The biggest downside about staying at the hotel, and this part of the world generally, are the creepy crawlies.

Scorpians are the main problem and they are one of the most terrifyingly designed creatures on earth. They aren't deadly here (we've done the research and the Israeli scorpian holds that title), but they sting like a wasp and cause mild numbness. Someone here in Santa Cruz rolled onto one in bed, was stung repeatedly (7 times), and lay paralized for 1 hour unable to move...

So far, we have killed 4 in our room and had two dangling above our heads in bed. I carry out a nightly inspection and can only be described as completely paranoid. One also crawled onto my bare foot last night while having a drink on the deck! They are very difficult to kill and react to a whack with a thong like a light tap on the head. The above photo was taken after crushing this little beauty under our side table.

The animals here at the hotel are a big part of our lives, and feel like family.


First there is Beltxa (meaning black in Basque), the black Akita. He is the biggest dog on the lake (possibly in the country) and creates fear/awe wherever we go.

Then there is Umper, the remaining half of Umper Lumper... still just a kitten, she barely survives as the less favoured animal in the house.

Some shots from the hotel. The view from the restaurant..


From the hotel dock...


Sunrise...

We're a little behind... We have now been at Hotel IslaVerde for over 2 weeks, and have been running the place without Jonnie & Ana (the owners) for 10 days. We are loving this experience - living right on the lake, meeting new people everyday, working in Spanish with the locals and having daily spanish classes.

Getting from Belize back to Lake Atitlan in Guatemala meant 20 hours worth of bus time. We broke it up with a visit to Tikal, Guatemala's standout Mayan ruin site set in dense jungle.

This is the site where you are likely to spot howler monkeys, jaguars,
and tarantulas. We did see a group of monkeys high in the trees and the odd wild Turkey. We also defied the prevailing view that walking boots were required and made the trip in thongs. A rainy afternoon made it something of a mosquito infested swamp and Nat excited the locals by falling face first into the mud.

Rod headed back to Perth and we made for Caye Caulker, probably the best known Caye (island, pronounced key). Too touristy for us... but we did enjoy watching a game of street basketball.

So what do you do when you have 3 nights in a carribean paradise?

We spent our time in Placencia enjoying our beachfront cabana, soaking up some sun under the palapas and getting to know some of the quirky locals. This included Big George, our friendly landlord who despite his rather rotund physic and the phat cigars he was constantly sucking back seemed concerned about where his next meal was coming from, and Kevin "but you know my name is not really Kevin", one of the local wheelers and dealers on the beach.

We also managed to squeeze in a day of snorkelling and diving on the Belizian barrier reef, which is the second largest in the world after our very own GBR. We were transported to Laughing Bird Caye, a small island on the reef with creamy white sand and crystal blue water, in a power boat with our captain yelling things like "now we're jammin" as we motored full speed ahead across the Carribean Sea.

The snorkelling was great, particularly as we had a guide that went with us and showed us many things an untrained eye would normally have missed like a school of baracuda, giant lobsters hiding in the coral and conch on the move across the sea bed in their shells...

And how do you end a day in paradise? With a lobster meal and some rum punch of course!

"Find yourself a coconut tree and chill..."

Belize is a small country which boarders Mexico and Guatemala. It's unique because Spain chose not to settled here... then the English made it a colony and brought workers from their settlements throughout the Carribean. The result is that it's english speaking, that's if you understand creole, and it feels like Jamaica.

We arrived in Placencia and sorted a beachfront cabana straight away then headed out for lobster and drinks. On the way home (much later) Rod and I were invited into the cabana next door where 3 American girls were hosting a small get together. Fortunately Nat heard their enthusiastic invitation and vetoed my attendance. Fortunately for Rod, that is...