Yet Another Shitty Day In Paradise

07 Mar 2008 - Brahma Blue photo shoot

2008-03-11T17:20:00.004-06:00

Zac asked me to join him at

Brahma Blue for a photo shoot,
to be used for promotion and
marketing. Paul shot video footage (which,
alas, didn't work out, for some reason).

It was a lovely afternoon, with fantastic
cloud formations way off to the west, that
looked most unlikely to come anywhere
near us. However, just after sunset the wind
changed 180 degrees in direction, and a storm
came in hard and fast. Lights on the island went
out - we were spared from being plunged
into darkness by the generator at
Blue Lotus restaurant kicking in.

05 Mar 2008 - Sunset Cruise 2

2008-03-07T10:53:00.005-06:00

Unfortunately, I couldn't manage to get

any photos of the 'green flash'.
It was hard enough trying to take
photos in failing light on a moving boat!

Batteries failed at this point, darn it!

25 Feb 2008 - Weekend in L.A.

2008-02-26T23:10:00.013-06:00

A nice short weekend break
away from San Pedro in the
City of Angels.

Great company, great food,
chilling out, and a bit of shopping.

Thank you Dawn, for putting me up
(and for putting up with me!)
- I had a great weekend...

Radio tower on the approach
to Belize Intl Airport

Pacific Sunset

(shot through a window, hence the
marks on image - try to ignore those)

Sunset over Hermosa Beach

No lifeguard on duty today

Monster strawberries!

My world in Dawn's eyes...

20 Feb 2008 - Handprints

2008-02-21T16:31:00.002-06:00

These are images of the
aftermath of the recent Mardi Gras
celebration in San Pedro

20 Feb 2008 - Full Lunar Eclipse

2008-02-21T15:32:00.006-06:00

Full moon rising at Xanadu

Approaching the full umbral phase
(many thanks to Zac for letting
me borrow his camera)

Total Lunar Eclipse
(notice Regulus above
the Moon, Saturn below)

Lisa spinning fire at Pedro's Inn
(this was on Saturday -the tail
end of Southern Town Crawl)

Jamie spins fire baton

14 Feb 2008 - Valentine's Sunset Cruise

2008-02-15T12:16:00.009-06:00

Mainsail and blue sky

Mast and moon

Forrest, Manuel (skipper), and Rudy has the wheel

Cindy and Cherie
relaxing on the trampoline

Aprroaching 'Nepenthe'
Picking up Ian, who somehow managed
to get on the wrong boat. We rescued
him before they made him walk the plank.

'Nepenthe' at sunset

Colin and Cherie

Paul spins glow poi, Zac drums
in left foreground

Ian, Sharon, myself

Paul, Cindy, Cherie

First there were six...

...then there were eight...

now there's nine...

... oh go on, one more photo
for good measure!

11 Feb 2008 - Sheesh, I'm starting to get sick of sunrises!

2008-02-11T22:43:00.001-06:00

Okay, dear reader, you might have
noticed that I haven't posted many
photos recently. To explain, my knee
has been playing up these last few
weeks. So, to avoid aggravating it
more than I already have, I've cut out
running altogether. Therefore, no early
rises for me right now. Part of me is rather
glad of the opportunity to lay in more,
but that doesn't solve the issue of what
else I ought to be taking photos of!

You tell me, what else should I be
photographing? Seriously, please drop
me a line! I need some inspiration...

10 Feb 2008 - Playing Cornhole at the Palapa Bar

2008-02-10T21:57:00.001-06:00

03 Feb 2008 - Xanadu sunrise (new pics taken a few weeks ago)

2008-02-03T11:26:00.000-06:00

02 Feb 2008 - Mardi Gras at Crazy Canuck's

2008-02-03T09:57:00.000-06:00

Nearly sundown,

permission to drink approaching!

King cake

26 Jan 2008 - Food Festival in Central Park

2008-01-27T21:59:00.000-06:00

Paul does his thing, spinning fire,

while Zac provides a beat to move to...

