OMG! I can't believe another 6 months has come and gone...the older we get, the faster time flies. Thanksgiving with family (Rick's mom, brother and his family) was so much fun. We spent a couple of days in Placencia snorkeling and beaching, then a few days back at home, a river tour to Lamanai ruins and a trip to the zoo before their return trip home. The "fresh" turkey dinner was interesting...the bird must have been advanced in age...more like turkey jerky. We got by though and enjoyed the company.
Our second Christmas in Belize was spent with neighbors and friends. A big BBQ party...we gave gifts to all of the Belizean children in attendance. They fell in love with the collection of stuffed animals we parted with! With the start of the new year we started discussing possible changes in our future.
We were looking forward to the cruise that we had been planning for over a year, and starting discussing potential future travel. Rick has run out of projects and is feeling like he "wants more life in his life". Our cruise trip in March/April sealed the deal. We visited Bermuda, Portugal, Morocco and Spain and had an incredible time. We returned home with a potential opportunity to take care of a 10 acre farm near the Mediterranean coast in Spain. It's only one potential plan, but we decided to list our home for sale...we can travel at our leisure and not feel tied down to one location. We have spent the past couple of weeks working with a web designer to create a site for our listing (www.belizewaterfrontestate4sale.info) and visiting with realtors. Everything is now in place and we'll just wait and see what happens! The market here is quite slow, but if/when the right person sees what we're offering, I'm sure we'll have interest. If any of you are interested or know of someone who might be interested, please pass the link onto them...there is a referral bonus available once the deal is sealed! Time for another parrot hour on the beach! Will keep in touch!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Saturday, October 8, 2011
photo link
many comments have requested a link to photos. if you would like to view photos related to our blog, please contact us by e-mail for a link. luluder@hotmail.com thank you!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Where does the time go?
I can't believe almost 4 months have passed since our last post. We survived our second summer in Belize, traveled back to the U.S. for a visit, took a road trip to San Ignacio and continued with our previous day-to-day activities.
The summer was warm, wet and humid, but it seems we're growing more accustomed to the change and used our a/c much less this year. The rain brought a growth spurt to all of our plants and flowers. The garden provided lots of good veges and our banana tree has delivered multiple clusters of lady finger bananas. Rick even hung bunches of basil on the clothes line to dry. We visited several nurseries over the past few months and now the yard is almost half complete. We even bought a cocoa tree to test our forte for growing chocolate! Now that Fall has arrived the weather is starting to cool down, especially in the mornings, and the water in the lagoon is refreshing again. We're getting lots of lizards, spiders and critters coming around, but so far no negative interactions between the species even though we've encroached on their habitat. A crocodile tried to have one of the chickens for lunch last week, but, surprisingly, the chicken was smart enough to squawk and run! Speaking of the chickens, we're still getting about 40 eggs a week and are able to share with our friends and neighbors. One of the restaurants/bars that we frequent has even started paying us for a dozen eggs every week...that will help with the cost of the corn that the chickens seem to inhale!
In July we set out on an adventure that covered three countries and five U.S. states. We drove from Progresso, Belize to Cancun, Mexico on the first day. The trip was smooth sailing once we crossed the border and dealt with the red-tape there. Belize and Mexico are trying to see who can outdo the other with taxes...we were stuck in the middle! We spent the night in a hotel near the Cancun airport, spent a little time the next morning touring the city and then, leaving our car at the hotel, took the hotel shuttle to the airport. We flew from Cancun to Phoenix, AZ and then onto Spokane, WA where we met our son, Jason, who had flown in from Dallas, TX. The three of us rented a car and, exhausted, drove to the nearby hotel for the night. The next morning we enjoyed a buffet breakfast at the hotel and Jason took us shopping. After picking up some necessities, we drove to Pullman, WA to meet up with Rick's family for our niece's wedding. The next three days were spent visiting/partying with Rick's family and celebrating the addition to the family (the wedding was absolutely beautiful). We had a wonderful time. On Sunday morning Jason drove us back to Spokane airport where we took a flight to Salt Lake City, UT and then onto San Diego, CA. It was there that we were joined by our daughter, Janessa, and Linda's side of the family. We had 3 days/4 nights of visiting and touring San Diego. A great time was had by all. From there a bunch of us caravan-ed to Casa Grande, AZ where we had a quick tour of Linda's parents new house before renting a car and driving to the Phoenix area. We stayed with Janessa in her apartment (thanks, nessa!) and spent three days visiting with as many of our Phoenix-area friends as we could. On Monday morning, exhausted, we were on the road again, headed to Laughlin for a couple of days of gambling/relaxing. Linda got her "Wizard of Oz" slot machine fix and Rick played enough penny and nickle machines to make up for some of what Linda lost! After Laughlin we drove over to check out the now-completed Hoover Dam Bypass...pretty impressive!!! Rick watched so much of the construction of the bypass during his frequent drives to Vegas to tend to his mom's yard that he had to see the finished product. It was a little out of our way, but well worth the trip. From there we drove to Vegas and spent the night at Rick's mom's house. We played a little bit at a local casino, but went to bed early so we would be ready for our early flight the next morning. We flew from Vegas to Phoenix to Cancun and shuttled back to the hotel where our car was left. We had dinner by the pool and then crashed for the night. The final day was spent driving back from Cancun to Progresso. It was a beautiful drive...hundreds of thousands of butterflies everywhere...and no incidents at the border! We arrived home safe and sound and spent the next few days recovering from our 18-day "vacation"!!! A big "thank you" to all who made it possible.
Last week we took another road trip to San Ignacio and visited with our friends, Adam and Mona. We got to see their beautiful new house, played some darts and took a day to visit Spanish Lookout, a Mennonite village north of San Ignacio. What an incredible experience. This group of settlers was allocated land from the government of Belize and turned it into a self-governed, self-sustaining farming/agriculture community. We will definitely be going back there for another taste of their culture.
In-between road trips Linda spent her time baking, cleaning, laundry, sunning, reading, latch hooking, parrot watching (extremely busy season this year!), listening to music, lounging in the lagoon and playing cards/dominos/darts. Rick kept busy with gardening, tending to the two acres of land, cooking new recipes and playing cards/dominos/darts. We're working hard at becoming as self-sufficient as possible and we're having lots of fun doing it. We're expecting visitors in November...Rick's brother and his family and Rick's mom will be here for Thanksgiving. We should have some more adventures to report on after their visit. Until then, follow your dreams!
