Well another adventure ahead of us. When trying to cross into Belize I was told by the customs agent that my car visa had expired on March 1st and that I would have to pay a US$250 fine. Not only that but because I didn’t have the original car visa they were going to impound my car! Plus I would have to pay the US$6000 tax on my car! How do I get to the ATM machine to get the cash I asked? Walk he said. It was about 2 miles and I complained so he kept my passport and let us drive. Now remember I said something earlier about losing my passport so I could start all over and delay paying the taxes on my car and trailer? Guess what I’m doing? After a couple of useless calls to the U.S. Consulate in Playa del Carmen (You have to go into either Belize or Mexico to get a new passport. How do I get into either country without a passport because I’m in a free trade zone between the 2 counties? I don’t know she says. Thanks a lot!) So I headed back to the MX border and found out that all I needed was the 6 month visa that I already had. All I needed to do was pay the temporary car visa money again. Too cool! So we’re back in the Holiday Inn in Chetumal until tomorrow and then driving to Playa to the Consulate for a new passport. Its about a 5 hour drive. Two conundrums though… Monday is a holiday (election day) so we have to wait until Tuesday for the Consulate. And the other is that I need to get back to my trailer to get the original paperwork just in case the same agents are in the office when I get back there. I really want to make it look like I’m registering the car for the 1st time though so I’ll send Dave In 1st to check it out. So, I may have to fly to Dangriga from Chetumal and back on Tuesday or Wednesday. At least Dave is enjoying his non-Belize trip so far! LOL At least we’ll have a/c. TV, hot water, and internet until Tuesday.
As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Fishing & Chetumal MX
Dave caught his 1st fish in Belize on Monday 6/28! It was a small snook of about 1-1/2 pounds. No picture though because he says he’s saving that for the “big one”. Tuesday morning we took my canoe into the lagoon and he caught a really nice catfish and I caught a 5 pound black snapper that was part of dinner for Dave, Tricia, Ron, Elvis and me. That will be the last of our fishing until after we get back from Mexico. Sitting on the beach in our chairs he said, “This is the life! Fishing in the morning, reading and sleeping on the beach in the afternoon, and good food!” The only things he is suffering are the biting bugs and the humidity at night when he’s trying to sleep (although it certainly doesn’t sound like it from his almost instant snoring as soon as he hits the pillow). I told him how to set the fans up to make it a bit cooler where he’s sleeping. Tonight he said it was much better. So maybe he’s only suffering one thing now. I’m really glad he’s enjoying himself!
We hit the road for Chetumal Mexico at around 7:30am and were holed up in the Holiday Inn by 1:30pm. It’s a nice place except it has no American TV that isn’t Spanish dubbed. Oh well. It’s the 1st a/c and hot water I’ve had since the 1st night that Kevin and I stayed in the Pelican Beach Resort in Dangriga our 2nd day in Belize February 4th. To tell you the truth I really don’t miss either…well a/c maybe on the really hot nights but my fan makes things bearable. But I really enjoy the cool showers at night before I go to bed. We went to the Sam’s Club already but it wasn’t quite the same as those in the states. It didn’t have as large a food selection and we didn’t buy anything. We did however have a hotdog and soda for the same price as those in the Sam’s at home. One of the reasons we didn’t buy anything is that there is a 37% duty on things brought back into Belize. We’re taking the rest of the day off now and Dave’s already showered and is knocked out. Me I’m downloading movies like a madman! Might as well get a few of the new ones out since I left the states. We went to the Chetumal free zone today and I bought a bottle of Di Saronno Amoretto, 25 Macanudo cigars, and a bunch of chocolate that I can’t get in Belize. I’ll sneak that stuff into Belize in my backpack. We’re leaving about 10am tomorrow and will stop in Belize City at the tackle store for hooks and weights that are REALLY expensive in Dangriga. They charge BZ$1 each! I stopped at a tackle store in the free zone and they were expensive too. I hate losing $2.50 (including the wire leader I use) each time I get snagged in the lagoon. Hopefully I’ll get cheaper tackle tomorrow… We are having a good time here none the less.
As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!
We hit the road for Chetumal Mexico at around 7:30am and were holed up in the Holiday Inn by 1:30pm. It’s a nice place except it has no American TV that isn’t Spanish dubbed. Oh well. It’s the 1st a/c and hot water I’ve had since the 1st night that Kevin and I stayed in the Pelican Beach Resort in Dangriga our 2nd day in Belize February 4th. To tell you the truth I really don’t miss either…well a/c maybe on the really hot nights but my fan makes things bearable. But I really enjoy the cool showers at night before I go to bed. We went to the Sam’s Club already but it wasn’t quite the same as those in the states. It didn’t have as large a food selection and we didn’t buy anything. We did however have a hotdog and soda for the same price as those in the Sam’s at home. One of the reasons we didn’t buy anything is that there is a 37% duty on things brought back into Belize. We’re taking the rest of the day off now and Dave’s already showered and is knocked out. Me I’m downloading movies like a madman! Might as well get a few of the new ones out since I left the states. We went to the Chetumal free zone today and I bought a bottle of Di Saronno Amoretto, 25 Macanudo cigars, and a bunch of chocolate that I can’t get in Belize. I’ll sneak that stuff into Belize in my backpack. We’re leaving about 10am tomorrow and will stop in Belize City at the tackle store for hooks and weights that are REALLY expensive in Dangriga. They charge BZ$1 each! I stopped at a tackle store in the free zone and they were expensive too. I hate losing $2.50 (including the wire leader I use) each time I get snagged in the lagoon. Hopefully I’ll get cheaper tackle tomorrow… We are having a good time here none the less.
