Happy birthday to my brother Bill, who passed away a year ago May. His untimely and very unexpected death is one of the reasons for my early retirement. I always intended to retire semi-early and enjoy life as much as I could before my health became an issue and prevented me from doing it. Bill passing told me that it was now or never because you really have no idea how long you truly have. So…thanks Bill! I miss you!
Zeppi is back home in NJ and my friend Ron is home in Nebraska until the end of April and things are quiet here at Kismet.
I drove both Zeppi and Ron to their respective airports (Dangriga and Belize City) in different weeks. While taking Ron to Belize city International I also took Tricia there to meet with the government on her Belize citizenship. She’s been working on it for 6 years and can’t leave the country until it is resolved because she doesn’t have a current Visa stamp in her passport. You are required to submit for a visa renewal every month for the 1st 4 months then every 6 months. To become a citizen you are required to be here at least a year. Since Tricia is “married” to a Belizean man it’s supposed to make the process simpler. Of course you know that never pans out. There have been plenty of paperwork snafus that have held up her nationalization, and plenty of payoffs to government ministers that that either went to the wrong person or never made it to the right one. So now she’s pushing hard to resolve the issues so she can travel. When someone asks where she wants to go she laughingly says, “I want to go to the mall!” She’s been here for 12 years without a break. She has been to southern Mexico but not for years because that, of course, requires crossing back into Belize, and without the required Visa stamps she wouldn’t be allowed back in.
I’ve been enjoying some really OLD movies lately. I downloaded 515 movies before I left the states because I knew I probably wouldn’t have TV access. Along with the movies I also downloaded 25 TV series, such as “The West Wing”, and National Geographic’s “Blue Planet”. Some of the series I downloaded are 7 years, and 130 episodes, long. Right now I’m watching Humphrey Bogart and John Wayne movies, some as early as 1931. I also have a bunch of DVDs, one with 20 Alfred Hitchcock movies and some of them are from the 20’s, and silent. I do get in some current releases too but I love the old black and whites with no cussing and no nudity.
Good news on the licensing issue! Tricia will have here Hotel/Inn license back within 2 weeks. We me with the Minister at the tourist board in Belize City yesterday. While she was operating under the radar, and not having the guests fill out the registration forms that they sell, they really had no other facts that prevented them from having to give her a Hotel/Inn license. But just to prove they had power over her they are making her do minor cosmetic cleaning and will come to inspect Kismet in 2 weeks and are bringing someone from the board of health to inspect as well. At that time they will give her a 3 month probationary license and will re-inspect a couple more times. After that she should have her permanent operating license. Funny thing is she’s still had people come to stay that didn’t care about the closed sign. She’s laughing that she’s been far busier since I got here so I must be her good luck charm.
We did some shopping while in the “big” city too. Brody’s is a food store almost as big as those in North America and carries a lot of the things us expats like to eat. Better cuts of meat, better cheeses, and a larger variety of veggies and fruits. You do have to know your prices though because some of the things are less expensive in the smaller stores. But it’s the convenience I guess. Tricia has been longing for some good cheeses. The local Belizean brands, no matter what the label says, all taste the same. Brody’s carries Cracker Barrel and Kraft so you know the cheese will taste like the cheese that’s described on the label. So she picked up ½ a dozen blocks for her culinary entertainment. She says she’ll be only eating cheese for the next couple of days. Me, I was pining about the last few cigars that were in my fridge. I was down to 8 of the Corona cigars that I brought with me from the states. I like my cigar and book in my beach chair every afternoon and my brother Dave won’t be here until 6/26 (Dave, expect a cigar delivery at your door to bring with you!). Brody’s, I was happily surprised to find, had a selection of cigars that filled my larder for the next 40 days. I also bought a couple of nice looking sirloin steaks and a couple bottles of salsa that I have trouble finding in Dangriga or Hopkins. We also stopped at the Duty Free store where the cruise ships come in. While we didn’t have a ship card (showing that we arrived for the day on a ship) we asked a kind lady if we could use hers to stock up on liquor and she graciously help us out. I’m a fan of Bailey’s Irish Cream in my coffee on those days I make a pot and I was nursing the bottle I had. You can buy a 750ml bottle here for US$50. I was able to buy two 1 liter bottles for US$34 each. Now I can be a bit more generous with my coffee. Tricia is a fan of Vodka and bought 5 quarts of high end brands for US$70, something that would have cost her over US$150. So she has enough for a year she says. We also went to a very nice Chinese/Japanese restaurant that she knew and had a great meal. Between the good news, our purchase, and a good meal, we came home happy!
Enough of my rambling now! Good health and good fortune to all of you! Practice peace.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Happy Easter & other comments
I would like to wish each and every one of you, and your families, a very happy and blessed Easter!
Here’s the results of the annual Hopkins Village Kite Festival. Tricia’s kite came in 3rd place in the kids division. Our friend Peter’s son Felix helped Tricia build the kite. He won a nice backpack. First prize was a really nice bike that a kid about 8 years old won. Our friend Barry, who owns Ransom Inn, won 1st prize in the adult division and was awarded BZ$50.
Everyone had a really nice time and there were plenty of beautiful kites in the air. Well Kismet is empty of guests again and this time it may be for a while. Chuck and Andrea, from Minnesota, at the Canadian border, left on Wednesday and Zeppi, my fishing buddy left today (Thursday). The reason that Kismet may be devoid of guests for a while is that the tourist board pulled Tricia’s license a few days ago over a squabble concerning the license that she was operating under. Since most of her guests are long term she had an apartment license instead of a hotel/inn license. That meant that each guest signed a lease, instead of a room rental agreement the same as in any hotel in the world. What that meant to the tourist board is that they didn’t get the 10% fee for each hotel/inn stay. So that pissed them off and forced them to look for anything that they thought would apply that would get them their 10%. Well they happened to talk to one couple who told them they were only staying 2 nights. That was all they needed to yank her license. Now she has to resubmit for a hotel/inn license and she isn’t allowed to accept guests until she has one. The tourist board guy spent about an hour questioning the guests who were here and asking for payment receipts for our rentals. I was the only one that had one because Tricia normally doesn’t provide a receipt when you check out. Since I needed proof of where I lived in order to open my post office box and bank account I had one. She did have the rental agreements for the 3 guests staying here and he was able to see that they had been here several weeks. Looking at their return airline tickets provided enough proof that they would be here at least 30 days. They were allowed to stay until it was time to leave. Me, since I’m renting a spot for my trailer, and have a long term lease agreement, I’m allowed to stay as long as I want to. So, anyway, there are signs posted around the property that it’s closed. He told Tricia that the relicensing should take about 2 weeks. Now here in Belize that could be 2-4 weeks because nothing is done by the date you are told it will be done. Tricia has a meeting with the head of the tourist board in Belize City on Tuesday. Hopefully things will move along after that. We’ll see. She’s sneaking in guests…
One good thing about being closed is that Tricia needed to repair the deck and stairs leading to the main floor. It’s something that would have been hard to do if the place was full of people. The deck and kitchen table are the meeting places of most of the guests, especially at night, so it’s important that it be comfortable and easily accessible. Kismet consists of 2 floors, with the kitchen, Tricia’s apartment, and a 6 guest bedroom (4 beds in the main room and 2 small bedrooms) unit all being on the 2nd floor. On the ground floor are 2 units, a one and a two bedroom. Behind the building is a one bedroom cabana that is very popular and my trailer. So anyway, the stairs looked like a set from a Dr Souse movie, uneven and of different lengths and widths. Quite a feat to go up or down if you’ve been drinking, as many on holiday tend to do! About 1/3 of the deck boards were twisting from water or termite damage. Dave, Peter, and Ron did a REALLY nice job of completely rebuilding the stairs and replacing some support beams under the deck and the twisted decking and it’s a pleasure to walk up/down and around now. Normal window panes aren’t used here. Each window has a wooden storm shutter that is always open to allow the sea breeze to cool the rooms (Kismet has no A/C). Ron repaired 2 of them too. So the place is looking pretty spiffy now. There are a few other repairs left to be done too but nothing major.
Something important to know about Kismet is that people arrive as guests and leave as family. I think a lot of that has to do with the Kismet kitchen table. Just as in most homes we all tend to gather around the kitchen table and talk. Of course that’s where the food is too and we all want to be close to the food! Over the years my homes have all had formal living and dining rooms, and most had a family room too. In Florida we also had outdoor patios. But in Illinois, where I grew up and 2 of my brothers and 1 sister still live, New Jersey, where I lived twice, and Orland, most everyone seemed to gravitate to the kitchen table the majority of the time. It’s the central spot in any home and just a comfortable place to be. It’s the same here even though we come from all over the world. We all sit around the table and talk of our lives, where we live and lived, what our family is like, what we do for a living and for relaxation. It’s all the things that people normally talk about when the gather together and what makes this such a special place. I’m in contact with several of the guests and have added Zeppi to that list too. In all the years that Maggie and I came to Belize I’ve never experienced anything like this. And it’s what is helping to make my retired life so enjoyable.
