Truck Stop’s Amazing Race 2 Finished Yesterday: Now YOU Can Play Along

Yesterday on a cool grey January afternoon, the Truck Stop – Ambergris Caye’s hottest spot for fun, food and entertainment, brought out about 75 FIERCE competitors to fight for the top spot in the…I arrived just as the game was about to begin and the intensity…the competition…was palpable.

Teams in costumes and matching t-shirts limbered up as they listened…

With a $1000bzd cash prize for the winning team announced and some ground rules laid out to the participants, the secret first clue was handed out.  NO PEEKING UNTIL THE HORN GOES OFF!

I headed to my station.  Here it is.  Mysterious, right?

As a clue monitor, I would be sitting at the last spot – to check off teams as they arrived, to call into the organizers.  I haven’t had this much responsibility in AGES!

The clues were closely guarded secrets – and I am just receiving a copy now!  So let’s play along together.  Rather than scurry all over town and race over giant pot holes and steep speedbumps, let’s figure this out from our phones and computers.  So much more civilized.  Play while eating cookies.

Here are some of the pictures of the teams.

I hope I know the answers!

NUMBER ONE:  Once given the signal by the Race Starter, your team will race to the “game” area behind the RASA Truck. There you will find Ziploc bags with a frozen
t-shirt in each one. THERE IS ONE PER TEAM. You must unfold the t-shirt
until it can be put on by one team member.

Since this is a “relay” you will have to switch team members every 15
seconds. When the Challenge Monitor calls out “SWITCH”, you MUST switch
team members. You can use any area of the Truck Stop between the “movie
screen frame” and the RASA Truck to unfold your t-shirt.

Once your t-shirt is unfolded and put on by one team member, find the
Challenge Monitor to receive the next challenge. 

I was there for this one.  And cracked a t-shirt out of a block of ice that was frozen in the ice cream freezer?   Lots of splashing and slamming in the pool.  It took 3-5 minutes for the teams.

And they were off!

NUMBER TWO:  This is an INDIVIDUAL CHALLENGE
Make your way to Croc’s Sunset & Sports Bar. ONE member of your team
must now look under the bar stools for a piece of paper with your team
number on it. (The team number was given to you at the start of the race.)
When you find your “stool”, remove the piece of paper with your number &
bring it to the Challenge Monitor who will verify that the number is correct.
Once verified, you will receive the next challenge.
ONLY REMOVE THE NUMBER THAT CORRESPONDS TO YOUR TEAM. DO
NOT REMOVE ANY OTHER NUMBERS OR YOU COULD BE DISQUALIFIED.

I wonder why “stool” is in quotation marks…makes me nervous.

Though I wasn’t there for this one (or the next 8), this is a great one since Croc’s has over 200 stools on 2 levels.

NUMBER THREE :  Welcome to Belize
This is a TEAM CHALLENGE
Head to the point of entry where the BTB’s “B E L I Z E” sign is located. Take
a team photo in front of the sign. Now search for the Challenge Monitor who
will be waiting on the 6th dock north of the sign. Show the Monitor your
team photo to receive the next challenge. 

Sneaky!  While there is a Belize Tourism Board Office on Front Street, the new Belize sign is located on my favorite street – “Back of Back Street” – at the port of entry for the International Water Taxis.

Head north along the pretty docks…here’s a picture of the area at sunset.

NUMBER FOUR:  Dialing It In
This is a TEAM CHALLENGE
While we all use cell phones today, it was not too long ago that pay phones
were in vogue. Find 5 pay phones located between the Police Station and
the RC School and look for the numbers that are marked in colors on each
phone’s key pad. The numbers correspond to the color code below. Once you
have all the numbers, dial it in to be told your next destination. 

Clever, right?  I can think of a few pay phones in town.  There is an old junker by the Holiday Hotel in town…and then there is this one on Back Street.   Five is tough!

NUMBER FIVE:   Water Jumble
This is an INDIVIDUAL CHALLENGE
One member of your team must enter the water off the Sandbar dock. You
will find tiles “anchored” to the bottom. You must lift up the tiles to uncover
7 letters. BE SURE TO PLACE EACH TILE BACK IN THE WATER WHERE YOU
FOUND IT. Once you have all 7 letters, you must solve the Jumble to reveal
your next destination.  