As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Dave & Alex - one good & one bad visitor
Day 1, Saturday 6/26 – I had 2 visitors arrive today, my brother Dave who I welcomed with open arms, and my new friend Alex who was an unexpected and unwanted surprise. Alex delayed Dave’s flight from Belize City to Dangriga for over an hour because the commuter airlines servicing the rest of Belize and the Cayes were being used to evacuate people from Cayes Ambergris and Caulker before the tropical storm’s arrival. Alex may not have been unexpected by those of you served by the Weather Channel but here in Belize he came without much warning. It had been raining here for over 24 hours but I wasn’t aware of the storm until I reached Dangriga Airport to pick Dave up. I was right on time but there was no plane on the tarmac at either Tropic Air, which Dave was flying, or Maya Island Air. That was unusual because there is almost always a plane with people deplaning or boarding. Today there were none. When I asked the service agent she informed me that Tropical Storm Alex was the reason that Dave’s flight was delayed. So I did the shopping that needed to be done, and that I planned to use to introduce my brother to the differences between shopping in the U.S. and Belize. We’ll have to save that for another day. When I got back to the airport (it’s actually 2 small buildings on the side of the road) he was sitting inside staying dry. The rain was changing intensity almost every 5 minutes, going from a drizzle to a tropical deluge. We stopped for lunch and had fried chicken, which is a fare popular in every restaurant in Belize, and had a semi-leisurely lunch with my brother enjoying his first Belikan Beer, sitting outside under cover, and actually quite dry. We finished our meal and headed for Hopkins Village and home with a brief stop at Ron’s house to restock my supply of fresh mangos from his tree and to introduce the 2 of them. By the time we got to Kismet water was starting to creep around my trailer. This gave me a chill because I’d heard tales of thigh deep water on the property in years gone by. It wasn’t rising fast and actually seemed to recede some while I introduced Dave to Tricia. Then we went back down to my home and he unpacked all the goodies he’d brought down for me. My favorite was the 2 bags of almond M&Ms! After unpacking we put on a movie to pass the time while the rains came and went but mostly came. Around 5pm Peter made a surprise visit (yes, a day full of surprises!) and said he was headed for the lagoon to throw net and asked if we wanted to come. Well what better time to introduce Dave to Peter and the lagoon?! We only had 45 minutes until dinner but I figured that would be enough time for both. Peter rode off on his bike, with his net in his basket, and Dave and I drove. The Kismet driveway had a foot of water in several places and there were deep puddles in the pathway to the lagoon. Peter said that an old fisherman taught him that just before a storm was a good time because the fish would be on the move out of the lagoon and into deeper water. It proved to be true. Soon he was catching barassee and small stone bass with every throw. At 6pm Dave and I headed back to Kismet and a very enjoyable dinner. I supplied the fish from my catch the night before (6 red and black snappers) and the salad, with Tricia supplied the rice and fresh baked bread, and Ron a nice merlot. Oh don’t give me that! I know you are thinking that you are supposed to drink white wine with fish but we 3 are of the mind that you drink what you like best. Anyway…it rained all through dinner and our after dinner game of no score Scrabble. Peter stopped by on his way back home from the lagoon and reported that Alex would make landfall between Belize City and Corozal at 3am. Oh joy! By the time we got back down to the trailer the water had risen to 2 inches in places, with the wind strengthening, as we waded to the door. We finished watching more of our movie but by 9pm Dave was ready for bed. He had started his travels at Milwaukee Airport at 4am central (3am Belize) and was ready to call it a day. I turned on a DVD and watched it in bed while Dave snored away. It’s now midnight and the water is close to 4 inches deep around my home and the trees are singing the song of stronger winds. That means I can sit here through another 8 inches of water before I have to drag my home to higher ground. So it will be a sleepless night for me as I monitor the water level in case we have to make the move before daybreak. I have a spot picked out just across from Kismet where there is a relatively unused side road that is 4 feet higher than I am right now. It’s a good spot to park myself and start up my gas powered electric generator and wait out the storm. More later!
Day 2, Sunday 6/27 6am – After all that worrying the storm was actually over by 2:30am. It stopped raining then and the wind died. I looked outside a minute ago and the water has receded from the door side of my trailer and my door mat outside is dry again. The drive still has approximately 10 inches of water in one section but for me the threat of having to move to higher ground has passed. Dave and I are actually talking about going to the lagoon to fish.
We went fishing but the current out of the lagoon was too strong for the weights that we had on our lines so we were back, fishless, by 8am. Instead of coming in I got Dave back into the car and drove him around Hopkins and Sittee River villages so he could see where I live. Today was the last day of Lobster Fest 2010 in Placencia so we decided to take the 1 hour drive to see what it was all about. On the way back home and to breakfast we stopped at Ron’s to get a few mangos and to ask him if he wanted to join us. He jumped at the offer so we made plans to head over around 11:30. Breakfast was egg and cheese on a blueberry bagel, coffee, and mangos. Eleven thirty rolled around and we headed off. The Lobster Fest was sort of a bust. The lobster dishes were going for between US$12.50-17.50. We ended up with BBQ chicken, red beans and rice, and potato salad for US$4 as our main dish with a Belikan Beer. We did sample lobster wedgies though for US$2.50 and they were quite good. They consisted of a triangular stack of 5 flour tortillas with lobster, cilantro, celery, and onion between each layer and a nice salsa on the side. The live band was pretty good and we sat and people watched for a couple of hours. We also treated ourselves to root beer floats (Ron and I) and mint chocolate chip ice cream (Dave). We talked to the American who owned the shop and he told us it was soy milk based ice cream. Now I always made faces when my daughter Carrie talked about eating and drinking soy anything because I always thought those products were fake. I like the “real” thing. I’m publicly apologizing to Carrie right now because the ice cream was very good. That’s not to say that I’m going to dive into eating/drinking all things soy. I still like the real stuff. On the way home I asked Ron what movie he was showing that night on the yard screen (remember I told you that he shows movies in his yard every night at 7pm for the locals?) and he said Pulp Fiction. That decided the rest of our night. It’s 9:30pm now and we just got home. Our next plan is to try fishing in the lagoon at 5am so it’s off to bed. Actually Dave is already snoring away…
Our Mexico plan now is to go on Wednesday and return either Friday or Saturday. We’ll shop the Free Zones (kind of a duty free area of shops only for foreigners) in both Chetumal MX and Corozal BZ and WalMart in Chetumal plus reclaim my US$990 temporary vehicle tax, which is the main reason for going in the 1st place. Plus we’ll get in some sightseeing. Sometime next week we’re planning a fishing/snorkel trip to the reef.
As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!
