I now have a palapa roof over my home!

Sunday May 2nd was my Mother’s birthday. She went on to her new life in 1999 but we, her children, always post, or email, or in some way acknowledge her birthday amongst ourselves every year. Today is no different. Happy birthday Mom! I miss you!

And today, May 4th, is the 1 year anniversary of my brother Bill’s very unexpected passing. He’s one of the reasons for my retiring so quickly while I’m still healthy enough to enjoy it. I miss you Bill!

I was rudely awakened Thursday morning at 5:20am by the chattering of a group of locals and sounds of hammering right over my head. I realize though that, because of the 95+ degree heat, Elvis and his crew needed to start work early and get as much done on my palapa as possible before it became too hot. It was 5:45am and already 88 degrees with 65% humidity so to say it was cool would be a gross exageration. It took them about 6 hours to do most of the thatch and was interesting to watch them employ construction methods used in the old days. Elvis and his crew climbed up into the hard stick frame they’d built a few days before and spread out along the length of it. Two men on the ground handed up palm fronds and the men up topside used thick plastic twine and large wooden needles to tie each frond to each hard stick. Plastic twine is used because it doesn’t deteriorate like regular twine. Row by row they overlaid the fronds, using their bare feet to push them tight against each other, to build a waterproof roof. I could see the shade climbing up my windows as the roof got higher. I can tell the difference in the inside heat now too. When they finally quite for the day only a small strip on each side of the roof remained open. It’s now a full 10 degrees cooler inside today than it was yesterday. What a blessing! One of the downsides of my new roof though is that I won’t hear the rain on my metal roof. For me that was a comforting sound and I loved to lie in bed on nights it rained and listen to it.

I’m finally able to set up my table and small BBQ grill outside now without fear of them deteriorating from the harsh sunlight and torrential downpours that we live with in Belize. Until now I’ve been keeping it inside on the small couch by the kitchen table, next to the fridge. It will be nice to reclaim that bit of space. With storage space being at a premium inside I’m forced to use whatever is necessary to keep things that should be outside clean and dry. I do try to keep the interior from looking too cluttered though through the use of covers of various types. I also plan to finally unpack my hammock and hang it right outside my door. Tricia has 4 hammocks around the property that I have been frequenting but now I’ll have my own right outside my door.

Sunday May 2th was the official end of tourist season. The season runs from the 1st Sunday in October to the last Sunday in April/ May closest to May 1st. That doesn’t mean that tourist won’t come anymore though. That only means that the snow bird vacationers are home to roost for the summer. College ends soon and they will come through with their backpacks and spend long weeks traveling through the countries in Central America. Church groups will come and attend to their adopted sister churches. Families will come with their children once schools close their doors for summer vacation too. How many of the tourists will visit Hopkins Village, or Kismet, remains to be seen. I’m sure many of the families will spend their holiday on the Cayes where there is much more for the kids to do, plus real restaurants, and a bit of nightlife for the parents. We always spent our 2 weeks in February every year, for our anniversary, at one or another condo resort on Ambergris Caye, which is situated off the northern Belize/southern Mexico coast and is the largest of all the Cayes. Due to my wife’s medical issues we needed a more normal environment and in close proximity to a hospital. We didn’t go in for the nightlife or frequent many of the restaurants. We came for the sound of the surf and the ease of snorkeling and fishing right off the beach. And we kept to ourselves. Our big decisions everyday were do we sit on the porch, or in the shade at the water’s edge, or lay in the hammock together? When do we have our 1st Belikan beer? We came for the quiet relaxation and to spend time alone together. Now I’m living almost 180 degrees from what we experienced. Except, my home still has a full kitchen and bathroom and a bedroom, where Kismet is more rustic with shared bathrooms and outside showers aiming for the eco tourists in a budget. Tricia’s rates are BZ$25 a night (US$12.50) with dinner costing BZ$22 (US$11). I do use the outside showers though instead of the one inside my home. More for the extra work of keeping my water tank full and my grey water tank empty than anything else. Plus I love looking up at the stars while standing under the shower head.

Ron returned from his stateside visit on Friday April 29th and it’s nice to have him back. While he says he enjoyed going back to Nebraska he’s happy to be home again. He’s moved in with Tricia now (I think I’ve told you that they became an item a few weeks before he left) and it’s funny seeing him sitting at the kitchen table early in the morning versus his afternoon visits. He’s keeping his house for now and they will use it as storage. He’s been home almost a week and he hasn’t resumed the daily 7pm movies at his house yet. Maybe next week. But he and Tricia are still settling in with each other.