26 Jan 2008 - sunrise (again!)

2008-01-26T12:55:00.000-06:00

22 Jan 2008 - Poi spinning at full moon by Crazy Canuck's

2008-01-23T16:18:00.000-06:00

Paul with glow poi

Alissa

Alissa and Zac

18 Jan 2008 - Paella at Pedro's

2008-01-19T15:27:00.000-06:00

Gotcha!

Tacogirl caught red-handed,
blogging the evening's activities...

17 Jan 2008 - sunrise at the Cut

2008-01-17T08:36:00.000-06:00

16 Jan 2008 - sunrise at Xanadu

2008-01-16T16:06:00.001-06:00

Remixes

2008-01-15T23:18:00.001-06:00

Some of my favourite images to

date - tweaked, remixed, and
generally mucked about with.
These are some of the results... enjoy!

15 Jan 2008 - Sunset over DFC

2008-01-15T22:29:00.001-06:00

Sausage Factory and Caye Coffee

11 Jan 2008 - Wet Willy's

2008-01-12T10:37:00.001-06:00

Yes Cindy, you get to take him home each night, you lucky, lucky girl!

Play it again, Sam!
Paul plays the piano (read 'table') in Wet Willy's

Sod it, let's just stick this photo in again for good
measure - once simply ain't enough...

On a more serious note, this 'boat' (I use the term loosely)
carried ten refugees from Cuba into Belizean waters where
they were picked up and taken to Mexico for medical treatment
and asylum.

Nutters, the lot of 'em, if you ask me!

Also extremely brave, it must be said.

Something must be rotten in the state of Cuba for them
to have thought that putting out to sea in that piece
of crap was preferable to staying, don'tcha think?

10 Jan 2007 - Sunset at Pierre's

2008-01-11T09:00:00.000-06:00

A barbeque at Pierre's place in South Ambergris, sunset, a beach bonfire made of palm fronds and coconut husk, plenty of drink, lots of jokes and laughter...

Paul, Cindy, Paul (l-r)

Hermit crabs feasting on papaya

Paul H strikes a pose

Molly waits for Tacoboy to throw a coconut

07 Jan 2007 - Diving with Israel

2008-01-07T14:23:00.003-06:00

Surface interval - Mark & Ian

Ian mugs for the camera

This would be me...

Coral close-up

Yellowtail snapper

Fish sway with the current under some antler coral

31 Dec 2007 - New Year's Eve & Day

2008-01-02T16:20:00.000-06:00

Tazmara and Lara at Blue Lotus celebrating the stroke of midnight

Herb, Zac and friends strike up a tune

Heading to the Palapa Bar for New Year's Day drinks - Paul, Cindy, Lara, Ian and myself - plus Molly the puppy!

Says it all really...

Sunset as seen from the Palapa Bar & Grill

They grow big freakin' spiders here!
(Ian's hand and soda bottle demonstrates scale for reference purposes - cheers for putting yourself in harm's way for the sake of my 'art', bro!)

30 to 31 Dec 2007 - Ian arrives in San Pedro

2007-12-31T16:55:00.000-06:00

Ian and Lara at BC's - Ian's first Belikin in Belize and a rite of passage.

Ian goes after a barracuda - catches... nothing!
Good fun had by all.

Linda puts the finishing touches to the sign promoting her Gallery of Fine Arts by Crazy Canucks Beach Bar

Gotta keep that sign held high.

That looks like fun!

28 to 29 Dec 2007 - lazy afternoon on the dock

2007-12-30T09:38:00.000-06:00

Rainbow over San Pedro
I wonder where the crock of gold lies?

Sailing on the deep blue sea

Wonky dock pushed sideways by storm surge

Conch on coconut palm

This is me spinning poi, deep in thought,
and trying hard not to whack myself in the nuts...
(photo courtesy of Lara)

(photo courtesy of Lara)

27 Dec 2007 - Sunrise at Xanadu

2007-12-27T10:36:00.000-06:00

Five bluestriped grunt

Two local boys and their first catch of the day - a bonefish

24 Dec 2007 - Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T11:14:00.001-06:00

Street scene - gorgeous full moon ruined by the streetlight and cables.

