On to Placencia February 25 2012

The black beast of a rental mafiosa SUV was replaced by white spray painted SUV, nice looking from afar. Upon closer inspection I mentioned that there was no tailpipe, and the windows did not want to go up or down. A few minutes down the road found Carol and I with headaches and nausea, so we pulled over and tried calling Mike Evans of Dangriga Auto Rentals about our second rental from him. Well, he knew about the tailpipe and offered to pick the car up from Placencia the next day and fix it. So we suffered through the day,over 27 speed bumps into Placencia ( where the exhaust fumes were unbearable) and the car was returned to us with air fresheners to cover the fumes and more lame promises. We had paid for the month and are still waiting to see if we were properly reimbursed our$1200USD. We finally found good rentals out of the Placencia airport. A good deal is $80 -$100 USD daily.

Our Vacation Rental By Owner-"BeachfrontinBelize" - was greatly appreciated in its beauty and serenity, and gave us the opportunity to prepare our own food, and shop at local markets. The ocean was stirred up and it was windy and the surf was up, so we stayed out of the water. The front porch was a beautiful space to hang out, and George and John kept each other company when they braved the murky water.Weeds and plastic washed ashore daily

We rented both sides of the house, giving us separate bedrooms bathrooms and kitchens.

The front faces the ocean and the porch was delighful and breezy.

Gechkos found their way inside, but the screens kept out mosquitos.

The long pier to the bamboo covered deck became a favourite place for me to do yoga.

Our neighbours were also VRBO -Angels Landing- and they had a swimming pool. Turns out is was available for later in our holiday, so we booked it. Both are just north of Maya Beach at the north end of the Placencia penninsula. Quiet and private there and busy,hot and active in town.

Placencia is more geared up for tourists, with a strong local feel to it. The main street is a board walk of a cement sidewalk. More interesting was the activity on the road, with fresh markets, dry markets, restaurants and a great fresh gelato store that we visited frequently. It was time out from scuba diving as John had trouble hearing from taking in too much water, and the guys had just done 7 days of 2 -3 dives a day. Besides, it was rough and expensive to go on diving as the dive sites were an hour off shore.

We toured the jungle at Cockscomb Basin. Hiked a jungle trail to a mountain lookout, then down a steep drop to waterfall. I could not get my breath climbing up, stopped frequently and rested, but nothing seemed to help in the dense humidity. Carol waited with me as the guys decended and swam. A womens collective sold Maya crafts and children made crafts to support their schools. The Belizeans did not badger or beg, simply offered what they made. Prices were consistant throughout the country, with the Belize Airport having a slight discount.

We toured the GOSS chocolate outlet with asmall factory in Seine Bight, a local garafuna Belizean village between Maya Beach and Placencia. Delicious dark special chocolate made with heritage chocolate beans. Took a picture that LOLA drew of the jaguar, then visited her studio. She is the most prolific artist and has colour styalized painting featuring scenes and people and animals of Belize. I painted a card in her style and came home and made a larger acrylic painting of curvaceous Belizean woman on the beach.