ZECO TRAVEL TALK

Yesterday we woke up to sunshine and blue skies off Belize’s Half Moon Caye, but because of windy conditions and waves that would make snorkeling and diving difficult, we decided to reposition Le Levant to the other side of the island. It was well worth it as it was calm and those who wanted to go ashore could. Half Moon Caye is beautiful with white sand beaches and green palm trees…your typical paradise island! Everyone got to see dozens of frigates and red-footed boobies—this island is a National Monument and the only place in the region where they nest.

The snorkelers’ report of the day was also wonderful… They saw schools of parrotfish and barracuda, a giant sea cucumber, and a wide variety of colorful fish. A diving contingent went off to follow in Jacques Cousteau’s flippers at the famous Blue Hole… It was a great day, and so nice to be out in the sunshine. We had a leisurely evening back on board and then Captain’s Welcome Cocktails and Dinner. The food was excellent as was the service and everyone was impressed with the pastry chef – uh oh, we’re all in trouble! Honduras here we come!

We had a rather blustery stop at Paulet Island, but our reward was an emperor penguin right on the ice near our ship. Most likely, it was one of the penguin chicks we saw sitting on parental feet in our March of the Penguins trip last month… We greeted it with a hearty “Hi! Remember us?” At recap we toasted the youngster with a glass of champagne.

Brown Bluff was also a windy stop, but once we landed it was calm in the lee of the bluff. We were able to do some really wonderful Zodiac cruising among spectacular icebergs and had a picture perfect time with two humpback whales who preempted our recap. We’re looking forward to Bailey’s Head tomorrow and a landing among the chinstraps!