Wednesday morning, St Patrick’s Day, we left San Ignacio (after breakfast and a quick internet check) and headed to Belmopan, the capital, to run some errands. We stopped by immigration and found out that our passport stamps had expired 2 days earlier…we thought they were good for 30 days, but the officer said the date selected was at the check-in officers discretion and he/she had only given us 28 days. She didn’t charge us a late fee and renewed us for another 28 days (good until 4/14). We then went to the bank and picked up our Belize Visa cards…they actually had arrived from Belize City and were waiting for us. From there we went to the Belize Zoo under a light mist of rain and spent a couple of hours learning more about the country’s native species. We finally saw a jaguar up close and personal! Next on the agenda was a trip into Belize City to see if our car part had arrived and to get our brakes checked within our 30-day warranty. We got lucky and found the dealership without much searching only to find out our part had not arrived…it was stuck at the Guatemalan border for some unknown reason. We walked to the Riverside Tavern for lunch (DELICIOUS burgers) while the dealership checked our car brakes and then headed back to the dealership to await its completion. We finished our errands around 4pm and decided we had no reason to stay in Belize City (expensive, noisy, crowded). We drove into Orange Walk and found a room at D’ Princess Hotel. We got settled in, walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner (Rick had some amazing ceviche) and then back home for the night.
Thursday we spent cruising the area in and around Orange Walk. The area is surrounded by sugar cane fields so we thought we would see if the rum factory had tours. No luck but we enjoyed our touring. We also contacted Jungle River Tours to arrange for Friday’s adventure. We found a great restaurant for dinner and talked with our waiter, Fred, about what it’s like living in northern Belize. He advised us that there was a new area being built up northeast of Orange Walk in Progresso that we might want to check out…we’ll have to see what it is all about.
Friday we drove to Come and Dine Restaurant for breakfast and then back to the hotel to prepare for our tour. We walked to the tour company and from there we were driven to the dock on the New River. Humberto, our guide, took us down river for 2 hours spotting crocs, spider monkeys, iguanas, countless birds and insects and beautiful flora of the area. We actually got to hand feed bananas to the wild spider monkeys! We arrived at our destination around 11am, Lamanai Mayan Ruins. We toured the ruins with our guide for another couple of hours…some of the findings are incredible, especially the jaguar temple (see photos). After the ruins hike we returned to the picnic grounds and had the lunch that had been prepared for us…stewed chicken, rice/beans, potato salad and green salad. Excellent picnic! We had a few minutes to visit the gift shops and then back on the boat for our return trip home. Along the way we again enjoyed the jungle sites and sounds. We got back to the dock around 4p and walked home. Linda lay down to rest for a few minutes and then didn’t want to get up…Rick cruised the internet and then went to a street vendor across from the hotel for some BBQ chicken dinners. Early to bed after all that fresh air today and plans for an early morning.
Saturday we packed the car (again) and started off towards Corozal near the Mexican border. On the way we took a detour to visit Progresso, as recommended by Fred on Thursday. After a bumpy, dirt road we entered the village on a huge lagoon connected through a river to the Caribbean Sea. We didn’t see anything terribly interesting, so we turned around and headed back to the main road. On our way back we saw a sign for Progresso Shores Development and thought we might as well check it out since we had come this far. We went down a long dirt drive and came across a gorgeous view of the lagoon amid the partially cleared jungle. We came to an open gate and continued through. At the end of the drive was a beautiful private home with a couple of guest houses. No signs were apparent, so we pulled into the circular drive in front of the home to turn around. Suddenly we were joined there by a man who was looking at us skeptically. We told him we were lost and turning around, but he, Ed, invited us into his home to meet his wife and talk about the area. His wife, Dee, was extremely friendly, gracious and welcoming and their home was absolutely beautiful. We spent the next 2 DAYS with them discussing the area, their land, their friends and their lives and being treated to wonderful food, drink, boat rides and lodging (in the guest house). If ever there was a weekend that was “too good to be true”, this was it! They have 20+ 2-acre lots for sale on the lagoon and we have lots to think and talk about!
Monday we packed our stuff, said good-bye to our new friends and headed up the dirt drive that we had off-handedly entered two days before. Scott, Ed and Dee’s friend/neighbor, escorted us to the turn-off for Corozal as he headed to Copper Bank, another near-by village, before joining us again in Corozal (his girlfriend, Cristy, lives there). We arrived back at the New River, crossed it by hand-cranked ferry, reached Corozal and found our hotel just in time for lunch. We hit a Chinese restaurant for lunch and then spent the afternoon walking around town and catching up on e-mail. We had a drink at the Corozal Bay Inn, right on the waterfront, and then headed to Hailey’s for dinner with Scott. We had a great chat/dinner before saying good-bye/good-night to another new friend and then headed back to the hotel for the night.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Extreme Adventures
Sunday night we had dinner at the gathering place in San Agnacio, Hode’s. They had everything from bar to outdoor restaurant to juke box to arcade to playground and the place was hopping. Rick had “enchiladas”…the sauce was a cross between spaghetti sauce and picante sauce and the cheese inside and out was tasty, but unique. Linda had shrimp fajitas…again tasty, but unique in presentation. After several attempts they were able to get the internet up and we were able to update ourselves on the “outside world”.
Monday morning we arose early for our tour of hiking, climbing and swimming in Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) ancient Mayan ceremonial site and cave. This has been described as one of the most unforgettable and adventurous tours you can take in all of Belize and they described it right. The tour started with an hour drive, most of which was on dirt roads, then a 45 min hike through the jungle, crossing through roaring creek three times, getting us ready to be wet all day long. After the hike we rested and ate half of our sack lunch to get our strength up for the adventure to come. At the wide, hourglass shaped entrance to the cave, we donned our helmets, complete with headlamps. We then started with a frosty swim into the cave through a deep pool and then we followed our guide, walking, climbing, twisting and turning our way through the blackness of the cave for over 4 hours (2+ hours in and 2+ hours out). Giant shimmering flow-stone rock formations competed for our attention with thick calcium carbonate stalactites dripping from the ceiling. Phallic stalagmites (see photos) grow up from the cave floor. At one point we were required to replace our shoes with socks to protect our feet from sharp rocks and to prevent damage to the cave surface from oils in our skin. Eventually we ended up in a gigantic underground room strewn with hundreds of pottery vessels and shards, along with human remains. Our final destination required us to climb a 16 ft extension ladder which had been anchored to the cave wall. Once on top we discovered one of the most shocking displays, the calcite-encrusted full skeletal remains of the woman who Actun Tunichil Muknal (cave of the stone sepulcher) is named for. She is one of fourteen human skeletal remains, seven of which were children that have been discovered in the cave. All are believed to have been offerings to the rain god, Chaac, in sacrifice for rain in a time of drought in the second half of the 9th century. The woman had been killed by breaking her back and leaving her in the cave to die. By this time we were quite worn out, but realized we had to do the entire journey again, backwards this time (including the cave, the hike and the drive). When we got back to our room we were past exhausted, but felt blessed that we were able to experience this magical place since there is word that the site will be closed to the public sometime in the near future. After a shower we returned to town for dinner, then back home for fire-flys and bed.
