No free breakfast, but the coffee pot in the lobby is a big bonus. (I don't think we saw any coffee shops...) So is having Kleenex in the room! I walked across the street to buy a couple bananas – $0.25 BZ. A man pulled up to get some, too, and I said hi. He responded and I asked if he lived there. He's from Ontario and we chatted a bit about the area. He and his wife are building a house in Consejo Shores and will live there about six months a year as retired persons. They like to take a boat to Chetumal for the day for shopping and other activities in a larger town. It sounds like there are three developments in Consejo Shores – probably all above our budget!
Dean and I sat on the roof and ate the bananas and drank coffee. It seemed hotter, partly because the breeze was less. Dean is usually pretty sedentary, and he was having trouble getting motivated in the heat. I drug him towards the town center, and we found the market. There were a couple rows of tents, and a long, two-story building. I was surprised to spot an apple box from Washington State. Wow! A little bit of home. After looking around a bit, we went upstairs and picked a small restaurant for breakfast. We had six small tacos and a salbute for $2.75 BZ. A salbute is like a small, fried taco with meat, lettuce, and tomato on top. So far there are very few bugs. Last night after sunset we saw some mosquitoes...just a bite or two each! Besides the little bugs all over everything in our room (you know, the ones that got the fig bars because I didn't think to put them in a ziploc bag), we only saw one spider and one other bug in our room. The Canadian said the breeze keeps most bugs away and you learn to throw things away ASAP or put them in bags to keep out the little bugs.
We were hoping to look at the Cultural Center after visiting the market, but it was closed. (The beautiful mural nearby is pictured to the left.) We asked the hotel clerk about getting to the cayes, but it was too expensive for us. By boat – the three-engine Thunderbolt – would be $75 US for both of us, round trip, two hours each way. Any snorkeling, etc. would cost, too. By airplane it was around $90 US per person, round trip. So we decided to drive around! We passed the 
dump – garbage on fire. I think that's how they deal with anything unwanted: garbage, brush, etc. Everywhere we drive we see little fires from the road. We headed north to Consejo Shores – some very fancy homes, probably retired expats. Nearby was the crossing to Chetumal and two other developments with more modest homes. We then headed back to get some food before more excursions.
dump – garbage on fire. I think that's how they deal with anything unwanted: garbage, brush, etc. Everywhere we drive we see little fires from the road. We headed north to Consejo Shores – some very fancy homes, probably retired expats. Nearby was the crossing to Chetumal and two other developments with more modest homes. We then headed back to get some food before more excursions. On our way through town, we saw some shops we wanted to check out. I found some nice beaded bracelets and got three for $5 US. We saw a health food-type place and went in. It's called Golden Harvest, run by Brian and his wife. 
They are 7th Day Adventists. His wife makes healthy/vegetarian bread and pastries. Brian paints houses for a living. They met in California, where he is from. He is black and she appears Indian (from India). They've lived in Belize for six years and have two children. The store says it is a ministry; they sell SDA books and have a heart to minister. They have a larger location in the works and a website coming soon. It took Brian around five years to get enough painting business. Advertising didn't work, only word of mouth. He seemed eager for another painter, but is also taking courses to be a tour guide. He commented on the Taiwanese “invasion” in the last four years. Previously, stores in Corozal were Belizean-owned, now Chinese/Taiwanese. They also buy land/homes to tear down and build their own. Brian gave us some of his wife's homemade pizza – very good! They also served us an iced orange drink and a watermelon one. Brian mentioned that they bike or walk everywhere. In the six years they have lived in Belize, they've never been back to the US and Brian's parents have never seen their two children in person! They only make phone calls and keep in touch on Facebook. BTL does it's best to block Skype.
They are 7th Day Adventists. His wife makes healthy/vegetarian bread and pastries. Brian paints houses for a living. They met in California, where he is from. He is black and she appears Indian (from India). They've lived in Belize for six years and have two children. The store says it is a ministry; they sell SDA books and have a heart to minister. They have a larger location in the works and a website coming soon. It took Brian around five years to get enough painting business. Advertising didn't work, only word of mouth. He seemed eager for another painter, but is also taking courses to be a tour guide. He commented on the Taiwanese “invasion” in the last four years. Previously, stores in Corozal were Belizean-owned, now Chinese/Taiwanese. They also buy land/homes to tear down and build their own. Brian gave us some of his wife's homemade pizza – very good! They also served us an iced orange drink and a watermelon one. Brian mentioned that they bike or walk everywhere. In the six years they have lived in Belize, they've never been back to the US and Brian's parents have never seen their two children in person! They only make phone calls and keep in touch on Facebook. BTL does it's best to block Skype.
