Wayward Traveler

11/02/2024

11/02/2024

31/01/2024

Day 11-13: Santiago, Chile
Our hotel was located in the coolest district in Santiago. Full of nightlife this little slice of heaven was nice compared to the rest of the city. Homeless were everywhere, graffiti on everything-literally-and it was really sad to see. Apparently, since Covid, this is a new thing for the city and they’re trying to figure out how to manage it.
Saturday, we met up with several friends from the trip and we visited the market, ate empanadas and drank PISCO. If you haven’t had this, you MUST. It’s the drink of Chile and SO good. We walked through a park and all ended up at our hotel courtyard where we shared bottles of wine. Ann took off for home, as did everyone else, so I had made reservations for a 12-course tasting menu (coming in at a measly $40…I couldn’t believe it). I was a little sad so I probably didn’t enjoy it as much I should. The separation anxiety was real. Spending two weeks with people nonstop and having everyone leave was tough!
Sunday, I was back into my groove, and went on a solo wine tour to Casablanca! We stopped at four wineries and had lunch, and drank lots of wine. I made new friends (and randomly saw friends from the cruise not part of our group!). The good news is I was able to get two bottles home. The bad news is our local wine shop carries the winery 😂 but at least I bought them for half the price locally!
I eventually headed to the airport and took a midnight flight home.

It was the best trip ever, and what a WAY to welcome in 40!

29/01/2024

Day 9-10 Antarctica!
We woke up Thursday morning fully expecting to be taking a zodiac to shore and then a flight, but the weather dictates everything and it was not meant to be. A Russian crew member on board -his dad was the commander of the Russian Antarctica research station for ten years-that we were docked at. The continent belongs to everyone who wants to research. There is a rock road that separates Russia from Chile’s research center which is where we would fly out of-and he made some calls. Before we knew it, we were doing something no other tourist group has done. Debarking and touring the area! Penguins and seals greeted us after we got off (disinfecting our boots everywhere we went). Russia has a gift shop that is mostly propaganda but I was able to get a keychain. We then toured a church on site! The wood brought in from the forests of Siberia! Our crew member talked about the research area.
Friday, we got word a plane would arrive around 3 and of course that meant we all missed our connecting flights previously planned so we ended up working on a different plan. The gentoo penguin plane arrived and we took off, saying farewell to Antarctica! We landed in Punta Arenas and our new flight was delayed, thankfully, bc we would have missed that too. We landed in Santiago around 10, and Ann and I headed to our hotel and then to dinner at 1 am. It’s truly wild how everything is still open so late.

28/01/2024

Day 8-Antarctica: LAND
Pictures: penguins, seals, and more baby penguins.
Wednesday morning I woke up at 445 to see the first view of Antarctica at shore. It was truly a breathtaking sight. You could hear the penguins already awake and walking along their penguin highway, seals laying on the shore, and eventually, whales entering the harbor of Half Moon Island.
We put on our ship provided boots -we had to step in disinfectant before getting on a zodiac and again on shore, and before entering the ship on the return. This was to keep unknown particles from entering the continent, and the avian flu. We took a zodiac boat over to the shore and touching land was one of the coolest things I’ll ever do.
For the next three hours I saw colonies of chinstrap penguins-baby penguins still covered in fur, huddling under their mom for warmth. Seals lounging on the shore, and a giant whale rib the size of a small car. Penguins have the right of way so we stepped off the highway to allow them through-and always 15 feet away from wildlife. Watching as they carried pebbles in their mouths to take back to their nests. We were not allowed to kneel or sit for pictures-nothing to be dropped. Only our feet touched anything tangible on shore. All this to keep the 7th continent protected. The temperature was in the 30’s and with the sun, didnt need gloves. Eventually we boarded the zodiacs and the crew member surprised us by taking us to the opposite shore where we saw an emperor penguin. This is so rare that majority of our crew hadn’t even seen one in the wild, in years of expeditions. He was taking a nap, but eventually woke to look at us, just as confused to see us as he was to us.
After lunch, our ship had moved a couple of hours away and we embarked on land again. We had further to walk bc the island harbor was filled with ice. The weather had quickly turned and was throwing snow down like it was a dagger. Ski goggles, glasses, nothing helped, except pulling my hood as far forward as possible. I walked a mile to the end of the island -the third person off the boat to make it-true grit and determination on my part because the wind and snow was extremely bad-to see some gentoo penguins-thousands upon thousands huddled together against the wind (that I was sure would carry me away). Waterproof means nothing to Anarctica, where it was said many times that it controls weather. I took pictures of baby penguins and the colonies, seals laying on the shore, and then made the slow and steady walk back to the boat, where I was drenched through three layers (but oddly enough wasn’t too cold). Bc the weather had changed so much, the water was pretty choppy and the polar plunge was in doubt. But the captain made some adjustments so we could do this amazing tradition. I changed into my swimsuit and Ann and I raced to the bottom of the ship, to be first in line. The thrill of not knowing what was ahead of us, as about 50 others stood behind us waiting for our reaction was so exciting. Without overthinking it, we took three steps and plunged ourselves into the icy ocean-the cold shocking my lungs and body but my brain knew what to do. Stroke after stroke I swam back to the ship, trying to catch a breath but it all felt compressed. I scrambled up, and felt my sensories go into overload, the adrenaline rushing through my body, and cheered, everyone else on board cheering with me. Then being handed a towel-catching my first breath-and taking a shot of vodka with Ann-who never hesitated when i asked her 1.5 years prior if she wanted to do something crazy for my birthday. The sheer power you feel traveling to another country, or even solo in the US is unmatched.
And just like that, years of planning had come to fruition and I had stepped onto the 7th continent and been baptized and welcomed by the Antarctic.