Tuesday morning we got out of bed feeling better than expected with only a few aches, pains and bruises…thank God for fish oil (thanks, Beth!). After a breakfast of French toast we drove to Xunantanich, one of Belize’s most easily accessible and impressive Mayan archeological sites. Along the way we saw many of the locals washing their clothes in the river…scrubbing with brushes on the rocks. Amazingly, the whites stay very white! We then crossed the Mopan river on a hand-pulled wooden ferry (see photos). Linda asked the ferry operator for his permission to photograph him and he agreed only because we were kind enough to ask (native people in this country aren’t very keen to having their pictures taken as it “draws away life energy”). The ruins were beyond incredible (see photos), the tallest being 157 ft tall. We climbed steep, stone steps which were built into the walls of the pyramid-shaped structure. From the top of El Castillo was a spectacular 360 degree view of the Mopan river valley with Guatemala a mile to the west. After leaving the site we returned to the ferry and then drove on to DuPlooy’s Jungle Lodge, home of the Belize Botanical Garden (Rick was in heaven). The park is 45 acres with 2 miles of trails identifying many of the trees and shrubs found in the four different Belizean habitats. It even had a native orchid house and a special exhibit on the products and uses of the native palms of Belize. After two hours of exhaustive study we decided to return to town for lunch (or so we thought). On our way back on the right side of the road we saw the Princess Hotel and Casino! We decided to try their café and our luck. Lunch was tasty and Linda’s luck was pretty good, but Rick made up for that! We finally made it home for a break and maybe happy hour before dinner. We later returned to town for dinner and internet update, but all the restaurants internet was down. We ate at Flayva’s and Rick decided to try Gibnut, the Royal Rat. This rodent was served to Queen Elizabeth II when she was in Belize a few years ago. It was outstandingly delicious….Linda even tried it. Afterwards, we found an “internet café” to check our messages and then home to bed.
Monday morning we arose early for our tour of hiking, climbing and swimming in Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) ancient Mayan ceremonial site and cave. This has been described as one of the most unforgettable and adventurous tours you can take in all of Belize and they described it right. The tour started with an hour drive, most of which was on dirt roads, then a 45 min hike through the jungle, crossing through roaring creek three times, getting us ready to be wet all day long. After the hike we rested and ate half of our sack lunch to get our strength up for the adventure to come. At the wide, hourglass shaped entrance to the cave, we donned our helmets, complete with headlamps. We then started with a frosty swim into the cave through a deep pool and then we followed our guide, walking, climbing, twisting and turning our way through the blackness of the cave for over 4 hours (2+ hours in and 2+ hours out). Giant shimmering flow-stone rock formations competed for our attention with thick calcium carbonate stalactites dripping from the ceiling. Phallic stalagmites (see photos) grow up from the cave floor. At one point we were required to replace our shoes with socks to protect our feet from sharp rocks and to prevent damage to the cave surface from oils in our skin. Eventually we ended up in a gigantic underground room strewn with hundreds of pottery vessels and shards, along with human remains. Our final destination required us to climb a 16 ft extension ladder which had been anchored to the cave wall. Once on top we discovered one of the most shocking displays, the calcite-encrusted full skeletal remains of the woman who Actun Tunichil Muknal (cave of the stone sepulcher) is named for. She is one of fourteen human skeletal remains, seven of which were children that have been discovered in the cave. All are believed to have been offerings to the rain god, Chaac, in sacrifice for rain in a time of drought in the second half of the 9th century. The woman had been killed by breaking her back and leaving her in the cave to die. By this time we were quite worn out, but realized we had to do the entire journey again, backwards this time (including the cave, the hike and the drive). When we got back to our room we were past exhausted, but felt blessed that we were able to experience this magical place since there is word that the site will be closed to the public sometime in the near future. After a shower we returned to town for dinner, then back home for fire-flys and bed.
Tuesday morning we got out of bed feeling better than expected with only a few aches, pains and bruises…thank God for fish oil (thanks, Beth!). After a breakfast of French toast we drove to Xunantanich, one of Belize’s most easily accessible and impressive Mayan archeological sites. Along the way we saw many of the locals washing their clothes in the river…scrubbing with brushes on the rocks. Amazingly, the whites stay very white! We then crossed the Mopan river on a hand-pulled wooden ferry (see photos). Linda asked the ferry operator for his permission to photograph him and he agreed only because we were kind enough to ask (native people in this country aren’t very keen to having their pictures taken as it “draws away life energy”). The ruins were beyond incredible (see photos), the tallest being 157 ft tall. We climbed steep, stone steps which were built into the walls of the pyramid-shaped structure. From the top of El Castillo was a spectacular 360 degree view of the Mopan river valley with Guatemala a mile to the west. After leaving the site we returned to the ferry and then drove on to DuPlooy’s Jungle Lodge, home of the Belize Botanical Garden (Rick was in heaven). The park is 45 acres with 2 miles of trails identifying many of the trees and shrubs found in the four different Belizean habitats. It even had a native orchid house and a special exhibit on the products and uses of the native palms of Belize. After two hours of exhaustive study we decided to return to town for lunch (or so we thought). On our way back on the right side of the road we saw the Princess Hotel and Casino! We decided to try their café and our luck. Lunch was tasty and Linda’s luck was pretty good, but Rick made up for that! We finally made it home for a break and maybe happy hour before dinner. We later returned to town for dinner and internet update, but all the restaurants internet was down. We ate at Flayva’s and Rick decided to try Gibnut, the Royal Rat. This rodent was served to Queen Elizabeth II when she was in Belize a few years ago. It was outstandingly delicious….Linda even tried it. Afterwards, we found an “internet café” to check our messages and then home to bed.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
A week in time...