Fishing has been up and down. I’m talking major fish, not the mangrove snapper and small grouper that are normally caught here on a day-to-day basis. The full moon and shone brightly on the lagoon the past few nights and the big fish are running. Saturday night Zeppi caught a 4 pound snook and 12 and 8 pound tarpons. Me, I was sleeping…mainly because I could. A stupid mistake on my part! Sunday night I made sure I was awake. I caught a 5 pound Snook and a 2 pound Caravalle Jack (like a tuna). Zeppi caught 5 pound Snook too. Peter was catching snook and rock bass in his net both nights and was a very happy man. He was afraid that he wouldn’t have fish to supply for everyone’s Easter dinner. Monday night he caught about 15 pounds of fish in his net while I was there. Because a cold front had moved in Monday the fish weren’t biting for Zeppi and me though. Tuesday night I gave Peter a 4 pound Snook that I caught. Wednesday night, Zeppi’s last night with us, I hooked a Snook but lost it. That was the only action that we had. It was a poor weather day again Thursday I didn’t catch anything. It was cloudy and windy both days. Hopefully things will pick up. But…a bad day fishing is better than a good day working! I’ve always been of the ilk that being out fishing, enjoying nature and the weather is a joy and that actually catching fish is just a plus!
Funny thing about what fish we eat, or don’t eat in the states, and what they eat here. In the states Snook, Barracuda, and Tarpon are sport fish and are released after the pictures are taken. Here they are table fish, and let me tell you, they are delicious. Tarpon meat is spooned off the thousands if bones (probably why we don’t eat them in the U.S.) and made into patties and fried. Snook spoils within hours if it isn’t refrigerated (again probably why we don’t eat them). Barracuda, it’s a bone thing. There’s not nearly as many bones as a Tarpon but bonier than most other fish. So my freezer is full now and great meals are to be had!
Sitting, thinking about life alone in Belize, strengthens my belief in how important family is. I knew going into this that I would be far away from everyone but I was sure I’d have visitors throughout the year. And having all the long term guests helps keep loneliness at bay. Still though, I miss my kids dearly and that was a known entity when I started this journey. I miss hanging out with them, going out to eat, out to the movies, and just plain seeing them. I also miss all if you too but you all know what I mean. You miss the people most that you are closest too. With Richard it was just hanging out and talking. We had a really nice vacation in October too. He wanted to see the changing leaves up north so we spent a little over a week in Gettysburg and Washington D.C. With Matt it’s the all-you-can-eat wing or crab leg nights. With Carrie it’s the meals and movies. Talking to her on the phone on Monday she was trying to talk me into coming to Orlando to go with her to the new Harry Potter area at Universal Studios and also to see the last Harry Potter movie when it comes out. I’ve just gotten back in contact with my daughter Nicole and my 3 year old grand-daughter Kayla shortly before leaving for Belize. What an amazing woman and mother Nicole has grown to be! And Kayla is soooo cute! So I have reason to miss them all. But, I’m not sure if it’s selfishness on my part, I’ve chosen to live where I’m comfortable and where my meager pension will go far. I’ll be back in Orlando for Christmas and maybe Canada in late summer to visit friends that I’ve met here at Kismet (Brent and Janet). They promise fishing and I’ve always wanted to fish Canada!
Well I’m done for now. Back at ya later! Practice peace!
Here’s the results of the annual Hopkins Village Kite Festival. Tricia’s kite came in 3rd place in the kids division. Our friend Peter’s son Felix helped Tricia build the kite. He won a nice backpack. First prize was a really nice bike that a kid about 8 years old won. Our friend Barry, who owns Ransom Inn, won 1st prize in the adult division and was awarded BZ$50.
Everyone had a really nice time and there were plenty of beautiful kites in the air. Well Kismet is empty of guests again and this time it may be for a while. Chuck and Andrea, from Minnesota, at the Canadian border, left on Wednesday and Zeppi, my fishing buddy left today (Thursday). The reason that Kismet may be devoid of guests for a while is that the tourist board pulled Tricia’s license a few days ago over a squabble concerning the license that she was operating under. Since most of her guests are long term she had an apartment license instead of a hotel/inn license. That meant that each guest signed a lease, instead of a room rental agreement the same as in any hotel in the world. What that meant to the tourist board is that they didn’t get the 10% fee for each hotel/inn stay. So that pissed them off and forced them to look for anything that they thought would apply that would get them their 10%. Well they happened to talk to one couple who told them they were only staying 2 nights. That was all they needed to yank her license. Now she has to resubmit for a hotel/inn license and she isn’t allowed to accept guests until she has one. The tourist board guy spent about an hour questioning the guests who were here and asking for payment receipts for our rentals. I was the only one that had one because Tricia normally doesn’t provide a receipt when you check out. Since I needed proof of where I lived in order to open my post office box and bank account I had one. She did have the rental agreements for the 3 guests staying here and he was able to see that they had been here several weeks. Looking at their return airline tickets provided enough proof that they would be here at least 30 days. They were allowed to stay until it was time to leave. Me, since I’m renting a spot for my trailer, and have a long term lease agreement, I’m allowed to stay as long as I want to. So, anyway, there are signs posted around the property that it’s closed. He told Tricia that the relicensing should take about 2 weeks. Now here in Belize that could be 2-4 weeks because nothing is done by the date you are told it will be done. Tricia has a meeting with the head of the tourist board in Belize City on Tuesday. Hopefully things will move along after that. We’ll see. She’s sneaking in guests…
One good thing about being closed is that Tricia needed to repair the deck and stairs leading to the main floor. It’s something that would have been hard to do if the place was full of people. The deck and kitchen table are the meeting places of most of the guests, especially at night, so it’s important that it be comfortable and easily accessible. Kismet consists of 2 floors, with the kitchen, Tricia’s apartment, and a 6 guest bedroom (4 beds in the main room and 2 small bedrooms) unit all being on the 2nd floor. On the ground floor are 2 units, a one and a two bedroom. Behind the building is a one bedroom cabana that is very popular and my trailer. So anyway, the stairs looked like a set from a Dr Souse movie, uneven and of different lengths and widths. Quite a feat to go up or down if you’ve been drinking, as many on holiday tend to do! About 1/3 of the deck boards were twisting from water or termite damage. Dave, Peter, and Ron did a REALLY nice job of completely rebuilding the stairs and replacing some support beams under the deck and the twisted decking and it’s a pleasure to walk up/down and around now. Normal window panes aren’t used here. Each window has a wooden storm shutter that is always open to allow the sea breeze to cool the rooms (Kismet has no A/C). Ron repaired 2 of them too. So the place is looking pretty spiffy now. There are a few other repairs left to be done too but nothing major.
Something important to know about Kismet is that people arrive as guests and leave as family. I think a lot of that has to do with the Kismet kitchen table. Just as in most homes we all tend to gather around the kitchen table and talk. Of course that’s where the food is too and we all want to be close to the food! Over the years my homes have all had formal living and dining rooms, and most had a family room too. In Florida we also had outdoor patios. But in Illinois, where I grew up and 2 of my brothers and 1 sister still live, New Jersey, where I lived twice, and Orland, most everyone seemed to gravitate to the kitchen table the majority of the time. It’s the central spot in any home and just a comfortable place to be. It’s the same here even though we come from all over the world. We all sit around the table and talk of our lives, where we live and lived, what our family is like, what we do for a living and for relaxation. It’s all the things that people normally talk about when the gather together and what makes this such a special place. I’m in contact with several of the guests and have added Zeppi to that list too. In all the years that Maggie and I came to Belize I’ve never experienced anything like this. And it’s what is helping to make my retired life so enjoyable.
Fishing has been up and down. I’m talking major fish, not the mangrove snapper and small grouper that are normally caught here on a day-to-day basis. The full moon and shone brightly on the lagoon the past few nights and the big fish are running. Saturday night Zeppi caught a 4 pound snook and 12 and 8 pound tarpons. Me, I was sleeping…mainly because I could. A stupid mistake on my part! Sunday night I made sure I was awake. I caught a 5 pound Snook and a 2 pound Caravalle Jack (like a tuna). Zeppi caught 5 pound Snook too. Peter was catching snook and rock bass in his net both nights and was a very happy man. He was afraid that he wouldn’t have fish to supply for everyone’s Easter dinner. Monday night he caught about 15 pounds of fish in his net while I was there. Because a cold front had moved in Monday the fish weren’t biting for Zeppi and me though. Tuesday night I gave Peter a 4 pound Snook that I caught. Wednesday night, Zeppi’s last night with us, I hooked a Snook but lost it. That was the only action that we had. It was a poor weather day again Thursday I didn’t catch anything. It was cloudy and windy both days. Hopefully things will pick up. But…a bad day fishing is better than a good day working! I’ve always been of the ilk that being out fishing, enjoying nature and the weather is a joy and that actually catching fish is just a plus!
Funny thing about what fish we eat, or don’t eat in the states, and what they eat here. In the states Snook, Barracuda, and Tarpon are sport fish and are released after the pictures are taken. Here they are table fish, and let me tell you, they are delicious. Tarpon meat is spooned off the thousands if bones (probably why we don’t eat them in the U.S.) and made into patties and fried. Snook spoils within hours if it isn’t refrigerated (again probably why we don’t eat them). Barracuda, it’s a bone thing. There’s not nearly as many bones as a Tarpon but bonier than most other fish. So my freezer is full now and great meals are to be had!
Sitting, thinking about life alone in Belize, strengthens my belief in how important family is. I knew going into this that I would be far away from everyone but I was sure I’d have visitors throughout the year. And having all the long term guests helps keep loneliness at bay. Still though, I miss my kids dearly and that was a known entity when I started this journey. I miss hanging out with them, going out to eat, out to the movies, and just plain seeing them. I also miss all if you too but you all know what I mean. You miss the people most that you are closest too. With Richard it was just hanging out and talking. We had a really nice vacation in October too. He wanted to see the changing leaves up north so we spent a little over a week in Gettysburg and Washington D.C. With Matt it’s the all-you-can-eat wing or crab leg nights. With Carrie it’s the meals and movies. Talking to her on the phone on Monday she was trying to talk me into coming to Orlando to go with her to the new Harry Potter area at Universal Studios and also to see the last Harry Potter movie when it comes out. I’ve just gotten back in contact with my daughter Nicole and my 3 year old grand-daughter Kayla shortly before leaving for Belize. What an amazing woman and mother Nicole has grown to be! And Kayla is soooo cute! So I have reason to miss them all. But, I’m not sure if it’s selfishness on my part, I’ve chosen to live where I’m comfortable and where my meager pension will go far. I’ll be back in Orlando for Christmas and maybe Canada in late summer to visit friends that I’ve met here at Kismet (Brent and Janet). They promise fishing and I’ve always wanted to fish Canada!