The summer was warm, wet and humid, but it seems we're growing more accustomed to the change and used our a/c much less this year. The rain brought a growth spurt to all of our plants and flowers. The garden provided lots of good veges and our banana tree has delivered multiple clusters of lady finger bananas. Rick even hung bunches of basil on the clothes line to dry. We visited several nurseries over the past few months and now the yard is almost half complete. We even bought a cocoa tree to test our forte for growing chocolate! Now that Fall has arrived the weather is starting to cool down, especially in the mornings, and the water in the lagoon is refreshing again. We're getting lots of lizards, spiders and critters coming around, but so far no negative interactions between the species even though we've encroached on their habitat. A crocodile tried to have one of the chickens for lunch last week, but, surprisingly, the chicken was smart enough to squawk and run! Speaking of the chickens, we're still getting about 40 eggs a week and are able to share with our friends and neighbors. One of the restaurants/bars that we frequent has even started paying us for a dozen eggs every week...that will help with the cost of the corn that the chickens seem to inhale!
In July we set out on an adventure that covered three countries and five U.S. states. We drove from Progresso, Belize to Cancun, Mexico on the first day. The trip was smooth sailing once we crossed the border and dealt with the red-tape there. Belize and Mexico are trying to see who can outdo the other with taxes...we were stuck in the middle! We spent the night in a hotel near the Cancun airport, spent a little time the next morning touring the city and then, leaving our car at the hotel, took the hotel shuttle to the airport. We flew from Cancun to Phoenix, AZ and then onto Spokane, WA where we met our son, Jason, who had flown in from Dallas, TX. The three of us rented a car and, exhausted, drove to the nearby hotel for the night. The next morning we enjoyed a buffet breakfast at the hotel and Jason took us shopping. After picking up some necessities, we drove to Pullman, WA to meet up with Rick's family for our niece's wedding. The next three days were spent visiting/partying with Rick's family and celebrating the addition to the family (the wedding was absolutely beautiful). We had a wonderful time. On Sunday morning Jason drove us back to Spokane airport where we took a flight to Salt Lake City, UT and then onto San Diego, CA. It was there that we were joined by our daughter, Janessa, and Linda's side of the family. We had 3 days/4 nights of visiting and touring San Diego. A great time was had by all. From there a bunch of us caravan-ed to Casa Grande, AZ where we had a quick tour of Linda's parents new house before renting a car and driving to the Phoenix area. We stayed with Janessa in her apartment (thanks, nessa!) and spent three days visiting with as many of our Phoenix-area friends as we could. On Monday morning, exhausted, we were on the road again, headed to Laughlin for a couple of days of gambling/relaxing. Linda got her "Wizard of Oz" slot machine fix and Rick played enough penny and nickle machines to make up for some of what Linda lost! After Laughlin we drove over to check out the now-completed Hoover Dam Bypass...pretty impressive!!! Rick watched so much of the construction of the bypass during his frequent drives to Vegas to tend to his mom's yard that he had to see the finished product. It was a little out of our way, but well worth the trip. From there we drove to Vegas and spent the night at Rick's mom's house. We played a little bit at a local casino, but went to bed early so we would be ready for our early flight the next morning. We flew from Vegas to Phoenix to Cancun and shuttled back to the hotel where our car was left. We had dinner by the pool and then crashed for the night. The final day was spent driving back from Cancun to Progresso. It was a beautiful drive...hundreds of thousands of butterflies everywhere...and no incidents at the border! We arrived home safe and sound and spent the next few days recovering from our 18-day "vacation"!!! A big "thank you" to all who made it possible.
Last week we took another road trip to San Ignacio and visited with our friends, Adam and Mona. We got to see their beautiful new house, played some darts and took a day to visit Spanish Lookout, a Mennonite village north of San Ignacio. What an incredible experience. This group of settlers was allocated land from the government of Belize and turned it into a self-governed, self-sustaining farming/agriculture community. We will definitely be going back there for another taste of their culture.
In-between road trips Linda spent her time baking, cleaning, laundry, sunning, reading, latch hooking, parrot watching (extremely busy season this year!), listening to music, lounging in the lagoon and playing cards/dominos/darts. Rick kept busy with gardening, tending to the two acres of land, cooking new recipes and playing cards/dominos/darts. We're working hard at becoming as self-sufficient as possible and we're having lots of fun doing it. We're expecting visitors in November...Rick's brother and his family and Rick's mom will be here for Thanksgiving. We should have some more adventures to report on after their visit. Until then, follow your dreams!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Our second spring in Belize
Summer is almost here…spring was fairly quiet. We did sell our corolla, bought a used 22’ pontoon boat, survived a drought with multiple sugar-cane harvest fires and pet sat for the neighbors 3 German shepherds and parrot while they were gone to the U.S. for 6+ weeks. We also decided to purchase Mexican auto insurance, which we used for a couple of trips to Chetumal…the first as a search and explore mission (to eat at McDonalds and to shop at Wal-Mart) and the second so Rick could have his overdue colonoscopy…all fine!
The flora and fauna around here detested the dry season, but we are starting to get a little bit of rain now and things are looking up. Linda has now witnessed 2 snake visits (ewwww!!!) and while the neighbors were in the states a basiliscus basiliscus (iguana) took up residency on their patio. After a few days he/she was starting to die of thirst, so we captured it and tried to set it free, but the dogs had another idea for it. Linda tried to save the iguana from the dogs, and vice versa, but no good deed goes unpunished…it bit her right index finger and wouldn’t let go! Ouch! Rick had to grab it behind its jaws to get it to unlatch! He was able to carry it to safety and Linda’s finger healed nicely. Rick has had his share of bites, too. The ants and doctor flies love him (they cause extreme swelling unless treated immediately with Preparation H) and now the mosquitoes are starting up. Between the bites and the CheChen, his skin has seen better days. He had to get another steroid shot last week to try to get things under control…so far, so good, for now!
The garden and orchard are growing pretty well with Rick’s attention and frequent watering during the dry season. This update can report fresh tomato, chilis (jalepeno, Serrano and habenero), zucchini (makes exceptional chocolate zucchini bread … http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/chocolate-zucchini-bread-ii/detail.aspx), cantaloupe, carrots, chives, onions, cilantro, cauliflower and bananas. We’ll soon be trying to grow bok choi, which seems to do extremely well here. We’re also making our own bread, pizza, Italian dressing, onion soup mix and desserts. Add to that the 4-6 eggs we’re getting from the chickens everyday and the kanep, strawberries, star fruit, passion fruit, mango and avocados from the neighbors and fruit stands, we’re eating as fresh as can be!
In family news, Janessa found a new job and a new apartment, into which she moved about 10 days ago. Linda’s sister, Shea, had to have surgery for a fractured femur head and just recently returned to work. Rick’s brother, James, is on an expedition to climb Mt. McKinley in Alaska (www.2011denali.com). We’re planning a trip back to the U.S. in less than 5 weeks, at which time we will get to see everyone! We’ll start out in Washington for a Ludka wedding (congrats Tiffany and Mark), from there we head to San Diego to have a reunion with Linda’s side of the family, then to Phoenix to visit with friends, then off to Laughlin for our overdue NV casino run and then we conclude in Las Vegas for our flight back to Cancun. It will be a fun-filled 2+ weeks with family and friends.