Monday night while getting ready to watch “Benjamin Button” on DVD Linda discovered another uninvited guest in our bathroom…a 4 inch tarantula! Rick said it wouldn’t eat much, so we decided to leave him be. After the movie I still wasn’t feeling comfortable about the furry critter in the bathroom, so I asked Rick to accompany me to the bathroom with a flashlight. We searched the place where he was previously only to find him missing. Upon further investigation, we found him lingering next to the toilet. Rick caught him in our frying pan and relocated him to the property next store. OK…I think I can sleep now.
Tuesday morning we decided that our time on the Placencia peninsula was coming to an end, so if we were ever going to search real estate we better do it now. We went into town and after breakfast at the local bakery we met with one of the local real estate “professionals”…he realized we weren’t going to buy immediately and sort of brushed us off by just giving us a couple of properties to check out before he promised to be in touch. We spent the next couple of hours looking at his recommendations and got a better idea of pricing for lots and/or houses in this area. The rest of the day was spent in a leisurely fashion with naps, swimming, chatting and internet.
Wednesday morning we awoke early and after breakfast went kayaking across the bay to False Caye, a jaunt of about 2+ miles each way. We had the snorkeling gear with us, but few patches of coral were visible from our perches, so we just took a brief rest break on the island before returning home. We did see some jelly fish and starfish and lots of little fish right from the kayaks. We turned around and headed back to the peninsula, arriving home pooped out!!! We rested for the afternoon and then prepared for our evening out on the town. We started out at the Pickled Parrot for happy hour. Rick tried a new drink, a Belizean iced tea (strong, unsweetened tea with rum and lime juice). Quite refreshing. Linda finally got her strawberry daiquiri…not made with fresh strawberries, but still delicious. Rick has some ideas on how to grow fresh strawberries here to solve this issue. Next stop was Trevor’s Place, the new business started by the guy we met at lunch on our first day on the peninsula. Rick had rum and lime juice and Linda had rum punch, each only $1 US for happy hour! Linda wasn’t thrilled were her concoction, so she switched back to strawberry daiquiris…mmmmmm. While sipping our second drink, we met Etta, a NY’er to Californian who is in town doing the same thing we are, searching for the right fit. We chatted for a while and then she turned us on to a real estate gal she was working with (she seemed to think we would get along with her very well). We moved on to the Tipsy Tuna, the big gringo hang-out, for a continuation of happy hour and dinner. Rick had a jumbo fish burrito and Linda had a jumbo chicken burrito. Delicious and finally affordable. After our second cocktail we turned around and who did we see, but Etta. We invited her to join us, which she did, and spent another hour or so chatting again. We learned that she has already put a down payment on a piece of property, but hadn’t shared that with us previously due to her superstitions. She turned us on to another real estate agent and then we were entertained by the Garifuna drummer/singing. Several kids were dancing on the beach to the tunes and there were even horseshoe pits available for use with night-lighting for tournaments. When the band took a break we decided to return home to prepare to depart in the morning.
Thursday morning after packing we said good-bye to Chuck and the boys and hopped in the car and headed back into the village. We stopped at the bank, but our debit cards had never arrived from Belize City. The customer service agent called BC and found out that they had never been mailed. He requested that they be sent to our future destination, Belmopan, to catch up with us next week. We then returned to De Tatch, a restaurant on the beach that we had eaten at last June, and had a wonderful inexpensive breakfast. Topped off the gas tank and headed to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, the home of the jaguar preserve, on our way to Hopkins Village. We took a quite strenuous 4+ km hike to the waterfall and then chilled in the crystal clear pond of the falls. We hiked back, no jaguars seen despite our keen eyes, and then completed our drive to Hopkins village. We didn’t have any reservations for lodging, so we spent the next hour up and down the beach trying to find a vacancy. We hit paydirt at Jungle Jeanies by the Sea and got a beautiful immersion cabana in the Jungle on the beach. The 20 x 20 cabana had mahogany floors, a loft and front porch. We were pooped, so we stayed in for dinner and their chef prepared chicken and pork chops, peas, salad and rice. It was scrumptious! During dinner we talked real estate with the owners, Jeanie and John, transplants from Canada. They had some interesting ideas/recommendations. Slept that night like babies…no crawling or buzzing creepy crawling.
Friday morning we had breakfast at Iris’s, a little hole-in-the-wall on the main dirt “drag. Rick had a ham and vege omelet with French toast and tea and Linda had pancakes and “sausage” (more like pastrami) and fresh squeezed OJ for $7.50 US. While there we met another couple from Canada who turned us on to a Hopkins area real estate agent, Reva, who lives on the beach on the north side of town. We headed over to Reva’s house and spent the next couple of hours discussing options. She had a couple of listings just down the beach that we checked out, but Linda isn’t convinced that this is the place for her. We returned to Reva’s termite-invested home/office. Reva pointed out the termite dust on the patio and off-handedly mentioned that she wished there was a construction material/method that would solve the issues that affect EVERYONE in Belize. Rick shared the ThermaSave story and website with her and she said she would do some research and get back with us (we left her our e-mail). We left her office and almost went to another real estate office, but decided against it until Linda was convinced. We returned to our cabana and went swimming. While sitting on the beach Rick spotted a manatee about 100 ft off-shore. Linda missed it, but when Rick described what he had seen to Jeanie she confirmed that it probably was just that. After our dip we walked back to Iris’s for lunch (way too far to walk on a hot, humid day) and had burgers and fries. We took the beach route home and Linda flopped into bed for a nap while Rick worked on his stocks. We had a beer happy hour in our room while searching the computer for available real estate in the area, then dinner with Leo and Laura from Canada in the resort dining room. The chef prepared steak, oven-baked potato wedges, green beans and carrots…again it was delicious. We were offered ice cream for dessert and can you believe it…we both declined in order to savor the flavor of the first steak we had had in almost a month. The beef here is grass fed, so it’s more like eating elk or venison and not as tender as home, but it still tasted great. Back to the room for some sleep before heading onto our next destination in the morning.
