This Time Tomorrow - Belize!

As I look around the living room at the piles of stuff we are taking, reality is setting in, knowing that this time tomorrow we will be in Belize!

But first:

• All junk removed from devices? ✅
• All devices fully charged? ✅
• Extra batteries? ✅
• Extra SD cards? ✅
• All cords and cables for devices? ✅

I look at all the stuff and realize that all I really need is my bathing suit, a pareu, sandals, sunscreen and a valid credit card and passport, plus the electronics which all fit in my backpack! But no! Multiple pareus, prescription snorkeling mask, new snorkel, multiple bottles of sun screen and bug spray, mini-tripods, Britta water pitcher, etc. etc. etc.

We will head out of here around 5pm, pick up Jane, and get to LAX in plenty of time to drop the car at the hotel we will stay at when we return (free parking!) and shuttle to the airport for our flight at 12:40 am! It's a direct 4:45 hour flight so I just hope I get some sleep as I am useless without getting my 8 hours! From Belize City, we get a puddle jumper to Placentia, a 30 minute flight.

We will go to the Paradise Resort first where we spend our first night, drop our stuff, then either go to the Moorings base or grocery shopping, depending on our boat familiarization and chart briefing. We board the boat on Sunday and will spend the night at the dock.

A couple of the girls will already be in Placentia, when we arrive and the rest show up the following day. We plan to head out relatively early Monday morning.

Apparently, we will be able to get wifi at some of the cayes, so will try to post here on the blog and also Instagram and Facebook. If you would like to follow along, please subscibe to receive the latest posts and follow me on Instagram and Facebook.

Three Days to go

After spending a few days with Ryan in Studio City and taking a drive out to Palm Springs for the day, I was happy to be out of the awful Airbnb and heading north to Santa Barbara to spend the next three days with Betsy.

After another enormous thunder and lightning and rain storm yesterday morning, we had a lovely drive up the coast, stopping in Camarillo at the outlet mall to do something neither of us much like doing - shopping! But we both needed some stuff and we had to get the bug spray and sunscreen etc. And I needed another bathing suit and some shorts. I just don't understand people who can spend all day just going from shop to shop, browsing. It's exhausting! But we were successful in our endeavors, scoring some good stuff - shorts and sun protection shirts so I don't absolutely shrivel up in the tropical Belizean sun. Even here, in what is still technically winter, I can feel myself burning, so I have to be very, very careful!

By the time we got home it was cocktail hour. Tara, Betsy's room mate came home and we had a very lively evening which I regretted this morning. You'd think I would know better by now than to have that last drink - such a good gin, Death's Door! And that is what I felt like this morning.

But we went for a great walk which definitely cleared my head, much as the rain cleared the sky, athough I must say the sky was clearer than my head. We discussed some ideas we have - ways to make some money, start a small business and this trip is going to be a test run and I will describe the idea when it is more fleshed out. I think it's a good one - not new. We talked about doing it last time Betsy was up in Washington, visiting. But now, I think, is the time. This evening and tomorrow, we will put our heads together and sort out some of the details.

Santa Barbara is such a pretty area. The harbor is wonderful, still with all the fishing boats and the wharf which really hasn't changed much in the last few decades. I remember doing a photo project for college when I was about 25. And I think some of the boats that I took pictures of, are still there! That was when I did all my own film processing and printing - something I just loved to do. Working in the darkroom was always so much more fun than sitting at a computer, digitally processing the images. Oh well.... Progress I suppose.

Countdown to Belize

Things are moving along nicely!

Whoo hoo! My new Underwater Olympus T-5 camera came today and is getting charged up! For a small, underwater camera, it sure has a lot of features! I can't wait to try it out!

But the most important thing is the house/cat sitting problem is sorted out and I have a couple coming from Austin! They responded to my post on Trustedhousesitters.com and I actually had a lot of people respond and I worked it down to this couple. There was an older lady (ha! My age) in France who sounded really nice so I have kept her info for next time. So that's a load off my mind especially as they will take me to the shuttle and we will rendezvous at the airport when I get back and have the car.

I went for my bi-annual eye exam and am quite impressed with myself! My vision has barely changed and the optometrist has this brand new fancy camera that can take images of the inside of your eyes - front and back of the eye and can tell if there are any issues and I have none! He was very complimentary, said "You must eat very well," and went on to explain how the back of the eye turns yellow with age and it is where the cataracts form. But I have no signs of any nasty stuff. It was actually interesting to see the images and he explained the whole thing. I ended up spending a lot on new glasses but they are essential.