Until we leave for our trip, we will continue our virtually stress-free life with weekly Saturday afternoon dart games at Scotty’s bar and grill in Corozal, cards and dominoes with our recently returned neighbors, boating, swimming and sunning in the lagoon, reading, gardening, puzzles, latch hook and our daily afternoon happy hour backgammon games on the beach to keep us out of trouble. Hope this update finds you all happy and healthy…keep in touch!
The flora and fauna around here detested the dry season, but we are starting to get a little bit of rain now and things are looking up. Linda has now witnessed 2 snake visits (ewwww!!!) and while the neighbors were in the states a basiliscus basiliscus (iguana) took up residency on their patio. After a few days he/she was starting to die of thirst, so we captured it and tried to set it free, but the dogs had another idea for it. Linda tried to save the iguana from the dogs, and vice versa, but no good deed goes unpunished…it bit her right index finger and wouldn’t let go! Ouch! Rick had to grab it behind its jaws to get it to unlatch! He was able to carry it to safety and Linda’s finger healed nicely. Rick has had his share of bites, too. The ants and doctor flies love him (they cause extreme swelling unless treated immediately with Preparation H) and now the mosquitoes are starting up. Between the bites and the CheChen, his skin has seen better days. He had to get another steroid shot last week to try to get things under control…so far, so good, for now!
The garden and orchard are growing pretty well with Rick’s attention and frequent watering during the dry season. This update can report fresh tomato, chilis (jalepeno, Serrano and habenero), zucchini (makes exceptional chocolate zucchini bread … http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/chocolate-zucchini-bread-ii/detail.aspx), cantaloupe, carrots, chives, onions, cilantro, cauliflower and bananas. We’ll soon be trying to grow bok choi, which seems to do extremely well here. We’re also making our own bread, pizza, Italian dressing, onion soup mix and desserts. Add to that the 4-6 eggs we’re getting from the chickens everyday and the kanep, strawberries, star fruit, passion fruit, mango and avocados from the neighbors and fruit stands, we’re eating as fresh as can be!
In family news, Janessa found a new job and a new apartment, into which she moved about 10 days ago. Linda’s sister, Shea, had to have surgery for a fractured femur head and just recently returned to work. Rick’s brother, James, is on an expedition to climb Mt. McKinley in Alaska (www.2011denali.com). We’re planning a trip back to the U.S. in less than 5 weeks, at which time we will get to see everyone! We’ll start out in Washington for a Ludka wedding (congrats Tiffany and Mark), from there we head to San Diego to have a reunion with Linda’s side of the family, then to Phoenix to visit with friends, then off to Laughlin for our overdue NV casino run and then we conclude in Las Vegas for our flight back to Cancun. It will be a fun-filled 2+ weeks with family and friends.
Until we leave for our trip, we will continue our virtually stress-free life with weekly Saturday afternoon dart games at Scotty’s bar and grill in Corozal, cards and dominoes with our recently returned neighbors, boating, swimming and sunning in the lagoon, reading, gardening, puzzles, latch hook and our daily afternoon happy hour backgammon games on the beach to keep us out of trouble. Hope this update finds you all happy and healthy…keep in touch!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Easter is coming!
Easter greetings from Belize! We’re in the middle of the dry season…no measurable rain in months…and some of the plants and animals aren’t very happy. Some of the animals have become scarce, while others seem to have made a special appearance, probably looking for water. The parrots must be on vacation as they are not as prevalent as they had been. We miss them swarming to and from “work” everyday. Rick was fortunate enough to see an Agouti at our gate one afternoon. It’s a small, Belizean rodent, fairly rare in this part of the country, so he felt pretty lucky. On one of their morning walks, Dee and Linda encountered a large king snake slithering into the cane fields. The half they saw was about 3 feet long and 2 ½ inches in diameter. Since then Linda carries a large walking stick for just such encounters. We had our second batch of baby fish born on our reef…seeing the specks of babies swimming in and out of the rocks is very rewarding. Our free-range chickens are now laying 6 eggs everyday with the orangest yolks we have ever seen! Very tasty!
We had to turn the a/c on for a couple of days in the last month (heat index was 114 one day), but now it has returned to 80’s/60’s. Our favorite time of day continues to be 4pm happy hour/backgammon on the beach. Linda has become a master and Rick has had to completely change his style of play to have any chance of victory. He found some barely adequate Belizean Gin and some fantastic large stuffed Spanish olives for his occasional martini…shaken, not stirred.
We decided to dive into Belizean culture last month by visiting some of the medical community. Linda had her annual physical with labs. Everything looks great, except her elbow tendinitis continues to be an issue. Cost was less than $80 USD for everything! Rick had a dental exam and cleaning…only $35 USD total. Linda’s still trying to get up the nerve to get to the dentist…his office was busy when she attempted and she was too hungry to wait!
Rick went to our favorite butcher in town a couple of weeks ago looking for a specific cut of meat (for Pok Chuk…a Mayan version of pork fajitas). The butcher didn’t know what Rick was talking about, so he flipped around the pig that was lying on the front counter of the shop, handed him the knife and told him to show him what he meant. Rick proceeded to teach him how to butcher a pig. The Pok Chuk results were outrageous if anyone wants the recipe!
Linda has given up on homemade sourdough bread…it either was sour and wouldn’t rise or not sour and rose fine. The whole wheat bread will have to do for now. Today Rick tried his hand at shrimp ceviche. He went out to the garden and picked fresh cilantro, tomatoes, habenero, serrano and jalepeno chilis, mixed it up with onion and lime juice and it was scrumptious. The garden is also producing lettuce, carrots, chives, sweet basil, broccoli, cantaloupes and zucchini.
We closed on our house in Arizona at the end of March…the process was a little difficult being so far away, but with our realtor and Janessa’s help, we succeeded. We’re glad that we have one less thing to worry about!
Ed and Dee bought a pedal boat last weekend. Rick and Ed added a sun canopy and now Dee and Linda are pedaling around the lagoon every morning at 0630. OMG…it’s a lot harder than it looks! It’s also fun and a great way to view the early morning scenery.
We’ve been keeping our eyes open for a good deal on a boat and this week the opportunity arose to fulfill our needs. We purchased a 24ft pontoon boat, trailer and motor to putter around the lagoon. It holds 10-12 people and will be perfect for dominos, poker or other festivities. We’ll post some photos once the deal is finalized and we have the boat in the water. While the same guy was cleaning out his garage he also found a generator which will come in very handy as a back-up during those frequent power outages, especially during hurricane season.
Linda continues to keep busy with puzzles, latch hook, reading, baking, sunning and an occasional trip to the casino with the girls. Last couple of times she’s even come home a winner! Rick and Ed enjoy an occasional fishing trip on the lagoon, but last month they were lucky enough to make an overnight trip to Bacala Chico with some Belizean friends. They caught hundreds of fish, drank to their hearts content and got a hell of a sunburn. We posted pictures with last month’s blog, but forgot to mention the details in the blog. They’re hoping to repeat the trip as soon as time permits.
