Water, Water, Everywhere

So we finally made it into the water.

But first, a digression.

I took Sander through the "poor" part of the island. I felt like it was important for him to see how other people live. I mean, why bring him to a Third World country, and not show him the third world? So we drove around the poorest part of the island in our little golf cart (feel free to groan here). We saw little boys playing soccer barefoot on rocky streets, houses with no doors, scrap metal roofs, and fences made of every random thing you could imagine. I explained that as hot as it was, there were no air conditioners, and as buggy as it was there were no doors or screens or even windows, and asked him to imagine living there on dirt floors. I think it impacted him, not terribly, not traumatically, but it raised his awareness that all life is not Aspen. We talked about it periodically for days, the image of the kids playing soccer with no shoes is what stuck the most, and the fences. Having said that, we never for a second felt in danger, or like intruders. Just life here. No pics, I felt like these people's lives were not for display.

But then, it was time for the boat trip to the ocean, at last. How's that for a digression? I feel like the perky blond anchor woman, "Top story this evening, the crushing poverty in Belize, will the children eat today? But first, Happy Easter everyone! Yaaaaaaaaaay! Did the Easter bunny come to your house and leave lots of candy?" But if it works for her...

We finally went snorkeling, and man was it worth the wait. There are two stops on the snorkeling trip, first is Ho Chan, a fish preserve and an absolutely amazing reef. We saw (big breath) parrot fish, snapper, moray eels, black eels, tarpon, sting rays, jack, spotted eagle rays, one fish, two fish, red fish blue fish. I'd show pics here, but they aren't very good (better ones to come). Then off to Shark Ray Alley (which is going to be the name of the cool jazz bar I open up after Hungry Like the Wolf takes off). Anyway, Shark Ray Alley is named after the abundance of nurse sharks and stingrays you see there. It was also where Sanderquese Elliottsteau made his debut in Belize. We were on the boat with another family, father, mother, young son, high school daughter, high school daughter's friend, and, either creepy loner guy, or semi-creepy uncle, never quite sure which. On the way there Kansas family (this is where they were from, not their last name. Well, it may have been their last name, I didn't ask, but wouldn't that be odd?) was getting pretty anxious about swimming with sharks. So Sander, whom they called Snorkel Bob because that's what his shirt said (this greatly offended Sander, who kept saying his name wasn't "Bob" but that it was the name of the place where he got the shirt. And so this went on the whole boat ride, "Where are you from Snorkel Bob?" ""My name is Sander, not Snorkel Bob. I'm from Aspen." "So, Snorkel Bob, are you having fun in Belize?" "My name is Sander, not Snorkel Bob. Yeah, I really like it here." Until finally, Sander proposed that they call him "Snorkel Sander." And lo there was peace in the land.). So anyway, Snorkel Sander launches into a whole speech about sharks, how they're really harmless, how nurse sharks never attack, they eat crustaceans, etc. And I kid you not, the whole boat is sitting there mesmerized. I mean, they're getting a full on lesson in sharks and shark behavior, with facts, from this little kid in a goofy blue shirt. But then one of the girls asks him if they bite (take that in, a 16-17 year old girl is asking an 8 year old a question about a shark she's about to dive with, and there's no hint of joke to it, she's looking at him like he's he the expert, which, I guess, he is and waiting for an answer). So he pauses for a second, and says, "You're more likely to get bit by your pet goldfish than a nurse shark." The boat just loses it here.

So we get to the alley, and everyone's standing around looking at all the sharks, and there were a lot of them, but the nice Kansas family isn't getting in, but they're blocking the ladder. Sander's doing the get ready fire drill, mask, snorkel, fins jumping around, and frantically trying to get INTO the water. He's absolutely beside himself that he's so close but not in. He wasn't this excited to meet Santa. So I push through the crowd and jump in, and he's in a half second later. It was amazing. Sharks everywhere, here's a pic. Then the guide grabs one, turns it over (turning a shark over renders it immobile, keep this in mind if you're ever in the water with a Great White). So we were able to look at it real, real close and touch it. Very cool. By the way, Kansas family was shamed into getting into the water and they had a great time. We had a blast, that's us in the water, Sander giving his "Yessssss" fist. Anyway, he came out of the water taking 1,000,000 miles per second and smiling so bright we were attracting moths.

That night we went to dinner. Now keep in mind, that its been windy the whole trip. So I'm sitting around thinking this is some kind of tropical paradise, island vibe, sunny, but not hot and no bugs. But the wind died down to zero, the very wind that kept the bugs and heat at bay. So dinner was a universal dinner as the bugs came out to make up for lost time. At which point I realized that a bug visiting from somewhere else was probably saying to his wife, "Geez honey this is like an island paradise. Nice and hot, no wind, and lots to eat." So we grab our pizza and walk home to eat near the beach where its still a little windy. After dinner when I asked him to brush his teeth (see, its not totally Lord of the Flies with me) he comes running out saying, "Daddy, daddy, look!" And he looks at me with little blops of toothpaste all over his face (see pic). He tells me he discovered a cure for mosquito bite itch, toothpaste! Ok, so maybe we're a little like Lord of the Flies, but at least we have minty fresh breath.

Quick aside about the wind and island vibe. For three straight days I kept asking people when the wind would die so I could book our snorkel and fishing trips. Dive shops, fishing shops, actual guides, hotel people, locals, everyone. They all had the same response, "Probably tomorrow. You'd be surprised, it can blow like this and be perfectly calm the next day." To which I kept thinking, "True, but I bet I wouldn't be surprised if someone checked a weather report and told me what it said." But that's the thing, I couldn't find a local paper and the TV came from a satellite feed that showed the local news from NY, Dallas, Denver and LA. No one anywhere I could see was watching anything like local TV. They have to have it, but I think they hide it from the tourists like the Mayans hid the gold.

Last thing before bed (for him, not you, but you may be ready after plowing through this email). We saw a lot of pirate flags in Belize, I guess everyone's trying to cash in on the whole Pirates of the Caribbean phenomena. So Sander created his own version of the Skull and Crossbones. Then he asked to hold the conch shell...

Next, more snorkeling and parasailing.