Day 2, Sunday 6/27 6am – After all that worrying the storm was actually over by 2:30am. It stopped raining then and the wind died. I looked outside a minute ago and the water has receded from the door side of my trailer and my door mat outside is dry again. The drive still has approximately 10 inches of water in one section but for me the threat of having to move to higher ground has passed. Dave and I are actually talking about going to the lagoon to fish.
We went fishing but the current out of the lagoon was too strong for the weights that we had on our lines so we were back, fishless, by 8am. Instead of coming in I got Dave back into the car and drove him around Hopkins and Sittee River villages so he could see where I live. Today was the last day of Lobster Fest 2010 in Placencia so we decided to take the 1 hour drive to see what it was all about. On the way back home and to breakfast we stopped at Ron’s to get a few mangos and to ask him if he wanted to join us. He jumped at the offer so we made plans to head over around 11:30. Breakfast was egg and cheese on a blueberry bagel, coffee, and mangos. Eleven thirty rolled around and we headed off. The Lobster Fest was sort of a bust. The lobster dishes were going for between US$12.50-17.50. We ended up with BBQ chicken, red beans and rice, and potato salad for US$4 as our main dish with a Belikan Beer. We did sample lobster wedgies though for US$2.50 and they were quite good. They consisted of a triangular stack of 5 flour tortillas with lobster, cilantro, celery, and onion between each layer and a nice salsa on the side. The live band was pretty good and we sat and people watched for a couple of hours. We also treated ourselves to root beer floats (Ron and I) and mint chocolate chip ice cream (Dave). We talked to the American who owned the shop and he told us it was soy milk based ice cream. Now I always made faces when my daughter Carrie talked about eating and drinking soy anything because I always thought those products were fake. I like the “real” thing. I’m publicly apologizing to Carrie right now because the ice cream was very good. That’s not to say that I’m going to dive into eating/drinking all things soy. I still like the real stuff. On the way home I asked Ron what movie he was showing that night on the yard screen (remember I told you that he shows movies in his yard every night at 7pm for the locals?) and he said Pulp Fiction. That decided the rest of our night. It’s 9:30pm now and we just got home. Our next plan is to try fishing in the lagoon at 5am so it’s off to bed. Actually Dave is already snoring away…
Our Mexico plan now is to go on Wednesday and return either Friday or Saturday. We’ll shop the Free Zones (kind of a duty free area of shops only for foreigners) in both Chetumal MX and Corozal BZ and WalMart in Chetumal plus reclaim my US$990 temporary vehicle tax, which is the main reason for going in the 1st place. Plus we’ll get in some sightseeing. Sometime next week we’re planning a fishing/snorkel trip to the reef.
As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Fishing & retirement
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Happy birthday (yesterday) to my son Matthew! I love you.
I wasn’t able to get to the internet on Sunday so here’s a belated Happy Father’s Day to all of you Dads.
I’ve gone back to fishing 2ce a day, early morning, and with Peter in the evening. It’s been a long time since I’ve done that. As a matter of fact I haven’t done it consistently since Zeppi left. I went fishing around 5:30am on Sunday morning 6/20 and I caught my 1st jew fish! It was about 4 pounds (2 lbs filleted) but was exciting none the less. I also caught 3 mangrove snappers and also caught my 1st stone bass in my throw net. I still look like I belong in the Special Olympics when I throw, compared to the locals who would be medalists in the regular Olympics, but over time, and with MUCH practice, I’ll learn how to do it. Saturday night I to the lagoon went with Peter. I had a few hits but didn’t land anything. Peter caught about 20lbs of fish so he was a happy boy. He caught a good mix of stone bass, small snook, and barassee. He’ll be cash flush today (Sunday) after he fillets them and hits his customers. He’s drooling over the full moon next week when the fishing is typically the best. I’ll introduce my brother Dave to lagoon fishing the night of 6/26. Hopefully we’ll do well too. Monday morning I hit the lagoon at 6am and my 1st fish was a 4 pound black snapper! In the 2 hours I was there I caught a 2lb black snapper, a 1 lb mangrove snapper, and a 1lb red snapper, all keepers. I also tossed back a few too small to keep. I’ll catch them when they get bigger! All in all it was a great way to start the week. I have 10 fish dinners in my freezer now. The black snapper and the jew fish account for 4 of them. I couldn’t find my camera on Sunday and Tricia was at the internet so no picture of the jew fish so I’ll save that picture for a bigger one. I did however find my camera and did get a shot of the black snapper. And…I caught it’s twin Monday evening! It was the exact same size and weight as the one this morning. I’ve attached both pictures. I added it to Peter’s bag and he was a happy boy. He also caught a small jew fish on his hand line to add to his sack. This morning was a couple of black snappers that I gave to Tricia. Well I finally did it. I snagged a manatee while fishing on Tuesday 6/22. Luckily I didn’t lose too much line. I was fishing the mangrove roots and he, or she, came swimming by. I use quick rusting hooks so it will rust out of him in a few days. Their skin is very tough and I’m sure it didn’t feel the hook or even know it was snagged. I’m pretty careful about moving my line when I see them coming by but this one silently cruised by before I could do anything about it. It was a short fishing night because there were about 8 manatees cruising around. Wednesday morning was a nice red snapper that I gave to Tricia and the evening was a bust. There were too many people trying to fish too small an area of the lagoon and they kept snagging each other so I didn’t even try. This morning (Thursday) all I caught were 2 remora. One was almost 3 feet long and gave me a great fight. Peter took it home to eat. I’ll let you know if he says they are good tasting or not when he tells me. He’s never eaten one but both he and I have heard they are good. It’s got a nice white meat when you cut it open. Well that’s enough about fishing unless I catch something outstanding. This update was just to give you a taste (no pun intended) of what the fishing is like here.