Saturday morning we arose early and packed up and said our good-byes to Jeanie and John. We returned to Innes restaurant (same place we had lunch 3 wks ago) for breakfast before heading out of town. We planned to go to the Mayflower Bocawina National Park (minor mayan site with multiple waterfalls), but the dirt road was soooo bad we had to turn around and return the way we had come. Our next stop was going to be Mullins River to check out some real estate that we had learned about, but the road to the river was unmarked and we missed it. Our final planned stop for the day before our trek to Belmopan for the night was Gales Point on the southern lagoon to see more manatees. After 20 miles of dirt roads we made it to the location, but no luck on the manatees. Strike 3 for the day. We drove the remainder of the 20 miles of dirt road back to the western highway and made it into Belmopan for lunch. We ate at Penny’s Pizza again and while there met a couple from near the arctic circle who winter in Belize. Had a wonderful chat with them and discussed places to stay in town. On their recommendation, we decided to cover the last 30 miles or so to San Ignacio today and find a room there instead. We had a couple of places in mind for San Ignacio, but no one had any availability in our price range. One of the locals recommended Parrot Nest in Bullet Tree (the next village over), so we called them and booked it. We arrived around 1430 and moved into our mini cabana. Due to it’s limited size, we unpacked everything we had and repacked, keeping out only what we needed. We then went swimming in the Mopan River next to our cabana and saw a 6 ft green iguana swimming along with us. He was no more happy to see us than we were to see him, so he swam to the opposite shore and climbed a tree. That was enough swimming for Linda. We returned to the room and lounged on our patio (with hammock) for the next couple of hours until dinner. While waiting, the electricity went out. Darkness was rapidly approaching, so we went to the dining area and got a coleman lantern to navigate by. When darkness fell, we sat on the patio and watched the fireflies light up and then the stars. Very romantic! The chef at the Parrot prepared fried chicken, salad, rice and lemon meringue pie! Yum. We shared a table with the owner, Theo (pronounced Tay-o) and her mom and the dinner conversation was quite enjoyable. When we went to bed the electricity had still not come back on, so we kept the lantern and flashlight close by in order to make it to the outdoor, shared bathroom during the night. Such an adventure!
Sunday morning we were awakened by dogs and birds again about 0600. We showered, dressed and prepared for the day. We went to Flayeva’s for breakfast and to use the internet (no connection where we are staying). Afterwards we found Sacred Heart Catholic Church. We arrived around 0925 and found that mass had just started! Our “luck” in this aspect continues! Most of mass was in English, but the homily was in Spanish so we didn’t understand but a few words. After mass we drove around San Ignacio and Santa Elena (the twin villages). We looked at real estate, found a park on the convergence of two rivers (beautiful except for the garbage) and shopped in a couple of grocery stores. Prices are much more affordable here than on the coast, but Linda isn’t sure she wants to live so far from the waves. We stopped for lunch at a roadside BBQ/pastry shop for BBQ chicken. Delicious! We chatted with our 28 year-old waitress about San Ignacio. She moved here from Dangriga 1 yr ago to earn some money to help care for her 3 children back in Dangriga with her mom (ages 11, 9 and 2). Their dad is out of the picture and she is able to make more money here in the “big city”, so she is sacrificing for the sake of her kids. She lives several miles away from the shop, but if it’s not too hot or too dark she walks to/from work…otherwise she takes a taxi. The mother/child relationship is pretty similar no matter the locale. We returned to our cabana and napped in the afternoon heat. Sometime during our nap the electricity went out again, but this time only for a couple of hours. Rick researched some possible tours of the area while Linda updated the blog, then back to town for dinner.
Tuesday morning we decided that our time on the Placencia peninsula was coming to an end, so if we were ever going to search real estate we better do it now. We went into town and after breakfast at the local bakery we met with one of the local real estate “professionals”…he realized we weren’t going to buy immediately and sort of brushed us off by just giving us a couple of properties to check out before he promised to be in touch. We spent the next couple of hours looking at his recommendations and got a better idea of pricing for lots and/or houses in this area. The rest of the day was spent in a leisurely fashion with naps, swimming, chatting and internet.
Wednesday morning we awoke early and after breakfast went kayaking across the bay to False Caye, a jaunt of about 2+ miles each way. We had the snorkeling gear with us, but few patches of coral were visible from our perches, so we just took a brief rest break on the island before returning home. We did see some jelly fish and starfish and lots of little fish right from the kayaks. We turned around and headed back to the peninsula, arriving home pooped out!!! We rested for the afternoon and then prepared for our evening out on the town. We started out at the Pickled Parrot for happy hour. Rick tried a new drink, a Belizean iced tea (strong, unsweetened tea with rum and lime juice). Quite refreshing. Linda finally got her strawberry daiquiri…not made with fresh strawberries, but still delicious. Rick has some ideas on how to grow fresh strawberries here to solve this issue. Next stop was Trevor’s Place, the new business started by the guy we met at lunch on our first day on the peninsula. Rick had rum and lime juice and Linda had rum punch, each only $1 US for happy hour! Linda wasn’t thrilled were her concoction, so she switched back to strawberry daiquiris…mmmmmm. While sipping our second drink, we met Etta, a NY’er to Californian who is in town doing the same thing we are, searching for the right fit. We chatted for a while and then she turned us on to a real estate gal she was working with (she seemed to think we would get along with her very well). We moved on to the Tipsy Tuna, the big gringo hang-out, for a continuation of happy hour and dinner. Rick had a jumbo fish burrito and Linda had a jumbo chicken burrito. Delicious and finally affordable. After our second cocktail we turned around and who did we see, but Etta. We invited her to join us, which she did, and spent another hour or so chatting again. We learned that she has already put a down payment on a piece of property, but hadn’t shared that with us previously due to her superstitions. She turned us on to another real estate agent and then we were entertained by the Garifuna drummer/singing. Several kids were dancing on the beach to the tunes and there were even horseshoe pits available for use with night-lighting for tournaments. When the band took a break we decided to return home to prepare to depart in the morning.
