GETTING TO KNOW HOPKINS

Doesn't take long to get to know Hopkins, it's really tiny. the main road is dirt most of the way & very bumpy. We decide we can do what we need to do there in 4 days & head back to Placencia. First I let them know at our cabana we are only staying the three nights we paid for. Next I call back to Sea Spray in Placencia & talk to Deon, he remembers me & laughs when I tell him we are coming back, makes arrangements for us to stay 3 more days. Now it's time to head to Beaches & Dreams where we will splurge and stay for 2 nights. Tony, the owner takes us to look at property on the Sittee River, right next to Sanctuary Belize. It's beautiful, 1.6 acres partially cleared with power & 150 ft of river frontage, but 45 minutes from the nearest store & neighbors are few & far between.

Headed back to town for a walk, there isn't much to do. We found a couple of really neat gift shops & the local bakery owned by Katelyn who is from the US. All these shops are in peoples homes, there are no actual store except the grocery store & some restaurants. We decided to drive up to Dangriga, which is the largest town in the Toledo district. It happens to be a school holiday so there are kids everywhere. we took a walk to the beach & watched the kids playing in the water, no fancy toys, an old wood boat worked for a group of boys just having fun.

Kids down here spend most of their time outdoors & stay active. We gassed up the car as stations are few & far between & headed back to Hopkins for dinner at Beaches & Dreams. On the way back I noticed my finger swelling up & my hand itching like crazy. As I watched the swelling went from my index finger to my middle finger. Needless to say I freaked! We got back & I asked a local, thinking I may have to head to a hospital, he blew it off & said it was a doctor fly no big deal! Went to Caitlyn at the bakery & asked her, she said the same thing. Asked her what to do. She said to get benedryl, which we couldn't find, don't scratch it - haha - and ice. The ice was easy, just went to the restaurant & kept ordering drinks with lots of ice, which did help, of course, the rum may have helped a bit too! Just a note, no one back home had heard of a doctor fly so I googled it, it's a yellow fly, & we have them in the southern US as well, my reaction was mildly severe. It stayed swollen for a few days & itched for several days! Dinner was excellent at Barracuda Grill & enjoyed the company of tony & his wife.

Next morning we head to Beaches & dreams only to find out our waterfall rapelling is cancelled for today, so that will wait til tomorrow. we spend the day chilling on the beach, walking around town again & Ron gets to do some fishing at the pier at Beaches & Dreams while I took a nap in a hammock on the beach!

Tomorrow morning it's off to Bocowina National Park for ziplining & waterfall rapelling.