I heard that I was a small topic of discussion at the Bethel/Jones wedding in the Seattle area. The discussion revolved around retiring out of the country and how most people agreed that they couldn’t do it. It definitely is hard being away from family and friends and retiring to a 3rd, some say 4th, world country is also daunting in and of itself. Strange land, strange people, lack of familiar foods. But I knew that going into my retirement here and planned for it. I do talk to my kids once a week and we email as well. It’s hard not seeing their faces or being able to hug and kiss them. I’ll be back for the holidays though and they are welcome to come down to visit. But schedules and lives get in the way. That is the hardest thing to bear. Other than that I have a peaceful life and enjoy my passions every day, those being reading and fishing. I could have a few more creature comforts like TV but I don’t miss it so it’s an unnecessary expense on my limited budget. I did download over 500 movies and 35 TV series, some running as long as 7 years. I also borrow DVDs from friends. That takes up my night. I go to sleep around 10pm and get up around 5:30am to go fishing. I brought over 250 books too and there are plenty of book exchanges here to add new ones as I read through the ones that I have. There is also a library in town. I spend hours in my chair in the shade of the beach grapes on the beach reading, listening to my iPod, and napping. Meals are when I’m hungry, usually 2ce a day, and I have a normal, varied diet running the gamete of beef, pork, chicken, and fish so meals are never boring. There are some new local veggies and fruits in my diet to add additional interest. I am never lonely because I have my new friends here and there are always interesting boarders to talk to. I’m never bored and suffer a lot less, actually almost no, stress anymore which is just what I was looking for in my retirement. But for missing family and friends I live a delightful life. There are hundreds of ex-pat Americans living the same type of life as me here in Belize and enjoying it. I’m sure it’s not for everyone though.
The next news will be of Dave’s and my travels once he gets here on Saturday.
As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!
Friday, June 18, 2010
I'm a busy boy!
Wednesday June 16th was an oddly interesting fishing day in the lagoon. I got down there around 5pm and Peter was already there with 2 hand lines in the water and was throwing his new 12 ft net. No one else was there, which was unusual. Maybe that should have told me something. I was fishing with fresh bait and cast my line out and let it drift. Pretty soon 3 manatees swam into the area we were fishing. They were waiting for the tide to turn so they could leave the lagoon. Well anyway I got a huge hit and my line started going back and forth slowly but very strongly. The fish never broke water so we knew it wasn’t a snook or tarpon, both of which make huge leaping runs. This fish had my pole literally bent in half and never made a fast run. Just slow and steady. I couldn’t horse it in either but did start making some headway. After 10 minutes of fighting it the fish bent my hook almost straight and got off. Peter thought it was about a 25 pound plus Jew fish (like a grouper) from what he saw of the fight and the way the line was moving. I actually thought I might have snagged one of the manatees. That’s how strong the fish was pulling. But Peter said it would have gone straight away and taken all of my line. He said that if I could get it close enough to shore he would throw his net and pull it in. He never got the chance and I guess we’ll never know what kind of fish it was. I’m sure I’ll dream of that fight. I managed to hook a 2nd fish that I also lost. It was nowhere near as big as the 1st though. Meanwhile the 3 manatees are tooling along in the mouth of the lagoon, snorkeling every few minutes. One or twice we saw their bodies and tails when they rolled. Peter kept throwing and was catching a single stone bass every 4th throw or so. He threw his net and just 3 feet to the left 2 of the manatees surfaced. He’s “son-of-a-bit#@ing” because he just missed them when he gets pulled into the lagoon! He netted the 3rd one. I’m laughing because he’s being pulled out of the lagoon toward the Caribbean because he couldn’t get the net line off his wrist and he’s “son-of-a-bit#@ing “ away. Luckily he got his wrist free and started pulling the net toward the shore. The manatee managed to break the net at the top and escape. Peter spent the next 45 minutes repairing it because it was still light out and he could get in another hour of fishing. We’re almost rolling on the ground laughing though as we talked about his accidental trip toward the Cayes. By the time he got his net fixed the tide had turned and tons of sea grass was filling his net with every throw. We were back to Kismet by 7pm so it was an early night for both of us. Tricia had a good laugh too when Peter told her about his mishap. There’s always something going on here to make life interesting!
On the way to the lagoon Thursday night I managed to scrape a couple of layers of skin off my left knee and shin right outside my trailer when I did a header off my bike onto the driveway. Tricia saw it happen and was convulsing with laughter and asking where her camera was when she needed it. All Peter saw was me laying flat on my back. He ran over asking if I was ok because I wasn’t moving. I started laughing and he knew I was. It was just the shock of jumping up onto my bike and the next second being finding myself on the ground! I have absolutely no idea what happened! I got back on my trusty steed, blood oozing out of the scrapes and trickling down my leg, and headed fishing. I figured we might be able to draw fish if I leaked into the lagoon. Obviously it worked because Peter managed to catch ½ a bag full of barassee (we call it mullet) and stone bass. That hadn’t happened in quite a while. I sure he made quite a few bucks this morning when he sold them. The nights fishing wasn’t near as interesting as Wednesday though. I also managed to catch a 4 foot long, 30 pound submerged tree trunk too, and land it I also caught a 28 inch remora. The remora is fish you see on NatGeo riding on sharks. They have a huge sucker on top of their head which makes them stick on no matter how fast and/or frantic the shark is swimming. They are in the lagoon too because they hitch rides on the manatees too. It’s the 1st one I ever caught. It looked like a nice white meat so I asked Elvis if they were good to eat and he said yes.
I saved the remora for bait though because I planned to go crabbing early this morning (thanks Zeppi for leaving me your crab traps!). I caught 2 dozen and they will be tonight’s dinner. Maybe a steamer pot with corn on the cob and red potatoes, maybe in a tomato sauce over linguini, who knows
I drove into Dangriga today to see about getting Tricia’s electric saw fixed. It sounds like the bushings are shot. I know a guy there who works on electric motors so I’ll take it to him. I also need to see if my money has been wire transferred to my bank here. I’ll be making 2 trips next week too to renew my visa on Friday and pick up my brother Dave on Saturday. It will be really nice to see Dave again. It’s been about 9 months since my son Matt and I visited my family members in Chicago. It’s too bad that I can’t do it all on Saturday but the government offices here work the same as they do in the states, Monday-Friday. Monday 6/28 Dave and I will head to Chetumal Mexico to pick up my $700 temporary car visa fee that will default to that government on 6/29. You have 6 months to claim the money or they keep it. So we’ll do that, shop Sam’s Club and WalMart, and see the sights that Kevin and I missed when we blew across the border into Belize on the trip down here. Because of Kev’s time constraints we were not able to sightsee in Chetumal or Corozol Belize. I was interested in looking at Corozol as a possible place to live because of its large American ex-pat population and close proximity to WalMart & Sam’s.