Good news!!! Ron says that he has to have cable here at Kismet to be comfortable and is also thinking about, and, dare I say it for fear of jinxing it (?), an internet connection! I’ll pay toward the internet just to have a bit more normalcy in my life, and a closer, more immediate connection to you all. I really don’t miss TV because of all the movies and TV series that I downloaded before I left the states. I have 515 movies and 35 TV series and specials. Some of the series lasted 7 years and I have every episode (actually 1033 total episodes). Plus I have the DVDs that I owned. That keeps me busy at night when I settle in to relax. Anyway, we’ll see what develops. Keep your fingers crossed.

My bother Dave is coming to visit me the end of June and I’m hoping that I’m not driving him and his wife Deanne crazy with my shopping list. Decaffeinated iced tea bags, insect repellant, fishing line and lures, a replacement chain for my chain saw, etc. It’s all those things that are either hard to find, or very expensive to buy here, and that I’m running out of. International bulk rate shipping is expensive at $55 a box via the U.S. Post Office so, as people come to visit, I’ll be buying things over the web and having them shipped to my next guest’s home so they can bring them with when they come down. I’m impatiently waiting packages from my cousin Jodi in WA and my brother Dave in IL and it will be like Christmas when they finally arrive. Jodi went shopping for me for light weight pants and long sleeve shirts for those nights when there is no breeze and the biting bugs are thick in the air. I can’t find any clothing like that here in my size and I hate using the Deet bug sprays when there are other alternatives. She’s also sending Avon Skin So Soft bug repellant. Dave is sending some of the stuff that I can use right now, like the teabags and Deet insect repellant.

I’ve been searching for airfares in August to travel to Edmonton CN to visit Brent and Janet, who you’ve read about in past blogs. They were here in February and invited me up for some fishing at their lake cabin. It would be wonderful to spend some time with them again and a really nice change of scenery too. I’ve looked into flights leaving Belize City, Cancun, and Chetumal MX but I can’t find anything lower than US$800 right now and that’s way out of my budget I’ve used every airfare search site I can think of. . Hopefully something will turn up…

As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

Just life...

Tricia is having a palapa (thatched palm leaf roof with no walls) built to store her new, used, 14 foot Chris Craft boat under and also a place for guests to sit under, out of the sun. It measures 15 feet wide by 30 feet long and is on the right side of the beach as you face the water. Watching it go up I thought how much cooler the inside of my trailer would be if I had one built over it. It should lower the interior heat by about 10 degrees. At midnight the other night it was still 87 degrees inside my trailer. (Thank God for fans!) So first I asked Tricia if it would be ok to have one built. Of course that was no problem because it’s another improvement to her property since, if I go somewhere else, it will stay. Second I asked Elvis, who is building the boat palapa for a price. I asked that it extend over the door side of the trailer by about 5 feet so I have some covered space to sit. It’s going to be 25 feet long and 15 feet wide at the front and 10 feet wide at the rear because of the vegetation back there. He quoted BZ$400 for the materials. So I can get shade for my trailer and upper deck storage too for about $200 U.S. Plus it will help keep the sunlight damage down to a minimum and make my home last longer. Construction on Tricia’s is halted because they need 4 dozen more palm leaves for her roof and will cut those, plus all that mine will need, in 1 trip. It’s going up as I write this and both should be done in a few days. As a side note its 12noon and 98 degrees in the trailer. Three more hours until the heat of the day and it’s only the end of April. I can’t imagine what the inside temperature would be like in July and August without my palapa! I did have plans to use large silver tarps to make a cover over the trailer about a foot above the roof. But the palapa will do a better job and stand the winds of summer storms better than the tarps would.

