The stay in Dangriga was quite interesting. Dangriga is located south of Belize City, near the Cockscomb Fawley mansions.
There were five of us in the party, so the two men stayed in one room and the three women stayed in an adjoining room, as both rooms were on the second floor overlooking the Gulf of Mexico it was quite a view.
Most of the accommodations in Belize are on a level of what they were in the states in the 50’s, so luxury is entirely out of the question.
By the time we had checked in and unpacked it was time for dinner, noticing that imported beer was on the menu and being quite a sucker for a Californian beer, we decided to splurge and ordered room service, fried fish and house special.
Let’s just say the fish was rather skimpy, but the meal was decent, three courses for $7.00 ( forgotten Lemons and all) and a couple of pieces of fried banana.
You don’t expect to stay on an island in the middle of Baja and expect to pay for a room and board, so if you like being away from the hotels and only paying for a subsistence, then Dangriga is a great place to stay, it is also a conservation area, so don’t take anything down without permission.
The first night was rather uneventful, except for the fact that my flashlight kept going on and off, after about two hours of this way I finally got a light and managed to do some light shopping, and went to bed.
The second day was a slow day, not really giving much away, except to say that we saw a lot of fish and unbelieveably a six figure catch.
Of particular interest was some Geographic Information Survey, picked up on a Spanishhip between Menloven and Toledo, and we spent some time looking through the survey. We learned some history about the island. Apparently the island was called Sandwich because of the remarkable pile of wood that sat on its shore. It is not very well marked, so you have to take your time when you are looking, but it is a fun little tour.
Very interesting and different, was a little side trip to Patrick’s Wharf, where we learned a bit about the history of the wharf and its relationship to the Whidbey Island Tenants.
In general it seems that the wharf has been around since the late thirteenth century when the Mayflower embarked on its journey to Plymouth, and has remained a major transportation link until as recently as the early 1900’s. We identified several ships in the water for the final leg of its trip to port in San Francisco, and wondered if we could find the maiden voyage of the new Hudson River Packet.
Once we reached the lovely old wharf, we took a short walk to sample some of the fabulous new food, wine, and bakery items. The entire downtown was alive with activity, and everyone we spoke to offered suggestions about the best bread, coffee, and restaurants. We settled on a lovely spot at the Ritz, and watched the boats depart for the day’s additional trips to and from the port of Mobile.
So settled in, we wandered through the rest of the city, taking in the beauty of each window and riding the tram to the City Steps to pay our respects to the men who had saved the shipyard and whose remains are preserved there. The next stop was the Alabama Museum of Natural History, devoted to the history of watercolor painting. The admission is very educational, and the whole family can explore the individual exhibits and then leave the rest of the day for a stroll through the Many-kin Grotto. I can’t suggest this stop more highly.
Next, we returned to the Flagship Place Mall in downtown Hatshepsut’s old town. With Hidden Lake as a backdrop, we spent a quiet lunch in an interesting restaurant, then proceeded to the Camino coffee house to wait for the 5:00 pm departure.
Exactly five minutes before departure, we were on the boat heading out to sea. It was a beautiful clear autumn day and a glorious sight to see the magnificent sunset. The Sunset was by my side and it made for a truly beautiful clip.
We proceeded to the sandy beach area in the city of Sanya, located at the west end of Lake Victoria, and found that there were many things to do and see. First, we scouted the beach looking for seals and then, low and behold, there were only ones left! One after another, we inspected the beautiful and icy white sands and tried to spot whales. But most of all, I was addicted to the brilliant colors of the ocean and seas. Blue waters, pink sands, triangles, Vermilion etc. It was a magnificent sight to see.