Thursday morning after packing we said good-bye to Chuck and the boys and hopped in the car and headed back into the village. We stopped at the bank, but our debit cards had never arrived from Belize City. The customer service agent called BC and found out that they had never been mailed. He requested that they be sent to our future destination, Belmopan, to catch up with us next week. We then returned to De Tatch, a restaurant on the beach that we had eaten at last June, and had a wonderful inexpensive breakfast. Topped off the gas tank and headed to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, the home of the jaguar preserve, on our way to Hopkins Village. We took a quite strenuous 4+ km hike to the waterfall and then chilled in the crystal clear pond of the falls. We hiked back, no jaguars seen despite our keen eyes, and then completed our drive to Hopkins village. We didn’t have any reservations for lodging, so we spent the next hour up and down the beach trying to find a vacancy. We hit paydirt at Jungle Jeanies by the Sea and got a beautiful immersion cabana in the Jungle on the beach. The 20 x 20 cabana had mahogany floors, a loft and front porch. We were pooped, so we stayed in for dinner and their chef prepared chicken and pork chops, peas, salad and rice. It was scrumptious! During dinner we talked real estate with the owners, Jeanie and John, transplants from Canada. They had some interesting ideas/recommendations. Slept that night like babies…no crawling or buzzing creepy crawling.
Friday morning we had breakfast at Iris’s, a little hole-in-the-wall on the main dirt “drag. Rick had a ham and vege omelet with French toast and tea and Linda had pancakes and “sausage” (more like pastrami) and fresh squeezed OJ for $7.50 US. While there we met another couple from Canada who turned us on to a Hopkins area real estate agent, Reva, who lives on the beach on the north side of town. We headed over to Reva’s house and spent the next couple of hours discussing options. She had a couple of listings just down the beach that we checked out, but Linda isn’t convinced that this is the place for her. We returned to Reva’s termite-invested home/office. Reva pointed out the termite dust on the patio and off-handedly mentioned that she wished there was a construction material/method that would solve the issues that affect EVERYONE in Belize. Rick shared the ThermaSave story and website with her and she said she would do some research and get back with us (we left her our e-mail). We left her office and almost went to another real estate office, but decided against it until Linda was convinced. We returned to our cabana and went swimming. While sitting on the beach Rick spotted a manatee about 100 ft off-shore. Linda missed it, but when Rick described what he had seen to Jeanie she confirmed that it probably was just that. After our dip we walked back to Iris’s for lunch (way too far to walk on a hot, humid day) and had burgers and fries. We took the beach route home and Linda flopped into bed for a nap while Rick worked on his stocks. We had a beer happy hour in our room while searching the computer for available real estate in the area, then dinner with Leo and Laura from Canada in the resort dining room. The chef prepared steak, oven-baked potato wedges, green beans and carrots…again it was delicious. We were offered ice cream for dessert and can you believe it…we both declined in order to savor the flavor of the first steak we had had in almost a month. The beef here is grass fed, so it’s more like eating elk or venison and not as tender as home, but it still tasted great. Back to the room for some sleep before heading onto our next destination in the morning.
Saturday morning we arose early and packed up and said our good-byes to Jeanie and John. We returned to Innes restaurant (same place we had lunch 3 wks ago) for breakfast before heading out of town. We planned to go to the Mayflower Bocawina National Park (minor mayan site with multiple waterfalls), but the dirt road was soooo bad we had to turn around and return the way we had come. Our next stop was going to be Mullins River to check out some real estate that we had learned about, but the road to the river was unmarked and we missed it. Our final planned stop for the day before our trek to Belmopan for the night was Gales Point on the southern lagoon to see more manatees. After 20 miles of dirt roads we made it to the location, but no luck on the manatees. Strike 3 for the day. We drove the remainder of the 20 miles of dirt road back to the western highway and made it into Belmopan for lunch. We ate at Penny’s Pizza again and while there met a couple from near the arctic circle who winter in Belize. Had a wonderful chat with them and discussed places to stay in town. On their recommendation, we decided to cover the last 30 miles or so to San Ignacio today and find a room there instead. We had a couple of places in mind for San Ignacio, but no one had any availability in our price range. One of the locals recommended Parrot Nest in Bullet Tree (the next village over), so we called them and booked it. We arrived around 1430 and moved into our mini cabana. Due to it’s limited size, we unpacked everything we had and repacked, keeping out only what we needed. We then went swimming in the Mopan River next to our cabana and saw a 6 ft green iguana swimming along with us. He was no more happy to see us than we were to see him, so he swam to the opposite shore and climbed a tree. That was enough swimming for Linda. We returned to the room and lounged on our patio (with hammock) for the next couple of hours until dinner. While waiting, the electricity went out. Darkness was rapidly approaching, so we went to the dining area and got a coleman lantern to navigate by. When darkness fell, we sat on the patio and watched the fireflies light up and then the stars. Very romantic! The chef at the Parrot prepared fried chicken, salad, rice and lemon meringue pie! Yum. We shared a table with the owner, Theo (pronounced Tay-o) and her mom and the dinner conversation was quite enjoyable. When we went to bed the electricity had still not come back on, so we kept the lantern and flashlight close by in order to make it to the outdoor, shared bathroom during the night. Such an adventure!
Sunday morning we were awakened by dogs and birds again about 0600. We showered, dressed and prepared for the day. We went to Flayeva’s for breakfast and to use the internet (no connection where we are staying). Afterwards we found Sacred Heart Catholic Church. We arrived around 0925 and found that mass had just started! Our “luck” in this aspect continues! Most of mass was in English, but the homily was in Spanish so we didn’t understand but a few words. After mass we drove around San Ignacio and Santa Elena (the twin villages). We looked at real estate, found a park on the convergence of two rivers (beautiful except for the garbage) and shopped in a couple of grocery stores. Prices are much more affordable here than on the coast, but Linda isn’t sure she wants to live so far from the waves. We stopped for lunch at a roadside BBQ/pastry shop for BBQ chicken. Delicious! We chatted with our 28 year-old waitress about San Ignacio. She moved here from Dangriga 1 yr ago to earn some money to help care for her 3 children back in Dangriga with her mom (ages 11, 9 and 2). Their dad is out of the picture and she is able to make more money here in the “big city”, so she is sacrificing for the sake of her kids. She lives several miles away from the shop, but if it’s not too hot or too dark she walks to/from work…otherwise she takes a taxi. The mother/child relationship is pretty similar no matter the locale. We returned to our cabana and napped in the afternoon heat. Sometime during our nap the electricity went out again, but this time only for a couple of hours. Rick researched some possible tours of the area while Linda updated the blog, then back to town for dinner.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Good-bye Punta Gorda, hello Maya Beach!