The tourist board was here on Friday with the health inspector. He had some outrageous suggestions for sprucing the place up. He told her to paint the kitchen white. This is the tropics, where mold grows everywhere. The stain that she uses on her walls retards mold and mildew growth but it’s a dark wood color. So that suggestion was thrown out. He didn’t like that she has a veggie waste bucket built under the cutting table to scrape the stuff into. She tried to explain the use to him but he’s dead set against it. These people have no idea about cook preparation and using the remains for the garden mulch. There is absolutely no recycling in Belize. Everything ends up in the garbage dump in 1 huge pile that they burn every couple of days. Anyway, she’ll close up the trap door and remove the bucket when he comes back in 2 weeks to inspect. After that the bucket will be returned to its rightful place. Most of the stuff he dinged her on was sand everywhere. KISMET IS ON THE BEACH! How do you keep sand out? She’s constantly sweeping but with everyone coming off the beach and into the kitchen, and sand being blown by the wind, there is absolutely no way to keep the sand out. Both of the showers here are outdoors and surrounded by fencing that is plant and vine covered for privacy. The one attached to the side of the main building has walls that start about a foot off the ground and extend up 5 feet, with the rest open to the ceiling. It’s very private and to see into it from outside requires walking up and standing on tiptoes to see over the wall. He wants that one entirely closed in because he says it’s not private enough. Closing it in will only promote mold and mildew growth because of the lack of airflow. The other, attached to the back of the separate cabana building, has no roof and is open to the sky. Oddly he has no privacy problem with that one. The other recommendations, actually orders, are more meant to keep Kismet closed I think. They are so off the wall as to be impossible to meet. But that doesn’t really matter because Tricia is busier now then when she was open. People shows up almost every day and stay for a night or 2 or more. And while she doesn’t have a license she doesn’t have to pay the 10% guest tax to the tourist board. More money in her pocket…

Still no news on the trip up river into Guatemala so I renewed my visa in Dangriga on Monday (today). My visa expired on Sunday but since the office was closed I held off a day.

Stay well, keep happy and practice peace!

Fishing!

If you remember last posting we were going on a snorkeling/fishing trip out to the reef. Well we had a great time. The weather was perfect and the sea calm. Franklin and his lovely bride Jackie (from Tucson AZ), Georgia (from here in Belize) and her friend Pamela (from CA), Tricia, and I chartered Earl and Peter to take us out. One of the stops Tricia normally makes is to visit King on Bread & Butter Caye. You can snorkel right off the beach there as well as fish. It’s a nice place to drop in. Well…Earl and Peter couldn’t find it. Peter, who used to live and fish daily in the Cayes, was most disconcerted but he blamed his not knowing where it was on his always coming at it from the sea side and not the mainland. Hmmm… We stopped for directions at Shark Tooth Caye (because it’s shaped like a sharks tooth obviously) and ended up spending 2 hours there snorkeling and I did some fishing. I had a few hits but couldn’t snag anything. I did get in the water though! I waded in up to just above my waist. That’s as wet as I got all day though. We had lunch and something to drink and then headed out fishing. We settled on a spot where the reef ended and a drop off to about 125 feet. Almost all the fishing here is done with hand lines but I always bring a rod. My take is that, if the guide has rods they may not be in the best shape. I did that even when I lived in the states. Anyway… Earl and I fished the drop off with everyone else fishing the reef. The 1st fish was caught by Franklin and it was a 6 inch porgy that Peter immediately put on his hook for bait. I was next with 4 fish within 20 minutes, the largest being a yellow tail jack (the one in the picture), 2 snappers, and 1 croaker. Earl pulled in a grouper a bit bigger than my jack. After that Jackie caught 2 small croakers and a porgy. That ended the fishing in that spot. We headed off to another spot and I trolled as we motored off. About 5 minutes into trolling I had a HUGE strike and Earl stopped the boat. I fought hard for about 2 minutes and the largest tarpon I ever saw, about 5 feet, came flying completely out of the water, doing the tail dance they are so famous for, and threw the hook. While everyone was ohhing, aahing, and cheering, I was upset. I jokingly said it was a good thing it got off because it probably would have pulled me over board. So, on we went. The other 3 holes we fished didn’t produce anything, including a stop at the Settee river mouth. At one of our stops several of the women jumped in to cool themselves off, Franklin, in full snorkel gear and treading water, caught a small fish on a hand line. He surmised that if he had caught a big fish he would have been in trouble. Too funny! Actually though, had it been big enough for dinner we probably would have rescued him. We were back to Kismet by 6pm sunburned and tired but we all had enjoyed the day immensely. Peter, our intrepid fisherman, was skunked and was not a happy boy.

When we got back we were all looking forward to a nice shower but when we got there Tricia found that her 400 gallon water tank was empty. It feeds the shower on the left side of the building and all of the toilets. She found that someone had turned on one of the garden hoses that had emptied the tank. Elvis and Pedro, who were building a palapa to house her new boat, claimed that they didn’t use any water. Tricia turned on the hose from the city water to fill up the tank and we all settled for sponge baths, beers, rum, and waited for dinner. Dinner is part of the fishing trip. We eat whatever is caught plus rice and some sort of veggies. Tonight it was red beans. She also made a chocolate rum cake for Jackie’s 30th birthday, which was that day. Dinner and the conversation was great. We finished around 9:30. Then we all headed outside for more drinks, smoking and general chitchat. I headed to get my “old man sleep” around 11 while the guests and Tricia headed off to one of the bars to drink somewhere else. By drinking in different places the drink clock starts all over again at your 1st drink. That way you can deny drinking as much as you did.