Easter is a huge holiday here in Belize. Family and friends gather and celebrate from Thursday through Monday. We can already feel/sense the festive atmosphere. Hopefully you are all in the spirit of Easter, too. Jesus Lives! : )
Guess that covers things for now. Livin’ and lovin’ life in Belize. Stay tuned!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
our first month with visitors!
What a month! Lots has happened and almost all of it good!
Rick bought me a beautiful handmade hammock for Valentines Day. We found the perfect spot for it near the lagoon and, after shopping several stores, found the hardware necessary to attach it to the trees. It’s the ideal place for reading, relaxing and napping.
The red-tape on the car was finalized and we picked up our new 2010 Toyota Rav 4 in late February…just in time for the kids arrival on 2/28. We’re very happy with our purchase and have already put over 2000 km on it…most of which was while the kids were here.
Speaking of that, while they visited we checked out a couple of beaches (in sarteneja and copper bank), went on the New River/Lamanai Mayan Ruins tour, went zip-lining through the jungle canopy, did a two mile cave tubing expedition, played some games, started a puzzle, did crafts and had an overall good time. We even got to spend Jason’s birthday together as a family for the first time in several years! It was fun. I got sick with a bad cold the day they arrived, but I didn’t let that get in my way! Hope I didn’t give it to either of them… Jason was less than impressed with our dial-up internet connection and bumpy, unpaved roads, but he was a trooper and didn’t put a damper on things. Janessa enjoyed the adventure a bit more…she made friends with the chickens, named our three resident geckos, climbed to the top of one of the excavated Lamanai ruins and thoroughly enjoyed the zip-lining. I asked them both to say a few words about their trip for the blog. Jason said “it's a nice place to visit but you have to be crazy to live there” and Janessa said “Hot and humid, but the beach is nice. Slow paced. Exotic. MONKEYS! ZIP-LINING! RUINS LIKE MOUNTAINS!” We hope they both return very soon.
While the kids were here we got an e-mail advising us that we had an offer to buy our house in AZ. We accepted the offer and are currently in the final stages of closing the deal. We’re awaiting receipt of the paperwork via Federal Express and will then need to schedule an appointment with a lawyer/notary for our signatures. Meanwhile, Janessa is packing up her things and preparing to move out tomorrow. We hope that the whole process will be finalized before the end of the month…being rid of that responsibility will be a huge relief!
Since the kids left, our lives have returned to normal (puzzles, crafts, backgammon, dominos, poker games, exercise walks, reading (I got Kindle for PC), keeping a check on our baby fish in our reef and gardening). No darts since I have tendinitis in my R elbow…boy does it hurt! We had some excitement a few days ago when one of the chickens gave us our first free range egg! Rick ate it yesterday and said it was the most flavorful egg he had ever eaten. We haven’t gotten any more since then, so yesterday while we were in town we picked up a bag of plastic eggs. Rick’s brother Bob told us that if you put those in the nesting boxes it encourages the chickens to lay…we’ll see what happens.
Looking ahead, starting in March through June, the whale sharks come to visit for apx. 10 days each month. If any of you are interested, visit: http://belizescuba.com/whalesharks.lasso Let us know and we’ll set something up! The guest house is vacant and available!
Right now Rick is preparing Belizean Venison Breakfast Sausage. Tune in next time for an update on how it turned out. I’ve been experimenting with sour dough bread and some different fish and chicken recipes. The sourdough bread has the perfect texture, but is still lacking that wonderful sourdough taste. Janessa told us to be patient as it might take several months for it to happen. We’re never at a loss for “good eats”!
Check out our photos and keep in touch! We love hearing from you and hope to see some of you very soon.
Rick bought me a beautiful handmade hammock for Valentines Day. We found the perfect spot for it near the lagoon and, after shopping several stores, found the hardware necessary to attach it to the trees. It’s the ideal place for reading, relaxing and napping.
The red-tape on the car was finalized and we picked up our new 2010 Toyota Rav 4 in late February…just in time for the kids arrival on 2/28. We’re very happy with our purchase and have already put over 2000 km on it…most of which was while the kids were here.
Speaking of that, while they visited we checked out a couple of beaches (in sarteneja and copper bank), went on the New River/Lamanai Mayan Ruins tour, went zip-lining through the jungle canopy, did a two mile cave tubing expedition, played some games, started a puzzle, did crafts and had an overall good time. We even got to spend Jason’s birthday together as a family for the first time in several years! It was fun. I got sick with a bad cold the day they arrived, but I didn’t let that get in my way! Hope I didn’t give it to either of them… Jason was less than impressed with our dial-up internet connection and bumpy, unpaved roads, but he was a trooper and didn’t put a damper on things. Janessa enjoyed the adventure a bit more…she made friends with the chickens, named our three resident geckos, climbed to the top of one of the excavated Lamanai ruins and thoroughly enjoyed the zip-lining. I asked them both to say a few words about their trip for the blog. Jason said “it's a nice place to visit but you have to be crazy to live there” and Janessa said “Hot and humid, but the beach is nice. Slow paced. Exotic. MONKEYS! ZIP-LINING! RUINS LIKE MOUNTAINS!” We hope they both return very soon.
While the kids were here we got an e-mail advising us that we had an offer to buy our house in AZ. We accepted the offer and are currently in the final stages of closing the deal. We’re awaiting receipt of the paperwork via Federal Express and will then need to schedule an appointment with a lawyer/notary for our signatures. Meanwhile, Janessa is packing up her things and preparing to move out tomorrow. We hope that the whole process will be finalized before the end of the month…being rid of that responsibility will be a huge relief!
Since the kids left, our lives have returned to normal (puzzles, crafts, backgammon, dominos, poker games, exercise walks, reading (I got Kindle for PC), keeping a check on our baby fish in our reef and gardening). No darts since I have tendinitis in my R elbow…boy does it hurt! We had some excitement a few days ago when one of the chickens gave us our first free range egg! Rick ate it yesterday and said it was the most flavorful egg he had ever eaten. We haven’t gotten any more since then, so yesterday while we were in town we picked up a bag of plastic eggs. Rick’s brother Bob told us that if you put those in the nesting boxes it encourages the chickens to lay…we’ll see what happens.
Looking ahead, starting in March through June, the whale sharks come to visit for apx. 10 days each month. If any of you are interested, visit: http://belizescuba.com/whalesharks.lasso Let us know and we’ll set something up! The guest house is vacant and available!
Right now Rick is preparing Belizean Venison Breakfast Sausage. Tune in next time for an update on how it turned out. I’ve been experimenting with sour dough bread and some different fish and chicken recipes. The sourdough bread has the perfect texture, but is still lacking that wonderful sourdough taste. Janessa told us to be patient as it might take several months for it to happen. We’re never at a loss for “good eats”!