Well I’m done for now. Back at ya later! Practice peace!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Life In Belize
Something disconcerting happened on Monday. Tricia was attacked by a local some months ago. A local young thug struck her on the arm with a stick while she was trying to get him to leave her property. Monday was his court appearance and of course Tricia had to appear to give testimony against him. The appearance was set for 10am so Tricia and I made plans to go early and do some shopping and she to make her appearance. I also invited one of the guests, who I have become very friendly with, Jose Luis (Zeppi), and I also asked Tricia to call Ron (our hippy friend) to see if he wanted to join us. Well we got to Dangriga a few minutes after 10 and Tricia went up to the courtroom (there is only one) and a note on the door said court was adjourned until 2pm. So off we all went to run our errands and eat lunch at our favorite street vendor (more on that later too). We arrived back at court at 2pm and Tricia went in. Cases are called in alphabetical name order which placed Tricia near the end of the docket. Zeppi, Ron and I did guy things (a visit to a bar and the local airstrip, some girl watching, etc). After a couple of hours Ron suggested we go back to court to check on her. I sat in the car and Ron and Zep ran into the courtroom. A few minutes later Zeppi came out and said that the magistrate stopped the court proceedings a suggested he leave because shorts aren’t allowed in court. So off he ran. A few minutes later Tricia came out and was telling us about the Belizean court system. It seems the court reporter documents everything that is said in each case, just the same as American courts. The only difference here is that it is done in long hand. WRITTEN WITH A PEN!!! So when anyone talks they can only say 3 words at a time, and slowly. And God forbid someone uses a word that the stenographer doesn’t know how to spell! Anyway, that’s enough to keep each case dragging on. So, anyway, Tricia went back in and in a few minutes she came running back out. When she got to my window she yelled, “Ron was arrested and charged with contempt of court because he answered his cell phone and the magistrate sentenced him to 2 weeks in the Piss House (the local name for the lockup at the police station. It’s one large cell with no seats, no beds, and a bucket for a bathroom. Ladies cover your eye…and NO TOILET PAPER! Can you imagine the poor ladies in the lockup? Having had 2 wives, 2 daughters, 3 sisters, and more than a few girlfriends over the years I know how important toilet paper is to a woman! Ok ladies you can open your eyes now. Not that that wasn’t bad enough but Tricia’s case was held over until April 17th because the court session ran out of time. We were all upset by this new turn of events. Tricia said that we should go buy Ron some dinner and deliver it to the jail. I asked if they fed the prisoners, thinking of course they do, and she said no, that they need to be supplied food. Off we drove to one of Ron’s favorite restaurants, Yummy Yummy Chinese, to buy him fried chicken. The police station is right across the street so I went over to see what the deal is with feeding prisoners. I was assured that they were fed 3 times a day, which came as a relief. When the food was ready Tricia and I walked it over and, while the food was being checked in I started asking questions. Is there a sign about cell phone use? No says the desk cop, its common sense and he said “just like in the U.S.” I said that in the U.S. there are signs that tell everyone cell phone, camera, and recording device usage is prohibited. He just grinned and said, “Its common sense here.” Me, I’m thinking there is no common sense in the way many things are done here in Belize, and this is just one more proof of that. But I kept my mouth shut because I didn’t want to spend the night with Ron. So we just walked away. Ron was released after 2 nights and was not charged with anything. Go figure! And…Tricia’s appearance is rescheduled to April 19th.
Ron is one of the gentlest people I have ever met. He hails from Omaha, Nebraska and is a retired restaurant owner and dirt track racer. Ever night at 7pm he shows a movie for the local kids on the wall of the ice cream shop right next to his house. Last night was Monsters, Inc. (I lend him kid’s movies that I have too). Most of the locals don’t have TV and there isn’t much for the kids to do at night so he provides what entertainment he can for them. That’s just the kind of guy he is.
One of our “must do’s” when we go to Dangriga is stop for meat patties at a street vendor. He serves the most delicious beef, chicken, and fish patties for 50 cents U.S. each. Often times he has only 1 kind and today was fish. I love all 3. Its ground meat or fish mixed with small chunks of onion, potato, celery, and spices and wrapped in dough and deep fried. Mmm mmm good! Since Zeppi has only been here a few days he’s never had the good fortune to taste one. Today he ate 5 of them! They are good heated in the microwave and serves with salsa too.
Zeppi hails from Rio in Brazil but makes his home in Teaneck, NJ with his wife and 6 year old son. He is a construction worker in NYC. She’s an ice skating teacher. Since we are both fisherman he and I have been getting up at dawn to fish the lagoon and also going down around 4:30pm for a second round. We’ve had some great fish dinners the last few nights. He makes an awesome Brazilian fish dish with coconut milk and green peppers. We also had a dozen steamed blue claw crabs for dinner last night that he caught right off the beach. I’m gonna get fat eating his cooking until he leaves! Actually I provide something to each meal too. Last night was Spanish rice with peas and the night before was pasta with garlic tomato sauce. Thank God he leaves April 1st!
I have to renew my visa again by the 28th so today Ron, Zeppi and I took a trip to Punta Gorda, which is at the southeastern end of Belize and about 2 hours away. The renewal has to take place at a port of entry into the country. That gives me a chance to see some of Belize while doing a necessary. I have 2 more monthly renewals before I can apply for a 6 month visa and then 2 more months after that I can apply for retiree citizenship. Punta Gorda was a bit of a disappointment but on the way back we took a side trip to Placencia, which we all enjoyed very much.
It looks like my brother Dave will be my 1st guest. He emailed me on Sunday that he bought his ticket and he will be here from June 26th to July 6th. I can’t wait to see him. I know he will love it here and I wonder if his wife Deanne will have to send a rescue party for him?! I’ll have a few things for him to bring down with him, like Bailey’s Irish Cream for my morning coffee and more cigars. I’m close to running out of both and will definitely be out months before he gets here. One of the good things about packing for Belize is that you can pack light because all you need are bathing suits and t-shirts. That’s all I wear every day and I even wore that into the Belmopan (the capital) a couple of weeks ago. It’s a very informal country.
Not much else is happening here. It’s almost time to put in my garden. I have to wait until April though because it doesn’t rain enough here to support a garden until then and water is a precious resource that can’t be wasted. There is some city water but usually not much pressure so people rely a lot on cisterns, at almost roof level, to store water for showers, toilets, and even cooking. Tricia uses washing machine rinse and sink water to water her few tomato and squash plants. I don’t generate enough gray (sink) water to water a garden so I’ll have to wait. I do have other things to fill my time though.
Well that’s it for now. My sister Diana (Bunny) ends her emails with “Practice Peace”. So, to all my family and friends I bid you “Practice Peace” too.
Ron is one of the gentlest people I have ever met. He hails from Omaha, Nebraska and is a retired restaurant owner and dirt track racer. Ever night at 7pm he shows a movie for the local kids on the wall of the ice cream shop right next to his house. Last night was Monsters, Inc. (I lend him kid’s movies that I have too). Most of the locals don’t have TV and there isn’t much for the kids to do at night so he provides what entertainment he can for them. That’s just the kind of guy he is.
One of our “must do’s” when we go to Dangriga is stop for meat patties at a street vendor. He serves the most delicious beef, chicken, and fish patties for 50 cents U.S. each. Often times he has only 1 kind and today was fish. I love all 3. Its ground meat or fish mixed with small chunks of onion, potato, celery, and spices and wrapped in dough and deep fried. Mmm mmm good! Since Zeppi has only been here a few days he’s never had the good fortune to taste one. Today he ate 5 of them! They are good heated in the microwave and serves with salsa too.
Zeppi hails from Rio in Brazil but makes his home in Teaneck, NJ with his wife and 6 year old son. He is a construction worker in NYC. She’s an ice skating teacher. Since we are both fisherman he and I have been getting up at dawn to fish the lagoon and also going down around 4:30pm for a second round. We’ve had some great fish dinners the last few nights. He makes an awesome Brazilian fish dish with coconut milk and green peppers. We also had a dozen steamed blue claw crabs for dinner last night that he caught right off the beach. I’m gonna get fat eating his cooking until he leaves! Actually I provide something to each meal too. Last night was Spanish rice with peas and the night before was pasta with garlic tomato sauce. Thank God he leaves April 1st!
I have to renew my visa again by the 28th so today Ron, Zeppi and I took a trip to Punta Gorda, which is at the southeastern end of Belize and about 2 hours away. The renewal has to take place at a port of entry into the country. That gives me a chance to see some of Belize while doing a necessary. I have 2 more monthly renewals before I can apply for a 6 month visa and then 2 more months after that I can apply for retiree citizenship. Punta Gorda was a bit of a disappointment but on the way back we took a side trip to Placencia, which we all enjoyed very much.
