Chapter 3:
Hopkins (April 2 - April 5)
Next chapter - relax and unwind in Hopkins.
Highlights:
Beautiful scenery along the Hummingbird Highway, Swimming at the inland blue hole, Lunch stop in
Dangriga (home of Garifuna and "Culture Capital" of Belize), locals offered to watch our car,
Austin Rodriguez' drum shop, little drum for Maddy, neat murals, ice cream stop.
Hopkins
Hopkins Inn Bed & Breakfast seaside cabana (Will & Leslie), reading in hammock, palm trees, no A/C, sandy beach, swimming with (nearish) manatees, Driftwood Pizza, bartender Wilson, tripping over a sleeping policeman = rope speed bump, yummy fruit and local baked goods breakfasts, liking cashew fruit, Thongs Cafe.
THE Highlight: Mayan Chocolate Tour
Che'il Mayan Organic Chocolate Farm, short drive to field, cacoa pods, milky fruit around cacao bean tastes like mellow mango, Farm sells "wet" cacoa beans - first Hershey, then Green & Black, now Gone Green, wet beans for drinking chocolate (like Mayans), Ferment beans 6 days to make chocolate bars, cacao juice for cacao wine, cacao shells for chocolate tea, Maya Center to make chocolate, took turns grinding cacao beans using volcanic rock grinder, add brown sugar & cacao butter, put in molds, freezer 10 minutes, then eat = yum, yum, yum!
Remaining time in Hopkins
Swimming, reading in hammock, Dinner at Innies (Hudutu and Fish Tea), drumming and kids dancing, drinks on the beach, GariMaya store, Chef Rob's for an amazing gourmet dinner including shrimp bisque, tomato salad, fish, steak & potatoes, banana/waffle/ice cream
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| Inland Blue Hole |
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| Welcome to Dangriga - Three Drums at Entrance |
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| Mural in Creole - Belize - There for all of the children. |
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| Austin Rodriguez's Drum Shop |
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| Checking out the Drums |
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| How the drums are made |
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| Little Drum for Maddy |
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| Here's where you go for an EKG or Ultrasound (!) |
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| Our little bed and breakfast |
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| Our cabana on left |
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| Happy |
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| View from our Cabana |
Next Adventure: Learning all about Mayan Chocolate
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| Che'il - Belizean Organic Chocolate Farm |
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| Cacao Pods |
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| Tasting the fruit around the Cacao Bean |
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| Drying Cacao Beans |
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| Grinding the Cacao Beans to make Chocolate |
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| The Whole Process |
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| Marnie Makes Chocolate |
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| Steve Makes Chocolate |
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| Adding Brown Sugar and Cacao Butter = Dark Chocolate |
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| Pouring Chocolate into Molds |
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| The More Modern Equipment |
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| Innies Restaurant for an Authentic Mean & Drumming |
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| Belizean Flowers |
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| Beautiful Scenery |
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| Cooperative Gift Shop in Hopkins |
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| Belizean Art |
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| Scaffolding in Belize |
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| Yummy Local Bread |