Check out our photos and keep in touch! We love hearing from you and hope to see some of you very soon.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Happy Anniversary!
Today is our one-year anniversary in Belize!!! It’s been quite an adventure and learning experience. The last month has been spent building the guest house, building a reef in the lagoon (to attract more fishes for snorkeling) and continuing the activities that we have come to love (lots of darts, poker, sunbathing, gardening (the garden is about ready to give up it’s first harvest) and bird-watching). The guest house was completed today and is now ready for the kids arrival on 2/28 (can’t wait!!!) We’ve had visits from crocodiles, iguanas and toucans, but no visitors from the US!
We got a hand-made armoire for the guest house from the same Belizean who built our dining room set…it turned out great! Since we were placing an order, we also purchased a dresser/book shelf for the bedroom. It’s beautiful! We are also currently shopping for a new vehicle. In the QRP program we have one year to purchase a vehicle duty-free…our year is up in May and doing this now will save us over $20,000 BZE. We’re looking at a Toyota Rav4 and hope to have things finalized by next week.
Progresso Village also grew a little this month with the addition of a new Chinese restaurant. The ambiance could use a little work, but the food is delicious!
The weather has been beautiful, for the most part, with cool nights (60’s) and warm days (80’s and 90’s). We did have a 48 hour period last week of cold temps (highs in the 70’s) and steady rain...nice change of pace and good for the trees, flowers and plants.
We hope you have enjoyed the blog and photo updates. We will continue them if/when something exciting or unusual happens and will forward these updates to you. We thank you for keeping in touch with us over the last year and hope that you will continue to do so.
We got a hand-made armoire for the guest house from the same Belizean who built our dining room set…it turned out great! Since we were placing an order, we also purchased a dresser/book shelf for the bedroom. It’s beautiful! We are also currently shopping for a new vehicle. In the QRP program we have one year to purchase a vehicle duty-free…our year is up in May and doing this now will save us over $20,000 BZE. We’re looking at a Toyota Rav4 and hope to have things finalized by next week.
Progresso Village also grew a little this month with the addition of a new Chinese restaurant. The ambiance could use a little work, but the food is delicious!
The weather has been beautiful, for the most part, with cool nights (60’s) and warm days (80’s and 90’s). We did have a 48 hour period last week of cold temps (highs in the 70’s) and steady rain...nice change of pace and good for the trees, flowers and plants.
We hope you have enjoyed the blog and photo updates. We will continue them if/when something exciting or unusual happens and will forward these updates to you. We thank you for keeping in touch with us over the last year and hope that you will continue to do so.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Happy 2011
Happy 2011! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. Our month went well and the adventure continued.
Rick’s birthday was good. Dee fixed him a wonderful birthday dinner and we spent the evening playing games. The following day he got a great gift…the sale of the RV…so we went to the casino and celebrated. Dee won a bundle and at least we didn’t lose!
Christmas Eve was very quiet, just the two of us. We celebrated Christmas Day sharing a potluck dinner with a group of friends at Ed and Dee’s house (see photos). The weather was quite warm; I think it hit 90 degrees! Ed had built a BBQ pit and planned to overnight roast a huge piece of pork. The pit was a little too efficient and by morning the pork, pan and all, was charcoal! Quickly thinking, they called friends in the village who slaughtered five chickens so that we could have a nice dinner. Nothing like fresh BBQ chicken! All of us had “winter” colds, but we played darts and poker and had a great time. Rick and I bought each other kites for Christmas, so over the next few days, when luckily the wind was blowing, we got to use our presents. Brought back memories of when we were dating!
We started going to Copper Bank on Saturdays for dart tournaments and met some great new friends. This culminated with a huge New Years Eve party with a potluck and dart tournament. Lots of fun was had by all. We haven’t been back yet this year, but plan on doing so.
Since the RV sold, construction of the guest house began on January 3rd. It’s been 2 weeks now and things are progressing nicely (see photos). It will have two queen-sized beds, a bathroom, a sitting area, a screened-in patio and a small “kitchen” area with a counter and refrigerator. It should be completed within the next few weeks, just in time for our kids visit at the end of next month. Who will be next?
The garden is growing well (see photos) and soon should produce some veges and herbs. We’ve already been able to use some of the basil and I think the carrots will be ready next.
We’ve had some new wildlife encounters, too:
-The puppies chased a coatamundi up a tree and guarded it until the next morning when they were put to bed (see photos).
-Parrot hour had quieted a bit in October and November, but resumed full-force in December.
-We saw a large wake in the lagoon the other afternoon. By the time I got the binoculars and camera and ran down to the shore, whatever it was had submerged…we think it was a manatee, though, and have been keeping our eyes open for another visit.
-Rick and Ed were lucky enough to eye 5 toucans in a tree near the site of the guest house construction. I can’t believe I missed them!
-The chickens are getting big so quickly (see photos). They now can fly out of the coop and wander all over the property eating bugs, frogs and whatever else they can find. We ring a bell around 4pm and they know it’s time to return to the coop for the night and have corn for dinner. We keep them closed in until morning when the dogs are put away. Speaking of the dogs, they’re doing well. The puppies have just about caught up in size with Gracie and they delight in all of our table scraps and bones.
Even though we live in paradise, we have made some travel plans. In July/August we will return to the USA to attend our nieces wedding and to visit with family and friends for a couple of weeks. Then, in March of 2012, we’ve booked a cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Barcelona, Spain on RSSC. Anyone interested in joining us?
I continue to experiment with baking, most recently working on my sourdough bread recipe. I haven’t quite mastered it yet, but I’m trying a new starter recipe today. I’ll let you know how it comes out (the last one wasn’t sour enough). Other than that, I’m still baking all of our bread and made quite a splash among friends with my sour cream coffee cake. Needless to say, my New Year’s resolution of losing weight hasn’t gotten very far yet! Rick put a few pounds back on eating all the Christmas cookies that I baked. But they are coming back off quite easily.
Rick’s next project is to build a reef 30 feet off of our beach. The natural rock materials are in place on shore…just waiting for the water level in the lagoon to fall another foot. He will then construct a raft (using the inner tubes we brought down) to float the rocks to the location. He will then layer them in to make lots of nooks and crannies for the fish to live and hide in. The smaller fish should bring in the larger predator fish so Rick can fish right from our beach (in our new lounge chairs) sipping on a Belikin. Now that’s fishing at its best!!!
We had visitors yesterday who are moving to Belize from Canada. We showed them around the property and had a nice visit. We hope to have them as new neighbors soon! : )
I think that brings you all up to date! We’ll keep you posted!
Rick’s birthday was good. Dee fixed him a wonderful birthday dinner and we spent the evening playing games. The following day he got a great gift…the sale of the RV…so we went to the casino and celebrated. Dee won a bundle and at least we didn’t lose!