Franklin was heady from our fishing trip on Saturday so asked me if I wanted to walk down to the lagoon with him and fish. I asked if he’d rather we take my canoe and he jumped at the chance. I even lent him one of my fishing rods/reels so he didn’t have to use a hand line. So off we went. The water was a bit rough and we took on a couple of gallons as we cleared the beach. Once we got to the lagoon it was smooth canoing. I tried vainly to snag some bait with my throw net. I gotta practice that!!! So, since I couldn’t catch any bait we decided to use lures. I had the ones that Zeppi sent me when he got back to New Jersey. Proven snook killers! We paddled around the lagoon but watched a fast moving thunderstorm come at us. We pulled next to a semi-finished dock at the Hopkins Bay Resort and used one of their outbuildings to keep from being drenched in the torrential down pour. There was even an bit of hail which was quite unusual. It stopped after about 30 minutes and we headed back deeper in to the lagoon. Both of us had a few hits. I actually had 2 fish at the side of the canoe but they threw the hook. We were having a good time and neither minded not catching anything. After a couple of hours of hits and misses we headed back toward the mouth of the lagoon. Just at the junction of the 1st caye, where the main channel and the 2 from each side converged, bait fish were going crazy and we saw a couple of very big splashes. So in went out lures and I got a very hard strike. Twenty minutes of desperate fighting, and 3 huge full out of the water jumps later, Franklin pulled my snook over the side. I had a scale so we immediately weighed it. Eight pounds exactly! (Zeppi eat your heart out!!! But thanks again for the white jig lures!) Boy was I relieved! I thought for sure it was going to break my 20 pound test line. It did destroy my wire leader though, so I had to replace that. No more fish after that so back to Kismet. I donated the snook for Sunday night dinner. Franklin is upset that he and Jackie are leaving for home tomorrow or we’d be back at the lagoon to try again. The 1st picture is the 4lb snook I caught a few weeks ago and the last 2 are the 8lb one I caught Sunday. And Sunday's fish tasted great!

More news as events happen! Practice peace!

Traveling the country and other things

Dave Solomon, a local, formerly from Vancouver British Columbia, and a frequent visitor to Kismet, asked if I would be interested in driving out to see Belize’s largest, and virtually unexplored, Mayan ruin complex called Carocol on Monday (April 12th) and I happily agreed. If you remember my early blogging about things I want to do while living here in Belize it’s that I wanted to explore the countryside and its history. So here was another chance to do that! We made plans to start out at 5:30am so that we had plenty of daylight for stops along the way. After Carocol we planned to visit a couple of towns on the way back.

Carocol is near the Guatemalan border and about 40 miles directly west of Hopkins on the far side of the Mayan Mountains. While it isn’t but 100 miles driving distance it’s almost a 4 hour road trip. The highway lasts a few miles past Belmopan, which is 55 miles from Hopkins, but the rest of the trip is over sandy/rocky (and I mean fist sized rocks!) logging trails. Because of the horrible road conditions we were only able to travel 20 miles per hour over most of it. The only good stretches were those at 2 bridges, which were one lane concrete affairs with no guard rails. We were fortunate enough not to encounter any other vehicles while crossing the bridges in either direction but we did meet up with a few logging trucks along the way, driving at ungodly speeds, and some of the locals driving to where ever they were going. We had to check in at 2 places along the way. One was a simple shack with a red and white striped steel gate bar, like those you see in the movies at border crossings. Here we were asked our nationalities and where we were going. The 2nd was an army check point where we had to sign in and give information such as the license plate number of our car, where we lived, and actually sign in. In talking to one of the soldiers we learned that we would be passing through Belizean and United Kingdom Army bases on our way across the mountain. We were told that if we waited another hour we could get an army escort to Carocol. A few years ago that was a requirement and it is necessary right around any big holidays because there are band of bandits that like to stop cars and rob them. Since it wasn’t holiday time we chose to go on alone. We didn’t have any problems except for the terrain. Anyway, we finally got to Carocol and had a great time. It’s a very interesting place.