So now with my new prescription I can get the bifocal snorkeling mask! No point in having a good camera if I can't see to focus. Today I went to the dive shop in Puyallup and got a mask fitted. Now it gets sent to California for the prescription lenses. It was funny talking to Mike, the guy at the store. He asked if I was going on a trip and when I told him Belize, he said, "Can I come?" I laughed and said, "It's a boatload of older women!" He came right back with "I'm an older guy!" Hot to trot, I guess! I think this boatload might be more than he could handle!

I discovered this new skin care program and decided to find out if they would be interested in having all the Belize Babes check it out. And yes, they would like to and are sending a bunch of goodies to take to the boat. I had ordered some for myself and it also arrived today. Boom! by Cindy Joseph! is an interesting story. She was 49 before she was a model, then moved on to develop this line which is all natural and is geared to the "Pro-Aging Revolution," meaning staying away from makeup that just makes you look older than you are! It's very minimalist and feels good!

I had a late call on Friday afternoon from a couple for Airbnb this weekend so ended up busting my butt to get things tidied up and sorted out for them to arrive later on after 5. Luckily for them, the weather seems to have cleared a lot - at least for now - so they won't be drowned when they get here. Really nice people! This experiment is turning out well.

Mission Belize

Getting everything together for the Belize trip is quite a mission!

I dug out all my pareus from various trips and realize I still have my original ones from sailing on Vadura and Seedrache in the late 1960s! They feel so good - soft and well-worn! But they did smell a bit musty after being stashed away for a while!

One of the things on the list of "must-haves" is a dry bag for transporting stuff between the boat and shore in the dinghy. I found a really cool one online, and love that they support the Nature Conservancy, so that is the one I got and I will be reviewing it after the trip. It just arrived today and I like it already! It doesn't have that awful plastic smell that often clings to things like this. And it's bigger than I thought it would be which is perfect because, not that I will be going back and forth with my NEW iPadPro,(happy dance) it will fit in very comfortably, if necessary!

One of the other super important items is sunscreen. Especially after having two basal cell carcinomas removed off my face in the last two years, I really have to have a good one. I am so pale from living up here in the PNW, any tropical sun is going to fry me. So I have two testers from Live Ultimate Skincare, which is all organic. Julie, who turned me on to this brand, sent two because she knows that with eight women on board, I will be sharing with all the others! She also sent a CoconutClay Masque for apre sol!

Going through the list, I know I need shorts and another bathing suit. Plus a hat! Which I will probably end up swimming in. Plus long-sleeved white shirts! Thinking back to the long days I used to spend, skin unprotected, on the Durban beaches. If I had known then what I know now, well......

Tomorrow I will get a new glasses prescription so I can order my bifocal snorkeling mask! It wouldn't work to get a brand new underwater camera and not be able to see what I am shooting! The camera I have settled on is the Olympus Tough TG-4 that has been voted as one of the best. It's also wi-fi enabled so can download the images directly to the iPad. Cuts out a lot of steps in the work flow - no more juggling between Apple and PC. I have also added a wi-fi to my usual camera, the Lumix.

And I broke out the old sewing machine to whip up a couple of loose dresses (not muumuus!) as I know how much cooler they are in the heat. So the next few weeks are going to be very busy. I am still looking for a house sitter and signed up at trustedhousesitters.com after two people bailed who were on a different site. So far, I've had a couple of interested people and will wait til tomorrow and decide then.

Belize It!

Planning the Next New Big Adventure

Way back in 2000, I spent my birthday (link to my original blog of the trip) in Punta Gorda, Belize. My friend Susan, who was traveling with me, celebrated her 50th there! And that is where I will be spending my birthday this year! Probably not in PG Town, but on a boat. A big Moorings charter catamaran!

It's a lot of years since I had anything to do with running a charter boat, but that is the big plan. In March, Betsy and I are taking a group of woman to Belize to sail the islands aboard a large catamaran. There will be a total of eight of us, all AARP qualified! Some have some sailing experience, while the others are novices. Betsy knows them all; I only know her and Pam, a friend from this area. We will be on assignment for Sailing Magazine - Betsy as the journalist and me as the photographer.

Betsy has been involved in several of these charters with Bobby G, a good friend who isn't able to do them any more, so I volunteered to fill in as first mate, with Miss B as the skipper. I was able to join them both on a sail on the Chesapeake in 2011 I think it was!

Below is a promo video of the boat we will be on, although this one is sailing in the British Virgin islands. (Maybe that's our next charter expedition!)

We have been doing the trip planning and will spend seven days on the boat and extend the trip for four more days in the jungle.

The Moorings base is in Placentia, which is a small town where Susan and I stayed for a night when we were there. I know it has changed a lot since then, as there are now numerous large, glitzy hotels whereas we stayed in a small guest house on the beach. Betsy and I get there a day early to provision and load the boat and get the usual pre-charter check out. The following day, the crew arrives, late in the day, and we head out at first light the next day- to the cays and the second largest coral reef in the world.