We left Punta Gorda Thursday morning about 0930 and stopped only once in a small village for a coke light/bathroom break. The dirt road from the southern highway to the placencia peninsula was scheduled for paving when we were here in June, but it still has not been completed (in some areas it’s even worse than we remember!) We arrived in Maya Beach around 1230 and after a little search found our new temporary home (Maya Playa beach cabanas) and met the owner, Chuck. The cabana is charming and very rustic at the same time. It is/was completely hand built out of local woods and vines. It has a poured concrete floor and an outside shower! Rick really likes showering outdoors. Like everywhere we have been here is no hot water except in the showers. Very simple structures, but utterly comfortable. Chuck is more rustic, than charming!!! He moved here 25 years ago from Florida and wouldn’t trade his life here for anything. Chuck’s Maya Playa Cabanas are the town meeting place. Everyone in town seems to stop by for a visit nearly everyday. We have met over half of the Maya locals just being here. We got partially moved in and decided to postpone the rest of the unpacking until we unloaded our dirty laundry to the laundry man, Dale, and had some lunch. Chuck gave us directions to Dale’s place and, despite his directions, we found the laundry man and made arrangements with him. From there we went to lunch at a roadside stop owned by a Guatemalan family. The food was pretty good, although limited on the serving size, and was fairly affordable. We returned to our cabana, finished unpacking and headed into Placencia village to check things out. We parked at the pier and walked the, “world’s narrowest street”, a sidewalk through the village for a couple of hours. We stopped at a few restaurants to check the menus, but everything was outrageously expensive, so we drove home and had sandwiches for dinner. After that and catching up on the internet, we watched “Doubt” on DVD on the computer (no TV for the next week!) and went to bed. It was a restless night with the sounds/smells of the beach/jungle and the rustic mattress, but we survived.
Friday morning we cooked our oatmeal in the outdoor kitchen and then returned to town to visit the bank, buy some groceries, and check into some tours (especially an excursion to Monkey River) and to continue our exploration of the village. After a search, we located the fisherman’s co-op, but decided to return another day for a purchase so that the fish would be reaaaallllly fresh. After a couple of hours of exploring, we stopped for lunch at the Pickled Parrot restaurant and bar for the special of the day (fish and chips). Food was really good and they actually serve strawberry daiquiris…we will definitely be returning for one of those! On the way home we stopped at a couple of places with “for sale” signs to see what was available. At one of the sites we ran into a man who has lived on the peninsula for 20+ years in a home that he never completed (it has a foundation, but few walls and hardly any roof). We talked with him for quite some time about what it was like to live here and got an insiders view. The more people we meet here, the more convinced we are that the majority either left the US/Canada because they were running from something or were running to somewhere to try to fit in. It was mid/late afternoon when we returned home. Linda rested for an hour while Rick chatted with Chuck and some of the neighbors. For dinner Rick served up chicken burritos in the outdoor kitchen, we chatted some more with Chuck and then Linda did some research for more adventures in the coming days.
Saturday morning we scrambled up some eggs with the waves breaking on the beach. A couple of the neighbors stopped by (Chuck has WiFi) and we found out that not too far away, near the village of Red Bank, the scarlet macaws are wintering. We decided to drive over there to see them. After several hours of searching the dirt roads and asking multiple locals (many of whom did not speak English) where the macaws lived, we were unsuccessful in finding their river home, much less the birds! We gave up and turned around. On the way home we stopped at the same village where we stopped on Thursday, but this time instead of coke light and bathroom, we stayed for lunch. The BBQ chicken was incredible! We got home in time for a swim/snorkel adventure (used our underwater camera underwater for the first time), but then the clouds returned and the winds kicked up, so Linda retreated to the cabana to catch up on computer stuff and reading while Rick visited some more with Chuck and the neighbors until dinner. We prepared burgers out in the kitchen and visited some more with Chuck…he is quite the character! We were also joined by another visitor…Linda picked up her plate to do the dishes and there was a scorpion underneath! Yuck!!! After dinner Linda returned to the cabana, changed her soiled underwear (just kidding) and chatted online with Jason (happy 25th birthday to my favorite son). He was able to reset skype and get it working again and then called us since we couldn’t figure out how to work the dang thing. We talked for almost an hour…it was great! Afterwards, some more reading and off to bed. Any of you who have a computer that has a microphone, we can talk with you too! Just email us with a time and make sure you have a skype account and we’ll see if we can make it work.
Sunday morning we awoke realizing we had forgotten to locate the Catholic Church in the area or find out Mass times. We checked online and found the location, but no Mass times were given, so we just showed up and 0830 and, lucky for us, that’s’ when it started! The presider was a garifuna woman and the church was almost totally filled with garifuna children…the girls dressed in their Sunday best. The music was similar to last week in Punta Gorda, but the accents were much more difficult to understand. After Mass we returned to town to schedule our Monkey River tour for tomorrow, to pick up some conch, a wild sea snail, and veggies for dinner and then went for some breakfast at Omar’s Creole Grub. Delicious breakfast burritos and fresh squeezed oj! We returned home to store our groceries and then took a long, leisurely walk along the beach to hunt for property for sale. Some gorgeous lots available, but at what cost??? Linda spent the afternoon reading (finished “The Dark Half” by Steven King), napping, sunning and blogging, while Rick visited with Chuck and the neighbors. We served up conch, potatoes and green beans for dinner and then more of the above until bedtime. Linda had a touch of Montezuma’s revenge…hope she isn’t getting what Rick is just getting over with antibiotics! Off to bed…we have an early start scheduled for tomorrow…the boat leaves at 0730!
Monday morning up at 0630 for a quick breakfast and then drive to town to meet our tour guide. Alren met us at the tour stand and escorted us to his boat at the dock. We went aboard and started our journey. We had a 30-40 minute boat ride across the bay to the Village of Monkey River (where Alren was born and raised). Everyone in the village was related to each other! We went ashore there to order our lunch for later and then we were off again for the tour of the river. We saw exotic birds, crocodiles, turtles, bottle-nose dolphins, bats, flying fish and a jungle full of spectacular flora. We stopped about half-way through the morning for a jungle hike to see if we could locate the howler monkeys. Sure enough, they were abundant, but high in the canopy of the trees, so we only were able to see one well enough to try to photo (charging the camera battery now, so I don’t know if that photo came out or not). We became lunch for hundreds of thirsty mosquitoes, so we returned to the boat after about 45 minutes and continued on our journey. On the way back to the dock we stopped again in Monkey River Village and had the lunch we had ordered earlier (fish, chicken and guess what else??? Rice and beans!!! It was delicious. We left the river and returned to the sea. We lingered in a bay near horizon caye looking for manatee. We were lucky enough to spot several noses coming up for air and one full body arching out of the water! They move too fast to photo them, but it was great none-the-less. Back in town we stopped at the gelato store for a treat and then returned home. Rick joined the guys in the “kitchen” for more talk, while Linda went swimming/sunning and caught up on computer stuff. Leftovers for dinner tonight. Hope we don’t have any uninvited guests!
