Moision Madness

We started the long journey home on Saturday, September 4th at about noon when our original taxi driver, Armando, picked us — and our boat-load of luggage — up.

Ezra enjoyed his favorite seat on the boat.

Jamma and Amy were ready.

On the gravel runway at the San Pedro Airport. We had to get out of the way of an oncoming plane that had just landed. And apparently someone crossed the runway on a bicycle, too! Just like LAX.

Up in the air over San Pedro.

Finn promptly fell asleep on the 20-minute flight.

Next up was the Belize City to Dallas leg. Once we got there, we checked into the Hyatt at the airport and stayed overnight, enjoying the cool air and comfy beds. The boys took a long bath after having only had showers for two weeks. They brought their little toy sharks, stingrays and coral pieces Jamma had given them into the bath and played for at least a half-hour.

In the morning, we realized at 9:00 that we had been wrong about our 11:20 flight time and that we were really on the 9:30 flight. So, needless to say, we missed that flight and had to get on the next one which was at 1:30. After the initial panic, we settled down, packed up, and checked in for the flight with an hour to kill. Luckily DFW has a monorail which runs around the airport, so we took the boys on that for quite a while. They loved it. Ezra liked to sit in front and drive, giving a play by play account of what we came upon.

Finally, it was time to board the plane. Upon take-off (literally as we were going down the runway), Finn fell asleep, so I got an hour to read my book in peace.

The boys did really great with all the travel. Bruce kept them busy by making pirate hats, a treasure map and swords out of newspaper.

One more bus (to Lot C at Burbank Airport), and then we were driving home. Great timing that the next day was Labor Day because we were exhausted! But what a vacation!!!

Bruce and I took the boys into town one morning to do a little shopping and have lunch. We rented a golf cart and hit a couple of gift shops before stopping for lunch at Daniel’s restaurant on the water.

Finn made a connection with our waiter, Emerson, and went back twice to talk to him (although Emerson thought Finn was telling him he was going to throw a big party, when really he was telling him he uses the big potty). Finn was disappointed in the misunderstanding, but he got over it.

Upon returning the golf cart, the boys were excited to see a parrot on the roof and made me take a picture of it.

Another highlight of our trip to Belize was a snorkeling excursion all six of us took (with our guides, Daniel and Manuel) to Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley. The day started off with Daniel spotting a couple of dolphins in the water, so we stopped the boat and watched them play around for a while. The boys were delighted.

We rented snorkeling gear in town and made an attempt to get the kids to try it. They liked wearing the masks and snorkels in the boat …

… but neither of them was interested in putting their faces in the water. I think we should have tried the masks without the snorkels first, but even that may not have worked. They both did spend some time in the water, and thanks to Jamma staying behind to watch them near the boat, Bruce, Amy and I got to go snorkeling for quite a while. Hol Chan provided a huge array of colorful fish, coral and marine life. I’ve never snorkeled before, and this trip was really breathtaking.

Next, we went to Shark Ray Alley and saw — wait for it — sharks! And lots of them.

Bruce and Amy got right in the water, while I stayed in the boat to comfort Finn who was mid-meltdown. (It was late in the day for him and he was ready for a nap.) Eventually, he calmed down and all three of us got in the water (although most of the sharks were gone by then).

Here’s Ezra.

Here’s Finn.

And here’s me with a starfish.

Not surprisingly, Finn passed out on the boat ride home.

Daniel and Manuel started up the barbecue and proceeded to make us the most delicious dinner ever. It could be that we were all starving since it was about 3:30 and we hadn’t eaten since breakfast, but seriously, it was good food. Here’s the lobster and fish awaiting grill time.

And here’s Daniel making a big salad on the dock.

All in all, a perfect day in Belize.

The boys were very curious about the coconuts that surrounded our little island paradise, and we finally asked the caretaker, Sergio, to open one for us. He went one better and opened two of them — with his machete! Here’s video — first for the water and second for the meat.

Finn really loved the way the first coconut was like a big cup.

Ezra loved the coconut meat.

Bruce and I were lucky enough to get away for a day trip to see the Mayan ruins at Lamanai. It was an amazing (and amazingly long) day. Our trusty guide, Daniel, took us on a boat, a van, and another boat until we finally reached Lamanai. Here’s a map to show where things are. (We started on Ambergris Caye.)

The journey itself was really informative — on our first boat we saw lots of mangroves.

Once we stopped at this little village …

… we took a van on perhaps the bumpiest ride ever to our next boat. We picked up two more passengers (there were three couples total — us, a couple from New York, and a couple from London) and headed out. First, Daniel took us to see some spider monkeys — and he lured them right out of the jungle and into our boat!

Only the female came on board, but she quickly made a friend.

Then we continued on the rest of the jungle tour (we saw a variety of lizards, birds and bats, but no crocodiles because the river was already high due to early rains). Finally, we reached Lamanai.

The ruins were amazing, and Daniel told us there are hundreds there that haven’t even been investigated. This is the tallest one — Bruce and I climbed about half-way up before being spooked by the steep stairs (and the thought of getting back down).

We ventured out for dinner one night by walking up the beach to a restaurant called Mambo. We got there at 5:30 and were informed that they don’t serve dinner until 6:30. We didn’t want to go home, so we just killed an hour — first we enjoyed cocktails and appetizers on the beach (and Bruce and Finn utilized the hammock).

Amy took Ezra out on Mambo’s dock where they saw a huge stingray. Here’s Ezra showing me how big it was.

After a while, Bruce took Ezra and Finn inside for a variety of activities including playing pool.

Finally, it was time for dinner. The boys had pasta and didn’t end up eating much (they had filled their bellies with vast quantities of orange juice instead), but they thoroughly enjoyed sprinkling their entrees with parmesan cheese.

When we were done with dinner, it was pitch-dark and we took up the restaurant’s offer to take us home in their boat. I admit to being slightly terrified by the fast boat ride in the dark. The boat dropped us off at the dock before ours because the water is too shallow at our dock, which meant that we still had a little walk home in the dark. Luckily, Jamma had thought to bring flashlights (she is no rookie) but it was still an exciting walk, and we saw this guy on the way.

On his first full day in Belize, Bruce took the boys out kayaking. First, the sunscreen.

Bruce’s version:

Jamma’s version:

(She is determined that no one gets a sunburn.)

Finn got the first ride.

Then Ezra.

Then all three Moisions went back out. The boys had a great time.

After five days of swimming, digging in the sand, and relaxing, the boys anxiously awaited Bruce’s arrival in Belize. We waited for our water taxi to take us to San Pedro so we could rent a golf cart and get to the airport.

The taxi was about 40 minutes late … but Ezra and Finn enjoyed hanging out with the older local boys (the son of the property’s caretaker, Sergio, and his friend). Here they are retrieving a snail from the underside of the dock. (Finn wasn’t too sure of the whole process.)

Finally — Papa arrives! (And Jamma makes him drive the golf cart.)

Next we headed to Fido’s (a restaurant/bar) for a quick cold drink. The boys had pineapple juice, while Bruce got into the swing of things with a rum punch.

Then we headed back to the house.

A few shots of our beautiful surroundings.