Our plan is to island hop, dropping a hook after sailing for a couple of hours and then spending the rest of the day either ashore exploring or snorkeling or lazing on the boat - or all of the above! It's a small country so distances are quite small and hopefully very protected within the reef. Several of the small islands have restaurants and bars, so we will probably eat ashore quite a bit but will also be doing the cooking aboard as needed.

When we return to Placentia on the morning of the last day, four of the crew leave to make their flights out of Belize City but the other lucky four, including me, head to a jungle hotel called Maya Mountain Lodge. From there, we are doing a day trip to Tikal, a Maya ruin across the Guatemala border, and a caving expedition at Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave close by the hotel.

My biggest concern while there is the sun! Living up here in the PNW, I am so pale that any sun is really going to nail me, so I am looking at heavy duty sunscreen and clothing with Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF). And of course, after having two nasty BCCs taken off my face in the last couple of years, I will have to be extremely cautious about sun on my face! I expect I will even swim in a hat! But I just can't wait to get into that warm, crystal clear, silky water with my new bifocal snorkeling mask (on the list to order). The mask will make a huge difference, especially as I will do underwater photos too, with a camera I hope to get very soon.

My other concern is I have still to find a house sitter to take care of the kitties. I've found two who have both bailed on me! So the ad is running again, and I just hope I find someone soon.

Heading Home via Ensenada

After a wonderful day on the Ruta del Vino, we headed south to Ensenada for fish tacos! Even though it was early, we decided to forgo breakfast near the Airbnb for a small restaurant right in the fish market.

It wasn't too early for Margaritas though!

The old areas of Ensendada haven't really changed much. The harbor is still full of old fishing boats and the quay lined with vendors selling colorful sarapes, toys and leather goods. Walking through the fish market was a feast for the eyes, with fresh catch beautifully presented, and the sellers hawking their wares! Of course, as we were leaving and didn't have a cooler, we just looked and took pictures!

The streets are surprisingly clean, not something I remembered from the last time I was there. But the stores lining the downtown still gave Phil the opportunity to practice his bargaining skills! And whether we scored big time or not wasn't the issue, we just had fun and a lot of laughs!

But the fun stopped abruptly when, on the way out of town, we hit a HUGE pothole that flattened one of the run-flat tires! Fortunately we were right next to a petrol station where five other cars, also with damaged tires and rims had pulled in. Unfortunately, there was no tire outlet even within 100 miles that had the right tire so we limped north to San Diego and the BMW dealer, stopping every 10-15 miles at a gas station to give the tire some air. $400 later, and hours later we made it back to Studio City.

Despite the tire problem, that was one of the most memorable trips I have taken in a long time and I can't wait to go back, and spend more time exploring.

[su_carousel source="media: 2727,2726,2725,2724,2723,2722,2721,2720,2719,2718,2717,2716,2715,2714" link="lightbox" width="620" height="600" items="4" autoplay="3000"]

Ruta del Vino Getaway Part 2

The Grand Tour

image

PART 1 is ->here

Because we figured we'd be drinking all day, breakfast at La Fonda was the order of the day! And we shared it with the chickens! Well, not exactly! They were on the outside patio, while we sat inside where it was a bit warmer.

By 10, we were fed and ready and were pleasantly surprised to find our tour guide, Ava Nirvana Caro Perez waiting for us with a comfortable van and driver from Trans-turismo Ruta del Vino Valle de Guadalupe! Ava is a master sommelier and we had her to ourselves for the whole day.

Our driver took the old road that winds through the valleys and Ava, such a wealth of knowledge, regaled us with stories of the history, the local people...and of course the wine and the literally hundreds of wineries that have blossomed in the past decades. It seemed like every little side road in the valley had the Ruta del Vino emblem, indicating another winery.

Because Ava has personal relationships with the majority of the vineyard owners, we were, I feel, given special treatment at the three we visited. They were all so different, producing completely different styles of wine. I love wine, and way back in my youth, even took quite an extensive wine class in South Africa (personally, still my favorite wines) but I haven't retained enough of that information to be anything of an expert. So it was wonderful to have Ava telling us about the grapes and the complete wine-making process, from planting to drinking!

I took only my iPhone6+ and it did a wonderful job

Our first stop was Sol y Barro. The property is amazing, all the buildings and art work created by hand by Aime Desponds who has an intriguing history. Coming from Switzerland by way of Orange County, California, he has almost singlehandedly developed the winery buildings from the soil on his land, using the COB method of building. The walls are thick, keeping the interiors cool during the long hot summers. The raw walls of the windows show the layers of building material that are used, one on top of the other, drying in between each layer. His artwork is everywhere! Masks on the walls, glazed tiles around the doors.

