The answer is both. We ran into Philip aka "Talka" in the middle of our 12 day visit to Placencia. We'd accomplished our mission of reading, lounging, eating and drinking and were official approaching a desired state of boredom before we embarked on some of the more adventurous aspects of our trip. My son and daughter(in their early 20s) were with us and had met Philip at a party late one night just after the new year. A couple of nights later, we "ran" into him at Sweet Mama's restaurant near Seine Bight. My kids spotted Philip across the way and called him over. He sat with us as we enjoyed some fried chicken and Belikins. One thing led to the next and basically we hung out with Philip for the rest of our trip. He's a great guide, a great fisherman, a wonderful skipper and a good friend. That night we arranged to have Philip take us out to Ranguana for a day long snorkel trip. We were to meet the morning after next, we had a blast. I fun but rough ride out through some choppy seas to the reefs at Ranguana. Philip expertly guided us through some pretty big waves and we had a lovely day snorkeling, hanging out, eating and drinking more Belikins at Ranguana. We next spent a day driving out to Hidden Falls where we hiked, lounged and swam at the pools at the base of some of the beautiful falls. The next trip we took was out to Monkey River where we wafted our way up the river then hiked in the jungle seeing amazing wildlife-boas, iguanas, crocs, howler monkeys, turtles and all kind of birds of Belize. In between trips we played pool, drank Belikins and ate local fare...mostly snook and snapper. Finally, Philip offered to accompany us back to Belize City and help us navigate the coastal route which would save us serious drive time. Due to some heavy rains, he quickly had us turn back off the coastal route and take the inland roads. He knew every pot hole and speed hump along the way. It was kind and generous of him to help us get back to the airport and make our flight home. If you are visiting Placencia I strongly recommend you befriend "Talka" and hire him to be your guide. You won't regret it. He's the best. Also, He knows everyone. He's extremely knowledgable and he's a lot of fun.

I met Philip in 2010 and we went on several trips around Placencia and the south of Belize, he is very fun and he knows a lot about his country, fishing and the culture of Belize. He is very responsible and always willing to help. We became good friends after my time there. He is 100% recommended and reliable. Just enjoy Belize with him!