garyandpearl

Wednesday January 28.

Today we did a 90 minute road trip further south to the Placencia area. This touristy area is similar to the Florida Keys with many shops and restaurants lining the streets. The village of 800 people used to be similar in feel to Hopkins, but now tourism has made it into a bustling destination. There are huge mansions lining the highway and THEIR highway is paved!!!

The one thing that we were recommended to do was get gelato at Tutti Frutti. After finally finding the shop and finding a parking spot, we found out that the only day of the week that they are closed is Wednesday. Insert sad face here! We strolled down the streets, but found that many of the shops were closed for lunch. We were striking out big time!

We left Placencia and headed back towards Hopkins. We managed to find a gas station along the way and filled up since they are few and far between. Premium gas (the only choice) was $4 US per gallon. Upon checking our Fodor’s guide to Belize, we found a highly recommended restaurant to have lunch at. The Maya Beach Hotel Bistro was right on the beach, and we gave it a try.

We started with a conch ceviche which was served with tortilla chips and deep fried plantain. It was SO tasty and had quite a kick from the hot peppers. Check our previous blog entry “Yes Chef” to see how it is made.

Our entree was three blackened fish tacos served with … guess what? rice and beans! Each restaurant has had their own take on rice and beans, and no two have been the same. We also got a serving of fish and chips! DELICIOUS!!! Fodor’s recommended that we also try the cinnamon “role”, so we walked down the beach while we waited for it to come out of the oven. Such gooey, buttery, and cream cheese icing goodness!!

Flowers at the Bisto:

A banana farm on the way:

On the road again, we arrived back just in time for Gary to take a picture of a local school girl.

He then headed back to the lagoon for more fishing,

and he captured some shots of a local fisherman using a net.

It takes a bit of skill to manage this!

I took the evening off and relaxed at Los Mangoes. Gary returned with no fish, so we carmelized some fresh bananas and served them with ice cream for a snack!