It looks like my brother Dave will be my 1st guest. He emailed me on Sunday that he bought his ticket and he will be here from June 26th to July 6th. I can’t wait to see him. I know he will love it here and I wonder if his wife Deanne will have to send a rescue party for him?! I’ll have a few things for him to bring down with him, like Bailey’s Irish Cream for my morning coffee and more cigars. I’m close to running out of both and will definitely be out months before he gets here. One of the good things about packing for Belize is that you can pack light because all you need are bathing suits and t-shirts. That’s all I wear every day and I even wore that into the Belmopan (the capital) a couple of weeks ago. It’s a very informal country.
Not much else is happening here. It’s almost time to put in my garden. I have to wait until April though because it doesn’t rain enough here to support a garden until then and water is a precious resource that can’t be wasted. There is some city water but usually not much pressure so people rely a lot on cisterns, at almost roof level, to store water for showers, toilets, and even cooking. Tricia uses washing machine rinse and sink water to water her few tomato and squash plants. I don’t generate enough gray (sink) water to water a garden so I’ll have to wait. I do have other things to fill my time though.
Well that’s it for now. My sister Diana (Bunny) ends her emails with “Practice Peace”. So, to all my family and friends I bid you “Practice Peace” too.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Life in Belize
I didn’t realize how long it’s been since I last updated this until I saw the last posting date. How fast these 3 weeks have gone! My life has settled into a quiet routine that I am enjoying very much. It’s too boring to go into, and I said in my 1st blog that I wouldn’t bore you to death with trivial information so I won’t go into my routine. Suffice it to say though that I am very comfortable and rested and thoroughly enjoying my new life here in Belize.
I’m still learning how to cast the throw net for bait. I was down the lagoon with Peter (you remember him, he’s the local fisherman and frequent visitor to Kismet) and he was showing me, again, how to throw while he was fishing. He was getting some nice eating size fish in his net when I was there, which is how he makes his catch. Anyway, while I didn’t bring my net to try it out because I didn’t want to get in the way of his work, I think I may have it done now. I’m planning on practicing it again today…
I never made my trip to Chetumal 2 weeks ago. If you remember I posted about taking a couple of days off (gee aren’t I always off???) and heading to MX to collect my vehicle tax that I wasn’t able to collect when I crossed the border because the bank had already closed. Another of my reasons for going was to renew my Belize visa, which has to be done every month for the 1st 4 months at a cost of US$50, and to renew my vehicle visa which is free at the moment. Instead Tricia and I took a ride to Independence, which is about 40 miles south and did all that. It also gave me a chance to get information on becoming a retiree citizen and a rough estimate on the import tax on my car. That wasn’t as big a shock as I thought it would be. I was thinking US$8000 but the tax man gave me a rough estimate of US$3000 id I remove the 4X4 and engine size emblems from my car. Yes he actually told me that! He said that since they don’t do an under the hood inspection of the car I can tell them that I have a 6 cylinder engine and no 4 wheel drive and that will significantly reduce the tariff and as long as nothing on the outside refers to hidden features I’ll be taxed at a lower rate. I love government officials that help ease the financial pain of doing business in a country! Anyway, after renewing my visas monthly for the 1st 4 months I can get a 6 month visa. After a year I can apply for my Belize citizenship and passport and be a dual citizen.
I got to visit the capital of Belmopan last week where Tricia had an appointment for her citizenship. She’s had some personal and paperwork problems that have prevented her from obtaining it and now she’s going to the top. Anyway, the Belize capital is nothing like you would expect of a nation’s capital. It’s small and has no impressive buildings. Even the U.S. and Great Britain Embassies are very plain looking. I thought that very odd as I’ve seen government buildings in other countries and they are quite impressive. We had a guest with us too. A lady named Raydine (Ray dine) asked for a ride to one of the teaching farms on the way to Belmopan. So we took her and stopped to talk to the people there. It seems she had gotten some bad info about the farm, which was no longer a teaching farm but a fully functioning agricultural station. It’s a good thing that we stayed with her until she found that out. Otherwise she would have had to take a bus back to Hopkins with her luggage. Anyway she came to Belmopan with us and bought our lunch at a Chinese restaurant. Since she is also looking for 500-1000 acres of rain forest land she decided to visit the Land Ministry and ask some questions. She was told that the best, and cheapest, place would be in Placencia, which is at the southern end of the country. This was also a shopping trip for things that can’t be obtained in Hopkins or Dangriga too. One of the things I was able to find at the meat market was spare ribs…one of my favorites! Anyway it was a successful trip and we finally made it home around 7pm.
I want to start visiting some of the other towns and villages around Belize that I heard might be interesting, some near, some far, so I’ll have to start planning my trips so I can see more of this beautiful country.
Until later… vaya con dios!
I’m still learning how to cast the throw net for bait. I was down the lagoon with Peter (you remember him, he’s the local fisherman and frequent visitor to Kismet) and he was showing me, again, how to throw while he was fishing. He was getting some nice eating size fish in his net when I was there, which is how he makes his catch. Anyway, while I didn’t bring my net to try it out because I didn’t want to get in the way of his work, I think I may have it done now. I’m planning on practicing it again today…
I never made my trip to Chetumal 2 weeks ago. If you remember I posted about taking a couple of days off (gee aren’t I always off???) and heading to MX to collect my vehicle tax that I wasn’t able to collect when I crossed the border because the bank had already closed. Another of my reasons for going was to renew my Belize visa, which has to be done every month for the 1st 4 months at a cost of US$50, and to renew my vehicle visa which is free at the moment. Instead Tricia and I took a ride to Independence, which is about 40 miles south and did all that. It also gave me a chance to get information on becoming a retiree citizen and a rough estimate on the import tax on my car. That wasn’t as big a shock as I thought it would be. I was thinking US$8000 but the tax man gave me a rough estimate of US$3000 id I remove the 4X4 and engine size emblems from my car. Yes he actually told me that! He said that since they don’t do an under the hood inspection of the car I can tell them that I have a 6 cylinder engine and no 4 wheel drive and that will significantly reduce the tariff and as long as nothing on the outside refers to hidden features I’ll be taxed at a lower rate. I love government officials that help ease the financial pain of doing business in a country! Anyway, after renewing my visas monthly for the 1st 4 months I can get a 6 month visa. After a year I can apply for my Belize citizenship and passport and be a dual citizen.
I got to visit the capital of Belmopan last week where Tricia had an appointment for her citizenship. She’s had some personal and paperwork problems that have prevented her from obtaining it and now she’s going to the top. Anyway, the Belize capital is nothing like you would expect of a nation’s capital. It’s small and has no impressive buildings. Even the U.S. and Great Britain Embassies are very plain looking. I thought that very odd as I’ve seen government buildings in other countries and they are quite impressive. We had a guest with us too. A lady named Raydine (Ray dine) asked for a ride to one of the teaching farms on the way to Belmopan. So we took her and stopped to talk to the people there. It seems she had gotten some bad info about the farm, which was no longer a teaching farm but a fully functioning agricultural station. It’s a good thing that we stayed with her until she found that out. Otherwise she would have had to take a bus back to Hopkins with her luggage. Anyway she came to Belmopan with us and bought our lunch at a Chinese restaurant. Since she is also looking for 500-1000 acres of rain forest land she decided to visit the Land Ministry and ask some questions. She was told that the best, and cheapest, place would be in Placencia, which is at the southern end of the country. This was also a shopping trip for things that can’t be obtained in Hopkins or Dangriga too. One of the things I was able to find at the meat market was spare ribs…one of my favorites! Anyway it was a successful trip and we finally made it home around 7pm.
I want to start visiting some of the other towns and villages around Belize that I heard might be interesting, some near, some far, so I’ll have to start planning my trips so I can see more of this beautiful country.
Until later… vaya con dios!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Now I'm alone now, except of course for Tricia and Elvis...
First off I gave you all the wrong area code for Belize. It’s 501 and not 502. So my cell number is 011-501-651-3091.
Well Kismet has lost 3 of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Bruce left for his home in Maine on Friday 2/26 and Brent and Jan were safely home in Edmonton late Thursday night (2/25). Boy is Fatboy In Belize ever lonely now! While Tricia will always be here, and there will be guests checking in and out, and Ron and Peter dropping by almost every day, that will keep me occupied. It’s just not the same without the 3 of them because we all became such fast friends. I claimed Bruce as my 4th brother. We poked fun at each other constantly and had an even better time when happy hour rolled around and Brent and Jan joined in. This place rocked with laughter! And, the 2 times that we forced Brent to drag over his borrowed guitar, we had the air resounding with all kinds of half remembered songs. Actually Brent knew the songs but none of us could remember all the lyrics. In any case we had a great, great time. All 3 left with promises to come back. Bruce maybe at Christmas (he was here for the 1st time last Christmas) and the Canucks about this same time next year. Kismet is so quiet now…
We all (Tricia, Brent & Jan, Ron, Bruce, and I) went on a snorkeling and fishing trip on Tuesday 2/24. On our way out to the reef a pod of dolphin played around the boat and one made a beautiful 6 foot jump into the air as if he was performing at Sea World. Our 1st stop was to Bread & Butter Caye which is right on the reef and home to a single small resort owned by a guy named King. It’s a really nice place, rustic as many of them are around here, but a nice place to stay none the less. King met us at the dock, and of course, when we heard his name, several of us introduced ourselves as royalty too. Bruce was 1st with Prince and me last with Emperor. King busted out laughing over it so we knew he was our kind of guy. Some sat and had a beer, or beers, and talked and some of us snorkeled and fished. Snorkeling was great as the water was calm and warm and the sun bright. After snorkeling I caught an inedible garbage fish, but a nice fight, and had a few small hits. We left King after about an hour and headed out in the direction of the more populated Cayes and began our fishing day in earnest. Brent was the big kahoona with a double catch of barracuda. The 1st was about 4 feet long and the 2nd a 3 footer. Both gave up the fight very unwillingly and had Brent sort of roaming the bow of the boat while he fought them. Bruce had a couple of fish on, including a barracuda, but failed to boat them and I had a couple of good strikes, one a barracuda that danced across the water before throwing the hook, but brought nothing to the boat. So our dinner was provided by Brent 2 nights in a row. Needless to say we all came home redder than we left. Tricia fed us wonderful egg salad and salsa with chips (she forgot the bread). Rum and OJ filled many a glass along with cold Belikan Beer. We actually had beer left when we got back to the dock. That was a shocker. But it didn’t last long as we went from partying on the boat to partying on the Kismet deck.