Christmas Eve was very quiet, just the two of us. We celebrated Christmas Day sharing a potluck dinner with a group of friends at Ed and Dee’s house (see photos). The weather was quite warm; I think it hit 90 degrees! Ed had built a BBQ pit and planned to overnight roast a huge piece of pork. The pit was a little too efficient and by morning the pork, pan and all, was charcoal! Quickly thinking, they called friends in the village who slaughtered five chickens so that we could have a nice dinner. Nothing like fresh BBQ chicken! All of us had “winter” colds, but we played darts and poker and had a great time. Rick and I bought each other kites for Christmas, so over the next few days, when luckily the wind was blowing, we got to use our presents. Brought back memories of when we were dating!
We started going to Copper Bank on Saturdays for dart tournaments and met some great new friends. This culminated with a huge New Years Eve party with a potluck and dart tournament. Lots of fun was had by all. We haven’t been back yet this year, but plan on doing so.
Since the RV sold, construction of the guest house began on January 3rd. It’s been 2 weeks now and things are progressing nicely (see photos). It will have two queen-sized beds, a bathroom, a sitting area, a screened-in patio and a small “kitchen” area with a counter and refrigerator. It should be completed within the next few weeks, just in time for our kids visit at the end of next month. Who will be next?
The garden is growing well (see photos) and soon should produce some veges and herbs. We’ve already been able to use some of the basil and I think the carrots will be ready next.
We’ve had some new wildlife encounters, too:
-The puppies chased a coatamundi up a tree and guarded it until the next morning when they were put to bed (see photos).
-Parrot hour had quieted a bit in October and November, but resumed full-force in December.
-We saw a large wake in the lagoon the other afternoon. By the time I got the binoculars and camera and ran down to the shore, whatever it was had submerged…we think it was a manatee, though, and have been keeping our eyes open for another visit.
-Rick and Ed were lucky enough to eye 5 toucans in a tree near the site of the guest house construction. I can’t believe I missed them!
-The chickens are getting big so quickly (see photos). They now can fly out of the coop and wander all over the property eating bugs, frogs and whatever else they can find. We ring a bell around 4pm and they know it’s time to return to the coop for the night and have corn for dinner. We keep them closed in until morning when the dogs are put away. Speaking of the dogs, they’re doing well. The puppies have just about caught up in size with Gracie and they delight in all of our table scraps and bones.
Even though we live in paradise, we have made some travel plans. In July/August we will return to the USA to attend our nieces wedding and to visit with family and friends for a couple of weeks. Then, in March of 2012, we’ve booked a cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Barcelona, Spain on RSSC. Anyone interested in joining us?
I continue to experiment with baking, most recently working on my sourdough bread recipe. I haven’t quite mastered it yet, but I’m trying a new starter recipe today. I’ll let you know how it comes out (the last one wasn’t sour enough). Other than that, I’m still baking all of our bread and made quite a splash among friends with my sour cream coffee cake. Needless to say, my New Year’s resolution of losing weight hasn’t gotten very far yet! Rick put a few pounds back on eating all the Christmas cookies that I baked. But they are coming back off quite easily.
Rick’s next project is to build a reef 30 feet off of our beach. The natural rock materials are in place on shore…just waiting for the water level in the lagoon to fall another foot. He will then construct a raft (using the inner tubes we brought down) to float the rocks to the location. He will then layer them in to make lots of nooks and crannies for the fish to live and hide in. The smaller fish should bring in the larger predator fish so Rick can fish right from our beach (in our new lounge chairs) sipping on a Belikin. Now that’s fishing at its best!!!
We had visitors yesterday who are moving to Belize from Canada. We showed them around the property and had a nice visit. We hope to have them as new neighbors soon! : )
I think that brings you all up to date! We’ll keep you posted!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
The holidays are upon us and we are feeling very blessed this year. Our adventure in Belize continues and the positives of living here absolutely outweigh the negatives. It’s been a couple of months since we’ve updated the blog and so much has happened, but at the same time things have remained simple.
My birthday was a success. Rick and I went for a scenic drive to Altun Ha Mayan Ruins, saw a 5-6’ Maribu Stork off the side of the road, hiked the ruins (until the mosquitoes won), had a picnic lunch, another scenic drive home and then dinner and games with our friends/neighbors. I’m getting older, but also better !
I’ve been baking up a storm (pies, cookies, pizza, bread, pretzels) and have been working on perfecting the variations that the flour, sugar, heat and humidity cause in the product. Still having some issues, but the pizza and bread are definitely perfected. Best pizza you’ll find in Belize is right here in Progresso Shores! Rick has been doing some cooking of his own. He’s been smoking beef, pork and poultry, has experimented with homemade ceviche and grilled lobster. As you can see we have no issue with finding enough good food to eat here.
We also started our own outdoor adventure…we built a chicken coop and bought six laying chicken babies to raise and hopefully get eggs from. We got the chicks about 3 ½ weeks ago and man do they grow fast. We should be getting eggs in a couple of months, but in the meantime they’re pretty cute to have around!
We’ve been lucky enough to be invited to some parties in the last couple of months. Scott’s birthday was in early November and he threw a huge party on the beach of Orchid Bay Inn (unfinished) in Copper Bank. There was a band, kegs, beer pong, horseshoes, lots of good food and we met a lot of very nice people. Last weekend Dove and Phil got married at ? resort, also on the beach in Copper Bank. The weather for the festivities was absolutely perfect, the bride radiant, the beverages flowing, the food yummy and the guest list was full of Gringo’s…more than we have seen in one place since our arrival in Belize 10 months ago (yesterday).
The garden is finally taking shape. We have planted peas, beans, zucchini, cilantro, basil, green onion, lettuce, tomato and carrots. So far the only thing we’ve been able to harvest has been basil…boy was it incredible. The rest of the seedlings are coming along…should have fresh veggies in a couple of months if the insects and deer don’t eat them first! Our fruit trees (dragon fruit, pineapple, banana, soursop, tamarind, coconut, sugar apple and avocado) are also looking good. Bananas will probably be the first of those to produce.
The weather through the rainy season was interesting. We were threatened by five hurricanes, but the only issue we had with any of them was some minor roof leaks, a couple of downed trees on the property and some flooding. A storm last month topped them all when it rained for 3+ days straight. The roof leaks were a little more pronounced, a tree actually fell right on the house (no damage) and the flooding was much more advanced...we even had a sink hole! To pass some time during the storm, we worked on a giraffe puzzle that I have had for years but never opened. It was quite challenging, but after 10 days it was complete. Now we are working on preserving it by gluing together and making a piece of artwork out of it. Following that storm the roof was resealed so the leaks are now under control and the sink hole was excavated and filled in. Since the beginning of November the mornings have been cool, sometimes into the 50’s, but for the most part the daytime highs remain in the 75-85 degree range. Perfect! Most days we have a nice breeze, so last week I picked up a kite at a local store and tested it out on Monday. It worked great, so on Tuesday we went back into town for supplies and picked up a couple more!