26/01/2024

Day 5-7 Antarctica:

Sunday afternoon we took off for Anarctica and the Drake Passage. I’m sure you’ve seen the videos of the waves hitting the boat and people laying in bed unable to get up. Many of our people were sick, but we had a relatively calm passing-the Drake lake more than the Drake shake. It was definitely hard to walk around Monday without falling into things band the highest waves were 13 feet. But it was about a 3 on a scale of 10. I can’t imagine it being worse tbh. Dramamine kept me strong but I definitely didn’t feel myself. The room on top of the boat where we all sat made me feel off so after lectures I would go back to my room and nap or read.
We had lectures about the different types of penguins on the continent, seals, whales, birds, how to best shoot photography, what it’s like to live and research in Antartica, and learned about the treaty that gives the continent to countries who want to research it.
I loved our group of 15-many of you know I’m a travel agent -and the agency I work for organized this. (So I’m happy to plan this for anyone wanting to go!). If you go, please go on an expedition ship. Cruises do NOT let you off as there are too many people. Stick to a small working ship so you can really experience the continent. Saying you’ve been to Antarctica when you’re just passing by doesn’t count, and you can fight me on that 😂

We saw so many icebergs passing through (some GIGANTIC), and even got to go where the captain is and meet the staff guiding the boat. Yes, I made a ton of titanic jokes and exclaiming “iceberg ahead!!!”

25/01/2024

Day 1-3 Buenes Aires, Argentina
We landed mid-morning and checked into our hotel in the Palermo district. We headed to the Recoleta Cemetery where we walked amongst the family crypts. The famous Eva Peron is buried here! Afterwards-and a highlight of my trip-we met up with one of my best friends from Arizona and former coworker, Julie! Argentina is very cheap right now-5 beers, an empanada and a flatbread pizza was $11 😳
We literally took $40 in cash to spend in Argentina and had trouble spending it over the course of four days. After that, we headed to a TANGO dinner and dance! A famous Argentinian singer also performed! It was AMAZING watching the show! It doesn’t get dark until about 11 pm in South America as it’s their summer time right now-and the sun comes up at 4 am. So it was definitely an adjustment eating dinner at 11 pm or 12 am.
Friday, we had brunch with Julie and checked out a bookstore that has earned the title of prettiest in the world. Placed inside an old theater, this place was AMAZING!

25/01/2024

Day 3-5 Ushuaia-
Traveling to one of the most southern towns in South America to kick off our trip to Antarctica was one of the highlights. Ann and I arrived Friday evening, met the rest of our group of 15, and took off for dinner. Of course, I had found the best restaurant in town but it was over a mile walk away. We head there around 9 pm and felt completely safe walking. Leonardo DiCaprio ate here while he filmed!
The next day we toured the infamous Tierra Del Fuego park and while the rest of our group did group tours…Ann and I took a five dollar Uber to the park, dropped us off at the front-and we hiked several miles into the park along trails. We didn’t see one other person on the trail-but we did run into the train, herds of wild horses, and beautiful scenery before finding the southernmost post office 😂
We met up with the group for late night drinks and Sunday, walked around shopping and got our first glimpse of our ship-the Ocean Nova-a true expedition ship! Only 100 people or less can be on land at a time in Antarctica. The ship holds 65 passengers, so we got to know everyone really well! We boarded around 4 pm and set sail-heading straight for the tumultuous Drake Passage!