I’m planning a trip next week to Chetumal MX to reclaim my tourist vehicle tax of US$450. I’ll probably spend a few days there doing some major grocery shopping for Tricia and me, getting things that aren’t readily available here in Hopkins or Dangriga. My buddy Ron will take the ride up but will stay in Belize at Corozal and visit friends. One of the reasons for my trip to MX is to restart the clock on paying the duty on my car. It may amount to about US$4,000 because of its value. I want to put that off for a long as possible but not sure how long I can keep doing that. It’s the price of living in paradise though I guess.
Ron came over Thursday afternoon to shoot the breeze and asked if I’d be interested in a 3 day canoe outing from San Ignacio, which is in the Mayan Mountains near the Guatemalan coast, to Belize City which is right on the coast. He thinks it’s a daytime race but we sure as shootin’ wouldn’t be involved in that. It would just be a nice couple of days on the water. He wasn’t sure what the sleeping arrangements would be, hotels or tents or something, so he’ll check into it. If we decide to do it we’ll lock the canoe to the top on my car before we head north to MX and take the detour to San Ignacio on the way back. I’ll keep you informed of our plans…
For Bruce’s last meal request Tricia made him a wonderful rosemary roasted chicken and baked an Italian bread. Dinner was attended by Bruce, Elvis (Tricia’s helper), Tricia and me. And, since Saturday 2/27 is Bruce’s 61st birthday, I couldn’t let it go by without some sort of celebration. So, while I was in Dangriga Thursday I stopped at Norman’s Bakery and bought 3 delicious carrot cupcakes for his birthday. Sadly Bruce said it would be the only birthday cake he’d have. But having one here made him feel special and us so glad that we could celebrate it with him. Tricia had also booked a couple of the local girls to come and perform some Belizean dances at 7pm but for some reason they didn’t show. A nice time was had by all anyway.
Fishing in the lagoon has been a challenge. Bruce and I went out twice in my canoe but Tricia’s 5 Labrador Retrievers swam along, around, and sometimes almost over us both times and chased the fish away. They can swim for hours. Wednesday morning Bruce locked the dogs on the porch so that I could try to venture out without them and possibly catch some fish. No such luck though because, about 10 minutes after I left, Bruce went down to get the dog bowls to feed them and 4 of them charged off in my direction. So I came home with no fish once again. Even Peter has been complaining about how bad the fishing has been so I didn’t feel so bad coming home empty handed. At least the exercise that I get paddling is a good thing. I was forced to buy some filleted fish in the Dangriga fish market on Thursday to fill my freezer. I split a box of shrimp with Ron so I have 4 shrimp dinners reserved too. I’m looking forward to eating seafood gumbo, a shrimp boil, shrimp Jambalaya, and shrimp and Caribbean rice. If nothing else I’ve been eating well here. Plus I’ve been eating healthier with lots of fresh veggies and fruit. (Bobbie Jean I’m not sure if you remember the email that you sent several months ago about eating fruit on an empty stomach to get all the nutritional value from the fruit but I’ve been doing that and it helps with my weight loss. Thanks for that!) I’ve dropped about 10 pounds already. One of my missions in life is to drop some tonnage (gee will I have to change my name to “normal size guy in Belize” when I’ve dropped the weight?) and be more healthy and get off my blood pressure medicine.
Till later!
Well Kismet has lost 3 of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Bruce left for his home in Maine on Friday 2/26 and Brent and Jan were safely home in Edmonton late Thursday night (2/25). Boy is Fatboy In Belize ever lonely now! While Tricia will always be here, and there will be guests checking in and out, and Ron and Peter dropping by almost every day, that will keep me occupied. It’s just not the same without the 3 of them because we all became such fast friends. I claimed Bruce as my 4th brother. We poked fun at each other constantly and had an even better time when happy hour rolled around and Brent and Jan joined in. This place rocked with laughter! And, the 2 times that we forced Brent to drag over his borrowed guitar, we had the air resounding with all kinds of half remembered songs. Actually Brent knew the songs but none of us could remember all the lyrics. In any case we had a great, great time. All 3 left with promises to come back. Bruce maybe at Christmas (he was here for the 1st time last Christmas) and the Canucks about this same time next year. Kismet is so quiet now…
We all (Tricia, Brent & Jan, Ron, Bruce, and I) went on a snorkeling and fishing trip on Tuesday 2/24. On our way out to the reef a pod of dolphin played around the boat and one made a beautiful 6 foot jump into the air as if he was performing at Sea World. Our 1st stop was to Bread & Butter Caye which is right on the reef and home to a single small resort owned by a guy named King. It’s a really nice place, rustic as many of them are around here, but a nice place to stay none the less. King met us at the dock, and of course, when we heard his name, several of us introduced ourselves as royalty too. Bruce was 1st with Prince and me last with Emperor. King busted out laughing over it so we knew he was our kind of guy. Some sat and had a beer, or beers, and talked and some of us snorkeled and fished. Snorkeling was great as the water was calm and warm and the sun bright. After snorkeling I caught an inedible garbage fish, but a nice fight, and had a few small hits. We left King after about an hour and headed out in the direction of the more populated Cayes and began our fishing day in earnest. Brent was the big kahoona with a double catch of barracuda. The 1st was about 4 feet long and the 2nd a 3 footer. Both gave up the fight very unwillingly and had Brent sort of roaming the bow of the boat while he fought them. Bruce had a couple of fish on, including a barracuda, but failed to boat them and I had a couple of good strikes, one a barracuda that danced across the water before throwing the hook, but brought nothing to the boat. So our dinner was provided by Brent 2 nights in a row. Needless to say we all came home redder than we left. Tricia fed us wonderful egg salad and salsa with chips (she forgot the bread). Rum and OJ filled many a glass along with cold Belikan Beer. We actually had beer left when we got back to the dock. That was a shocker. But it didn’t last long as we went from partying on the boat to partying on the Kismet deck.
I’m planning a trip next week to Chetumal MX to reclaim my tourist vehicle tax of US$450. I’ll probably spend a few days there doing some major grocery shopping for Tricia and me, getting things that aren’t readily available here in Hopkins or Dangriga. My buddy Ron will take the ride up but will stay in Belize at Corozal and visit friends. One of the reasons for my trip to MX is to restart the clock on paying the duty on my car. It may amount to about US$4,000 because of its value. I want to put that off for a long as possible but not sure how long I can keep doing that. It’s the price of living in paradise though I guess.
Ron came over Thursday afternoon to shoot the breeze and asked if I’d be interested in a 3 day canoe outing from San Ignacio, which is in the Mayan Mountains near the Guatemalan coast, to Belize City which is right on the coast. He thinks it’s a daytime race but we sure as shootin’ wouldn’t be involved in that. It would just be a nice couple of days on the water. He wasn’t sure what the sleeping arrangements would be, hotels or tents or something, so he’ll check into it. If we decide to do it we’ll lock the canoe to the top on my car before we head north to MX and take the detour to San Ignacio on the way back. I’ll keep you informed of our plans…
For Bruce’s last meal request Tricia made him a wonderful rosemary roasted chicken and baked an Italian bread. Dinner was attended by Bruce, Elvis (Tricia’s helper), Tricia and me. And, since Saturday 2/27 is Bruce’s 61st birthday, I couldn’t let it go by without some sort of celebration. So, while I was in Dangriga Thursday I stopped at Norman’s Bakery and bought 3 delicious carrot cupcakes for his birthday. Sadly Bruce said it would be the only birthday cake he’d have. But having one here made him feel special and us so glad that we could celebrate it with him. Tricia had also booked a couple of the local girls to come and perform some Belizean dances at 7pm but for some reason they didn’t show. A nice time was had by all anyway.
Fishing in the lagoon has been a challenge. Bruce and I went out twice in my canoe but Tricia’s 5 Labrador Retrievers swam along, around, and sometimes almost over us both times and chased the fish away. They can swim for hours. Wednesday morning Bruce locked the dogs on the porch so that I could try to venture out without them and possibly catch some fish. No such luck though because, about 10 minutes after I left, Bruce went down to get the dog bowls to feed them and 4 of them charged off in my direction. So I came home with no fish once again. Even Peter has been complaining about how bad the fishing has been so I didn’t feel so bad coming home empty handed. At least the exercise that I get paddling is a good thing. I was forced to buy some filleted fish in the Dangriga fish market on Thursday to fill my freezer. I split a box of shrimp with Ron so I have 4 shrimp dinners reserved too. I’m looking forward to eating seafood gumbo, a shrimp boil, shrimp Jambalaya, and shrimp and Caribbean rice. If nothing else I’ve been eating well here. Plus I’ve been eating healthier with lots of fresh veggies and fruit. (Bobbie Jean I’m not sure if you remember the email that you sent several months ago about eating fruit on an empty stomach to get all the nutritional value from the fruit but I’ve been doing that and it helps with my weight loss. Thanks for that!) I’ve dropped about 10 pounds already. One of my missions in life is to drop some tonnage (gee will I have to change my name to “normal size guy in Belize” when I’ve dropped the weight?) and be more healthy and get off my blood pressure medicine.