After a brief stop at our hotel, we headed out to find the Santa Rita Mayan ruins. We sped past the first time, only looking for signs – there were none! We got up to the border crossing and briefly drove by. The duty-free zone is huge and surrounded by a tall, menacing fence. I don't think they want Belizeans shopping there – you can only get into it by crossing from Mexico. I think the whole purpose is to get the Mexican and American money. I believe I heard that they let the Belizeans in once a year...
On our way back, I dug out some of the guide books and we found our way to the ruins, just outside Corozal. They aren't huge, but it was interesting to look around. The ruins are nestled in a neighborhood, almost like a city park. Some locals were hanging out on the steps. It was strange to our minds to think about having a structure that is thousands of years old practically in your backyard!Next we explored south of town, hotels we'd heard about like Tony's and Copa Banana. We saw signs for the Cerros ruins and thought it would be fun to see where the ferry comes and goes across that part of the bay. Because our maps didn't show any roads to Cerros, we didn't expect that we were actually following signs to DRIVE there! 
We came to a ferry alright, but a hand-cranked one across the Nueva River. I'd hoped to see one of those! After a brief wait, our turn came. It's a slow crossing, but a nice experience.
We came to a ferry alright, but a hand-cranked one across the Nueva River. I'd hoped to see one of those! After a brief wait, our turn came. It's a slow crossing, but a nice experience.We kept following sign after sign down dirt roads and at last arrived at Cerros. It was nearly 5:00 p.m. by then; we were concerned about the time and the fact we had less than ¼ tank of gas left. We discovered that there was a fee ($10 BZ each), but got out of the Trooper to look around a bit. Dean was inclined to head back, but we were persuaded to stay... A man on a bicycle had caught my eye as we were driving on the road. He was wearing a camo jacket and had a rifle on his back. He had seen us on the road to Cerros and turned his bicycle around. While we were discussing our options with the attendant, he rode up! When Dean mentioned that we might just walk around the immediate grounds then head back, the man with the gun said something about how we were already there now... 
We felt a bit of pressure to stay and didn't want to argue with a man with a gun! Dean had nothing smaller than a $20 US, and so we needed $10 US back. The man unlocked the visitor center and suggested (told us) to wait while he got our change. Dean was concerned that we were in a bad situation – alone, far away from any town, they had seen our money belts, heard we were low on gas, etc., etc., etc. The man returned with our change and we set off. In just a few minutes of brisk walking we came to the first big ruin with restored faces on the side. There were many tall, pyramid-like hills all around as well. A second excavated ruin was even bigger. The area was beautiful – a small sandy beach, covered seating and tables, many places to explore. 
It was too bad we were so short on time! There was a lot of bugs that time of day, though. Wanting to get back to town before dark, we headed back after a very brief exploration. All turned out well, except for a large batch of insect bites!
We felt a bit of pressure to stay and didn't want to argue with a man with a gun! Dean had nothing smaller than a $20 US, and so we needed $10 US back. The man unlocked the visitor center and suggested (told us) to wait while he got our change. Dean was concerned that we were in a bad situation – alone, far away from any town, they had seen our money belts, heard we were low on gas, etc., etc., etc. The man returned with our change and we set off. In just a few minutes of brisk walking we came to the first big ruin with restored faces on the side. There were many tall, pyramid-like hills all around as well. A second excavated ruin was even bigger. The area was beautiful – a small sandy beach, covered seating and tables, many places to explore. 
It was too bad we were so short on time! There was a lot of bugs that time of day, though. Wanting to get back to town before dark, we headed back after a very brief exploration. All turned out well, except for a large batch of insect bites!On the way to and from Cerros, we went through a cute little town called Copper Bank. It seemed more clean than other towns, albeit remote and rustic. Waiting for the ferry on the way back, we saw a lizard or two run on top of the water! Despite looking intentionally in several canal areas, we never did spot a croc, though.
We'd read a good review of Tony's Y-Not Diner, and since they were on our way back into town, we stopped there for dinner. We “splurged” - for about $66 BZ Dean ate phenomenal Belikin-beer battered shrimp and I had awesome sirloin, each with garlic mashed potatoes, great sautéed veggies, garlic bread, and a shared bottle of water. This was our favorite restaurant so far! Right on the bay, this was a great spot for the evening. As we arrived, there was a beautiful sunset. From our table we saw the moon shining on the water, while a strong breeze kept us cool. The restaurant was beautiful and open-aired. This was our last time to eat by the ocean, so Tony's was the perfect choice. As has been our experience this whole trip, there were only a couple other customers during our time there. Sometimes, we have been the only customers at a restaurant! Shops are often nearly empty as well. (Although we are never alone, as it seems customary to follow the gringos through the store.)
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