When you are already living in Belize, there’s nothing like an adventure to celebrate St Georges Caye day in Belize City. We caught the 12:00pm Maya Air flight to Municipal Airport. As soon as we were off the plane Gonzalo Heredia met us and offered to drive us to our destination, the Princess Hotel. It was a short cab ride and cost was only $10 BZD. As we drove through the streets we saw a few decorated buildings and lots of colorful red white and blue pennants in honor of September Celebrations and St Georges Caye Day.
Heading to Belize City to celebrate St Georges Caye day.
Flying into Municipal Airport in Belize City
Small island near Municipal Airport
Our destination the Princess Hotel and Casino
Cab ride from Gonzalo Heredia
Paul and Jason checking in at the Princess Hotel
View from our hotel room at the Princess
My first choice was to go eat Indian food. I would have walked but the front desk said the road was under construction, plus I know Paul and Dr. Al do not like me walking around Belize City. I scored a cab outside the Princess and we headed to the Sumanthi Restaurant, unfortunately it was closed. Good-bye Garlic Nan, hello hot and sour soup, grilled lobster burger with a lime juice chaser. As we pulled up to Chon Saan Palace my cab driver and I agreed you can always count on Chinese restaurants to be open and well decorated for the holidays.
I took a minor detour and did a pass by the ITVet Community College to check out the St. Georges Caye party that was happening. A line up and my empty stomach kept me from going in so I headed back to Chon Saan.
When I sat down at the restaurant I had a Sex in the City moment when the waiter came over with 2 menu’s even though it was clear I was solo. It was almost as if he was hoping my date would magically appear. Not so tonight, as he was getting busy at the poker tournament that was being held at the Princess.
The restaurant has a big screen TV and as I ate my meal I got to watch Sir Barry’s Belikin Bash on mute with Serious satellite radio 80’s Jam playing. I must say it was pretty funny watching Belizean rappers shaking their booty to Tears for Fears.
When I got back to the hotel I stopped by the Princess poker room to check on the players, they were just condensing the tables from three down to two. Jason was out but Paul was still in the game. Jason said the pot will be around 22 grand- fingers crossed Paul makes it that far.
Decorated house in Belize City
Celebrations for St Georges Caye day at the IT Vet Communicably College
Chon Saan Palace
Hot and Sour soup
Grilled lobster burger
Lobster tank at Chon Saan Palace
Big poker tournament at the Princess Poker Room
Three tables of poker players in the big tournament
I decided to go relax off my food coma and check back in a bit. When I got back the deal was done, and I had a very happy tacoboy on my hands. After they got down to the final table everyone voted to do a chop pot and agreed that the short stacks would get so much and the big stacks got more, so he fared very well.
We decided to go celebrate at the Calypso Seafood Restaurant on the water, at the hotel. We have eaten there before, agreed it was worth going back and were not disappointed. The food is good and he prices reasonable.
View from our table at the Calypso Seafood Restaurant
Seafood chowder and garlic bread
Fish and chips
After dinner we decided to celebrate some more and blow some money at the Princess Casino. We both like playing slots for fun and decided $20 each of nickle tokens would last us a while. We bounced around trying different slots and poker machines. I kept waiting to find and sure enough the last machine I sat down at was the right one and kept giving me winning combinations. I quickly got up over 1000 credits and when Paul came to check on me he was impressed. He was also tired and told me I could either stay and play on my own or we could leave when I got down to 700 credits – of course that did not take to long betting 3 credits at a time.
Princess Casino
Paul playing slots
The casino was crowded for the holiday and they had a buffet and live music
Hot peppers turned out to be my lucky machine
I got up over 1000 credits
Here is the video of cashing out my big win, it was fun to be the one whose machine was making all the noise and drawing a crowd.
I won enough to fill a bucket with coins which turned out to be $76 BZD – not bad for an hour or so play. It was no match for Paul’s win below it. My win got me a pair of Independence Day parade shoes from Brodies and 3/4 of a magazine. 🙂 His is going to get spent on a trip to Canada in the spring.
This is what $76 worth of coins on nickle slots looks like
Paul’s big win from the poker tournament
The next morning we went down for the complimentary breakfast buffet. I was disappointed that there was no bacon and it was not picture worthy. Cut up hot dog pieces do not = ham , nor do small shaved pieces they put in at the omelet bar. I do not even want to think about why the salami was neon pink 🙂
After breakfast we packed up our stuff and called Gonzalo to drive us around town for a few errands and back to Municipal. The boys waited in the cab while I quickly hit Brodies and the mall across the street so I could get more combs, and $5 reading glasses. Our next errand was for Pedro’s Hotel so we drove to the big vegetable market to pick up their order.
We had just enough time to drop the fruit and veggies off at Maya Cargo and make the 12:30 flight. When we got back to San Pedro Felipe came to get us and we managed to squeeze ourselves and everything else in the cart.
Loading the plane at Municipal Airport
Unloading vegetable order from Belize City
Maya Air cargo guys loading up the golf cart
Paul managed to squeeze in with all the vegetables
8 comments
Dr. Al, that’s quite a stretch to construe Luke 16:13 as referring to gambling. That’s more about priorities. Although, you all might want to consider tithing from your winnings…
Actually Beersnob Bill, I did give some coins away at the Casino. Paul had given me some from his bucket even though I still had lots. He said ‘it was good luck to share some money’ so when a guy who was going around the room mooching coins hit me up, I gave him a few. Does that count as tithing :)?
Happy 10th! Have a wonderful St. George’s Caye day. Now find a local and ask them to sing you the It was the 10th day of September song.
🙂
You need more iced coffee I think. Those are raindrops on the window.
Also there are oblique references in the Bible qualifying gambling as sinful eg…Luke 16:13
Just sayin
Was just being my usual ADD self and my brain fast forwarded to the one that did nook a bit grainy Dr Al 🙂
Laurie: did you use high speed Ektachrome film for the 4th photo? It is very grainy. Finally I hope you made a complaint about the bacon deficiency. That is a sin. Next time stay at the Biltmore.
Was on same setting the whole time Dr Al. Guess Smart Auto not always smart lol. I did not complain about the bacon, I figured serving bright pink salami and passing hotdogs off as ham on omelets probably qualifies them not to care if they had bacon or not. Rooms are decent at the princess, we stayed there because of the tournament.