Saturday, May 02, 2009
You betta' Belize it, lone madarass!!!
Warning: I had a great time with an intimate circle of friends in Belize. So if this post seems a little self-pleasing and loaded with inside jokes, well, you've been forewarned.
We could not belieze it (yes, pardon the pun) when we first got to Bannister Caye. We got on a catamaran (I was definitely thinking "I'm on a boat!") and celebrated Jam & Paul's wedding at a private island. The Belikin and Rum Punch were free-flowing, and Belizians and random internationals were having a great time together. We jutted away from Belize City with our hair flowing in the wind.
This was probably one of the most amusing weddings I have ever been to. The easy-going Belizian sense of humor just put all of us in the right mood. There were lots of laughs (especially over the Michigan-Belize sister state connection - who'd thunk it?) and a beautiful exchange of vows by Jam and Paul, followed by well-wishes from friends and family (and Gautham - he is a category of his own).
Digs gives his 3 advise to Paul (right). Anwar (Jamel's father) fashions a celebration cigar (left).
Let's rewind a bit... We all arrived a loose-knit group of friends and acquaintances. Well, in the words of Ogden Nash, Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker. The warm Belizian breeze, lapping of the aquamarine sea, and the easy-flowing Belikin seemed to resolve that within the first 20 minutes of meeting each other.
Some of Team Croatia is represented here (plus the Drakes). Good clean family fun, right guys? Jan and Joe are absolutely wonderful - they sometimes outpartied the twenty-something year olds.
Mixing up the Belizians and the Americans. This is a wonderfully distracted photo of everybody at the pre-wedding dinner table.
Matt & Digs (a little creepy - what's going on here, guys?)
Digs, John, Surya - it's always amazing how Digs shows up from far-away lands. Tell the Sphinx (Abu-Hol) that we say "Hi!" Surya is on a Caribbean journey, as he heads to Haiti after Belize.
John & Dana (left). Gautham and Kim - Gautham is either looking dreamily at the Belikin... or perhaps he may have had a few too many. There were more people (sorry - you guys are all VIPs in my book), but I failed to take good pictures of them - I blame the Barrel 1 and Coke.
When in Belize... you have to have a Belikin (the national beer, marked with the icon of Mayan ruin, Altun Ha). To the right, the restaurant has a sense of humor: "Today's Special: No Special"
Last night, I dreamt of San Pedro...
San Pedro is a quirky little island with 3 streets (Front, Center, Back Street), where tourists and locals alike drive around in golf carts. Supposedly Andrew Zimmern from the Travel Channel had visited two weeks before to do a show (which will air some time in September) - I don't know what he ate, but the seafood was pretty good here (Seafood Lover's Platter @ Fido's, baby! Delicious :). On the way back, we embarked on small airplanes that resembled dust-croppers, and we handed the staff laminated boarding passes that said exactly that: "Boarding Pass" (they don't mess around here).
We also had a chance to see a local football match, which was played on a small court, much like indoor soccer (you definitely do not want to be in front of the goal when the striker comes at you - short distances and powerful kicks. Ouch!) We watched a match between the Sugar Boys and Lily's Treasure Boys, which ended with Lily's Treasure Boys kicking butt 6-1 and Belikin bottles being thrown on the field by angry fans. Hooliganism is universal.
Perhaps the good life in Belize can be best described in a souvenir T-shirt I got:
We could not belieze it (yes, pardon the pun) when we first got to Bannister Caye. We got on a catamaran (I was definitely thinking "I'm on a boat!") and celebrated Jam & Paul's wedding at a private island. The Belikin and Rum Punch were free-flowing, and Belizians and random internationals were having a great time together. We jutted away from Belize City with our hair flowing in the wind.
This was probably one of the most amusing weddings I have ever been to. The easy-going Belizian sense of humor just put all of us in the right mood. There were lots of laughs (especially over the Michigan-Belize sister state connection - who'd thunk it?) and a beautiful exchange of vows by Jam and Paul, followed by well-wishes from friends and family (and Gautham - he is a category of his own).
Digs gives his 3 advise to Paul (right). Anwar (Jamel's father) fashions a celebration cigar (left).
Let's rewind a bit... We all arrived a loose-knit group of friends and acquaintances. Well, in the words of Ogden Nash, Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker. The warm Belizian breeze, lapping of the aquamarine sea, and the easy-flowing Belikin seemed to resolve that within the first 20 minutes of meeting each other.
