Many Tropical Vacations

"I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine." ~ Caskie Stinnett

How many tropical vacations does it take before a girl gets a full week in the sun? Apparently, more than three. I know I shouldn't be complaining; and I'm not. Not really. I count myself as extremely lucky.

In December, my sweetie and I took a fabulous pre-Christmas trip to Belize. We visited the third week in December, shortly after the official rainy season. While the weather was better than we expected based on the forecast we viewed prior to departing Seattle, it wasn't quite as hot and sunny as we would have liked for a tropical Central American kind of vacation.

Our snorkeling day was a little cool with semi-rough waters, but the sights were beautiful and we had a great time even though it was a bit chilly. We had one half day of rain while exploring the Mayan Ruins. Luckily the hardest rainfall was during lunch. We were protected under cover as it came down in sheets around us while we enjoyed a traditional Belizean lunch of fried plantains, chicken, rice and beans. Yum. The next day, however, brought us a full day of rain (spa and book reading day!). It was still warm enough to sit out on our cabana porch, relax and read while watching the rain come down around us. One evening when we walked into the village of Hopkins for dinner and Garifuna drum music with the locals, the rain came pouring down again. Our gracious host called our hotel to come to the rescue so we wouldn't have to trudge the mile back to our cabana along the unlit, muddy, rutted, unpaved road.

On the days sunny enough to be on the beach, the clouds teased us making the sun duck in and out of view, the winds whipped and the Caribbean was not quite warm enough for this wimp to swim. Regardless, it was a beautiful and romantic setting and we did have loads of fun. Besides the ruins, snorkeling, and couples massage, we explored the area via the hotel's beach bikes, we went zip lining in the jungle and experienced cave tubing. We enjoyed rum punch and chocolate monkey cocktails at the pool bar and met some very interesting folks including locals, ex-pats and tourists. We both agreed that we would definitely visit Belize again and explore even more of the amazing countryside and the Caye's, but maybe in January or February.

We spent our second tropical vacation this winter in the Sunshine State visiting my brother and his wife in the Florida Keys. Lucky them (and us), they were spending the winter at a friend's house on Big Pine Key, just 30 minutes north of Key West. The weather for the better part of January was in the upper 70's and even 80's. I got regular updates assuring us "the weather has been beautiful, come on down!" We arrived late the night before Super Bowl Sunday. The plan was to go into Key West and wander around, watch the sunset at the famous Mallory Square, then go watch the game at a couple of fun bars. Sounded like a blast even though we aren't avid football fans. Luckily I stowed my umbrella in my bag because it rain on and off most of the day. I kept thinking positive. "I think it's brightening!" I said frequently throughout the day. We enjoyed our wandering nonetheless and stopped into "Half Shell Oyster Bar" for a bite before going to view the sunset. Suddenly, the skies opened up and it was coming down in buckets. Hmmm...no sunset tonight. C'est le vie~ we headed to the bar my brother had in mind to watch the game. Unfortunately, the bars in Key West are mostly open air. They had been planning for sunshine and crowds. Buffets that were laid out for half time feasting, ended up looking sad and soggy by the end of the game. Unlike us hardy Seattlites, Key Westerners do not venture out in foul weather. By the time we finished bar hopping, watching the game, dancing to music, and imbibing in a few cocktails, we found ourselves with sandals in hand, water up to our calves trudging through the flash flood back to the car. The next day was sunny, dry and warm. We rode my brother's bikes to the beach for some of what we came for.

The rains continued off and on throughout the week, but mostly in the early mornings while we were still sleeping or sipping our morning coffee and chatting. Luckily the weather didn't really interfere with our daily activities. We trekked all over Key West sight seeing, rented scooters, did some kayaking, and rode bikes around Big Pine, Bahia Honda and No Name Keys. We had some cloudy days, I never actually swam in the ocean (too cool still) and I wore a sweater much of the time, but even so, it was a great vacation and the weather was much better than Seattle in February. We hope to be invited back next year, but maybe in March.

Third time's a charm, they say. In early March a group of girls flew to Oahu to visit another friend and celebrate a birthday. I'd only been to Hawaii twice before and both times the weather was incredible. Finally I was going to get some tropical sunshine, hot weather, and serious beach time. Before leaving Seattle I decided to experiment with a spray tan. While a little spendy, I figured it was worth it since I'd be donning a bathing suit and skimpy warm weather wear.

Upon touching down, rain streaked the windows of the plane. It drizzled on and off the rest of the day, but we weren't too concerned. We'd only just arrived after all. Day two, down pour. We took a morning walk along the beach and when the rain got too steady, we headed to the shops. Being the optimistic group that we are we bought sunglasses and swimsuit wraps. Certainly these items would come in handy by tomorrow.

Our plans of a beach party birthday picnic, sunset cruise and peaceful nights' sleep were squelched by the rain and high winds. By the fourth night I was amazed that we'd been there that long and still hadn't seen a sunset. No matter. We had an incredible time, as women tend to do when we travel in packs. We managed a smattering of beach time, a hike up Diamond Head, snorkeling, daily beach walking, shopping, yoga, dancing the night away, great food, music, champagne, and loads of laughs! The weather was not about to stop us from having a fantastic vacation. My spray tan, however, had pretty much faded before any skin had been exposed.

I'm not giving up on my search for sunny, warm beaches either. I told my brother I was heading to San Diego in May. "Why," he said "do they need rain?"