Sheryl and I are both averse to doing much in the way of organized tours. We much prefer to explore on our own, rather than being led about with a group. I will admit, however, that this tour was a fantastic way to "get our feet wet" with the snorkeling in Belize. They took us to three different stops. During the first stop, we were to follow our guide, as he pointed out various things along the reef, including many types of colorful fish, lobster, crab, and even one small nurse shark. I even learned that conch have eyes! I had enjoyed conch dishes every time I came down to the islands, but assumed that the creature inside the winding shells with spikes around the topside and the pearly pink interior were amorphous featureless things. I was surprised to see two eyes on stalks peek out at me from the shell. It was the best snorkeling experience I had ever enjoyed. And that was just the first stop. The second brought us to the area known as Shark-Ray Alley. In this shallow area, the boats were anchored and allowing us tourists to swim with large nurse sharks and an unbelievable number of rays, which they attracted to the area with food. The sharks kept their distance, which was really O.K. with me; however, the rays swam right by and even seemed to enjoy the contact as we touched their smooth skin. Already having gotten my money's worth, the third stop was simply icing on the cake. We were allowed to explore on our own through an area with an absolutely incredible diversity of fish and coral. I wished I were more knowledgeable about the types of fish, rather than having to explain, afterwards, about the awesome orange-blueish-purple fish. The best thing about this introduction was that it left me ready to do snorkeling explorations on my own later in the trip. For the most part, I had no fears of snorkeling in open waters; however, I will admit that when I happened upon a 4-foot long barracuda, it did give my heart a start and I turned around and swam in the other direction - quickly! Once the logical side of my brain regained control of the emotional side, I swam back to take another look. Surmounting this fear was to be especially useful at our next stop, but I am getting ahead of myself.

After our wonderful snorkeling experience, Sheryl was famished and willing to make a contribution to the local economy, if we could find a restaurant which could suit her discerning tastes. Sheryl is a vegetarian who does not like creamy or vinegar-laden dishes. We stopped at Rasta Pasta, and Sheryl decided in a moment that this was the place for her. We moved a plastic table for four into the shade and enjoyed a few drinks while we poured over the menu. The perfect lunch setting. Stephanie had been raving about the Ceviche she had enjoyed in Mexico. Ceviche is a combination of ingredients, raw fish, peppers, onions, etc. which is marinated in citrus juice. Although the mixture is not heated, the fish is actually "cooked" by the acids in the juice. Stephanie and I decided to split a burrito and the ceviche, while Sheryl ordered her own burrito and Bruno a sandwich. When the plates came, I was glad that I had decided to split my burrito with Steph. They were huge! Sheryl, who generally eats like a bird, indicated that she would have no problem finishing it off. And she didn't. Snorkeling can certainly make one hungry.

After we finished the delicious meal we expressed our gratitude to the waitress. She was an outgoing young redhead who shared with us the story of her family business. Her mother was Jewish and her father was a Rastafarian. Interestingly enough, those two religions blended well together. When her father came to Belize, he had only $100 dollars to their name. He got a construction job making $150/month. As is the practice in this culture, he took care of family because he was the one with a job. At one point, they had 15 people living in their home on that income. Several years ago, they opened Rasta Pasta, a menu influenced by both religious doctrines, they don't serve pork or beef, and the culture of Belize. She indicated that they make their rum drinks with One Barrel, a popular brand of Belize rum.

Well sated, we headed down the dusty road with several individual objectives in mind. I decided that I wanted to get a bottle of One Barrel for Artemesia's liquor cabinet. Bruno needed to check his e-mail. The ladies wanted to do a little shopping for postcards. We decided to meet at the internet cafe. I found a local grocery store where a bottle of One Barrel was easily procured, for about US $6. I headed off down the dusty road toward the internet cafe, and walked inside to realize that it was really more of an internet bar. And, lucky me, it was happy hour. Two rum drinks for the price of one. I greeted Bruno with a cold drink and a cheers to such a wonderful day. While Bruno finished his internet searching, I sat in the "library" section where one could read or even trade books with those on the shelves. Once the ladies arrived and had their two for one special, we were about to depart when we struck up a conversation with a guy who was at anchorage in a very pretty catamaran. He runs a charter service on the cat. For $3,500 per week, food and drinks included, he will sail you around these waters. He had been working in that area for four years. With his experience in the area, Bruno inquired about a stretch of our journey to come, Porto Stuck, a region known for groundings of deep-keel sailboats. Although the catamaran has no problems due to its shallow draft, he did have a few tips for us.

We stepped out of the air-conditioned internet cafe to a hot and sunny afternoon. There was only one more stop to make before the dinghy ride back to Artemesia. A store selling fresh fish was to supply our dinner for the evening, except for Sheryl who would be eating black beans. As the sun set we toasted a fine day with the newly acquired One Barrel, the smell of fish filets cooking on the grill, and the sound of the waves gently lapping against the side of the boat. This truly was the lap of luxury.