17/01/2024

Welcome to ! My fifth continent! Happy early 40th birthday to me!

05/10/2023

11 years of marriage, two girls, and lots of traveling-Happy Anniversary! 💜

02/10/2023

Last week I went to for a short trip. I hadn’t found a lot of detailed information on any of the travel pages so I was a tad nervous as I am a planner!
We stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel Amman and it was wonderful. Super clean, the restaurants were amazing (the French one and the local Jordanian restaurant). I flew in at 6 am and was sitting at breakfast by 730. The buffet for breakfast had a hundred different items and was a great start to my visit.
You need a visa to visit Jordan if you’re coming from the US-I purchased ahead of time the Jordanian pass. It covered Petra, Wadi Rum, and a visit to the Citadel (plus dozens of other things). It covers a lot of things so even if you plan to visit at least Petra, it’s worth the cost ($98). A visa alone is $50.
After I ate some breakfast, I took a quick 3-hour nap and then lounged by the pool before heading to the Citadel. This was a super cool start to my trip and one my husband was able to join me on. It’s truly remarkable how old everything is in the Middle East and how well it’s still put together.
Monday morning was the start of my solo tour and this was such fun! I booked a two-day trip to Petra/Wadi Rum/Dead Sea via the Jordanian Private Tours and Travel. It was the same trip advertised on Viator but $50 cheaper booking direct! The driver picked me up at my hotel at 630 and there were six other people there-all who became great friends by the end of our trip together. We stopped several times on our three hour drive to Petra-to look at distant castles and restroom breaks. We opted to eat after leaving Petra at 330 and that was how I knew other people are built differently. I almost became a heat casualty. It was only 84 degrees but there’s little shade and I don’t know how others don’t eat but there’s zero way I can do that. I drank 2 liters of water during the five hours we were there but I knew that the last mile (8 miles total-we didn’t go to the Monastery which was another 1.5 miles past the city center) I was close to passing out. Soooo don’t be like me and don’t listen to anyone else who wants to eat after. The food is reasonably priced there and that’s my only regret all week. Petra itself is wonderful. You can find the way to the lookout (the famous picture view) on your own but the men there will take you for 5 Jordanian dinars and honestly...why not. It’s not going to break me and I know they don’t make a lot. They also happened to be amazing videographers and photographers! After Petra, our driver (who was amazing!) picked us up schawarma and we headed to Wadi Rum (another 2 hours away). Once there, we hopped into the back of a truck and took off through the desert. We made several stops and honestly, it was so beautiful seeing the red sand and talking with my new friends. We made camp at one of the many bedouin camps and they taught us how they cook food in a hole. The feast was worth the loooong day. I opted for a cabin with air and that was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
The next day our driver asked if we wanted to go to the Red Sea and snorkel for $20. We all said yes and off we went. We had a glass boat and then spent time in the Sea. We saw an octopus and all sorts of fish. Egypt and Palestine were directly across from us and it was just really neat seeing all these amazing cities come together in the same area. After that we drove to the Dead Sea where a buffet was included at the Crown Plaza. We slathered on mud (listen...it smells. It makes your swimsuit smell...it really wasn’t pleasant. But...you have to do it). It really was cool to see us just float right up to the surface. We got back to Amman around 7 pm-a very long two days and I was really sad to say goodbye to all of my new friends.
The next day my husband’s driver took me to Rainbow Street where I checked out Books@cafe. This place is like a totally different world-and had some amazing food! Then I headed to get some chocolates for my preschool class and stopped at the Blue Mosque. They provided the correct clothing for the mosque and it truly was a tranquil experience. That afternoon, my husband joined me and wanted me to visit Madaba as they’re known for their mosaics. We went and he was right-the streets were so cute, and the shops reminded me of Europe. We found some fabulous mosaics to bring back with me. That night we ate at Sufra Restaurant- which was one of my favorite meals of the week (make sure to make reservations). We sat outside in the garden and it was great to meet up with friends who live in Amman.
If you need a driver-the US government hires a couple of men who are fabulous drivers. Amman is a little intimidating in regards to driving and I felt incredibly safe with them. They also organized pickups for me at the airport and recommended restaurants and things for me to do while my husband was working-and took me there. They also took my husband and others to Petra and Wadi Rum after I left-and were able to do it pretty cheaply. Naser Saud was absolutely wonderful and the best driver ever. His WhatsApp is +962 7 9014 2652. I would recommend him for families, solo travelers, business-anything.
As for souvenirs -we picked up jewelry mosaic boxes for our daughters, olive oil, lots of dead sea products are available, mosaic pictures, bath salts, and beautiful head scarves. It is a more modern western middle eastern country, but I made sure my shoulders were covered and dresses past my knees out of respect. I didn’t find the food or anything really expensive as I had heard-but we live in Colorado where everything is more.

