Belize 2003

Flores

Thursday March 20

We watched the locals arrive in Flores for work and school by water taxis and dugout canoes.



At 9:30 we headed off in a launch for San Andrés and our Spanish lesson and tour of the Eco Escuela's gardens and lookout. It was very smoky from all of the burning of the fields that the farmers do at this time of year so we never did go to the lookout.
At 11 we gathered in the library for the "lesson". The lesson was intended to demonstrate the teaching techniques they used and how the instructors could teach Spanish to an English speaker even though the instructor knew no English. We knew enough Spanish to find it fun but others found it too long and stressful.

We loaded into the launch and ½ way back stopped at a shallow area in the middle of the lake for a very refreshing swim on a very hot day.



Flores, some years ago, was a small fishing village with only small homes around the high cathedral. Recently, it has become a thriving tourist centre with many of the small buildings being transformed into hotels.

José (our guide/boatman in the afternoon ) claimed this is causing the island to sink!

Bill had asked Martin if he could organize rental of a dugout canoe. At the Flores beach, Martin found José, a young (~15 year old) boatman who said he would organize rentals.

We got over to José's house in San Miguel where José pointed, with a smile, to derelict dugouts. No, we didn't use them. Some kids were bailing out another for us. There was also a narrower one with no water in it (at that moment). Lorna and Rich got in it. José insisted that we sit on the bottom because of balance. It became wet and muddy and was not very comfortable.

We found the canoe quite tippy but were getting the hang of it and paddled around a bit while B & B got into the other canoe, also sitting on the bottom.
We took our canoe in and José then got us one of the big freighter dugouts which would hold all Mike & Carol and Lorna & Rich. We were able to sit on the gunwales, which was quite comfortable and stable. We paddled around an island and met up with Barb & Bill whose canoe was wider than our first one and did not leak. They had found some new birds and were happy.