Well another adventure ahead of us. When trying to cross into Belize I was told by the customs agent that my car visa had expired on March 1st and that I would have to pay a US$250 fine. Not only that but because I didn’t have the original car visa they were going to impound my car! Plus I would have to pay the US$6000 tax on my car! How do I get to the ATM machine to get the cash I asked? Walk he said. It was about 2 miles and I complained so he kept my passport and let us drive. Now remember I said something earlier about losing my passport so I could start all over and delay paying the taxes on my car and trailer? Guess what I’m doing? After a couple of useless calls to the U.S. Consulate in Playa del Carmen (You have to go into either Belize or Mexico to get a new passport. How do I get into either country without a passport because I’m in a free trade zone between the 2 counties? I don’t know she says. Thanks a lot!) So I headed back to the MX border and found out that all I needed was the 6 month visa that I already had. All I needed to do was pay the temporary car visa money again. Too cool! So we’re back in the Holiday Inn in Chetumal until tomorrow and then driving to Playa to the Consulate for a new passport. Its about a 5 hour drive. Two conundrums though… Monday is a holiday (election day) so we have to wait until Tuesday for the Consulate. And the other is that I need to get back to my trailer to get the original paperwork just in case the same agents are in the office when I get back there. I really want to make it look like I’m registering the car for the 1st time though so I’ll send Dave In 1st to check it out. So, I may have to fly to Dangriga from Chetumal and back on Tuesday or Wednesday. At least Dave is enjoying his non-Belize trip so far! LOL At least we’ll have a/c. TV, hot water, and internet until Tuesday.
As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Fishing & Chetumal MX
Dave caught his 1st fish in Belize on Monday 6/28! It was a small snook of about 1-1/2 pounds. No picture though because he says he’s saving that for the “big one”. Tuesday morning we took my canoe into the lagoon and he caught a really nice catfish and I caught a 5 pound black snapper that was part of dinner for Dave, Tricia, Ron, Elvis and me. That will be the last of our fishing until after we get back from Mexico. Sitting on the beach in our chairs he said, “This is the life! Fishing in the morning, reading and sleeping on the beach in the afternoon, and good food!” The only things he is suffering are the biting bugs and the humidity at night when he’s trying to sleep (although it certainly doesn’t sound like it from his almost instant snoring as soon as he hits the pillow). I told him how to set the fans up to make it a bit cooler where he’s sleeping. Tonight he said it was much better. So maybe he’s only suffering one thing now. I’m really glad he’s enjoying himself!
We hit the road for Chetumal Mexico at around 7:30am and were holed up in the Holiday Inn by 1:30pm. It’s a nice place except it has no American TV that isn’t Spanish dubbed. Oh well. It’s the 1st a/c and hot water I’ve had since the 1st night that Kevin and I stayed in the Pelican Beach Resort in Dangriga our 2nd day in Belize February 4th. To tell you the truth I really don’t miss either…well a/c maybe on the really hot nights but my fan makes things bearable. But I really enjoy the cool showers at night before I go to bed. We went to the Sam’s Club already but it wasn’t quite the same as those in the states. It didn’t have as large a food selection and we didn’t buy anything. We did however have a hotdog and soda for the same price as those in the Sam’s at home. One of the reasons we didn’t buy anything is that there is a 37% duty on things brought back into Belize. We’re taking the rest of the day off now and Dave’s already showered and is knocked out. Me I’m downloading movies like a madman! Might as well get a few of the new ones out since I left the states. We went to the Chetumal free zone today and I bought a bottle of Di Saronno Amoretto, 25 Macanudo cigars, and a bunch of chocolate that I can’t get in Belize. I’ll sneak that stuff into Belize in my backpack. We’re leaving about 10am tomorrow and will stop in Belize City at the tackle store for hooks and weights that are REALLY expensive in Dangriga. They charge BZ$1 each! I stopped at a tackle store in the free zone and they were expensive too. I hate losing $2.50 (including the wire leader I use) each time I get snagged in the lagoon. Hopefully I’ll get cheaper tackle tomorrow… We are having a good time here none the less.
As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!
We hit the road for Chetumal Mexico at around 7:30am and were holed up in the Holiday Inn by 1:30pm. It’s a nice place except it has no American TV that isn’t Spanish dubbed. Oh well. It’s the 1st a/c and hot water I’ve had since the 1st night that Kevin and I stayed in the Pelican Beach Resort in Dangriga our 2nd day in Belize February 4th. To tell you the truth I really don’t miss either…well a/c maybe on the really hot nights but my fan makes things bearable. But I really enjoy the cool showers at night before I go to bed. We went to the Sam’s Club already but it wasn’t quite the same as those in the states. It didn’t have as large a food selection and we didn’t buy anything. We did however have a hotdog and soda for the same price as those in the Sam’s at home. One of the reasons we didn’t buy anything is that there is a 37% duty on things brought back into Belize. We’re taking the rest of the day off now and Dave’s already showered and is knocked out. Me I’m downloading movies like a madman! Might as well get a few of the new ones out since I left the states. We went to the Chetumal free zone today and I bought a bottle of Di Saronno Amoretto, 25 Macanudo cigars, and a bunch of chocolate that I can’t get in Belize. I’ll sneak that stuff into Belize in my backpack. We’re leaving about 10am tomorrow and will stop in Belize City at the tackle store for hooks and weights that are REALLY expensive in Dangriga. They charge BZ$1 each! I stopped at a tackle store in the free zone and they were expensive too. I hate losing $2.50 (including the wire leader I use) each time I get snagged in the lagoon. Hopefully I’ll get cheaper tackle tomorrow… We are having a good time here none the less.