Carocol was discovered by a Mayan logger in 1937 and was 1st investigated by the University Of Pennsylvania. A simple site survey took place along with some minor excavation. In the early 50’s a new team of archeologists came and did a more exhaustive study of the site. Between then and the early 70’s it was discovered that there are at least 36,000 buildings and that Carocol was a massive city. Only 17 square kilometers of 177 square kilometers that have been identified by satellite mapping have been transit-mapped so far. During their research they determined that it was inhabited between 307 A.D. and 1150 A.D. An interesting fact is that most Mayan cities were not located on rivers or lakes. They were built around caves containing water supplies and they also built large reservoirs to catch rain water. Approximately 50 buildings have been excavated to their fullest and are open for viewing. We climbed one of the temples, which is a 3 tiered affair about 200 feet high. To get to the top you have to climb about 20 very tall step on each tier, a touch feat if you don’t have healthy knees. But view from the top was worth the climb! In early excavations they discovered a couple of burial crypts on the top tier that contained bodies. Most crypts contained multiple remains. We were able to climb down into them. One of the strange things they found was that all the males had their left leg cut off and stored along one of the walls.

On our way back to Hopkins we toured San Ignacio, San Antonio, and Spanish Lookout. San Ignacio is one of the biggest, and most heavily populated in Belize. Dave knew of a bakery and we stocked up on some great treats. Spanish Lookout is one of the biggest farm towns and is heavily populated by Mennonites and also has a few Amish as well. In case you didn’t know Mennonite’s can drive, use electricity and other modern conveniences where the Amish can’t. They drive horse and buggy here like they do in the states. Spanish Lookout supplies Belize, Mexico and Guatemala with veggies, beef, milk and cheese.

So I’ve traveled most of Belize now in the 2-1/2 months I’ve been here but there’s still a lot that I’d like to see and do. Dave and I are talking about a 2 week trip up one of the rivers and into the rain forest. But…that will be another story!

Other than that it’s been a quiet week. Today I did a little maintenance on the leveling jacks Casa Belize 13. Living on the Caribbean leads to rust everywhere! And it forms pretty quickly so I use a lot of WD40 and penetrating oil to keep it at bay. If I ever want to, or need to, move my home I have to make sure that I can retract the leveling jacks so it’s back on its wheels. So that was my mission today. Spray them with penetrating oil. Wait a few minutes, then retract and re-extend them. More than 1 took a 2nd spraying. But I’m ready to roll in an emergency…

Ten more days until I have to renew my Visa. This time I think I’ll do it locally, in Dangriga instead of traveling. This is my last 30 day visa extension. The next will be for 6 months and will be a more rigorous affair. I’ll have to go to both immigration and customs. In order to get Belize citizenship you need to be here at least 1 year. When you finally get approved you can bring in 1 shipment of household goods and a car without paying the heavy duty they impose on things brought in. At the 6 month point I’ll have to post a 10% non-refundable import duty on my car and trailer. That will be a lot easier on my savings account than paying the fees immediately as some people do. Others bypass the process by going to the U.S. Embassy and report that they’ve lost their passport and get a new one. Your vehicle(s) are listed on your 1st visa stamp in your passport so by getting a new one your vehicle isn’t listed anymore. Several expats have told me that they did that because they didn’t have the cash. But, I want to keep everything legal and above board, and not extend the nationalization process. Once I’m a legal resident, and turn 60 (which I’ll be the end of this year anyway) I can apply for a Belize social security number and all medical costs will be free. Plus I can ride the bus anywhere in the country for free too.

The electric went out Wednesday from Dangriga to Settee River Village around 6am and was supposed to be back on by 1pm but didn’t come back on until 3:30. I had plans to hit the internet but the electric problem cancelled that. We were in Dangriga Tuesday while our friend Peter was at the dentist and the internet there was the fastest we’ve seen in quite a while. I need to spend a couple of hours online so I can download a new adware program because my laptop has picked up something that has slowed it down quite a lot. I also need to download the 100 or so pictures and videos that Zeppi emailed me. I tried doing it here in Hopkins but was only able to download 10 in almost 2 hours. So, hopefully, Val’s will do the trick!

Tomorrow, Saturday, I’m going on a snorkeling and fishing trip with Tricia and 2 ladies who are staying here. I plan to spend the day fishing to fill me freezer. Depending on how hot it is at the reef I may jump in a time or 2. Funny thing is, as much as I love the water, I’ve only been in the Caribbean twice since I’ve been here. One of them was the 1st snorkel/fishing trip when Bruce, Brent & Jan, Ron, Tricia and I went in February. No reason for it except I just haven’t…

More news as events happen! Practice peace!

Hopkins goins on

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.

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!

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.