Friday morning we cooked our oatmeal in the outdoor kitchen and then returned to town to visit the bank, buy some groceries, and check into some tours (especially an excursion to Monkey River) and to continue our exploration of the village. After a search, we located the fisherman’s co-op, but decided to return another day for a purchase so that the fish would be reaaaallllly fresh. After a couple of hours of exploring, we stopped for lunch at the Pickled Parrot restaurant and bar for the special of the day (fish and chips). Food was really good and they actually serve strawberry daiquiris…we will definitely be returning for one of those! On the way home we stopped at a couple of places with “for sale” signs to see what was available. At one of the sites we ran into a man who has lived on the peninsula for 20+ years in a home that he never completed (it has a foundation, but few walls and hardly any roof). We talked with him for quite some time about what it was like to live here and got an insiders view. The more people we meet here, the more convinced we are that the majority either left the US/Canada because they were running from something or were running to somewhere to try to fit in. It was mid/late afternoon when we returned home. Linda rested for an hour while Rick chatted with Chuck and some of the neighbors. For dinner Rick served up chicken burritos in the outdoor kitchen, we chatted some more with Chuck and then Linda did some research for more adventures in the coming days.
Saturday morning we scrambled up some eggs with the waves breaking on the beach. A couple of the neighbors stopped by (Chuck has WiFi) and we found out that not too far away, near the village of Red Bank, the scarlet macaws are wintering. We decided to drive over there to see them. After several hours of searching the dirt roads and asking multiple locals (many of whom did not speak English) where the macaws lived, we were unsuccessful in finding their river home, much less the birds! We gave up and turned around. On the way home we stopped at the same village where we stopped on Thursday, but this time instead of coke light and bathroom, we stayed for lunch. The BBQ chicken was incredible! We got home in time for a swim/snorkel adventure (used our underwater camera underwater for the first time), but then the clouds returned and the winds kicked up, so Linda retreated to the cabana to catch up on computer stuff and reading while Rick visited some more with Chuck and the neighbors until dinner. We prepared burgers out in the kitchen and visited some more with Chuck…he is quite the character! We were also joined by another visitor…Linda picked up her plate to do the dishes and there was a scorpion underneath! Yuck!!! After dinner Linda returned to the cabana, changed her soiled underwear (just kidding) and chatted online with Jason (happy 25th birthday to my favorite son). He was able to reset skype and get it working again and then called us since we couldn’t figure out how to work the dang thing. We talked for almost an hour…it was great! Afterwards, some more reading and off to bed. Any of you who have a computer that has a microphone, we can talk with you too! Just email us with a time and make sure you have a skype account and we’ll see if we can make it work.
Sunday morning we awoke realizing we had forgotten to locate the Catholic Church in the area or find out Mass times. We checked online and found the location, but no Mass times were given, so we just showed up and 0830 and, lucky for us, that’s’ when it started! The presider was a garifuna woman and the church was almost totally filled with garifuna children…the girls dressed in their Sunday best. The music was similar to last week in Punta Gorda, but the accents were much more difficult to understand. After Mass we returned to town to schedule our Monkey River tour for tomorrow, to pick up some conch, a wild sea snail, and veggies for dinner and then went for some breakfast at Omar’s Creole Grub. Delicious breakfast burritos and fresh squeezed oj! We returned home to store our groceries and then took a long, leisurely walk along the beach to hunt for property for sale. Some gorgeous lots available, but at what cost??? Linda spent the afternoon reading (finished “The Dark Half” by Steven King), napping, sunning and blogging, while Rick visited with Chuck and the neighbors. We served up conch, potatoes and green beans for dinner and then more of the above until bedtime. Linda had a touch of Montezuma’s revenge…hope she isn’t getting what Rick is just getting over with antibiotics! Off to bed…we have an early start scheduled for tomorrow…the boat leaves at 0730!
Monday morning up at 0630 for a quick breakfast and then drive to town to meet our tour guide. Alren met us at the tour stand and escorted us to his boat at the dock. We went aboard and started our journey. We had a 30-40 minute boat ride across the bay to the Village of Monkey River (where Alren was born and raised). Everyone in the village was related to each other! We went ashore there to order our lunch for later and then we were off again for the tour of the river. We saw exotic birds, crocodiles, turtles, bottle-nose dolphins, bats, flying fish and a jungle full of spectacular flora. We stopped about half-way through the morning for a jungle hike to see if we could locate the howler monkeys. Sure enough, they were abundant, but high in the canopy of the trees, so we only were able to see one well enough to try to photo (charging the camera battery now, so I don’t know if that photo came out or not). We became lunch for hundreds of thirsty mosquitoes, so we returned to the boat after about 45 minutes and continued on our journey. On the way back to the dock we stopped again in Monkey River Village and had the lunch we had ordered earlier (fish, chicken and guess what else??? Rice and beans!!! It was delicious. We left the river and returned to the sea. We lingered in a bay near horizon caye looking for manatee. We were lucky enough to spot several noses coming up for air and one full body arching out of the water! They move too fast to photo them, but it was great none-the-less. Back in town we stopped at the gelato store for a treat and then returned home. Rick joined the guys in the “kitchen” for more talk, while Linda went swimming/sunning and caught up on computer stuff. Leftovers for dinner tonight. Hope we don’t have any uninvited guests!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Our last few days in punta gorda
We tried for jerk chicken Monday night, but when we arrived the “proprietors” said “soup tonight, jerk tomorrow.” Rick was pretty disappointed, but told them that we would be back. Instead we went to Punta Pizza and met a gal from CA who has been in PG for 5 years. Her business was pretty busy, so we didn’t get a chance to pick her brain, but we did enjoy the pizza…not as good as
Tuesday morning we had our usual breakfast and then headed out in search of a long sleeve shirt for Rick to protect his skin from whatever it is that’s bothering him. We stopped at every shop during our 2-mile walk, but no one had what we were looking for. We did pick up a few necessities (toothpaste, matches and clothespins) instead. Rick started to feel bad, so we hurried back home. I went swimming, but Rick didn’t feel up to it. When I got back to our apartment he was complaining of his throat swelling up…possible allergic reaction to the new antibiotics? Gave him some Benadryl and the symptoms gradually improved…whew! For lunch we again returned to the roadside cabana for jerk chicken. This time it was waiting for us and delicious (thanks, Joyce!). Our first BBQ in
Wednesday morning started with omelets and a surprise from Rick, sweet rolls….mmmmmm! Rick returned to the “jerk” place to visit with Anthony, Joyce’s husband (he was gone when we were there yesterday). Linda spent the morning watching “Marley and Me” and crying her eyes out! Cloudy and cool today and no more places we want to visit, so we just lay low at/around home. Rick returned to Anthony’s later in the afternoon to visit his greenhouse and discuss more opportunities. I read some more and got ready for an evening out on the town. For our last dinner in PG we visited Marian’s Bayview Restaurant for Indian cuisine. We met a couple there from
Monday, March 1, 2010
second weekend in punta gorda
saturday cont: after our swim, we found out from the owner of the sea front inn that we may be able to buy beer cheaper than in the grocery store if we went directly to the distributor. we decided it was worth checking out, so we headed over there, but they were closed for the usual 12-2p lunch/siesta break. drove around trying to locate a store with men's shirts (rick's skin is still suffering with some ??? problem, maybe a reaction from the sun, so we thought a long sleeve shirt would offer some relief). nothing found in his size that would work, so we went back home. linda napped and rick later returned to the distributor for a 1/2 case of lighthouse and 1/2 case of belikin stout. a little internet, tv and then happy hour and dinner (chicken legs, rice/beans and pineapple). after dinner more of the same and cards...tonight rick takes the championship!
