We just returned from a cruise through the Western Caribbean. It was a wonderful experience. I learned a lot about some different cultures, which I love to do. I learned that a little coconut oil completely changes beans and rice. I learned that there really are jungles. I saw that Caribbean reefs are prettier in person than in pictures. I also learned that some of our friends enjoy partaking of a dish called Bamboo Chicken. Sounds tasty, maybe even a little exotic.
Before you start hunting for this at your local Piggly Wiggly, allow me to inform you of what Bamboo Chicken really is.
But before I do......
Wendy, Shelby, and I decided to venture into the countries we visited rather than rely on the cruise's excursions.
We recognized that by booking our own adventures that we would experience a little more authenticity.
We were right.
Our first stop was Grand Cayman. It was fantastic!
We dove with our guide, Andy through Sunset House. We did a shore dive which was also our first dive in the ocean.
Grand Cayman is a beautiful island. Andy referred us to a local spot for lunch called Hammerhead's. Really good food and great atmosphere.
We next ventured into Roatan. I had only become familiar with Roatan a few months ago after my family started diving. Roatan is a small island off the coast of Honduras.
Although we didn't dive here, we experienced something almost as fun. We zip-lined through the jungle. This was a great experience. One of the highlights was that our guide, Pedro, actually built the course. It was a blast.
Next we headed to Belize.
Again, I had never really been familiar with Belize but once I started doing some research I got really excited. It too has a huge reef and a beautiful interior. We decided to go horseback riding through the jungle. We went to a resort deep in the jungle called Banana Bank lodge. It was unbelievable.
It is right on the Belize River and surrounded by the thick jungle. We were surrounded by Howler monkeys and even saw a wild Tucan in the trees. Pretty amazing.
Our trip ended in Cozumel. We dove with a company called Blue Angel.
They were great. For example, at the beginning of our first dive, Shelby got stung by a jelly fish. She was obviously upset and wanted to get back on the boat. Our dive master was very understanding.
I really thought we were finished at this point. The dive master was very patient and helpful with Shelby. He never pressured us to go in for the second dive. After a while Shelby decided she wanted to get in again and try.
The dive was fantastic. We saw a giant eagle ray, a barracuda, and the beautiful reef. We had heard about drift diving in Cozumel and were excited to try. The current was strong and made for an easy dive. The day ended with some great fish tacos and a sense of amazement at the natural beauty of what we had just seen.
All in all the trip exceeded any expectations I had. The people were very open and eager to share their culture. On the subject of culture.....
Meet the "Bamboo Chicken", also known as the Iguana!
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