We got up this morning and went for a little jog. Not the ideal scenery for jogging as there is not a beach frontage path or road but it was still good to see some of the island as we ran.

When we were finishing up the run, we stopped at Casa Pan Dulce Bakery and got some breakfast food. It is a nice little local bakery with local pastries. No pain au chocolate/chocolatines.

Dima had arranged a golf cart rental for the week as it is necessary to get around. Parts of the island are walkable but to get everywhere you want to go requires the golf cart. From being out and about, the golf cart is the main form of transportation.

We headed up to Secret Beach. I guess at some point it was secret but at this point it is the main tourist destination beach on the island. The east coast is bordered by a coral reef and does not really have swimable beaches. Another issue is there is lots of sea grass close to shore so you cannot just wade into the water. Also, the reef being about 1000 feet from shore, the water is fairly shallow between the reef and the shore. The west coast is much more beach friendly and that is where Secret Beach is. It is about a 35 minute golf cart drive from Caye Casa.

The beach reminded me of being in Na Trang, Vietnam on the South China Sea. There are lots of beach bars with chairs by the water that as long as you buy drinks you can use the chairs.

They even set up tables in the water where you can sit and drink. The water is very shallow on this side of the of the island as well. We ordered beers and went out into the water and the server walked the beers out to us. Dima had a little trouble keeping the chair up while sitting in the water.

The temperature of the water is definitely warm. You can walk right in without any hesitation. It is my kind of ocean water. I definitely prefer warm water over cold. The water temperature is a lot warmer than the Pacific in San Diego. I would not even go in the water there but definitely spend time in the water here.

We changed locations along the beach for lunch as Dima has read about a bar/restaurant that served lunch on picnic talked out in the water. We found the place and found a nice picnic table with an umbrella and sat down. A nice young lady waded out into the chest high water and took our order. The servers must get good muscles by wading out in the water all day to serve the customers. I ordered shrimp tacos which were fantastic and Dima ordered lobster nachos. They did not have the Belikin beer so we ordered Landshark.

After lunch, we headed over to another beach bar that was showing the World Cup semi-final between France and Spain. I believe I was the only France supporter in the bar. Disappointedly, France lost!

We returned to the Caye Casa for showers and a little rest. After cleaning up and regrouping, we walked down to Sandy Toe’s and I had my first beach cocktail, a rum punch.

For dinner we went to El Fogon, which is a local cuisine restaurant a little further south of Caye Casa. It is definitely a no frills restaurant but the food was fantastic. It food is cooked over a wood hearth rather than a stove. I had the Creole Shrimp with rice and beans. This is the traditional cooking style of Belize. It is a red sauce that has lots of flavor but is not super spicy.

After all the activity, it was early to bed.

I am definitely enjoying the time so far in Belize. The people are super friendly. As you walk down the streets and pass people, many say hello. Shane who works for the hotel has been great at making reservations for excursions and restaurants. All the service people are super friendly. I guess this should be expected as a lot of the economy is based on tourism but it is still very nice!