Till later!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Hiking & fishing and orher things...
What a day to be young! Thursday (2/18) a few of us decided that a nice hike up into the mountains to visit 2 of the local waterfalls would be a nice way to spend the day. Tricia, Bruce (from Maine) and Isabella and Paul (from Austria) climbed into my car and headed west over some of the worst roads I’ve ever seen, through orange and banana orchards, and finally to Mama Woots which is the jumping off point for both trails and the falls. We paid our BZ$10 (remember that the exchange rate is always 2BZ to 1U.S.) each at the ranger station and hiked off to Antelope Falls. Well you had to be more of a mountain goat to get to this place! Now Bruce and I are left and right of 60. Tricia is 55 and Isabella and Paul are 25. Bruce and I found it a very hard climb, huffing and puffing the entire way, and must have sweated of 10 pounds each. I even landed on my butt once because of the slippery mud all along the route. Tricia seemed to be running the trail, with the youngsters right behind her. They would take a break, waiting for Brice and I to catch up, and be all rested and ready to go when we got to them. Of course we took our break and had to catch up once again. The trail seemed like to rise straight up in the air, with several points seeming equally as steeply pitched downward, and one spot where there was even a rope to help pull yourself up. After about an hour of hiking we reached Antelope Falls. I’d like to say that the hike was worth it but Bruce and I were pretty beat up. Between us we don’t have even 1 good knee when we started and had less now. Actually though it was very pretty. Thank God it wasn’t sunny, with the temp around 70, and a nice breeze blowing, otherwise I think the other 3 of our group would have had to carry us 2 old timers back to the trail head. Well we got back in about 35 minutes because the return was mostly downhill. Lunch was provided by Tricia and was delicious egg salad sandwiches on homemade pumpernickel bread. We had hoped to find Mama Woots open so we could buy a well needed Belikan but no such luck. So after about a 30 minute lunch rest we headed up the Bocaweena Trail for Bocaweena Falls. This hike was a bit flatter which made for a more enjoyable hike of about 30 minutes each way. There was some climbing but nothing like Antelope Trail. Bruce and I were still playing tail-end-Charlie and doing a bit more huffing and puffing, but nothing like Antelope Trail. We finally arrived at the falls. I was the only one adventurous enough to take off my shoes and wade in the stream. It sure was soothing to my barking dogs! We wandered about taking pictures and sitting on rocks for a good 30 minutes, putting the thought of the hike back out of our minds. I think by this time the young whippersnappers were a bit pooped too. Finally we summoned up our courage and headed back. Actually the hike back wasn’t too bad. About ½ way back I stopped at a couple of coconut palms and grabbed 2 thinking I’d enjoy them tomorrow (Friday and I still haven’t machete’d them open yet and its Saturday now). I got them back to the car and we all climbed in for the return trip. On the way back we stopped at one of the orange groves and picked a couple dozen. I cut 2 and shared fresh orange wedges with everyone. Boy were they good! Nice and juicy and sweet and a source of well needed energy for all of us. We arrived back at Kismet about 4-1/2 hours after we started out. Bruce and I started popping Advil by the handful because our knees were telling us what old fools we were and that we were going to pay for our foolishness tomorrow. But a couple of drinks later, he drinking Belikan and me iced tea, and with the Advil kicking in, weren’t feeling too bad. Gee I wonder what our next adventure will be?! (It’s Friday now and neither of us is suffering at all).
Friday brought with it a new challenge. I decided that it was time to learn to use my throw net and start fishing. For those of you who don’t know, a throw net is a large (6-10 feet) circular net with weights at the bottom and a draw string that closes the net once it hits bottom and you pull it back in. Bait fish, and sometimes, as in Peter’s case, larger fish as well. I’ll take anything I can get but it’s mainly for catching live bait. Well there is a knack to throwing the net and having it open to its full circumference before it hits the water. Mine is 8 feet in diameter so it’s a medium size net. I’ve never thrown one before but I’ve watched many a time, bit never really paid attention. I was just waiting for the end result. It didn’t look too hard though. Well…guess again! My buddy Bruce and I took the canoe down to the lagoon where Peter fishes. Might as well start in a spot known for producing eh? (Dang! I’m hanging with the Canadians too much!) We pulled the brand new, never been used (or even taken out of the box) net from its handy plastic storage box and, as guys, and tossed the instructions back inside, confident that we’d be throwing like champs in a short time. You know what’s coming now don’t you? You’re right. Our throws were awful. They were anything but the fluid motion throws we’d both witnessed other fisherman using to catch bait. When we threw the net didn’t open at all, or the net tangled, or it partially opened, snagged on our ears, or pulled our hats from our head as it went by. Anything but the circle that it should be. God only knows what we must have looked like! Probably something like the Special Olympics… It was pretty humiliating! Thankfully there was no one around to see. So, after much frustration, we gave up and walked the net into the water where we saw baitfish jumping. After a couple of minutes we gave that up too. We thought we heard the fish laughing at us a few feet further than we could get the net. As we dragged it in though Bruce looked into the new and low and behold it held a single silver fish about 1-1/2 inches long. I said the fish must have felt sorry for our miserable efforts and decided one of them should surrender itself. But hey, we’ll take it. Of course I’d forgotten my bait bucket so Bruce added some water to a discarded soda bottle and in the poor unfortunate fish went for use later. I’d promised Bruce a trip to the “Oh my God” tower so off we paddled into the lagoon. Nice trip and Bruce was thoroughly impressed with the view from the top deck. He took a bunch of pictures so he would have the 30 view when they are put together back in Maine. So back in the canoe we went. I decided to try my hand at trolling while Bruce paddled. A few minutes later something hit the bait bit didn’t take the hook. One of the problems I had trolling was that 4 of the dogs had come with us and were swimming all around the canoe. I didn’t want to snag any of them so I was constantly reeling the line in to clear the way. When we got into the main channel of the lagoon we headed west for a bit more sightseeing. A couple minutes later success! I had a fish on the line and a nice fight on my hands. I finally got it to the canoe and saw that it was a medium sized mangrove snapper. Really nice eating too. I’ve eaten plenty during the 12 years of Belize holidays. And…my bait was still in tacked. Cool! The possibility of another fish on the grill. But that was soon a wash when, after a few casts, my line snagged on my reel and the prized bait went flying off into the distance. Well, back to Kismet. I used my catch to make ceviche which we will enjoy Saturday night with a couple of Belikans. I sure am looking forward to it because I sampled it during the night and it’s delicious!
Friday brought with it a new challenge. I decided that it was time to learn to use my throw net and start fishing. For those of you who don’t know, a throw net is a large (6-10 feet) circular net with weights at the bottom and a draw string that closes the net once it hits bottom and you pull it back in. Bait fish, and sometimes, as in Peter’s case, larger fish as well. I’ll take anything I can get but it’s mainly for catching live bait. Well there is a knack to throwing the net and having it open to its full circumference before it hits the water. Mine is 8 feet in diameter so it’s a medium size net. I’ve never thrown one before but I’ve watched many a time, bit never really paid attention. I was just waiting for the end result. It didn’t look too hard though. Well…guess again! My buddy Bruce and I took the canoe down to the lagoon where Peter fishes. Might as well start in a spot known for producing eh? (Dang! I’m hanging with the Canadians too much!) We pulled the brand new, never been used (or even taken out of the box) net from its handy plastic storage box and, as guys, and tossed the instructions back inside, confident that we’d be throwing like champs in a short time. You know what’s coming now don’t you? You’re right. Our throws were awful. They were anything but the fluid motion throws we’d both witnessed other fisherman using to catch bait. When we threw the net didn’t open at all, or the net tangled, or it partially opened, snagged on our ears, or pulled our hats from our head as it went by. Anything but the circle that it should be. God only knows what we must have looked like! Probably something like the Special Olympics… It was pretty humiliating! Thankfully there was no one around to see. So, after much frustration, we gave up and walked the net into the water where we saw baitfish jumping. After a couple of minutes we gave that up too. We thought we heard the fish laughing at us a few feet further than we could get the net. As we dragged it in though Bruce looked into the new and low and behold it held a single silver fish about 1-1/2 inches long. I said the fish must have felt sorry for our miserable efforts and decided one of them should surrender itself. But hey, we’ll take it. Of course I’d forgotten my bait bucket so Bruce added some water to a discarded soda bottle and in the poor unfortunate fish went for use later. I’d promised Bruce a trip to the “Oh my God” tower so off we paddled into the lagoon. Nice trip and Bruce was thoroughly impressed with the view from the top deck. He took a bunch of pictures so he would have the 30 view when they are put together back in Maine. So back in the canoe we went. I decided to try my hand at trolling while Bruce paddled. A few minutes later something hit the bait bit didn’t take the hook. One of the problems I had trolling was that 4 of the dogs had come with us and were swimming all around the canoe. I didn’t want to snag any of them so I was constantly reeling the line in to clear the way. When we got into the main channel of the lagoon we headed west for a bit more sightseeing. A couple minutes later success! I had a fish on the line and a nice fight on my hands. I finally got it to the canoe and saw that it was a medium sized mangrove snapper. Really nice eating too. I’ve eaten plenty during the 12 years of Belize holidays. And…my bait was still in tacked. Cool! The possibility of another fish on the grill. But that was soon a wash when, after a few casts, my line snagged on my reel and the prized bait went flying off into the distance. Well, back to Kismet. I used my catch to make ceviche which we will enjoy Saturday night with a couple of Belikans. I sure am looking forward to it because I sampled it during the night and it’s delicious!
