Monday, July 21, 2008

San Padro by Bicyle


By Wendy

I know..I know…what is so adventurous about a bicycle tour around a quaint Caribbean village. Well, to start with the resort is 4 ½ miles from the northern edge of San Pedro and is accessible by boat or a golf cart path which varies in condition from bad to impassable depending on the season. So, armed with our free and discount drink coupons from the booklet we received from Tropic Air, we set out. Here is an example of the puddles we encountered. Keep in mind, this is the “dry season”.


We continued south the 4 ½ miles to the Boca Del Rio Bridge which connects the northern portion of Ambergris Caye to the southern portion. But, before crossing the bridge we decided to clean up at the rest-room of a new development just north of the bridge called Reef Village . (We were full of mud splatters) This is a time-share, vacation club type of resort with a number of price ranges and options. The little houses behind us are at the higher price range. The houses are built on land that was built up from the lagoon by dredging and draining. It is one of the few places with a sunset view on the island.


This is a picture of the Boca Del Rio Bridge . The bridge replaced a hand-operated ferry. This is a toll bridge and we were charged $1.00 US per person round trip.


Well, we made it to our first destination, Fido’s bar. Fido’s is a well known San Pedro establishment that was written up in several travel magazines as well as “Cosmopolitan”. We had coupons for a free drink and were ready for a refreshing beverage. Unfortunately, the bar wouldn’t open for 12 more minutes.


In order to kill time, we decided to shop for jewelry at the nearby beach vendor while waiting for Fido’s to open. Here is Cindy simultaneously getting a tan and shopping.


We decided that since we had already gone as far as the center of town, we may as well go another ¾ of a mile to our other Condo at Coral Bay Villas and peek inside. Unfortunately, it was rented so we had poked around outside. Cindy and Betsy agreed that the location was perfect but they liked the pool at Belizean Shores .


As the afternoon wore on, we used a few more discount drink coupons at local bars, did a little more shopping, and decided to ride the beach back to Belizean Shores . We had traveled about 5 ½ miles south and now had to go back. The golf path was losing its appeal.



Well, there was one more drink coupon left for the Palapa bar north of bridge. It was right on our way so…..



It was a hot ride home and the obvious thing to do was to jump in the pool. Those of you familiar with this blog will recognize the corner we are sitting in.



Next on the tour…Manatee watching, snorkeling, seahorses, eagle rays and much more.








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