It’s lobster season now and I’m waiting for someone to show up at Kismet with a bag full! Another of the things I have planned for Dave is a visit to Placencia on Sunday 6/27 for the last day of their Lobster Fest. They have a 3 day celebration for the spiney lobster, which is a staple in coastal Belize until the season ends. In San Pedro on ambergris Caye I was able to buy 1 pound blocks of tail meat for US$3.50. Maybe I’ll find it in Dangriga too. I have plenty of room in my freezer…
As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!
On the way to the lagoon Thursday night I managed to scrape a couple of layers of skin off my left knee and shin right outside my trailer when I did a header off my bike onto the driveway. Tricia saw it happen and was convulsing with laughter and asking where her camera was when she needed it. All Peter saw was me laying flat on my back. He ran over asking if I was ok because I wasn’t moving. I started laughing and he knew I was. It was just the shock of jumping up onto my bike and the next second being finding myself on the ground! I have absolutely no idea what happened! I got back on my trusty steed, blood oozing out of the scrapes and trickling down my leg, and headed fishing. I figured we might be able to draw fish if I leaked into the lagoon. Obviously it worked because Peter managed to catch ½ a bag full of barassee (we call it mullet) and stone bass. That hadn’t happened in quite a while. I sure he made quite a few bucks this morning when he sold them. The nights fishing wasn’t near as interesting as Wednesday though. I also managed to catch a 4 foot long, 30 pound submerged tree trunk too, and land it I also caught a 28 inch remora. The remora is fish you see on NatGeo riding on sharks. They have a huge sucker on top of their head which makes them stick on no matter how fast and/or frantic the shark is swimming. They are in the lagoon too because they hitch rides on the manatees too. It’s the 1st one I ever caught. It looked like a nice white meat so I asked Elvis if they were good to eat and he said yes.
I saved the remora for bait though because I planned to go crabbing early this morning (thanks Zeppi for leaving me your crab traps!). I caught 2 dozen and they will be tonight’s dinner. Maybe a steamer pot with corn on the cob and red potatoes, maybe in a tomato sauce over linguini, who knows
I drove into Dangriga today to see about getting Tricia’s electric saw fixed. It sounds like the bushings are shot. I know a guy there who works on electric motors so I’ll take it to him. I also need to see if my money has been wire transferred to my bank here. I’ll be making 2 trips next week too to renew my visa on Friday and pick up my brother Dave on Saturday. It will be really nice to see Dave again. It’s been about 9 months since my son Matt and I visited my family members in Chicago. It’s too bad that I can’t do it all on Saturday but the government offices here work the same as they do in the states, Monday-Friday. Monday 6/28 Dave and I will head to Chetumal Mexico to pick up my $700 temporary car visa fee that will default to that government on 6/29. You have 6 months to claim the money or they keep it. So we’ll do that, shop Sam’s Club and WalMart, and see the sights that Kevin and I missed when we blew across the border into Belize on the trip down here. Because of Kev’s time constraints we were not able to sightsee in Chetumal or Corozol Belize. I was interested in looking at Corozol as a possible place to live because of its large American ex-pat population and close proximity to WalMart & Sam’s.
It’s lobster season now and I’m waiting for someone to show up at Kismet with a bag full! Another of the things I have planned for Dave is a visit to Placencia on Sunday 6/27 for the last day of their Lobster Fest. They have a 3 day celebration for the spiney lobster, which is a staple in coastal Belize until the season ends. In San Pedro on ambergris Caye I was able to buy 1 pound blocks of tail meat for US$3.50. Maybe I’ll find it in Dangriga too. I have plenty of room in my freezer…
As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Good news and more good news!
Happy birthday Nicole! I love you.
Good news #1 - Success!!! Tricia was finally approved by immigration and granted her citizenship on Friday June 12th! She can now leave the country and when asked where she would go 1st she says, “The mall!” Typical woman! She hasn’t left the country in over 5 years, since she stopped renewing her visa. Had she tried she would have been arrested at the border, or in the airport for being here illegally. God only knows how long she’d have been in jail for. So she stayed in country for her very brief holidays. But…now she can travel anywhere she wants to once again.
Good news #2: While driving home from Ron’s on Saturday night 6/12 I let a guy on a bike cross over the street I was leaving. The color of the bike struck my eye so I turned behind him. I saw the reflectors on the petals which told me that he was riding MY BIKE!!! I cut him off and jumped out of the car telling him he was riding my bike. He said he just…now get this…stole it from the market! I looked on the side and sure enough it said Hampton Classic. There is only 1 bright blue Hampton Classic bike here and it’s mine. All the other bikes in town are Beach Cruisers. He gave it up pretty quickly and I put it in the back of my Jeep. I didn’t care whether he stole it from me or did steal it from the market because it made absolutely no difference. It’s not like the town cop would arrest him or anything. I was just glad to get it back. I mentioned in an earlier blog how dumb the thieves were here in Hopkins. A smart thief would have taken it to Settee River (south) or Silk Grass Village (north) or to Dangriga or would have at least painted it. The only thing different is the new scrapes on the paint. I will be sure to keep my bike locked up from now on!