We have started bird watching and had the opportunity to see a heron up-close when he/she wandered underneath the RV coach after having been injured. Later he wandered over to the neighbor’s house and Ed, in an attempt to pick him/her up, got a beak right above his eye. Needless to say, he left the bird to fend for him/herself. A few weeks later we spied a greater blue heron standing on our beach. It was about 3-4 feet tall and pretty spectacular. Speaking of sightings, we also had a 4 foot iguana sunning on our dock…no camera handy for that, but check out the other photos!
We’re both perfecting our darts, cards, dominoes, poker and pegs and jokers. We’re enjoying each others company and falling deeper in love everyday. I miss the kids (they will be coming for a visit in late February/early March) and the holidays won’t be quite the same without family, but it can only be what we make it, so we will make it the best we can.
We hope and pray that your holidays carry only happy memories and that your stockings are filled with joy and laughter! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
My birthday was a success. Rick and I went for a scenic drive to Altun Ha Mayan Ruins, saw a 5-6’ Maribu Stork off the side of the road, hiked the ruins (until the mosquitoes won), had a picnic lunch, another scenic drive home and then dinner and games with our friends/neighbors. I’m getting older, but also better !
I’ve been baking up a storm (pies, cookies, pizza, bread, pretzels) and have been working on perfecting the variations that the flour, sugar, heat and humidity cause in the product. Still having some issues, but the pizza and bread are definitely perfected. Best pizza you’ll find in Belize is right here in Progresso Shores! Rick has been doing some cooking of his own. He’s been smoking beef, pork and poultry, has experimented with homemade ceviche and grilled lobster. As you can see we have no issue with finding enough good food to eat here.
We also started our own outdoor adventure…we built a chicken coop and bought six laying chicken babies to raise and hopefully get eggs from. We got the chicks about 3 ½ weeks ago and man do they grow fast. We should be getting eggs in a couple of months, but in the meantime they’re pretty cute to have around!
We’ve been lucky enough to be invited to some parties in the last couple of months. Scott’s birthday was in early November and he threw a huge party on the beach of Orchid Bay Inn (unfinished) in Copper Bank. There was a band, kegs, beer pong, horseshoes, lots of good food and we met a lot of very nice people. Last weekend Dove and Phil got married at ? resort, also on the beach in Copper Bank. The weather for the festivities was absolutely perfect, the bride radiant, the beverages flowing, the food yummy and the guest list was full of Gringo’s…more than we have seen in one place since our arrival in Belize 10 months ago (yesterday).
The garden is finally taking shape. We have planted peas, beans, zucchini, cilantro, basil, green onion, lettuce, tomato and carrots. So far the only thing we’ve been able to harvest has been basil…boy was it incredible. The rest of the seedlings are coming along…should have fresh veggies in a couple of months if the insects and deer don’t eat them first! Our fruit trees (dragon fruit, pineapple, banana, soursop, tamarind, coconut, sugar apple and avocado) are also looking good. Bananas will probably be the first of those to produce.
The weather through the rainy season was interesting. We were threatened by five hurricanes, but the only issue we had with any of them was some minor roof leaks, a couple of downed trees on the property and some flooding. A storm last month topped them all when it rained for 3+ days straight. The roof leaks were a little more pronounced, a tree actually fell right on the house (no damage) and the flooding was much more advanced...we even had a sink hole! To pass some time during the storm, we worked on a giraffe puzzle that I have had for years but never opened. It was quite challenging, but after 10 days it was complete. Now we are working on preserving it by gluing together and making a piece of artwork out of it. Following that storm the roof was resealed so the leaks are now under control and the sink hole was excavated and filled in. Since the beginning of November the mornings have been cool, sometimes into the 50’s, but for the most part the daytime highs remain in the 75-85 degree range. Perfect! Most days we have a nice breeze, so last week I picked up a kite at a local store and tested it out on Monday. It worked great, so on Tuesday we went back into town for supplies and picked up a couple more!
We have started bird watching and had the opportunity to see a heron up-close when he/she wandered underneath the RV coach after having been injured. Later he wandered over to the neighbor’s house and Ed, in an attempt to pick him/her up, got a beak right above his eye. Needless to say, he left the bird to fend for him/herself. A few weeks later we spied a greater blue heron standing on our beach. It was about 3-4 feet tall and pretty spectacular. Speaking of sightings, we also had a 4 foot iguana sunning on our dock…no camera handy for that, but check out the other photos!
We’re both perfecting our darts, cards, dominoes, poker and pegs and jokers. We’re enjoying each others company and falling deeper in love everyday. I miss the kids (they will be coming for a visit in late February/early March) and the holidays won’t be quite the same without family, but it can only be what we make it, so we will make it the best we can.
We hope and pray that your holidays carry only happy memories and that your stockings are filled with joy and laughter! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Fall has arrived!
Fall has arrived in Belize and with it came a tropical storm (Matthew), hundreds of dragonflies, cooler weather, a friends’ illness and recovery and a visitor to the lagoon. It’s been an eventful month…
We were supposed to have hosted 60+ people at our housewarming party on 9/26, but Mother Nature had something else in mind. TS Matthew started heading our way on the 22nd and was predicted to be in our backyard on the 26th. We cancelled the party and started preparing for the storm instead. It ended up being much less intense than we had expected, but it’s a good thing we cancelled the party because it would have been a muddy mess if people did come. We’ll be rescheduling after hurricane season and will let you all know when to make your travel plans…lol! We did have a loose battery in the bathroom water heater from all the rain and humidity and had a couple of days without hot showers. Shortly thereafter our well water pump gave out (no water!) and had to be replaced…luckily our builder took care of that for us!
Dee and I had a girls-day-out a couple of weeks ago. We went to Corozal and had our hair done (I had a cut and style for $10 BZE…$5 USD!!!) Afterwards we headed to the free-zone casino for some blackjack and slots. I won $100+ USD!!! The day ended on a low note though. When we returned home we found that Mousey, Ed and Dee’s Chihuahua, was very sick. Turns out she was in renal failure and fought through the weekend only to die late Sunday night. She will be greatly missed.
That same weekend Ed started feeling poorly. By Sunday night he and Mousey were suffering together. Ed and Dee headed to the ER in Orange Walk on Monday morning and Ed was diagnosed with appendicitis. He had surgery later that same day (appendectomy and exploratory which discovered a perforated diverticuli) and insisted on being released from the hospital on Thursday after 4 days of questionable nursing care in the hospital. He and his doctor agreed that he would recuperate better at home as long as he had a nurse to give him antibiotic shots, remove his drain and monitor his incisions (guess who?) Dee took great care of him and Rick and I helped with what we could. He had his surgical follow-up appointment yesterday and all is healing well. The total cost for ER, tests, surgery, all meds, 3 nights in the hospital and follow-up care = $6000 BZE/$3000 USD. Try that in the States!!!