sunday morning we arose early for 0730 mass at st peter clavier. we were ready early enough to walk, hopefully we won't get rained on when we walk home. luckily the rain held off and we made it home still dry...in fact the clouds have pretty much disappeared. breakfast of oatmeal and then a quiet morning waiting for our plans with jenna. we headed over to her property after we watched a show on the mayan indians. found her place easily and met her dogs, sam and tinkerbell. she showed us around her property and home and then we visited for a couple of hours. afterwards we headed back taking a new road (jenna thought we might be able to encounter some wildlife) and found a farm with pigs (huge), goats, chickens and cows...rick is in heaven! stopped at a "cool spot" for a coke and then back into town. passed a restaurant that advertised jerk chicken, so we stopped for dinner, but no service today. we'll have to make plans to return tomorrow. decided to come home, enjoy our own happy hour and make the stew that we had previously planned...it turned out very good! spent the evening doing more research on cocoa trees and other possibilities for farming down here. also watched undercover boss...interesting concept! full moon rose over the bay and i tried to get some photos, but none came out...sorry, it was pretty spectacular!
monday am rick's skin issues were still giving him problems, as well as the off and on Montezuma's revenge that he has been fighting for a week. yesterday jenna had recommended that we visit the health center by her house, so we headed over there only to find it closed for the "first monday of the month". rick didn't want to wait any longer, so we returned to town and headed over to the health center there. interesting experience, almost like an ER visit, except no request for payment prior to service. weight down 10+ pounds and bp is perfect!!! yeah! we got in to see the "Dr" about 2 hours later. she asked a few questions (which we barely understood), wrote a couple of prescriptions and referred us to the pharmacy across the hall. a few minutes later we were given a couple of antibiotics, some oral rehydration salt mix and a couple of topical creams with specific instructions and advised that we were free to leave. the entire visit and all of the prescriptions were free, although we could give a donation if we wanted to! incredible! we offered a donation and they acted like they weren't exactly sure what to do with it. we were thanked and left the clinic. we had lunch at the snack shack, tried again for a long-sleeved shirt for rick (no luck) and headed home. we thought we might take a swim, but the wind had picked up and the bay had some waves so we decided against it for the time being. internet, tv and nap instead until returning to the restaurant for the jerk chicken that rick has been dreaming about since last night!
sunday morning we arose early for 0730 mass at st peter clavier. we were ready early enough to walk, hopefully we won't get rained on when we walk home. luckily the rain held off and we made it home still dry...in fact the clouds have pretty much disappeared. breakfast of oatmeal and then a quiet morning waiting for our plans with jenna. we headed over to her property after we watched a show on the mayan indians. found her place easily and met her dogs, sam and tinkerbell. she showed us around her property and home and then we visited for a couple of hours. afterwards we headed back taking a new road (jenna thought we might be able to encounter some wildlife) and found a farm with pigs (huge), goats, chickens and cows...rick is in heaven! stopped at a "cool spot" for a coke and then back into town. passed a restaurant that advertised jerk chicken, so we stopped for dinner, but no service today. we'll have to make plans to return tomorrow. decided to come home, enjoy our own happy hour and make the stew that we had previously planned...it turned out very good! spent the evening doing more research on cocoa trees and other possibilities for farming down here. also watched undercover boss...interesting concept! full moon rose over the bay and i tried to get some photos, but none came out...sorry, it was pretty spectacular!
monday am rick's skin issues were still giving him problems, as well as the off and on Montezuma's revenge that he has been fighting for a week. yesterday jenna had recommended that we visit the health center by her house, so we headed over there only to find it closed for the "first monday of the month". rick didn't want to wait any longer, so we returned to town and headed over to the health center there. interesting experience, almost like an ER visit, except no request for payment prior to service. weight down 10+ pounds and bp is perfect!!! yeah! we got in to see the "Dr" about 2 hours later. she asked a few questions (which we barely understood), wrote a couple of prescriptions and referred us to the pharmacy across the hall. a few minutes later we were given a couple of antibiotics, some oral rehydration salt mix and a couple of topical creams with specific instructions and advised that we were free to leave. the entire visit and all of the prescriptions were free, although we could give a donation if we wanted to! incredible! we offered a donation and they acted like they weren't exactly sure what to do with it. we were thanked and left the clinic. we had lunch at the snack shack, tried again for a long-sleeved shirt for rick (no luck) and headed home. we thought we might take a swim, but the wind had picked up and the bay had some waves so we decided against it for the time being. internet, tv and nap instead until returning to the restaurant for the jerk chicken that rick has been dreaming about since last night!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)