Sandbar Hostel, Bar and Restaurant’s dock is the beautiful one with the umbrellas below.

NUMBER SIX:  (This one took place at Crazy Canuck’s Beach Bar)

Pick two team members. One will be the Caller and one will be blindfolded.
THE CALLER MUST STAND BEHIND THE DESIGNATED LINE & CANNOT
ENTER THE COURSE. From there, the Caller will give verbal instructions to
help their blindfolded teammate navigate the SLALOM course from the Start
Line to the Finish Line.
On the course, you must successfully weave through each “gate”. If you
miss a “gate”, the Caller must navigate you back through the “gate”. Along
the way, there will be some beer chugging. Consume every last drop before
continuing on the course.
Once the blindfolded team member has crossed the Finish Line, the
Challenge Monitor will give you the next clue. 

Hidden Clue:  Clue for Next Destination
Known as a special diet and a famous beach, make your way to this new bar
to receive your next challenge. 

I know this!  I just wrote about the new beach club called SOUTH BEACH!

I feel frantic just typing this…ON TO THE NEXT!

NUMBER SEVEN:  This is an INDIVIDUAL CHALLENGE
Each team will be given a firestarter kit. One member of your team must then
use what is provided to successfully build a fire high enough to completely
burn through the rope (if necessary, other team members can help block the
wind but cannot help build the fire).
Once you have completed the challenge, the Challenge Monitor will give you the next clue.

Apparently this one took some contestants seconds and others up to an hour!  It separated the women from the girls.

Here’s what you received.   A flint, tinder, palm tree shavings!

Clue for Next Destination
Head to the second Tiki bar north of the bridge to receive your next
challenge.

Tricky clue.  There is Maya Tiki Bar (the old Palapa Bar) and then there is Paco’s Tiki Bar.  I’m gonna go with that one.

NUMBER 8: This is a 2-PERSON CHALLENGE
Who is hungry? With hands behind their back, ONE team member must eat
their way through a pie to find the 4 hidden Gummy Worms. Once you have
a Gummy Worm in your mouth, you must drop it in the cup being held by a
second team member WHO MUST BE STANDING AT THE FIRE PIT.
ONLY ONE WORM AT A TIME & NO HANDS.
Once you have completed the task, the Challenge Monitor will give you the
next clue.  

Gross.

NUMBER 9:   This next one was a pictogram!  

Here is my crude recreation.

I haven’t been up to Sundiver Resort in ages!  (Here’s my visit to hear the Garifuna Collective 5 years ago!)

NUMBER 9:  Build a Sandcastle
This is a TEAM CHALLENGE
With the tools provided, your team must construct a sandcastle at least 2ft
square, that has 6 turrets with walls connecting the turrets (see example
below & no you don’t have to use Rice Krispy Treats). When your castle is
complete, the Challenge Monitor will give you the next clue.

Wait…finally.  THEY ARE COMING TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NUMBER 10:  Go to the place where the lambs lay down with the lions, as angels look on
and dolphins jump. Be like Jonah to find your next destination.

I was waiting here….

One of my favorite and the strangest spots on Ambergris Caye – maybe in Belize.

Make like Jonah and get in that whales mouth!

And find the clue that tells you to race back to Truck Stop.

Essene Way – the place I was waiting – is a story of Biblical health bars and Y2K preppers – read all about it here.

About 15 of the 18 teams rolled in over an hour and a half period…

As the mosquitoes swarmed and the rain came down, I made it back to see the winners!

THE WINNERS – 1000 bucks!

The Red Toppers!

A combination of brawn and brains and Belizean ingenuity!  Congratulations guys!

2nd up – the ladies!  Amy and her team.  Receiving their award. $175bzd.

3rd Place!  Joe and team!

Based on the looks, 3rd place was NOT what they were shooting for.  $80bzd.  It can buy a few beers…

Some more pictures.

Until then…this post is WAY long enough.  And will get you started on your own amazing race!

Truck Stop puts on a ridiculous amount of fun events – from game shows like Family Feud and Price is Right to Farmers’ Markets to Movie Nights and Corn Hole Tourneys.  KEEP ON TOP OF THEIR CALENDAR HERE!

And I’ll see you at the Truck Stop.