The Way Home
Chicago - December 2, 2017
We were up at the crack of dawn, but the sky was overcast so we did not see a good sunrise.
It was a perfect time to head out on our walking tour. The city was still asleep it was easy for us to navigate. We only had a dozen guys ask us if we wanted a taxi ride. Later in the day we would have been harassed endlessly.
On our walking tour we saw all of the remaining Belize City highlights. We crossed the Swing Bridge that no longer swings open to allow boats to pass through. The clock tower building was a great example of colonial architecture. Sadly the 4 clocks are not synchronized and probably not working at all. It is the site of the Supreme Court Building.
We walked by the National Bank and found St John’s Cathedral. It was a little disappointing from the outside and only had a few small stained glass windows. Some of the windows were broken and have not been repaired and it was locked, so we did not get to see inside. Bill was able to take a photo through the shutters of the organ in the balcony. The one unique thing about the catherdral was the bricks. Most of the buildings are wooden or cinder block. The bricks are unique because they were brought over from England.
On our way back to the hotel Bill decided to change the lense and put it in his backpack. Immediately after we saw all kinds of birds in an overgown yard. In the span of one block we saw at least 8 different species of birds. We saw a seagull, 2 types of sandpipers, a woodpecker, 2 or 3 types of seedeaters, an egret, and 3 other birds - wren, flycatcher or warbler?? It was unbelievable. I definitely have new species to add to the list.
While I was trying to take some photos I could hear a woman from inside one of the residences. “Miguel, what’ that woman doing out there? Is she taking photos? What is she taking photos of? Why is she taking a photo of the car?” Finally Miguel responded and correctly identified that I was taking photos of the birds. She thought that was hilarious!
We had breakfast at the hotel Once again the portions were enormous (as am I now). I asked for two poached eggs with bacon, tortillas, beans and salsa. I received a massive plate covered in a giant tortilla and was given bacon, ham and sausage too. It seriously way too much!
After breakfast Bill stayed in the room to watch CNN and I headed to the pool for some last rays since the sun finally reappeared.
This time, Lesel was on time and in the right place. We left the hotel shortly after 11am for our 2:30 flight.
We arrived at the airport with lots of time to spare, so we did some souvenir shopping and bought a couple of new Christmas ornaments. I also bought my Marie Sharpes mild and hot sauces that I will be able to use at home & work.
We ordered lunch at a kiosk and 20 min later they delivered some delicious grilled fish with beans and rice.
As we boarded our flight we had a brief catch-up with Ben, Sylvie (from Chicago), Larry and Karen (connecting in Chicago on their way home to Washington). We were able to hear more about their fishing and snorkeling adventures when we landed and were waiting for our bags.
It turned out that Ben and Sylvie live very close to the Renaissance on Wacker, so we shared an Uber ride with them and we able to have a nice chat. Sylvie and I exchanged numbers, so hopefully we can connect with them in Toronto or Chicago in the future.
The hotel lobby and our room was great. Best of all, the bed was very comfortable! I know for sure that sleep #45 is not my #. I woke up with a sore knee, hips and back from the bed in Belize City.
We arrived early for our reservation at Commons Club in order to have some drinks at the bar, but the restaurant was not busy and we were seated right away across from the pass, so we could see the activity in the kitchen and a nice view of the bar.
ChicagoDecember 2, 2017
Our service was really good, our waitress was very pleasant and helpful. Bill was tortured over what to order, he could not decide between the short ribs and chicken. He finally decided on the chicken, so after our amazing crab appetizer, she served us with a sample sized portion of the short ribs for us to try. It was an incredibly seasoned dish; it had a lot going on. The dried grapes were really interesting and it was decorated with some edible flowers and leaves.
I really enjoyed my green curry salmon, it was a mild curry and balanced the richness of the salmon. Bill’s herb stuffed chicken was really tender and delicious.
We walked over to the Blues Chicago and found the last 2 seats in the place. We enjoyed the first set of the band with Deidra Farr, then chatted with a couple of French guys. One was from Montreal and the other was from France. The Parisian really enjoyed that we were teasing the French Canadian about his language and the perils of dealing with a dual language country (as a marketer).
It was hours past our bedtime and we headed back to our room to catch a few hours of sleep before our 5am wake up call.