19/09/2023

If Moses won’t part the Red Sea for us, we will 🤿 it!

(But also checked out the Dead Sea)

22/01/2023

Week 2 of our Italy trip:

Friday-Monday: Rome. We stayed in the Monti district. It’s within walking distance of everything! We first visited the Spanish steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Piazza Navona. The piazza was empty when we got there, which was really odd. Not even peddlers set up. I was hoping to purchase some more art, but nothing to be seen. Christmas decorations were just being set up around Italy when we arrived and Rome was the most ready during our two weeks. We had a reservation at Ai Tre Scalini and it was really good. We had several appetizers and pasta dishes. The outside is BEAUTIFUL. Ivy hanging down, tons of options for wine. Just a great spot. Fun fact, we had pasta at every dinner except one during the two weeks and none of us got tired of it!

Tours: Vatican-we took the train and we tried to book MariaClaudia but she was booked and recommended Alessandra Di Bartolomeo. I’m so glad we went with Alessandra. A little bit cheaper and the tour was amazing. It was 2 hours and a scavenger hunt with a prize at the end for the girls. She was super personable and the girls loved her and stayed engaged the entire time. Heck even we did. We had toured the Vatican before children and I remember it being the worst part of my trip (make sure to dress appropriately) and remember it being the longest walk ever. Because we went in November, it was still full but not packed. Which was wonderful. Seeing the sistine chapel is such a highlight. Her WhatsApp number is 3286022159. Let her know I sent you-she’s seriously wonderful and great with kids.

We then took a cab to Gladiator School. The museum was really cool (they let all four us go inside despite my two girls being the only ones who purchased the school.). It was 2 hours and a little ways out. A taxi is a must. They’ll send for cabs for you when you’re done too. Our girls seemed to be a bit young to understand and fully memorize or execute the moves but they absolutely loved it.
We had dinner at Trattoria Al Moro that night, another great meal (we only had a couple of bad meals and it was meals on the go and just stopping somewhere. Thus why reservations and research are important).

Sunday: my husband is in the US military. His battalion fought in Anzio before heading to France and he wanted to stop at the WW2 museum (Anzio Beachhead Museum) that has an American side honoring those soldiers. I wanted to go to Pompeii (second time I’ve missed it) but my husband is a good sport with my type A planning so off we went. An hour away the museum had a movie about that invasion and all types of artifacts. Coming from America….the artifacts in Italy are so much different then what you see stateside. It was a great little day trip.

Monday: We did the Colosseum and Roman Forum tour with Tommaso Settimi. You haveeee to book him. He was really funny and great with the kids. His mom was born in Italy, but moved to the US before moving back to Italy and having him. He also did a scavenger hunt with the kids.
For anyone not interested in tours…just do it. You learn SO much more than just walking around and reading a few sentences on a plaque or listening to a headset. I promise. I have done this both ways and I get so much more out of tours. When in Rome (or anywhere in the world—BOOK the tour even though it costs). Tommaso was super reasonably priced as well. I coordinated with him via Facebook.

We then did a long trip to Venice. That was a long drive and I’m not sure how I would do it differently next time. We stayed about 10 minutes from St Mark’s Square. It downpour the only full day we were there. Like inches of rain. Like pants soaked from the knee down bc the umbrella did absolutely nothing. I shook all day from the cold. My daughter’s said it was the most miserable day of their lives, lol. We did do an amazing mask making class. We found this on Air BnB experiences. The woman owns her own shop right off the Rialto Mercato bridge and it’s been in their family for decades and is one of the few traditional artisan studios. She was SO hands on with the girls and US as adults recommending how to paint and do stuff. Our masks actually looked really good. She recommended places to eat and things to do because the gondolas NEVER made it out from under their covers this day. It rained that much. I took the chance to step out of the rain by shopping the rest of the day. 🤣
Wednesday, we had to leave by lunch and had reservations at 9 am for a Murano glass class. We met in San Marco, by the Rialto bridge and then jumped on a ferry to Murano. The demo was about 15-20 minutes long and then we all made bracelets or earrings out of glass. My girls loved this (but they loved everything we did).