My brother Dave will be here to visit, from his home north of Chicago, for 2 weeks beginning June 26th. He’ll be my 1st visitor and I can’t wait for him to arrive! I’ve got plenty of things planned to keep him busy. Without a doubt there will be fishing in the lagoon every day and at least 1 fishing/snorkeling trip to the reef as well. I’ve planned day trips to the Carocol Mayan ruins, a couple of waterfalls, and the 5 blue lakes (known for the 5 different blue colors of the water not 5 lakes). I also need to make a trip to Chetumal MX to reclaim my vehicle and trailer tax before 6/29 or I’ll lose it. So a trip to WalMarts/Sam’s Club is in order too. I can also get more of the meds that I need every day. There I can get my blood pressure meds over the counter and much cheaper than through my old prescription plan in the states. So we’ll spend a night or 2 there as well. He says he’s been working with a trainer and wants to so a lot of walking here. I guess we’ll be up very early in the morning to walk because after about 10am it’s way too hot and humid to walk any distance more than about a ½ mile without a break. But, without a doubt, there will be plenty of just sitting around relaxing time too. I hate sending anyone home from their holiday so tired that they have to take another holiday to rest up from it…
Ron and I were driving to Dangriga last week and we were talking about life in Belize as a retired American. We went from having everything you could think of, all the conveniences of an American life, to life in a 3rd (some say 4th) world country with very few of the accoutrements of our former life. We agreed that most people couldn’t live in Hopkins, or almost anywhere in Belize but the Cayes, with no appreciable American population for companionship and some semblance of normalcy, and be happy. We both knew how different life would be before we moved to the area that we did. I knew, from trips to Belize over the past 13 years, that I would enjoy living here. Me, I planned my existence around living off the grid because I didn’t know where I would land. I planned on using my gas generator a couple hours a day to power some of the things in my trailer or recharge my batteries if the sun wasn’t out for a couple of days because of storms. Possibly having to haul water to keep my tank full if it didn’t rain enough to keep my 2 storage tanks full. A garden to supply the fresh veggies I need in my diet (I still plan on planting it though after I see what the seasons are like) if I wasn’t close to a store. Here I find myself with running water, electric, abundant shops and markets, a few friendly expat Americans for companionship, and access to travelers from the 4 corners of the globe for mind expanding conversation. So I’m luckier than most. But it is still just a glimmer of the former comfortable life that I lived in the states. I don’t ever run the A/C in my trailer because it’s too much of a power draw. Plus blackouts are a common occurrence and the power is very unstable (large voltage spikes that don’t occur in 1st world countries) so when power is restored you risk having things electric burn out if you haven’t unplugged it. So I live with 90+ degrees and 60+ degrees humidity every day both inside and out. I have to search new stores that I run across in other towns, or travel to MX, or have family and friends ship me foods and other things that we take for granted in the states but can’t get here. In the U.S. it’s a quick trip to the store or mall for whatever we need and we’re happy campers. In Belize you make do with what you can get locally and are overjoyed when you find some familiar food in a new store you discover. The people in Hopkins are very poor so you always have that all around you too. Many houses are shacks and most don’t have windows or even screens. They have louvered shutters covering the openings and no fans to make their home any cooler. There are few jobs available so most supplement their diets by throwing a fish net or use a hand line (they love to watch me use my rod and reel to catch fish), or kill a chicken from their yard. Red beans and rice is served every day, if not several times a day, at most tables. Since everyone has chickens that have plenty of eggs too. Ron and I are really living high off the hog compared to some of the folks here even though we go without a lot of the things that we used to have, and take for granted, back home. And if you can’t live with bugs this definitely isn’t the place for you! Ants are a constant household companion. I have a small lizard living inside my trailer and I leave him alone. He eats bugs! Mosquitoes and several types of biting flies are everywhere when the wind isn’t blowing and are a constant source of irritation. To offset that though is the fresh fruit that you can pick anywhere. Bananas, mangos, oranges, coco plums, and other fruits are all free for the picking. We both agree though that we wouldn’t trade this peaceful life that we’ve found here for anything. Well almost anything. We do miss our family and friends and that leaves a hole in our lives. Phone calls and emails help but I dearly miss seeing mine! I wish there was a way to change that but, due to my finances, living in Belize, with the low cost of living, is the only viable option unless I want to work for the rest of my life just to survive. I can’t see myself saying, “Do you want to supersize that, or Welcome to WalMart/Home Depot/etc” for the for a few bucks an hour for rest of my life and never enjoying the relaxation I need and deserve after 55 years of hard work. I know some people are completely happy doing just that and I applaud them for it, but not me. (I don’t mean to trivialize anyone’s job and I respect anyone for any job they hold.) I am completely at peace here and many of you would find my life downright boring because my day is full of sitting in my chair or laying in a hammock reading, watching the movies I’ve downloaded, fishing, and visiting with friends. No manual labor to speak of except keeping my home clean. I do get to relax every day while you are toiling away at whatever job you hold. My everyday stress is “gee what should I make for dinner, or what do I need from the store, or will I catch fish today?” None of the life stressors I used to live with every day, just the peaceful life that I planned for. That’s not to say that I don’t worry about hurricanes or flooding. But I have a plan for that. I purposely dragged a mobile home here so I could live as cheaply as possible and escape to a safer area when I need to with as little upsetment as possible. But those worries don’t permeate my life. Reading this you may think that I’m crazy for living here with all the bad I’ve listed but I’m living the dream in paradise and am very happy. Come on down and experience it for yourself!
As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!
Good news #1 - Success!!! Tricia was finally approved by immigration and granted her citizenship on Friday June 12th! She can now leave the country and when asked where she would go 1st she says, “The mall!” Typical woman! She hasn’t left the country in over 5 years, since she stopped renewing her visa. Had she tried she would have been arrested at the border, or in the airport for being here illegally. God only knows how long she’d have been in jail for. So she stayed in country for her very brief holidays. But…now she can travel anywhere she wants to once again.
Good news #2: While driving home from Ron’s on Saturday night 6/12 I let a guy on a bike cross over the street I was leaving. The color of the bike struck my eye so I turned behind him. I saw the reflectors on the petals which told me that he was riding MY BIKE!!! I cut him off and jumped out of the car telling him he was riding my bike. He said he just…now get this…stole it from the market! I looked on the side and sure enough it said Hampton Classic. There is only 1 bright blue Hampton Classic bike here and it’s mine. All the other bikes in town are Beach Cruisers. He gave it up pretty quickly and I put it in the back of my Jeep. I didn’t care whether he stole it from me or did steal it from the market because it made absolutely no difference. It’s not like the town cop would arrest him or anything. I was just glad to get it back. I mentioned in an earlier blog how dumb the thieves were here in Hopkins. A smart thief would have taken it to Settee River (south) or Silk Grass Village (north) or to Dangriga or would have at least painted it. The only thing different is the new scrapes on the paint. I will be sure to keep my bike locked up from now on!