Some of Team Croatia is represented here (plus the Drakes). Good clean family fun, right guys? Jan and Joe are absolutely wonderful - they sometimes outpartied the twenty-something year olds.
Mixing up the Belizians and the Americans. This is a wonderfully distracted photo of everybody at the pre-wedding dinner table.
Matt & Digs (a little creepy - what's going on here, guys?)
Digs, John, Surya - it's always amazing how Digs shows up from far-away lands. Tell the Sphinx (Abu-Hol) that we say "Hi!" Surya is on a Caribbean journey, as he heads to Haiti after Belize.
John & Dana (left). Gautham and Kim - Gautham is either looking dreamily at the Belikin... or perhaps he may have had a few too many. There were more people (sorry - you guys are all VIPs in my book), but I failed to take good pictures of them - I blame the Barrel 1 and Coke.
When in Belize... you have to have a Belikin (the national beer, marked with the icon of Mayan ruin, Altun Ha). To the right, the restaurant has a sense of humor: "Today's Special: No Special"
Last night, I dreamt of San Pedro...
San Pedro is a quirky little island with 3 streets (Front, Center, Back Street), where tourists and locals alike drive around in golf carts. Supposedly Andrew Zimmern from the Travel Channel had visited two weeks before to do a show (which will air some time in September) - I don't know what he ate, but the seafood was pretty good here (Seafood Lover's Platter @ Fido's, baby! Delicious :). On the way back, we embarked on small airplanes that resembled dust-croppers, and we handed the staff laminated boarding passes that said exactly that: "Boarding Pass" (they don't mess around here).
We also had a chance to see a local football match, which was played on a small court, much like indoor soccer (you definitely do not want to be in front of the goal when the striker comes at you - short distances and powerful kicks. Ouch!) We watched a match between the Sugar Boys and Lily's Treasure Boys, which ended with Lily's Treasure Boys kicking butt 6-1 and Belikin bottles being thrown on the field by angry fans. Hooliganism is universal.
Perhaps the good life in Belize can be best described in a souvenir T-shirt I got:
GO CRAZY
Tan in coconut oil
Dive with the sharks
Play with the sting rays
Feed the crocodiles
Swim the riptides
Thank you for supporting your local paramedic
BELIZE
Tan in coconut oil
Dive with the sharks
Play with the sting rays
Feed the crocodiles
Swim the riptides
Thank you for supporting your local paramedic
BELIZE
You have to hand it to the Belizians. They have a good sense of humor. I love it.
The gang took a much anticipated snorkeling trip. Our boat was called Suya 1 (c'mon Surya, it's your boat!). This was one of the best snorkeling experiences I have had. With that said, it was sad to see that a lot of the corals were dead from bleaching.
Say hello to the Moray eel :)
There was a red and pastel green fish that was at least 2-feet long. Does anybody know what it's called???
Haha - who was wearing that Bucky shirt???
The Drake brothers (+ Gautham) - Before & After
Needless to say, good times were had on San Pedro. We had a surprise Bachelorette party for Jam, and she had a great time. I'm not 100% sure about where the guys ended up... We all went out with a bang on the last evening, closing down Fido's. An awesome punta rock band was playing, and we even got Gautham to go on stage (I don't think I have laughed so hard). I also now have some favorite punta rock and soca songs (Lay di Pipe and Julie Mango are still playing inside my head as I look at the photos).
Ah, Belize... it's already calling me back...
The gang took a much anticipated snorkeling trip. Our boat was called Suya 1 (c'mon Surya, it's your boat!). This was one of the best snorkeling experiences I have had. With that said, it was sad to see that a lot of the corals were dead from bleaching.
Say hello to the Moray eel :)
There was a red and pastel green fish that was at least 2-feet long. Does anybody know what it's called???
Haha - who was wearing that Bucky shirt???
The Drake brothers (+ Gautham) - Before & After
Needless to say, good times were had on San Pedro. We had a surprise Bachelorette party for Jam, and she had a great time. I'm not 100% sure about where the guys ended up... We all went out with a bang on the last evening, closing down Fido's. An awesome punta rock band was playing, and we even got Gautham to go on stage (I don't think I have laughed so hard). I also now have some favorite punta rock and soca songs (Lay di Pipe and Julie Mango are still playing inside my head as I look at the photos).
Ah, Belize... it's already calling me back...
// posted by Saki @ 6:38 PM 