As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Dave & Alex - one good & one bad visitor
Day 1, Saturday 6/26 – I had 2 visitors arrive today, my brother Dave who I welcomed with open arms, and my new friend Alex who was an unexpected and unwanted surprise. Alex delayed Dave’s flight from Belize City to Dangriga for over an hour because the commuter airlines servicing the rest of Belize and the Cayes were being used to evacuate people from Cayes Ambergris and Caulker before the tropical storm’s arrival. Alex may not have been unexpected by those of you served by the Weather Channel but here in Belize he came without much warning. It had been raining here for over 24 hours but I wasn’t aware of the storm until I reached Dangriga Airport to pick Dave up. I was right on time but there was no plane on the tarmac at either Tropic Air, which Dave was flying, or Maya Island Air. That was unusual because there is almost always a plane with people deplaning or boarding. Today there were none. When I asked the service agent she informed me that Tropical Storm Alex was the reason that Dave’s flight was delayed. So I did the shopping that needed to be done, and that I planned to use to introduce my brother to the differences between shopping in the U.S. and Belize. We’ll have to save that for another day. When I got back to the airport (it’s actually 2 small buildings on the side of the road) he was sitting inside staying dry. The rain was changing intensity almost every 5 minutes, going from a drizzle to a tropical deluge. We stopped for lunch and had fried chicken, which is a fare popular in every restaurant in Belize, and had a semi-leisurely lunch with my brother enjoying his first Belikan Beer, sitting outside under cover, and actually quite dry. We finished our meal and headed for Hopkins Village and home with a brief stop at Ron’s house to restock my supply of fresh mangos from his tree and to introduce the 2 of them. By the time we got to Kismet water was starting to creep around my trailer. This gave me a chill because I’d heard tales of thigh deep water on the property in years gone by. It wasn’t rising fast and actually seemed to recede some while I introduced Dave to Tricia. Then we went back down to my home and he unpacked all the goodies he’d brought down for me. My favorite was the 2 bags of almond M&Ms! After unpacking we put on a movie to pass the time while the rains came and went but mostly came. Around 5pm Peter made a surprise visit (yes, a day full of surprises!) and said he was headed for the lagoon to throw net and asked if we wanted to come. Well what better time to introduce Dave to Peter and the lagoon?! We only had 45 minutes until dinner but I figured that would be enough time for both. Peter rode off on his bike, with his net in his basket, and Dave and I drove. The Kismet driveway had a foot of water in several places and there were deep puddles in the pathway to the lagoon. Peter said that an old fisherman taught him that just before a storm was a good time because the fish would be on the move out of the lagoon and into deeper water. It proved to be true. Soon he was catching barassee and small stone bass with every throw. At 6pm Dave and I headed back to Kismet and a very enjoyable dinner. I supplied the fish from my catch the night before (6 red and black snappers) and the salad, with Tricia supplied the rice and fresh baked bread, and Ron a nice merlot. Oh don’t give me that! I know you are thinking that you are supposed to drink white wine with fish but we 3 are of the mind that you drink what you like best. Anyway…it rained all through dinner and our after dinner game of no score Scrabble. Peter stopped by on his way back home from the lagoon and reported that Alex would make landfall between Belize City and Corozal at 3am. Oh joy! By the time we got back down to the trailer the water had risen to 2 inches in places, with the wind strengthening, as we waded to the door. We finished watching more of our movie but by 9pm Dave was ready for bed. He had started his travels at Milwaukee Airport at 4am central (3am Belize) and was ready to call it a day. I turned on a DVD and watched it in bed while Dave snored away. It’s now midnight and the water is close to 4 inches deep around my home and the trees are singing the song of stronger winds. That means I can sit here through another 8 inches of water before I have to drag my home to higher ground. So it will be a sleepless night for me as I monitor the water level in case we have to make the move before daybreak. I have a spot picked out just across from Kismet where there is a relatively unused side road that is 4 feet higher than I am right now. It’s a good spot to park myself and start up my gas powered electric generator and wait out the storm. More later!
Day 2, Sunday 6/27 6am – After all that worrying the storm was actually over by 2:30am. It stopped raining then and the wind died. I looked outside a minute ago and the water has receded from the door side of my trailer and my door mat outside is dry again. The drive still has approximately 10 inches of water in one section but for me the threat of having to move to higher ground has passed. Dave and I are actually talking about going to the lagoon to fish.