We then drove to Verona and did the traditional stop for the Romeo and Juliet tower which was silly and fun. There is another coliseum there which is really cool. We then took off to Milan and stayed in the Lombardia area. It was loud here. I could hear full on conversations outside our room and fireworks going off.
We had a 930 reservation at Solferino and this was so yummy. Our friends loved it, the staff spoiled our kids with stuffed animals and bags of candy, and it was truly a traditional long Italian meal.
Thursday we headed to see the Duomo, and the Castello Sforzesco. People say Milan isn’t kid friendly but heck-the castle and the park around it is full of families. They loved FAO Schwartz and the Starbucks Reserve. The transportation in Milan is wild. So clean and everything is right there. The train, the bus, and the trolly. We took it all! SO easy! We again had All’Antico Vinaio sandwiches for lunch-and our friends agreed it’s the best sandwiches they’ve ever had.
The next day we had reservations to see the Last Supper painting at the Santa Maria church. We booked these a month ahead of time as they only let so many people in a day. This painting…there’s really no words for it. I highly recommend this as it will not be around forever.

We left the next day for home.

A wonderful trip, and we look forward to returning this summer.

For all the restaurants we ate at, we made reservations. I would never go to Italy and expect to eat authentic Italian food without making reservations. There’s usually two sittings 6/630 and 8-930 depending on the restaurant. Every place we went I saw people being turned away. We tried doing the earlier reservations but several times booked the 9-930 slot due to our schedule that day and our kids did great even leaving at 11-1130. I booked a month out for all the restaurants, but maybe 2 weeks would work too.

Italians love kids. Our kids were constantly being hugged, kissed on their heads, given buckets of candy, stuffed animals, hair ties, jewelry. It was almost comical watching it. Our kiddos travel almost monthly and they are great travelers, respectful and willing to learn about other cultures. They are very enthusiastic little travelers.

22/01/2023

Our family went on amazing two week trip to Italy in November. I’m JUST now getting caught up on life from the holidays.

Here’s a review of the first week!

We flew into Milan from Denver and rented a car with Discover/Leasys rental. We don’t like using public transportation for the simple fact we go off the beaten path, I like being on my time and not train schedules, and if we want to stop somewhere unexpected or stay longer, we can. We have driven in Italy previously, and honestly the driving has gotten a lot better since 2013! We found Rome much easier to navigate and Florence was a breeze. (Last time we ended up in the middle of a huge bike tour and found ourselves on a square with no driving…2 parking tickets a year later and we were much more aware of which signs to avoid)
We both purchased an orange sim card to use for mapping directions, calling places and reading reviews/social media/calling home/texting. We spent under 40 total for the two and never ran out of data. Much better than getting international plans through Verizon.

We drove to La Spezia and stayed one night at Affittacamere Casa Dane. They offered free breakfast and had parking nearby for free, or parking directly next door for $13/day. They are connected to the train station and it was easy to hop on and go to Cinque Terre for the day. We took the train to Manarola (2nd stop and all of 10 minutes). We ended up eating at a restaurant right on the bay and it was really good-with homemade noodles. We bought some limoncello to bring back to my mom as she’s obsessed with it. A great location to buy it as it is made right there.

Our daughter woke up at 3 am ready to go, but we explained the time difference and she went back to sleep. The first night was the only night they experienced jet lag.

We then drove to Pisa for the afternoon and walked around the Leaning Tower before heading to our agriturismo.

