San Pedro Tuesday 11/29

In the morning Shannon called their friend who had a glass bottom boat and set us up on a tour for 9am, the tour cost us $80US and was worth every penny! They brought us to the Reef Runner boat station and got us situated with our guide Manuel.  We made a quick stop to pick up another couple, Peter & Dixie who were from Honduras, then off we went to Shark Ray Alley.  Once we anchored to a bouy Manuel started throwing dead fish into the water and all of a sudden big fish surrounded the boat. Then there were about 4 large nurse sharks!  They swam alongside the boat and Kris was able to reach down and touch one of them! Manuel said that we could get in the water with the sharks, that they wouldn’t hurt us, and that they don’t have any teeth… but it was quite windy and therefore a bit chilly, so we passed… plus it just seemed a bit scary! We also saw two manta rays!

Manuel blowing in a conch shell

Looking back at San Pedro

looking for fish

JJ enjoying the ride

Nurse sharks!

Then it was off to Hol Chan Marine Reserve where we again anchored to a bouy. Then the guys got in the water with Manuel and set off toward the Great Reef for some snorkeling. The boys and I put on life jackets and got in the water to swim for a while. The water was sooooo warm! I wore a mask and had some fun looking around under the water. I saw a school of groupers and two really big fish. The boys decided they’d rather sit in the boat so I got them wrapped up in towels and they sat with Dixie while I climbed back down the ladder to look around some more. No sooner had I put my head under then I saw a big nurse shark less than 10 feet away!! I scurried back up the ladder and waited a good while before going back in. It was so windy that I actually stayed warmer in the water than in the boat!

More nurse sharks- right by our boat!

Sweet Sleepy Aaron

The guys came back and Kris said he really enjoyed the snorkeling during the day more than at nighttime. There was just so much more to see. He saw a huge spotted eagle ray and something called a Christmas Worm- it grows out of the coral and is different colors and looks like a Christmas Tree, as soon as you touch it, it recoils into the coral instantly! We spent over 3hrs out in the ocean looking around for animals beneath the boat. By the time we reached the docks we were chilled to the bone and both boys had fallen asleep! We found a restaurant where we could sit in the sun and hungrily ate a big lunch before calling Shannon to pick us up and take us back to their apartment. 

Anthony and Shannon invited their friends Robert, Jessica and their 2 boys over for dinner and we volunteered to make nachos and tacos. Shannon took us back into town for groceries. We had to visit 5 stores to find everything, same as in San Ignacio, but one major difference was that with their small golf cart we could park right in front of the store instead of parking a few blocks away and having to walk. At my request we stopped at the bakery Casa Pan Dulce where we bought some donuts for breakfast and a loaf of this fantastic cinnamon bread. Shannon said they only make 4 loaves a day, so I was surprised to still find two loaves there at 3pm, so I snatched one up. Dinner turned out great and our boys had fun playing with Robbie, age 8 and Jackson, age 7.