August 27, 2017

Sunday morning is here. Despite never sleeping more then 5 hours any night on this trip, I have been all go, go, go. For the first time today I am actually tired; Sunday morning vibe, no desire to do anything but lie around. I make coffee in my room and park myself on the couch watching TV. Hurricane coverage dominates the headlines. A tinge of guilt as I watch flooding and destruction of property while I am “stuck” in paradise. I go eat breakfast, enjoy my banana bread, assortment of fresh tropical fruit and scrambled eggs. I alternate between starring out at the lagoon and disappearing into my a book. Victory at last. I’m finally at the place everyone told me to be, I just want to veg out.

I don’t emerge till past noon. Figure it’ll be a beach and reading day. You know, what I said I would do in Belize but haven’t been able to sit still for? Let’s finally give in to what this resort specializes in; what resorts specialize in? More reading. My Jewel Trader of Pegu was a good suggestion by Mom. The stranger in a strange land motif fits my travels. It gets too hot quickly. I order a local drink special at the swim up bar. Coconut rum and pineapple juice is an extremely popular drink in Belize. Here it’s called “The Panty Ripper” like a Moscow Mule or Old Fashioned back home. It’s listed on the drink board as today’s discount special. Political correctness has not found its way to Belize. In the pool is where Andrea and Nate find me. They invite me over to sit with them for lunch. Sunday is BBQ day at The Belize Ocean Club. Under a canopy, feet in the sand, I eat a whole grilled lobster with plantains, rice and beans and corn. The company is warm and friendly. At lunch Nate announces “we’re drinking our troubles away today”. At first I think, “No, that’s not my plan. I’m reading and swimming, maybe kayaking again?”. But then I realize, oh no, that is the only plan. I let myself be taken with the tide. I spend the next 4 hours with Nate and Adrea, mostly in the pool, around the swim up bar, drinking and swapping stories. We talk about Hurricane Harvey, our families, my movie, their courtship, our careers, and share some of our Belize adventures. We are contrasted at the pool by a stranger threesome. And in this case I think the term is literal; a guy and two girls. He’s black, muscular, oozing with confidence. The girls are both late twenties, one blonde and buxom, the other brunette and exotic. They taunt the bartender who we’ve adopted as a friend. They’re sloppy; yelling, groping, kissing, grinding on each other on beach chairs. At one point the blonde borrows a line from Gladiator and yells, “Are you not entertained?” to all the eyes that are on them. They are hard to miss. But they burn bright but are quickly extinguished, leaving the pool for who knows where. I don’t see them again. They are only a blip on the radar, stealing focus for just a bit. They do not sour our fun. The drinks, stories and friendly banter with Nate and Andrea more then carry the day. It’s a really good day. And by the end, we’ve become good friends.

I book a Jungle tour for tomorrow, my last full day in Belize. I invite Nate and Andrea along but they sound doubtful. Still I am very excited. Some old visions of watching Saturday morning Tarzan films with Grandpa as a kid pass through my head. Guessing the real thing will look a little different. Hopefully I don’t have to wrestle a crocodile.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday. Generally I find Sunday nights hard. But not this one. I’m in the perfect frame of mind. Sunday is the first night I don’t go out. After a long day of drinking in the sun, Sunday night I watch TV. The reception is snowy. It fits perfectly with the action on screen. It contrasts my slow turning, wood ceiling fan overhead that helps the tropical air move through my apartment. I watch the new Game of Thrones, as Jon Snow leads a team north of the wall to capture an army of dead soldier!! Watching the snowy tundra beyond the wall from tropical paradise. It’s the second to last episode of the season. The ending has me in shock. Typical Belize. Lazy Sunday’s are the same everywhere?

https://www.belizeoceanclub.com