We arrived around 7 to Agriturismo Diacceroni. This is a super reasonably priced place and the staff is WONDERFUL. There’s a brewery at the beginning of the road, that we also tried. It’s brand new and really yummy (Poggio Rosso) make sure to try it out). We grabbed dinner at Diacceroni most nights. They offer free dinners if you stay a week. They’re partially closed November-February so check what they offer. Monday we did a pasta making class with another couple and this was SO fun. You learn how to make different types of pasta, and you keep your apron and the recipe. We have made the noodles since we got back (and my husband is making ravioli today!) We then enjoyed a three course pasta meal of the pasta we made, taking some back to our room (we stayed next to the restaurant but they have other rooms about 5-10 minute drive). We had a full size kitchen and living room and bedroom. The view is fantastic! Tuscany never disappoints me. We then did an EVOO class in the afternoon. We shook the olives off the trees, and then did a tasting. This farm has animals, lots of activities you can add on (including a pizza class), and the food at the restaurant is PHENOMENAL. We also bought several boxes of pasta, olive oil, and wine to bring back with us. I had brought a smaller suitcase to bring souvenirs back with us. But we bought so much stuff I decided to ship it. THIS IS MY BIGGEST MISTAKE. We left here and I never should have left it to be shipped. It was much more than I thought it would cost to ship. I should have bought a bigger suitcase for $80 bucks and it would have saved me hundreds. But because we were just getting started I decided to save our small suitcase for other stuff. MAKE sure to bring a large suitcase for this place alone. I promise you won’t regret it.

We went to Florence on Tuesday and used skip the line tickets for the Academia off Viator. Waste of money-there was no line and the tickets never showed up either way so I had to rebuy them on site. I wasn’t sure if my girls would like an art museum so I made a game for them-I would ask what they thought the art piece was about and then we would explain it. It was fun seeing how they interpret art and they loved it!
They rode the carousel at Piazza della Repubblica, we walked the outside of the Duomo, and wanted to see the Pinnochio store but sadly it closed right before for good.

Florence is a good reminder to know not to drive in ZTL areas. You can park in blue Iines for meters. We parked at the San Lorenzo parking lot below the Mercato Centrale which is centrally located to everything.

Must tries to eat: Venchi-we had gelato here in almost every city. Florence has several of the chocolate walls which is neat for the kids to see. We had lunch at Cibreo Trattoria (SO good even though it was a walk. On our way out we got sandwiches at All’Antico Vinaio. These are the BEST SANDWICHES you’ll find in Italy. They have several locations and we got them again in Milan with friends. I can’t stop raving about these. I waited a long time to have them again

Wednesday: Lucca. What a charming town that doesn’t get enough attention. We wanted to rent bikes and ride the wall but it was a downpour so we walked around instead and I”m so glad we did (but definitely returning to bike). We ate at buca Di Sant’ Antonio. This place opened in the 1700’s and have every single pot they’ve ever used hanging on the ceilings. The food was *chef’s kiss* good.

More on our second week incoming!

01/10/2022

Don’t forget Colorado friends-your child can ski or snowboard for free this winter. Sign up ends October 9.

The Epic SchoolKids Colorado Pack is a free program for Kindergarten through 5th graders that provides four days of skiing and riding at each of the state’s top-ranked resorts: Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Crested Butte.

25/07/2022

This is my review of our trip to San Pedro, Belize-our first half is already posted!
We docked in San Pedro around 4 pm on Wednesday-and had a cab take us to our hotel. We stayed at Isla Bonita Yacht Club. It includes a kitchenette, AC, huge bathrooms, and a living area (and a view of the ocean on our patio!). The staff here was nice-we didn’t see much of them as they didn’t arrive until 830 am and we were always gone early in the morning. The grounds and room were very clean and beautiful, and the pool was also pretty.
We booked a golf cart with One Love Golf Cart Rentals, and they had it to our hotel within 30 minutes of us texting to let them know we had arrived. Very easy to work with, and very helpful! It was also pink-which made our girls entire trip. This was definitely the most affordable we found. We ate at Blue Water Grill - San Pedro, Belize and really enjoyed everything. It was also right on the beach and we had a great sunset that night.
Thursday was SO much fun. We booked a snorkeling and beach BBQ with Ovel and Abraham. Ovel owns Ridge and Reef Adventure and this was one of my favorite activities all week. We left early in the morning and went snorkeling and then swimming with the nurse sharks and stingrays. Our daughters weren’t sure about putting their face in the water, so they stayed on the boat and fished. The fish they caught, ended up being cooked on a private island for lunch for us! There were also tamales and chicken and stew. We LOVED hanging out with these two guys all day. Super friendly and made our daughters feel right at home. We loved talking to them and really seeing the best parts of Belize. Highly recommend using them for your snorkeling adventures (they also do other excursions).
The next day we went to Secret Beach and hung out at tables in the water while the girls made sandcastles all day!

Make sure to visit Belize at some point in your life-it’s a really awesome place to visit!