Success and other things!
Success on February 17th! I finally got my bank account open at Scotiabank. What an ordeal! The process is nothing as easy as it is opening one in a stateside bank. You can’t walk in, show a driver’s license, and walk out with a new account. Here you are required to provide 2 forms of picture id (drivers license and passport sufficed), a letter of reference from a non-family member (actually provided by my cousin Patrick Coyle as my former employer…and he made me write it!), one from your bank stating that you don’t bounce checks all over the place, a bill or receipt from either the telephone or electric company that has your Belizean address, AND since I’m a non-resident, something that shows the source of your money. My only real issues were the bill and the source of income. Because I don’t have a phone or electric hookup I had to provide a copy of a bill my trailer lot rental and a bill from the person billing you that had their address on it. So I had Tricia write up my 1st months land rental and she provided me with a copy of her BLT (telephone) bill. My source of income was the American Express Check receipts that I received when I purchased them, which I had already turned into cash by the way. Now that doesn’t really sound too hard but here’s the rub. On my very 1st visit to the bank I stepped up to the service counter and asked for the specific requirements for opening an account. We are talking about a fluent English speaking country here so there is absolutely no language barrier. I also told them exactly how much money I would be depositing. The customer service person told me of the 2 forms of id and the 2 reference letters and that was all I would need. Wrong answer! The 2nd visit brought the news of the billing/address verification. The 3rd was the money trail. It wouldn’t have been so bad if the bank wasn’t a 50 mile round trip journey each time and the one way drive is about 30-40 minutes. Another hiccup is that the bank hours are 8am to 2pm every day except Friday when they close at 3pm. Saturday is 9 to noon. Plus the only person responsible for new accounts takes lunch from noon to 1. Now lately I’m not generally known for being an early riser lately. Maybe 9-9:30. Breakfast, coffee and daily personals add another hour and figure another ½ hour for the drive. Now we’re talking 11am. So my window of opportunity each day is basically 1 hour. The real kicker is that all the businesses close from noon until 2:30 every day for siesta. That means that if you have any other chores to do in town you better get there early, what with the long ride and funky business hours. Maybe once I’m truly finally rested from the planning, driving, and unpacking my normal daily routine will find me rising with the sun again as I did the 1st few days in Belize. Or maybe not!
I do have another reason for sleeping in. You have no idea how much fun it is living here at Kismet. Besides Tricia and her, and now my, friends Ron (the hippy), Peter (the fisherman), and others who drop by every day (well they may miss a day once in a while), there are her guests from all over the world. The afternoon and evenings are spent talking, laughing, drinking, smoking and generally having a great time. It seems most of her clientele hail from Western Europe, with possibly a quarter (at least so far) from the U.S. and Canada. I’ve even had a chance to converse a time or 2 in my halting German that I still remember from high school. How cool is that?! There is another benefit (?) to her guests being from across the pond, at least for us guys, and until now I’ve only told Pat this, but the ladies can usually be found sunbathing topless. Oh my and with me being all alone! It’s really hard to not take advantage of the show! But I have to at least appear to be the world traveler that I am, and not pay attention, acting like it has been an everyday occurrence my entire life. I’ve gotten pretty good at it. More from necessity though but you know us guys…and sunglasses help! Really I’m not that much of a voyeur but I do love the look of a pretty lady.
I’ve rented by canoe twice this week already and have driven Ron into town twice. While my town trips were more for my benefit he throws gas money into my cup holder. I’ve told him not to the 1st times but he insists. No business from the guests yet though. But if this keeps up I stand to lessen my living costs substantially. I do kick back a few canoe rental dollars to Tricia though because they aren’t renting her kayak for their lagoon trips. One hand washes the other! So this month is turning out to be profitable. I’ve made about BZ$90 so far.
I’m going to really miss 3 of her frequent afternoon visitors when their holiday is over. Brent and Janet are a lovely couple from Edmonton Ontario and are staying at the “rich peoples resort” (as they call it) next door but hate the place. The only reason is that one of their relatives is a timeshare owner and they are using their weeks. Everyone is stuck up is their reasoning. They are staying there only because the owner is a member of their family and their holiday stay is free. But as Brent says, “Is anything ever free?”. They met Tricia their very 1st day in Hopkins and have become a fixture here. He’s a professional musician (guitar) and she a “traffic controller” for an oil company. Both are amazingly friendly and very funny. He brought his borrowed guitar over one afternoon and serenaded us with a few songs.
Bruce is a gentleman from Old Orchard Beach, Maine and is turning 61 the day he departs. He been here before and is already planning a trip back so his moving on won’t be as traumatic because I’ll see him in a few months. But still in all we’ve bonded closely. I tell everyone it’s because he looks so much like Santa and I still believe in him. And he does! Short and round with white hair and beard. He’s energetic and fun loving and we are constantly poking fun at each other. The foreigner guests don’t understand much of what we are laughing at and we try our best to translate. Some of it translates well and others not so well but they know that we are having fun and that’s all that counts. As a matter of fact Paul is even trying his hand at it and doing quite well. Brent and Jan leave l February 25th and Brice leaves February 26th.
Fat Tuesday arrived right on time. On Monday I asked the gang if they knew when Fat Tuesday was because I knew it was coming up but wasn’t sure when. No one knew. Then Tuesday morning, while having coffee and a piece of Tricia’s wonderful breakfast bread, a guy walked up with some flyers announcing a Mardi Gras party at the local pizza joint for that night. Too funny! Tricia’s dinner offering that day was shrimp or fish Creole in honor of the day. Delicious! I don’t generally eat at her table, saving room in here small kitchen eating area for her guests, but I made an exception because I didn’t have any seafood in my fridge to make my normal Fat Tuesday Crawfish Ettufee or Jambalaya. Being the gourmet chef that she is Tricia’s meals are always to die for. She bakes fresh bread every day which she serves at all the meals. You never know what kind of bread will come out of her oven. The breakfast offerings always contain some form of local fruit and often has nuts. Lunch and dinner breads are what you would find in any bakery, and better tasting.
That night found a group of us venturing off to Turtle Cove Restaurant and Inn to hear a pickup jazz band. The drummer is a local who ran into a bass guitarist from Edmonton 5 days before and they began practicing together. Two days later they met a guy from Amsterdam who plays trumpet and they started drawing a crowd when they practiced. Since Belize is a cultural backwater the news spread fast that there was entertainment available. Tricia, being a former jazz club/restaurant owner from NYC, jumped at the chance to hear some of her favorite music. They were quite good in fact. During a break between sets Brent and the bassist met and it turns out that he had seen Brent perform on a Canadian stage and told him that his teacher thought he was “God’s gift to the guitar”. We had all been talking recently about just how small a world it is and here was proof. Anyway they Brent him to sit in with them whenever he wanted. He hasn’t had the chance, or the desire to do it because he doesn’t have his guitar. The borrowed one is in pretty rough shape.
Poor Peter, who supports his wife and 5 children by fishing and selling his catch to the local restaurants, has been skunked lately. He says that it’s caused by the several close running cold fronts that have passed through these last couple of days. I haven’t had the chance to try my hand yet but know that I would have suffered a similar fate. Fishing here is a bit different from what I’ve enjoyed the past 12 years of visiting the Cays in Belize. The reef is much further off shore and instead of a 15 minute paddle it’s a 40 minute bat ride. But here the lagoon is the local fishing hole and everything running the shore can be caught there and to enormous size too. I’m looking forward to venturing out with him soon. Until then I’m still living off the larder I put up before leaving the states with the addition of fresh veggies and fruit from the local farmers market and a bit of meat from the grocers. I still haven’t had the time to plant my garden. Tricia is going to have one of her people clear a plot for me sometime in the next couple of days and all I’ll have to do is turn over the soil and plant the seeds.
One of the worst problems here is Belize is the lack of fresh water. While the bigger cities have a plentiful and clean supply the smaller villages either have none, and rely on captured rain water, or get the water from small water companies with very poor pumping and filtration methods. For us non-locals that makes the water undrinkable and we rely on bottled water for both drinking and non-boiled cooking. An additional problem in Hopkins though is the low water pressure. Since Kismet is at the very northern end of the pipeline there is nothing but a trickle at times and the pressure isn’t enough to get water to the 2nd floor. The other day Tricia had 13 guests checking in. Because of the lack of pressure one of the guests, Bruce and I spent a few hours filling 2 five gallon Crystal water jugs and hauling them up to the rooftop water cistern so that showers could be taken and toilets flushed without the new quests having to be told of the local situation. Hmmm, guests actually working to help the Inn owner. That is exactly the feel you get when you spend time here. You do anything you can to help that gracious lady! She makes you feel so at home and part of her family. Those of us who are friends can often be found lending a hand in the kitchen or serving beer and drinks from the fridge. For me this place truly is kismet (it means “meant to be”).