My brother Dave will be here to visit, from his home north of Chicago, for 2 weeks beginning June 26th. He’ll be my 1st visitor and I can’t wait for him to arrive! I’ve got plenty of things planned to keep him busy. Without a doubt there will be fishing in the lagoon every day and at least 1 fishing/snorkeling trip to the reef as well. I’ve planned day trips to the Carocol Mayan ruins, a couple of waterfalls, and the 5 blue lakes (known for the 5 different blue colors of the water not 5 lakes). I also need to make a trip to Chetumal MX to reclaim my vehicle and trailer tax before 6/29 or I’ll lose it. So a trip to WalMarts/Sam’s Club is in order too. I can also get more of the meds that I need every day. There I can get my blood pressure meds over the counter and much cheaper than through my old prescription plan in the states. So we’ll spend a night or 2 there as well. He says he’s been working with a trainer and wants to so a lot of walking here. I guess we’ll be up very early in the morning to walk because after about 10am it’s way too hot and humid to walk any distance more than about a ½ mile without a break. But, without a doubt, there will be plenty of just sitting around relaxing time too. I hate sending anyone home from their holiday so tired that they have to take another holiday to rest up from it…
Ron and I were driving to Dangriga last week and we were talking about life in Belize as a retired American. We went from having everything you could think of, all the conveniences of an American life, to life in a 3rd (some say 4th) world country with very few of the accoutrements of our former life. We agreed that most people couldn’t live in Hopkins, or almost anywhere in Belize but the Cayes, with no appreciable American population for companionship and some semblance of normalcy, and be happy. We both knew how different life would be before we moved to the area that we did. I knew, from trips to Belize over the past 13 years, that I would enjoy living here. Me, I planned my existence around living off the grid because I didn’t know where I would land. I planned on using my gas generator a couple hours a day to power some of the things in my trailer or recharge my batteries if the sun wasn’t out for a couple of days because of storms. Possibly having to haul water to keep my tank full if it didn’t rain enough to keep my 2 storage tanks full. A garden to supply the fresh veggies I need in my diet (I still plan on planting it though after I see what the seasons are like) if I wasn’t close to a store. Here I find myself with running water, electric, abundant shops and markets, a few friendly expat Americans for companionship, and access to travelers from the 4 corners of the globe for mind expanding conversation. So I’m luckier than most. But it is still just a glimmer of the former comfortable life that I lived in the states. I don’t ever run the A/C in my trailer because it’s too much of a power draw. Plus blackouts are a common occurrence and the power is very unstable (large voltage spikes that don’t occur in 1st world countries) so when power is restored you risk having things electric burn out if you haven’t unplugged it. So I live with 90+ degrees and 60+ degrees humidity every day both inside and out. I have to search new stores that I run across in other towns, or travel to MX, or have family and friends ship me foods and other things that we take for granted in the states but can’t get here. In the U.S. it’s a quick trip to the store or mall for whatever we need and we’re happy campers. In Belize you make do with what you can get locally and are overjoyed when you find some familiar food in a new store you discover. The people in Hopkins are very poor so you always have that all around you too. Many houses are shacks and most don’t have windows or even screens. They have louvered shutters covering the openings and no fans to make their home any cooler. There are few jobs available so most supplement their diets by throwing a fish net or use a hand line (they love to watch me use my rod and reel to catch fish), or kill a chicken from their yard. Red beans and rice is served every day, if not several times a day, at most tables. Since everyone has chickens that have plenty of eggs too. Ron and I are really living high off the hog compared to some of the folks here even though we go without a lot of the things that we used to have, and take for granted, back home. And if you can’t live with bugs this definitely isn’t the place for you! Ants are a constant household companion. I have a small lizard living inside my trailer and I leave him alone. He eats bugs! Mosquitoes and several types of biting flies are everywhere when the wind isn’t blowing and are a constant source of irritation. To offset that though is the fresh fruit that you can pick anywhere. Bananas, mangos, oranges, coco plums, and other fruits are all free for the picking. We both agree though that we wouldn’t trade this peaceful life that we’ve found here for anything. Well almost anything. We do miss our family and friends and that leaves a hole in our lives. Phone calls and emails help but I dearly miss seeing mine! I wish there was a way to change that but, due to my finances, living in Belize, with the low cost of living, is the only viable option unless I want to work for the rest of my life just to survive. I can’t see myself saying, “Do you want to supersize that, or Welcome to WalMart/Home Depot/etc” for the for a few bucks an hour for rest of my life and never enjoying the relaxation I need and deserve after 55 years of hard work. I know some people are completely happy doing just that and I applaud them for it, but not me. (I don’t mean to trivialize anyone’s job and I respect anyone for any job they hold.) I am completely at peace here and many of you would find my life downright boring because my day is full of sitting in my chair or laying in a hammock reading, watching the movies I’ve downloaded, fishing, and visiting with friends. No manual labor to speak of except keeping my home clean. I do get to relax every day while you are toiling away at whatever job you hold. My everyday stress is “gee what should I make for dinner, or what do I need from the store, or will I catch fish today?” None of the life stressors I used to live with every day, just the peaceful life that I planned for. That’s not to say that I don’t worry about hurricanes or flooding. But I have a plan for that. I purposely dragged a mobile home here so I could live as cheaply as possible and escape to a safer area when I need to with as little upsetment as possible. But those worries don’t permeate my life. Reading this you may think that I’m crazy for living here with all the bad I’ve listed but I’m living the dream in paradise and am very happy. Come on down and experience it for yourself!
As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Christmas in June!
Christmas again today!!! I got 2 packages from my brother Dave with fishing stuff that I really needed!!! Since I’m in Dangriga this afternoon I won’t get a chance to use any of it today. But tomorrow I’ll put them to good use.
Well one more time to Belmopan (at least) for Tricia in the saga of her search for citizenship. Probably on Friday 6/ 11. It seems that there was an inconsistency between the name on a birth certificate and a marriage license for her “husband” Patrick. Tricia had to get his signature and a notary stamp on another form to get that straightened out. Cross your fingers! One of the good things about going to Belmopan is that I found a coffee shop where I can get a 5 shot espresso (that’s all that fits in their take away cups) and has a book exchange. We also were introduced to a passable pizza restaurant that serves wood fire pizza and actually has more than 5 pieces of pepperoni on it and real mozzarella cheese. So we get double pepperoni and double cheese when we go. Too bad it’s a 55 mile each way trip. Or maybe it’s a good thing because we’d be there every day!
