Well, we’ve spent a good amount of time on the tropics this last week. Hey, anything to brighten up our deep winter moods. Of course my brain is immersed in the tropics as it is right now. I’ve posted a new entry on the “Chasing The Ana” blog about that. Of course here I am planning a trip to Puerto Rico for August!?? I must be bloody stupid!

So while Puerto Rico is my summer goal, Belize has become my winter fantasy. Less planning for a fantasy you know. You can just “be there”. No plane tickets, no boats to ship. No hotels to pay for. You just arrive, right there, under those palms, and already happily toxic without touching a drop! No hangovers, no sun burns, jelly fish stings. Perfect.

Today, on my not so real, but almost sort of real vacation to Belize I walked out onto this long pier with a little white shack planted right on the end of it. Painted in vertical letters along it’s side were the words, “Gift Shop” and below that horizontally it said “Dive Center”. While my mind was trying to contemplate why you would put a Gift shop and Dive Center in a hut on the end of a pier, the momentary distraction caused me to catch a sandal in one of the boards beneath my feet.

I woke up sometime later back in the hotel room (and I said fantasy had no hotels). At the same moment I realized I was in the hotel, I was slammed by a pounding headache. I crunched my eyes closed and cursed. Then I remembered the fall. I reached up to touch the massive lump on my forehead and was met with more pain. This was worse than a hangover! I forced my eyes open just a bit and though my watering eyes saw a note lying under the lamp beside the table. Slowly I reached out to grab it and hold it in front of my eyes. Each movement causing a new pain. I tried to wipe my eyes clear as I read: “Hey, hope you’re feeling ok. You were out a long time and I got board. Went out for a bit. You’ve got my cell. . .”

“Great” I thought. Here I am dying of massive head injuries and she’s out dancing!! “Great! Just bloody Great!!” I repeated in my mind and rolled over on the hard hotel mattress. “Ouch!!”, I must have bruised a rib as well” I thought, “Great, just great!!”.

And that’s the thing about my fantasies. . . I usually end up bruising a rib.

And with that thought I’m off to the pool. . .

* Today’s picture of Belize from here.