Of course that's moronic. A major project, with all the stress and fighting and hacking people's ideas to little bitsy pieces and questioning their ability to do simple things like add two numbers ... this is the perfect time for a vacation. And being on the Workday Human Resources project for Cornell, and with three months to go until rollout, it's the perfect time to pace yourself until the final sprint. (I can't believe I'm using sports analogies. This is proof positive I need a vacation.)
Fall is the really the pinnacle of beauty and richness in southern New York, with peak color on the trees, apple festivals, pumpkins filling the roadside stands, donuts and cider. One last hurrah before winter drops down like a tablecloth.
Screw that! Amy and I are going to Belize. It's subversive! After a hot summer we're going to cap it off ... with more heat! And it's the last of the wet season. Next month, it'll be overrun with tourists escaping the blizzards and dysfunctional holiday dinners with family.
In case you don't know, and I certainly didn't, Belize is a small South American country near Guatemala. It's the former colony called British Honduras, and it's on the Carribean Sea and shares some characteristics of your typical Carribean tourist destinations like Cancun. But it's FAR less built-up. You can see it when your jet lands in Belize City, on a single landing-strip airport.
We got up at 3:30 to take the early plane from Syracuse (already you're thinking, who gets up at 3:30 for vacation?) We stepped off the plane in jeans and shirts and jackets, and got blasted by mid 80's heat and humidity. Obviously we were overdressed. We took a puddle-jumper over to San Pedro island, got to our villa and took care of the situation right away. Shorts and t-shirts. Standard Belizean vacation uniform!
So the picture above is not from the travel brochure. It's the real deal, looking off our patio door. Palm trees. Coconuts. The infinite ocean. The soft sea breeze. The professor pedaling his bicycle to charge the radio battery. OK, I made the last one up.
And the sounds! First you think it's your electronic going off, beeping and blooping. But the beeps and bloops end with rasping or a flip in the tone and you realize ... that's a bird, idiot! I have no idea what their names are. Supposedly there are toucans all over, the Belizean national bird. But I haven't seen any yet. Nor have I seen Fruit Loops.
We swam in the ocean - beautiful and clear and waveless (thanks to the barrier reefs out there, which we'll see tomorrow). The sand is soft and supple. My toes were happy squishing around in them, and if you can get your toes happy, the rest is sure to follow.
There are virtually no cars on San Pedro, just bicycles, a few motorbikes. People just walk from place to place. What a concept! We walked up the beach to Lily's for dinner. Amy and I split a plate of grilled conch and tequilla-roasted grouper. The grouper was the freshest fish I have ever tasted - it melts on your fork, much less in your mouth!
Conch is really good stuff, and you can't get it very many places in the states, My only knowledge of it was from Lord of The Flies, where the conch shells the kids blow are some symbol for something-or-other (god knows what - my English teachers are cringing.) We had ours grilled, although it's most popular in soup. It's a little like squid, but the outside is more chewy and the inside is more tender. It's not as fishy as most seafood, it almost takes like a vegetable. I'm sure Grover wouldn't appreciate it.
It's time to let go, let go, let go...
In case you don't know, and I certainly didn't, Belize is a small South American country near Guatemala. It's the former colony called British Honduras, and it's on the Carribean Sea and shares some characteristics of your typical Carribean tourist destinations like Cancun. But it's FAR less built-up. You can see it when your jet lands in Belize City, on a single landing-strip airport.
We got up at 3:30 to take the early plane from Syracuse (already you're thinking, who gets up at 3:30 for vacation?) We stepped off the plane in jeans and shirts and jackets, and got blasted by mid 80's heat and humidity. Obviously we were overdressed. We took a puddle-jumper over to San Pedro island, got to our villa and took care of the situation right away. Shorts and t-shirts. Standard Belizean vacation uniform!So the picture above is not from the travel brochure. It's the real deal, looking off our patio door. Palm trees. Coconuts. The infinite ocean. The soft sea breeze. The professor pedaling his bicycle to charge the radio battery. OK, I made the last one up.
And the sounds! First you think it's your electronic going off, beeping and blooping. But the beeps and bloops end with rasping or a flip in the tone and you realize ... that's a bird, idiot! I have no idea what their names are. Supposedly there are toucans all over, the Belizean national bird. But I haven't seen any yet. Nor have I seen Fruit Loops.
We swam in the ocean - beautiful and clear and waveless (thanks to the barrier reefs out there, which we'll see tomorrow). The sand is soft and supple. My toes were happy squishing around in them, and if you can get your toes happy, the rest is sure to follow.
There are virtually no cars on San Pedro, just bicycles, a few motorbikes. People just walk from place to place. What a concept! We walked up the beach to Lily's for dinner. Amy and I split a plate of grilled conch and tequilla-roasted grouper. The grouper was the freshest fish I have ever tasted - it melts on your fork, much less in your mouth!
Conch is really good stuff, and you can't get it very many places in the states, My only knowledge of it was from Lord of The Flies, where the conch shells the kids blow are some symbol for something-or-other (god knows what - my English teachers are cringing.) We had ours grilled, although it's most popular in soup. It's a little like squid, but the outside is more chewy and the inside is more tender. It's not as fishy as most seafood, it almost takes like a vegetable. I'm sure Grover wouldn't appreciate it.
It's time to let go, let go, let go...
3 comments:
Beautiful picture! Conch is really amazing. I had it in NC at a restaurant. It was fried conch, which was delicious! I look forward to hearing more about your adventures!
Hi Craig,
Lots of Conch in Key West. Had conch fritters every night at the Sunset Celebration in Mallory Square. Conch Chowder, too. Excellent stuff.
I guess it's more a question of When than Where for conch. I happened to be in Belize at the very start of conch season, which they say lasts 3 months or so. During that time, I imagine it's more available in the states.
YUMMY!
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