We went fishing but the current out of the lagoon was too strong for the weights that we had on our lines so we were back, fishless, by 8am. Instead of coming in I got Dave back into the car and drove him around Hopkins and Sittee River villages so he could see where I live. Today was the last day of Lobster Fest 2010 in Placencia so we decided to take the 1 hour drive to see what it was all about. On the way back home and to breakfast we stopped at Ron’s to get a few mangos and to ask him if he wanted to join us. He jumped at the offer so we made plans to head over around 11:30. Breakfast was egg and cheese on a blueberry bagel, coffee, and mangos. Eleven thirty rolled around and we headed off. The Lobster Fest was sort of a bust. The lobster dishes were going for between US$12.50-17.50. We ended up with BBQ chicken, red beans and rice, and potato salad for US$4 as our main dish with a Belikan Beer. We did sample lobster wedgies though for US$2.50 and they were quite good. They consisted of a triangular stack of 5 flour tortillas with lobster, cilantro, celery, and onion between each layer and a nice salsa on the side. The live band was pretty good and we sat and people watched for a couple of hours. We also treated ourselves to root beer floats (Ron and I) and mint chocolate chip ice cream (Dave). We talked to the American who owned the shop and he told us it was soy milk based ice cream. Now I always made faces when my daughter Carrie talked about eating and drinking soy anything because I always thought those products were fake. I like the “real” thing. I’m publicly apologizing to Carrie right now because the ice cream was very good. That’s not to say that I’m going to dive into eating/drinking all things soy. I still like the real stuff. On the way home I asked Ron what movie he was showing that night on the yard screen (remember I told you that he shows movies in his yard every night at 7pm for the locals?) and he said Pulp Fiction. That decided the rest of our night. It’s 9:30pm now and we just got home. Our next plan is to try fishing in the lagoon at 5am so it’s off to bed. Actually Dave is already snoring away…
Our Mexico plan now is to go on Wednesday and return either Friday or Saturday. We’ll shop the Free Zones (kind of a duty free area of shops only for foreigners) in both Chetumal MX and Corozal BZ and WalMart in Chetumal plus reclaim my US$990 temporary vehicle tax, which is the main reason for going in the 1st place. Plus we’ll get in some sightseeing. Sometime next week we’re planning a fishing/snorkel trip to the reef.
As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!
Day 2, Sunday 6/27 6am – After all that worrying the storm was actually over by 2:30am. It stopped raining then and the wind died. I looked outside a minute ago and the water has receded from the door side of my trailer and my door mat outside is dry again. The drive still has approximately 10 inches of water in one section but for me the threat of having to move to higher ground has passed. Dave and I are actually talking about going to the lagoon to fish.
We went fishing but the current out of the lagoon was too strong for the weights that we had on our lines so we were back, fishless, by 8am. Instead of coming in I got Dave back into the car and drove him around Hopkins and Sittee River villages so he could see where I live. Today was the last day of Lobster Fest 2010 in Placencia so we decided to take the 1 hour drive to see what it was all about. On the way back home and to breakfast we stopped at Ron’s to get a few mangos and to ask him if he wanted to join us. He jumped at the offer so we made plans to head over around 11:30. Breakfast was egg and cheese on a blueberry bagel, coffee, and mangos. Eleven thirty rolled around and we headed off. The Lobster Fest was sort of a bust. The lobster dishes were going for between US$12.50-17.50. We ended up with BBQ chicken, red beans and rice, and potato salad for US$4 as our main dish with a Belikan Beer. We did sample lobster wedgies though for US$2.50 and they were quite good. They consisted of a triangular stack of 5 flour tortillas with lobster, cilantro, celery, and onion between each layer and a nice salsa on the side. The live band was pretty good and we sat and people watched for a couple of hours. We also treated ourselves to root beer floats (Ron and I) and mint chocolate chip ice cream (Dave). We talked to the American who owned the shop and he told us it was soy milk based ice cream. Now I always made faces when my daughter Carrie talked about eating and drinking soy anything because I always thought those products were fake. I like the “real” thing. I’m publicly apologizing to Carrie right now because the ice cream was very good. That’s not to say that I’m going to dive into eating/drinking all things soy. I still like the real stuff. On the way home I asked Ron what movie he was showing that night on the yard screen (remember I told you that he shows movies in his yard every night at 7pm for the locals?) and he said Pulp Fiction. That decided the rest of our night. It’s 9:30pm now and we just got home. Our next plan is to try fishing in the lagoon at 5am so it’s off to bed. Actually Dave is already snoring away…
Our Mexico plan now is to go on Wednesday and return either Friday or Saturday. We’ll shop the Free Zones (kind of a duty free area of shops only for foreigners) in both Chetumal MX and Corozal BZ and WalMart in Chetumal plus reclaim my US$990 temporary vehicle tax, which is the main reason for going in the 1st place. Plus we’ll get in some sightseeing. Sometime next week we’re planning a fishing/snorkel trip to the reef.
As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!