FestiBelt Adventures

11.25.2009When you last left us, we were in Dangriga enjoying the Settlement Day festivities and making plans for our next move. Val recommended that we spend time on Glover’s Atoll but they only run the boat once a week so we would have to forgo any other destinations in Belize. A week on a private island? We’re IN! That is how we ended up on a Caribbean island with 6 other people…gotta love serendipity.

Glover’s Atoll is a tiny island about 2.5 hours ride from the mainland and was purchased in 1967 by a French and American couple named Lomont. Now their kids and grandkids run Glover’s. It is not a resort. We brought all our own food for the week and will be staying in a two-story beachside cabana. We can sign up for snorkeling, scuba, fishing, kayaking, meals….the works.

This is Jessie loving the boat ride- I was ok on the way out, but the choppy seas on the way back made me feel like I was having a panic attack every time the boat lifted off the waves. Jessie said it was because I’m not a ‘water sign’.  She thought it was fantastic but her zodiac sign is a crab.

The island is tiny (you can walk the perimeter in less than half an hour) and the cabanas are very rustic. Gorgeous, but rustic.

Our cabin was a less expensive beach cabana with a kitchen underneath. It has a propane stove and a bunch of hermit crabs that get into any unsealed food. This was definitely CAMPING not a luxury resort (only the mess hall has electricity). There are terrible TripAdvisor reviews but they are written by people who did not realize they would be roughing it. You should absolutely go.

There are composting toilets, outdoor showers and a conch shell faucet on the painted outdoor sink.

We have been snorkeling 3 times a day, everyday and have been hanging out with Carol and Eric Bacon (our surrogate parents from Alaska). Warren, the 17-year-old grandson took Carol, Eric and Jessie deep sea fishing and they caught red snapper for dinner. It took both Carol and I to reel up 700ft of line with a few fish on it.

While fishing they saw a water spout (very far away) which is a tornado on the water…very neat.

The Bacons are well-traveled and brought curry powder with them! They cooked up an insanely delicious coconut curry with red snapper and rice.  Jessie attempted to climb a tree and snag us a fresh coconut for the curry but she didn’t get too far! (“Mowgli made this look so easy!”)

We found some young coconuts on the ground and made coconut milk for the curry. It was intensely flavorful – I had never eaten fish so fresh! (Until the next day when Warren caught a tuna and they rolled fresh sushi in the kitchen!) Below is the view of the catamaran from the mess hall.We had such a great week!  The last two days were rainy so we had to find other ways to entertain ourselves with walks and books and hermit crab races. Life was not intense. We loved it.