It's Christmas Eve, who needs snow when you've got a view like this?

Heron, palapas on docks, cirrus clouds, blue, blue, blue...

22 Dec 2007 - Coco Locos grand reopening

2007-12-23T14:55:00.001-06:00

Which way is home?

Moonlight over Ambergris Caye

Zac on drums while Paul fires up the poi!
(FYI - the bright spot is Mars)

Paul gets into his groove...

Paul and Zac

Paul and Zac

Paul, Zac and Lara

Definitely my favourite shot of the evening

A very large hermit crab

14 to 21 Dec 2007

2007-12-22T11:03:00.000-06:00

Sunsets and silhouettes

Freshly raked sand, looking north to Captain Morgan's Retreat

Bunch of bananas

Answers on a postcard please... what fish is this?

Early morning shot - The Island Academy

13 Dec 2007 - Southern stingray

2007-12-15T08:59:00.001-06:00

Southern stingray (Dasyatis americana)

12 Dec 2007

2007-12-15T08:44:00.001-06:00

Christmas decorations - Caribbean style

The path leading past the Xanadu resort

11 Dec 2007

2007-12-12T15:23:00.000-06:00

A dock south of San Pedro - a glorious afternoon looking out at the reef.

Sunset over the island.
Lara's house

10 Dec 2007

2007-12-11T11:31:00.000-06:00

Another awful start to the day...

The Palapa Bar & Grill, north of The Cut

My first barracuda and the instruments of its demise - it put up quite a fight. Its death was quick and (hopefully) pretty painless.

5 to 8 Dec 2007 - continued

2007-12-08T10:33:00.000-06:00

Captain Jack's boat at the Secret Island
left to right -Jeremy (behind outboard), Captain Jack (funky headwear), Ken, Martha
this was a very idyllic and peaceful spot - a hidden beach in paradise

Palapa with loungers and hammocks, north of the Cut

5 to 8 Dec 2007 - continued

2007-12-08T10:16:00.001-06:00

West Ambergris abode

Courtney & Alan's apartment - the view from our balcony by night

Dianne and Martha - chillin' in Ken & Martha's palapa

Sunrise over the Caribbean Sea - just another shitty day gets under way...

Looking north toward Captain Morgan's Retreat

5 to 8 Dec 2007 - snorkellin', fishin', chillin'

2007-12-08T09:29:00.001-06:00

Wed 4 Dec - Capt Jack, Courtney, Ken & Martha, their son Jeremy and myself boarded Captain Jack's boat and went for a day of snorkelling. Fish were caught (eventually), and we took the speedboat round to West Ambergris to a secret location

Lunch!

Relaxing at the 'secret island' in West Ambergis

Returning to town on Captain Jack's boat

04 Dec 2007 - running north of the Cut

2007-12-04T10:57:00.000-06:00

Every couple of days I go for a nice long run - 14km or about 9 miles works for me. Best to run on the beach, the tracks are full of potholes with some deep puddles too. Took my camera along for the ride to squeeze off a few shots along the way.

north of the 'Cut', looking southeast - it's shaping up to be a lovely day, as per bloody usual...

Eden Park, looks like a pretty exclusive resort. That would be 'exclusive' in the original sense of the word.

Looking south towards along the beach towards San Pedro

Now I'm looking north! Bloody heck - my head's spinning... is yours?

And lastly, the view from top of the pier near Captain Morgan's resort

03 Dec 2007 - spot the reef

2007-12-04T10:52:00.001-06:00

different day, different food, slightly different location, but still the same great view...

01 Dec 2007 - Lunch on the beach

2007-12-04T10:12:00.000-06:00

no better way to let the food go down than with a view like this...

29 Nov 2007 - Arriving in San Pedro

2007-12-04T10:04:00.000-06:00

Final approach

coming in to land at Philip Goldson Intl Airport

If I were the Pope, I might have kissed the tarmac. Then again, maybe not - those skidmarks look a bit dodgy.

View from the balcony at Pedro's Inn - it rained not long before, hence the puddles. You wouldn't know it from looking at the sky though.