homeward bound

our last day starts overcast and windy.  packed and ready to go, i have some time before we need to leave and i spend a few minutes with some of the travelers i've met who have shared a part of themselves with me and made my trip a little more special. 

as we are leaving i hear yet another guest being told their was no laundry service and i can see she's not very happy when she's told the laundry service in town will be closed because of the holiday.  wait till she finds out there's no hammock garden.  i want to be fair in my assessment of Akbol because there were both good and not good parts to our stay.  Kirsten was a fantastic yoga instructor and clearly enjoyed teaching.  the management and maintenance of the property were substandard and in the end i would not stay here again.  if you are staying elsewhere on the island i would encourage you to drop in for a yoga class as that she does well.

we take a Tropic Air flight back to Belize City and it's a fast flight leaving me with breathtaking views of the island, the water and the reef.  at the airport we weave our way through the ticket lines then stop in for something to eat.  one last cocktail as i fish out the travel size bottle of Belizean rum and add it to some diet coke.... ah, now if i only had a lime.

the signs are posted everywhere at the airport that a departure tax in the amount of US$37.50 must be paid.  somehow we get out of the country without paying the tax.  perhaps it was collected in my airline ticket and i didn't notice.

getting back into the US is a snap and i avoid all the lines because i'm in the trusted traveler program.  i walk directly onto my connection to denver and on the final leg home i think about what an incredible adventure this has been. the unknown of climbing through the ATM Cave, the pyramids in Yaxha, the howler monkeys at dusk, tikal for the sunrise, snorkeling on the reef and spending time with my amazing friend from London.