interested in anything too small. When lobster fishing, the cape length should be 3 inches and the tail weight 2.75 oz. Anything less and it is harming the environment by taking them too small and it’s against the law. Always politely speak up if you see any form of marine activity that is not beneficial to our ecology.
After the hunt was done, it was time for a float stop. People often ask where to find the best beaches in Belize. I have seen that come up many times across a few tropical travel forums with replies stating we are not known for our beaches. Technically this is true. However, if you want a unique off the beaten path best beach experience, then make sure your trip includes some shallow sandbar time.
We often go to the back side of the island for that truly “Gilligans Island” feeling. This time we opted for the front southern tip area which was also great and we had the bonus of a ‘nearby restaurant’ that was willing to cook our catch.
As we chilled out in the gorgeous shallow waters our lunch was being prepared at the fish shack café 😀
Here comes our appetizer delivery.
A big Belikin beer bucket of fresh ceviche and chips.
We were fortunate to have gone lobster fishing and spent a peaceful day on Fortuna.
Life could not get any more chilled out.
Next came our main course of lobster, stone crab, and potatoes for our main course. We also paired that with Chef Judyann’s delicious pesto pasta and special slaw.
After lunch, the boat crew decided to take us on a short Caye Caulker tour so we could go for a drink at Koko King.
Of course for some, that led to more floating. Not long after the girls who had gone to check out the land action came back and we headed for home.
7 comments
Side note. . Yesterday afternoon I rode a bicycle into town all the way from Caribe Island. Being aware of the recent study I decided to wave to everyone, as I wouldn’t want Italians to get a bad rap. In doing so, the rain started to fall making it difficult to control the bike. With wreckless abandon I waved anyway. As I swerved in and out of traffic, I am happy to report that EVERYONE waved back, albeit, only one finger, but it was waved at me with such passion. I’m happy to report that we are improving 1 finger at a time. . Have a great day. !!
😀
I agree with this post . LOL.
One of my favorite BZ memories was made of this…. I was walking down a road in the middle of nowhere. We had seen something interesting and stopped the car and I was walking down the road to look get a closer look at a pretty plant. An old couple was coming up the road toward me and as they approached I smiled and said hello. The old woman was kind of startled and didn’t know what to do and she suddenly just threw her arms open and said “WELCOME TO OUR COUNTRY, HELLO!” and they kept walking. It was the cutest most genuine thing ever.
What a great memory Connie, thanks for sharing.
What about black tourist do the wave back? When i was in San Pedro i always waved back,sometimes i was first.
I think you may have missed the intended humor to the post Peter.