I have to mention a funny experience that Brent, Jan and I had on our way back from Dangriga today. We were on the Hummingbird Hwy headed back to Hopkins. Jan was in the front passenger seat and happened to look between the seat and console and saw a scorpion. I didn’t know what she was reacting so violently to until I looked down too and saw it crawl back under the seat. Of course I immediately pulled over and Jan could hardly wait for the car to stop to bail out! Brent of course was laughing hysterically when he heard what we had seen. But the scorpion had probably been afraid of Jan as she was of it and was nowhere to be found. We were right across the street from the gas station where I was headed to fill up so in we pulled. While the attendant was filling the tank Brent and I tried finding it but I figured that it had crawled back up into the seat. A few minutes later, while Jan and I were standing by the right side of the car I happened to look in and saw the scorpion on the move toward the door frame. I jerked the door open but he started toward the front door. I jerked that one open too and he dropped to the ground and sped away. He was pretty small but we were oh so glad to be ride of the unexpected hitch hiker. Brent kept jokingly poking fun at Jan all the way back. It’s just one of the things you have to watch for whenever you live in any warm climate. I know we have them in Orlando. But it was the 1st time I’ve ever found one of my very own.
Oh, by the way, I got my new cell phone today. It was the easiest thing I’ve done so far here and was in and out of the office in 10 minutes. My new number is 011-502-651-3091.
I think that I’m babbling now and don’t want you to be afraid of having to sit though a long diatribe on my new life experiences when I update my blog next so I’ll end for now. It’s just that my life has taken such a marvelous turn and I’m enjoying it so and want to share it with you. I guess the best I can hope for is that these new adventures slow down a bit so that I can spread the tale out over a longer period of time instead of dumping 3200 word essays on life on you every time I post…
Life’s a party and I’m here to dance!
I do have another reason for sleeping in. You have no idea how much fun it is living here at Kismet. Besides Tricia and her, and now my, friends Ron (the hippy), Peter (the fisherman), and others who drop by every day (well they may miss a day once in a while), there are her guests from all over the world. The afternoon and evenings are spent talking, laughing, drinking, smoking and generally having a great time. It seems most of her clientele hail from Western Europe, with possibly a quarter (at least so far) from the U.S. and Canada. I’ve even had a chance to converse a time or 2 in my halting German that I still remember from high school. How cool is that?! There is another benefit (?) to her guests being from across the pond, at least for us guys, and until now I’ve only told Pat this, but the ladies can usually be found sunbathing topless. Oh my and with me being all alone! It’s really hard to not take advantage of the show! But I have to at least appear to be the world traveler that I am, and not pay attention, acting like it has been an everyday occurrence my entire life. I’ve gotten pretty good at it. More from necessity though but you know us guys…and sunglasses help! Really I’m not that much of a voyeur but I do love the look of a pretty lady.
I’ve rented by canoe twice this week already and have driven Ron into town twice. While my town trips were more for my benefit he throws gas money into my cup holder. I’ve told him not to the 1st times but he insists. No business from the guests yet though. But if this keeps up I stand to lessen my living costs substantially. I do kick back a few canoe rental dollars to Tricia though because they aren’t renting her kayak for their lagoon trips. One hand washes the other! So this month is turning out to be profitable. I’ve made about BZ$90 so far.
I’m going to really miss 3 of her frequent afternoon visitors when their holiday is over. Brent and Janet are a lovely couple from Edmonton Ontario and are staying at the “rich peoples resort” (as they call it) next door but hate the place. The only reason is that one of their relatives is a timeshare owner and they are using their weeks. Everyone is stuck up is their reasoning. They are staying there only because the owner is a member of their family and their holiday stay is free. But as Brent says, “Is anything ever free?”. They met Tricia their very 1st day in Hopkins and have become a fixture here. He’s a professional musician (guitar) and she a “traffic controller” for an oil company. Both are amazingly friendly and very funny. He brought his borrowed guitar over one afternoon and serenaded us with a few songs.
Bruce is a gentleman from Old Orchard Beach, Maine and is turning 61 the day he departs. He been here before and is already planning a trip back so his moving on won’t be as traumatic because I’ll see him in a few months. But still in all we’ve bonded closely. I tell everyone it’s because he looks so much like Santa and I still believe in him. And he does! Short and round with white hair and beard. He’s energetic and fun loving and we are constantly poking fun at each other. The foreigner guests don’t understand much of what we are laughing at and we try our best to translate. Some of it translates well and others not so well but they know that we are having fun and that’s all that counts. As a matter of fact Paul is even trying his hand at it and doing quite well. Brent and Jan leave l February 25th and Brice leaves February 26th.
Fat Tuesday arrived right on time. On Monday I asked the gang if they knew when Fat Tuesday was because I knew it was coming up but wasn’t sure when. No one knew. Then Tuesday morning, while having coffee and a piece of Tricia’s wonderful breakfast bread, a guy walked up with some flyers announcing a Mardi Gras party at the local pizza joint for that night. Too funny! Tricia’s dinner offering that day was shrimp or fish Creole in honor of the day. Delicious! I don’t generally eat at her table, saving room in here small kitchen eating area for her guests, but I made an exception because I didn’t have any seafood in my fridge to make my normal Fat Tuesday Crawfish Ettufee or Jambalaya. Being the gourmet chef that she is Tricia’s meals are always to die for. She bakes fresh bread every day which she serves at all the meals. You never know what kind of bread will come out of her oven. The breakfast offerings always contain some form of local fruit and often has nuts. Lunch and dinner breads are what you would find in any bakery, and better tasting.
That night found a group of us venturing off to Turtle Cove Restaurant and Inn to hear a pickup jazz band. The drummer is a local who ran into a bass guitarist from Edmonton 5 days before and they began practicing together. Two days later they met a guy from Amsterdam who plays trumpet and they started drawing a crowd when they practiced. Since Belize is a cultural backwater the news spread fast that there was entertainment available. Tricia, being a former jazz club/restaurant owner from NYC, jumped at the chance to hear some of her favorite music. They were quite good in fact. During a break between sets Brent and the bassist met and it turns out that he had seen Brent perform on a Canadian stage and told him that his teacher thought he was “God’s gift to the guitar”. We had all been talking recently about just how small a world it is and here was proof. Anyway they Brent him to sit in with them whenever he wanted. He hasn’t had the chance, or the desire to do it because he doesn’t have his guitar. The borrowed one is in pretty rough shape.
Poor Peter, who supports his wife and 5 children by fishing and selling his catch to the local restaurants, has been skunked lately. He says that it’s caused by the several close running cold fronts that have passed through these last couple of days. I haven’t had the chance to try my hand yet but know that I would have suffered a similar fate. Fishing here is a bit different from what I’ve enjoyed the past 12 years of visiting the Cays in Belize. The reef is much further off shore and instead of a 15 minute paddle it’s a 40 minute bat ride. But here the lagoon is the local fishing hole and everything running the shore can be caught there and to enormous size too. I’m looking forward to venturing out with him soon. Until then I’m still living off the larder I put up before leaving the states with the addition of fresh veggies and fruit from the local farmers market and a bit of meat from the grocers. I still haven’t had the time to plant my garden. Tricia is going to have one of her people clear a plot for me sometime in the next couple of days and all I’ll have to do is turn over the soil and plant the seeds.
One of the worst problems here is Belize is the lack of fresh water. While the bigger cities have a plentiful and clean supply the smaller villages either have none, and rely on captured rain water, or get the water from small water companies with very poor pumping and filtration methods. For us non-locals that makes the water undrinkable and we rely on bottled water for both drinking and non-boiled cooking. An additional problem in Hopkins though is the low water pressure. Since Kismet is at the very northern end of the pipeline there is nothing but a trickle at times and the pressure isn’t enough to get water to the 2nd floor. The other day Tricia had 13 guests checking in. Because of the lack of pressure one of the guests, Bruce and I spent a few hours filling 2 five gallon Crystal water jugs and hauling them up to the rooftop water cistern so that showers could be taken and toilets flushed without the new quests having to be told of the local situation. Hmmm, guests actually working to help the Inn owner. That is exactly the feel you get when you spend time here. You do anything you can to help that gracious lady! She makes you feel so at home and part of her family. Those of us who are friends can often be found lending a hand in the kitchen or serving beer and drinks from the fridge. For me this place truly is kismet (it means “meant to be”).
I have to mention a funny experience that Brent, Jan and I had on our way back from Dangriga today. We were on the Hummingbird Hwy headed back to Hopkins. Jan was in the front passenger seat and happened to look between the seat and console and saw a scorpion. I didn’t know what she was reacting so violently to until I looked down too and saw it crawl back under the seat. Of course I immediately pulled over and Jan could hardly wait for the car to stop to bail out! Brent of course was laughing hysterically when he heard what we had seen. But the scorpion had probably been afraid of Jan as she was of it and was nowhere to be found. We were right across the street from the gas station where I was headed to fill up so in we pulled. While the attendant was filling the tank Brent and I tried finding it but I figured that it had crawled back up into the seat. A few minutes later, while Jan and I were standing by the right side of the car I happened to look in and saw the scorpion on the move toward the door frame. I jerked the door open but he started toward the front door. I jerked that one open too and he dropped to the ground and sped away. He was pretty small but we were oh so glad to be ride of the unexpected hitch hiker. Brent kept jokingly poking fun at Jan all the way back. It’s just one of the things you have to watch for whenever you live in any warm climate. I know we have them in Orlando. But it was the 1st time I’ve ever found one of my very own.
Oh, by the way, I got my new cell phone today. It was the easiest thing I’ve done so far here and was in and out of the office in 10 minutes. My new number is 011-502-651-3091.
I think that I’m babbling now and don’t want you to be afraid of having to sit though a long diatribe on my new life experiences when I update my blog next so I’ll end for now. It’s just that my life has taken such a marvelous turn and I’m enjoying it so and want to share it with you. I guess the best I can hope for is that these new adventures slow down a bit so that I can spread the tale out over a longer period of time instead of dumping 3200 word essays on life on you every time I post…
Life’s a party and I’m here to dance!