And his greatest achievement is the wine! We tasted three, all of which were wonderful, one being the latest vintage that wasn't even labeled yet! When Ryan decided to buy a couple of bottles, the name and year were written on the bottle in gold marker! Talk about personal attention!

Checking out the sandbag construction at Alxmia Winery

Out next stop was a more corporate winery called Alximia. Driving up to it, in the distance it looked like a space ship resting on the hilltop. Once we arrived, we saw the eco-friendly construction - filled sandbags laid like bricks and then adobe spread over them. The interior is concrete with enormous spanned arches reaching skyward. Again, the wines were wonderful, we tasted three and Ryan bought one we love called Gaia, described as "The Goddess Earth: Regeneration of forgotten aromas, with a strong fruit balance." It's a lovely blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and Syrah.

Next stop, Viña De Frannes. The history behind this vineyard is long and complicated, with land sales and family events that link Chateau Camou and Viña de Frannes. This is a spectacular 1,000 acres spread, with the tasting rooms in a classic mid-century building that somehow lends itself to the terrain.

A fabulous Argentinian lady named Sylvia poured and regaled us with wonderful stories of the area and families. And she told us of a tradition that I swear has changed my life - for the better!

The winery building are surrounded by gardens and in the gardens are red pepper trees. Sylvia told us that if you hug a pepper tree, you will release all the negativity and good things will happen! I leaped (well, not quite leaped but hurried) to the tree and hugged it mightily!

And since then, things and circumstances have changed dramatically!

Back to the wine tasting, Ryan once again bought a couple of bottles, we bid Sylvia adios and headed back to Alximia for a light supper before the drive back to La Mision and our Airbnb.

This is one day that will always be marked as Excellent and bring fond memories when I look at all the images stored on my new iPad Pro.

Ruta del Vino Getaway Part 1

How could Ruta del Vino be so unknown?

Wonderful Mexican colors

I hate to even think how many years ago, Randy and I would drive down to Baja California, crossing the border in Tecate, then wend our way down to San Felipe on lightly-traveled roads that wound through the Guadalupe Valley and a small ejido called Santo Tomas, where there was a tiny winery.

What a change a few decades can make!

Earlier in the year, Ryan had taken a trip south and raved about the area and all the wineries, so I was excited when he suggested we go for a couple of days after Christmas. I jumped at the chance to visit and find out for myself. So Ryan and friend, Phil from Tennessee, and I drove down to go wine tasting in that same area. On his earlier visit, he had hired a taxi to drive them around but considering there would be three of us, he chose to hire a guide! Great move!

The plan was to drive down from Hollywood, to arrive at our Airbnb at Rosarito mid-afternoon, spend some time on the beach and head out early the next morning, for a full day of wine-tasting.

Crossing the border between the U.S. And Mexico is always a stark reminder of the disparities between the two countries. On the U.S. Side, the infrastructure is modern; housing is structured; it's all first world. Cross the border and shanty houses cling to the hillsides, their walls barely hanging together. Streets are higgledy piggledy but surprisingly clean. Rules of the road are not always adhered to! Hence the need for additional car insurance.

Our Airbnb was delightful

But the area around Tijuana has developed a lot since I was last there in the early 1990s. Once out of the city and on the toll road heading south, the shoreline is lined with houses and high-rise hotels and condos, although many are sitting unfinished, stark gray skeleton silhouettes against a spectacular ocean view.

The toll road got us to our destination by about 3 and we checked into our charming Airbnb located in La Mision, down on a tiny dead-end side street, one of three apartments that Cathy runs. It's fully equipped, with everything anyone can need for a stay. She even sent up cookies and a cheese a plate to welcome us.

Of course, the first thing we did was head down to the beach. And down it is! I didn't count the steps, but there are a lot, but the climb is well-worth it. The beach is spectacular and as it was low tide, expansive. We walked to the tide pools to the south, passing a group of youngsters playing with fireworks, which are legal in Mexico. Big booms! Also legal are dogs on the beach, which was lovely to see. Dogs off leashes, running and playing unrestricted, ignoring or greeting others without conflict.

On the way back, we climbed up to a bar that is just a couple of doors down from our home for the few days. And celebrated with a real Mexican margarita while watching as the sun slipped lower and lower, creating one of the most magnificent sunsets I have ever seen. Needless to say, I took far too many pictures.

Dinner was at a less-than-memorable restaurant, so much so I don't remember the name! But the wine was good, we were tired and ready to get a good night's sleep in preparation for the big day.

Part 2