Nichola came to say goodbye this morning. She’s another of the many Canadian guests who visit here. She’s lives in Prince Edward, British Columbia but was born in New Zealand and is still an NZ citizen. Nicky is a college student studying forest ecology. She’s almost 30 so she’s not your typical aged student but you know I’m of the mind that teenagers graduating high school have no idea what they really want to do with their life so should put off school until they mature a little. Anyhow…she’s been here 4 nights longer than the night or 2 she had originally planned on. She, Steve, and Tricia (the designated driver) are headed for Placencia in Steve’s pickup truck. Nicky’s plan is to head to Honduras. Actually Nicky’s plan was to head there several days ago but Kismet got in the way. Peaceful, nice people and good food was her reason for staying longer than planned and she said she may even change her mind and come back with them from Placencia tonight. Yesterday she, Tricia and I took a nice canoe ride into the lagoon so she could experience the “Oh my God” tower and Trish could have a few hours off. Anyway, she’s like me in that…have hammock, will travel. She even put it up in her room a few nights and slept in it. So it will be sad to see her go. I told her she was one of the more funner people that have stayed here. I suggested she come back for Lobster Fest in Placencia or Caye Caulker on 6/25. We’ll see what happens tonight when the truck comes back… Anyway, she’s a very nice kid and I wish her well.
I haven’t mentioned who Steve is. He’s a retired (at 38 years old) software engineer from southern California who bought a 40 acre farm off the hummingbird Hwy not far from Hopkins. He’s stayed with Tricia several times while he was looking for property and for 6-8 weeks this time while he waits for his Mennonite style house to be built and delivered to his farm. He’s pretty funny when he gets drunk and starts spouting Martin Luther King speeches from the upper porch to everyone in listening distance. And he is quite loud so I imagine everyone in Hopkins is getting an education. The people between Hopkins and Dangriga love him because he distributes money and rum to everyone he meets. On one trip he was mixing drinks for the cops. He figures that will grease the skids should he be arrested for anything… He’s a nice guy though and treats Tricia very well.
The Caribbean water has been very hot these past few months. I guess it’s an effect of the El Nino that’s happing this year. So the water is too hot to swim in unless you like bath water. It’s not refreshing for me at all. Tricia jumped out of the canoe and into the lagoon a couple of times yesterday and said she was par-boiling herself. One of the only things that I didn’t like about living in Florida was that the ocean and gulf waters were way too warm. I loved the temperature of the Atlantic when I lived in NJ and Lake Michigan when I was growing up in Oak Lawn (southwest side of Chicago). THAT was refreshing on a hot summer’s day.
I haven’t seen hide nor hair of my bike in my travels around Hopkins and Dangriga. I guess it’s a lost cause and I’ll have to replace it soon…
As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!
Well one more time to Belmopan (at least) for Tricia in the saga of her search for citizenship. Probably on Friday 6/ 11. It seems that there was an inconsistency between the name on a birth certificate and a marriage license for her “husband” Patrick. Tricia had to get his signature and a notary stamp on another form to get that straightened out. Cross your fingers! One of the good things about going to Belmopan is that I found a coffee shop where I can get a 5 shot espresso (that’s all that fits in their take away cups) and has a book exchange. We also were introduced to a passable pizza restaurant that serves wood fire pizza and actually has more than 5 pieces of pepperoni on it and real mozzarella cheese. So we get double pepperoni and double cheese when we go. Too bad it’s a 55 mile each way trip. Or maybe it’s a good thing because we’d be there every day!
Nichola came to say goodbye this morning. She’s another of the many Canadian guests who visit here. She’s lives in Prince Edward, British Columbia but was born in New Zealand and is still an NZ citizen. Nicky is a college student studying forest ecology. She’s almost 30 so she’s not your typical aged student but you know I’m of the mind that teenagers graduating high school have no idea what they really want to do with their life so should put off school until they mature a little. Anyhow…she’s been here 4 nights longer than the night or 2 she had originally planned on. She, Steve, and Tricia (the designated driver) are headed for Placencia in Steve’s pickup truck. Nicky’s plan is to head to Honduras. Actually Nicky’s plan was to head there several days ago but Kismet got in the way. Peaceful, nice people and good food was her reason for staying longer than planned and she said she may even change her mind and come back with them from Placencia tonight. Yesterday she, Tricia and I took a nice canoe ride into the lagoon so she could experience the “Oh my God” tower and Trish could have a few hours off. Anyway, she’s like me in that…have hammock, will travel. She even put it up in her room a few nights and slept in it. So it will be sad to see her go. I told her she was one of the more funner people that have stayed here. I suggested she come back for Lobster Fest in Placencia or Caye Caulker on 6/25. We’ll see what happens tonight when the truck comes back… Anyway, she’s a very nice kid and I wish her well.
I haven’t mentioned who Steve is. He’s a retired (at 38 years old) software engineer from southern California who bought a 40 acre farm off the hummingbird Hwy not far from Hopkins. He’s stayed with Tricia several times while he was looking for property and for 6-8 weeks this time while he waits for his Mennonite style house to be built and delivered to his farm. He’s pretty funny when he gets drunk and starts spouting Martin Luther King speeches from the upper porch to everyone in listening distance. And he is quite loud so I imagine everyone in Hopkins is getting an education. The people between Hopkins and Dangriga love him because he distributes money and rum to everyone he meets. On one trip he was mixing drinks for the cops. He figures that will grease the skids should he be arrested for anything… He’s a nice guy though and treats Tricia very well.
The Caribbean water has been very hot these past few months. I guess it’s an effect of the El Nino that’s happing this year. So the water is too hot to swim in unless you like bath water. It’s not refreshing for me at all. Tricia jumped out of the canoe and into the lagoon a couple of times yesterday and said she was par-boiling herself. One of the only things that I didn’t like about living in Florida was that the ocean and gulf waters were way too warm. I loved the temperature of the Atlantic when I lived in NJ and Lake Michigan when I was growing up in Oak Lawn (southwest side of Chicago). THAT was refreshing on a hot summer’s day.
I haven’t seen hide nor hair of my bike in my travels around Hopkins and Dangriga. I guess it’s a lost cause and I’ll have to replace it soon…
As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!