Back to Englishtown

After two lovely yoga sessions separated by breakfast, it was time to pack up for the 2 boat trips taking us home to Englishtown.

At breakfast, we saw one of the commercial fishing boats anchored off Ray Caye.

The "mother boat" with 2 canoes. 

The 6 to 8 fishermen live on the mother boat for a week or so at a time.  Each day they go out in their little canoes to catch lobster, conch, and fish and then come home to mother for the night.  They sell their catch to restaurants such as the one at Ray Caye and to recreational/vacation boaters who sail between the cayes.  They also take their catches into Placencia to mainland restaurants.  What a tough life that must be.

After settling our bill, we had time for a fruit smoothie before boarding Our Devocean for the first leg of the trip home.

Shooting the breeze with Captain Sean on the way home.  He has had quite a few adventures on the sea!

Orington picked us up at the Wild Orchid dock in Placencia for the trip back to Englishtown.  It was coming up on dusk when we arrived with just enough time to walk the dogs before a light dinner.

Cheese board with a selection of delightful items from White Rock Farm - Chevre, Sage Derby, Chive Cheddar, Stilton, Red Leicester, Brie, and Lonzino.  Served with thin toasted slices of locally made whole wheat sourdough.  A feast!

Becki taught us the trick of cooling wine with a few frozen grapes.  

Planning ahead, I texted Dennis on our way home and asked him to please put some grapes in the freezer.  It works a treat!

Dennis and the pups were happy to have us back and we were happy to be home.  Yoga with Brice at Ray Caye had been wonderful, but best to leave before you get tired of it.

Welcome home cuddles with Clove.

Yoga at Ray Caye

Friday had a slightly more relaxed start - breakfast became brunch as we eased our way into the day.  I made an omelette with eggs we had picked up the day before at White Rock Farm, owned by our friends Chris and Sue.  They have quite an enterprise at their farm these days - chickens, ducks, geese, Guinea fowl, turkeys, goats, sheep, pigs, all kinds of fruit trees and vegetables.  They make delicious cheeses from their milk herds and from cow's milk they get from their Mennonite neighbors.  We stopped at the farm, which is on the Hummingbird Highway just south of Belmopan, to pick up our pre-ordered selection of cheeses, cured meat, bangers, marmalade, rum butter, lemons, and eggs.

multi-hued chicken eggs

We finished up all the fruit left over from the previous day's breakfast along with the omelette, toasted English muffins, rum butter, marmalade, accompanied by Belize grown coffee.

Then we headed up to the Ray Caye dock, a 35 minute boat ride from our dock.  Our transport to Ray Caye was on the boat pictured below.

"Our DevOcean"

The trip to Ray Caye was a little more than an hour going at 25 knots per hour.  Another health check upon arrival and then the welcoming rum punch.

Becki already looks relaxed in this beautiful, stress-free place.

The wind started picking up, so we were not able to have our pre- and post-dinner yoga sessions on the platform over the sea.

The slide into the sea.

Solar panels cover the dock walkway.

We had our session in the breezy yoga studio.  The class was only 15 people this time instead of 19, so there was more room to spread out.

Waiting for the first session to start.

We had 2 sessions the first day, 4 on Saturday, and 2 on Sunday morning before we departed.  That left a good chunk of Saturday open for a boating/snorkel trip.

Sunny Scenes From A Yoga Retreat on Ray Caye

Lots of photos today from a yoga retreat I went to back in May.  It was held on Ray Caye Private Island Resort and was real treat.  The retreat was led by the lovely Brice Dial, who owns Positive Vibrations Yoga in Placencia.  Brice made arrangements with the management at Ray Caye for an exceptionally good deal for the 20 of us who participated in the retreat - a sort of a post-lockdown soft-reopening for the resort.  We traveled on a large boat from Wild Orchid docks (Ray Caye's landside partner) on the Placencia Lagoon the 20 or so miles east out to Ray Caye.  The trip takes a little more than hour.

One of the Ray Caye boats.

All the Placencia businesses keep their big boats on the lagoon side of the Placencia Peninsula.

Departing from Wild Orchid Dock.

We arrived at Ray Caye, and did a quick temp scan and handwash before enjoying our welcome drinks.

Traditional Caribbean Rum Punch Welcome Drink.

Check out the cute garnish.

Then we checked into our rooms and got sorted before our first yoga practice.

View off the balcony of the room Melanie and I shared.

Most of the practices were held at the fitness studio, a nice open space that allowed us to forego masks for our sessions.

Plenty of room to spread out.

Brice had a lovely bag of goodies for us.

All kinds of Belizean treats in the bag.

Plus a scented candle.

After 2 yoga practices, we enjoyed our dinners at the open air restaurant.

Seafood pasta with clams.

Other practices were held on a platform above the sea.

Heading out to the platform for a practice.

The sunrise and sunset practices were especially wonderful out on the platform.  Note the solar panels that cover the walkway.

We also had time to explore the little caye and try out a kayak.  Other people went sailing, fishing, snorkeling, swimming, or just chilling by the pool.

Another view of the caye.

The food was delicious with many of the salad items grown right on the caye.  The head gardner gave me tour of the greenhouse, of which he is rightfully proud!

Arugula, tomatoes, basil, hot and sweet peppers in the greenhouse

Open air restaurant.

It was time depart before it seemed possible.

Casting off from the dock.

Incredible water

Farewell, Ray Caye.

It was an amazing time, not least because it was the first time I had socialized in over a year.  And the venue was perfect because we were outside most of the time in gorgeous surroundings.  I particularly enjoyed not having to cook!  I enjoyed it so much that I went another yoga retreat there in October (equally wonderful) and am signed up for the next one in January.