Snappa fa da Whoppa, Snook fa da Crook, Jack fa da Back...

As I mentioned before, I am currently working with an organization called the Toledo Cacao Grower's Association, or TCGA. About a week and a half ago the manager announced a staff trip. We would be going on an overnight fishing trip. Belize is right on the sea, and home to the second largest barrier reef in the world, so naturally it is rich in beauty, and opportunities like this one.
So, we set out on an adventure on the Caribbean Sea. We had our captain named "Scully", who allowed us to pick out our snorkeling gear for the next couple of days. We hopped in the boat and loaded all of our supplies for the two days. Supplies included: Water, Coolers, Knife, Fishing line, Boom Box, Black Eyed Peas CD, and Beer. We were set. We headed out for the open sea. We began the show right away by dropping our lines. I am not much of a fisher women, but I did know that we were supposed to use poles... right?

WRONG!

Poles are for amateurs here in Belize. You just get any old bottle, board, or other common household item - and start wrapping your line around that. Then you "rig" the end with your hook and bait. We went out to catch our own bait this time. Scully pulled up a million tiny fish with his net, and we were set for the entire day. So, I grabbed my used sprite bottle, equipped with my fishing line, and went to work.I felt the pull on my index finger, and gave a good jerk. I got it!! Pulled up a nice Snapper. "I love fishing!!". Two hours later after not catching anything else = "I hate fishing!!". The trend went like this for the entire weekend.

It was a weekend full of excitement though, no doubt. As a group we caught a whole cooler full of fish including Barracuda, Tuna, Yellow Tail Snapper, Red Snapper, Kingfish, and a variety of other fish I don't know the name of. Some of which the Belizeans named "Ole Lady" and "Young Gyal". I don't know about that business. In addition to the fish we were able to see all sorts of other marine life too. We saw a whale shark, some other type of shark, and a plethora of dolphins. We were also able to see brand new baby sea turtles that hatched on the Caye the night before.
Once we arrived at the Caye, we got to swim and rest in the pristine sand. We went to the Sapodilla Cayes, and specifically, Lime Caye. We had our meals prepared for us by a wonderful local cook - Ms. Sandra. For dinner that night we enjoyed delicious fresh fish that we caught that day - bar-b-qued on the grill. Served with the traditional rice and beans.

De-Damn-Delicious

as my uncle likes to say. I have never enjoyed such fresh fish, that was so nicely prepared.

That night, guess what? Fishing again. I was more interested in the stars. I have never seen so many stars in my entire life. It is amazing how much light and pollution hinder our views, and most of us don't even know what we are missing! It was a sight you had to see to believe.

The next day we went out for more fishing after we enjoyed a scrumptous breakfast. We also got to do some snorkeling on the reef. We saw fire coral, Lobsters, jellyfish, myriad of aquatic fish life, and the coral on the reef itself. It is absolutely breathtaking.
Literally. To be so close to such natural beauty is a gift that I thoroughly enjoy! Unfortunately the trip had to come to an end, and the day was drawing to a close. I am always surprised by the little nuances of cultures that present themselves when you least expect it. This trip taught me a lot about Belize, and Belizeans as well. I learned that you only need what is necessary. Necessity rules, not yearning and desires. Do we need fishing poles? Heck NO! I also learned a little more of the local language - the Kriol, which is where I drew my title from. Whenever you catch one of these fish, we would all scream it out. I tried to catch as many as possible! My favorite

Snappa fa da Whoppa

. Until Next time...