Almost as if on queue, the weather cooled off and the humidity dropped on October 1st. Since then the early morning temperatures are in the 60’s and we’re averaging about 90 for daytime highs. The breezes have shifted and seem to be coming from the north and west instead of the south and east. The grasshoppers are dying off and the dragonflies are taking over…they are much preferred because the grasshoppers were munching on all of our new plants! The parrots like the cool mornings and are waking us up with their song/squawk around sunrise. They’re still really vocal and active around 5p too. We love to watch and listen to them and make up stories about what they’re saying/doing. Last night during our happy hour on the beach we had an unexpected visitor to the lagoon. I spotted a crocodile about 30 feet offshore. We had the binoculars with us, so we both got a great look at him/her. Gracie, Goldie and Diablo came over to us for a visit and the puppies jumped into the lagoon for a quick swim. We saw the crocodile turn and start swimming towards them, but they got out of the water before we had to worry. Took a couple of pictures, but they don’t do him/her justice. Needless to say we will be extra careful when we’re cooling off!!!
Last weekend we went into town for the “horse races” (see photos). Not quite what we’re used to, but interesting none the less. We ran into the guy that installed our home a/c units and chatted for a while. His cousin’s horse won the 3rd race…first race he had ever entered! That was exciting!
The RV coach is still for sale. Rick has been busy getting it all ship shape and we’ve had some inquiries. There is a possibility that someone will be coming to take a look this coming week. We’d like to sell so we can get started on the guest house before a possible visit from Rick’s brother and family over the holidays.
It’s my birthday on Monday and we’re trying to decide how to celebrate. If it’s not too hot we may go visit the Altun Ha Mayan Ruins southeast of here. Word is that the ruins there are what inspired the label on the Belikin beer bottles. If it’s too hot we’ll take a trip to one of the few white sand beaches in northern Belize, not far from here.
That wraps things up for month #8. Ready for visitors if anyone is interested! Just give us the word and we’ll make some plans.
We were supposed to have hosted 60+ people at our housewarming party on 9/26, but Mother Nature had something else in mind. TS Matthew started heading our way on the 22nd and was predicted to be in our backyard on the 26th. We cancelled the party and started preparing for the storm instead. It ended up being much less intense than we had expected, but it’s a good thing we cancelled the party because it would have been a muddy mess if people did come. We’ll be rescheduling after hurricane season and will let you all know when to make your travel plans…lol! We did have a loose battery in the bathroom water heater from all the rain and humidity and had a couple of days without hot showers. Shortly thereafter our well water pump gave out (no water!) and had to be replaced…luckily our builder took care of that for us!
Dee and I had a girls-day-out a couple of weeks ago. We went to Corozal and had our hair done (I had a cut and style for $10 BZE…$5 USD!!!) Afterwards we headed to the free-zone casino for some blackjack and slots. I won $100+ USD!!! The day ended on a low note though. When we returned home we found that Mousey, Ed and Dee’s Chihuahua, was very sick. Turns out she was in renal failure and fought through the weekend only to die late Sunday night. She will be greatly missed.
That same weekend Ed started feeling poorly. By Sunday night he and Mousey were suffering together. Ed and Dee headed to the ER in Orange Walk on Monday morning and Ed was diagnosed with appendicitis. He had surgery later that same day (appendectomy and exploratory which discovered a perforated diverticuli) and insisted on being released from the hospital on Thursday after 4 days of questionable nursing care in the hospital. He and his doctor agreed that he would recuperate better at home as long as he had a nurse to give him antibiotic shots, remove his drain and monitor his incisions (guess who?) Dee took great care of him and Rick and I helped with what we could. He had his surgical follow-up appointment yesterday and all is healing well. The total cost for ER, tests, surgery, all meds, 3 nights in the hospital and follow-up care = $6000 BZE/$3000 USD. Try that in the States!!!
Almost as if on queue, the weather cooled off and the humidity dropped on October 1st. Since then the early morning temperatures are in the 60’s and we’re averaging about 90 for daytime highs. The breezes have shifted and seem to be coming from the north and west instead of the south and east. The grasshoppers are dying off and the dragonflies are taking over…they are much preferred because the grasshoppers were munching on all of our new plants! The parrots like the cool mornings and are waking us up with their song/squawk around sunrise. They’re still really vocal and active around 5p too. We love to watch and listen to them and make up stories about what they’re saying/doing. Last night during our happy hour on the beach we had an unexpected visitor to the lagoon. I spotted a crocodile about 30 feet offshore. We had the binoculars with us, so we both got a great look at him/her. Gracie, Goldie and Diablo came over to us for a visit and the puppies jumped into the lagoon for a quick swim. We saw the crocodile turn and start swimming towards them, but they got out of the water before we had to worry. Took a couple of pictures, but they don’t do him/her justice. Needless to say we will be extra careful when we’re cooling off!!!
Last weekend we went into town for the “horse races” (see photos). Not quite what we’re used to, but interesting none the less. We ran into the guy that installed our home a/c units and chatted for a while. His cousin’s horse won the 3rd race…first race he had ever entered! That was exciting!
The RV coach is still for sale. Rick has been busy getting it all ship shape and we’ve had some inquiries. There is a possibility that someone will be coming to take a look this coming week. We’d like to sell so we can get started on the guest house before a possible visit from Rick’s brother and family over the holidays.
It’s my birthday on Monday and we’re trying to decide how to celebrate. If it’s not too hot we may go visit the Altun Ha Mayan Ruins southeast of here. Word is that the ruins there are what inspired the label on the Belikin beer bottles. If it’s too hot we’ll take a trip to one of the few white sand beaches in northern Belize, not far from here.
That wraps things up for month #8. Ready for visitors if anyone is interested! Just give us the word and we’ll make some plans.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Open For Business
Almost autumn! Not sure what that will be like here in Belize, but we’ve heard it will be beautiful. The last few weeks have been fun…we will just share a couple of the highlights.
In late August Linda was entering the lagoon for a relaxing soak and encountered a 4 ft. stingray! It was more afraid of her than she was of it, so it took off to find shelter. One of the few times Linda didn’t have her camera handy, so her memory will be the only record of that encounter, but she will remember it fondly.
We celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary on September 3rd by travelling back to the Placencia peninsula for a few days. The weather, water and company were wonderful. We had a great time (check out the photos)! On our way back home we stopped at a huge nursery and Rick picked out some beautiful flowers to accent our landscape (which is coming along quite nicely). The garden is growing too…we planted some of the developing seedlings and Rick took some rose cuttings and is hoping they will take root. We’re still waiting for the rest of the seedlings in the trays and the rooting avocados to be ready for transplanting. If we can outwit the insects, this should be quite a producing piece of property when we’re through. Rick is also thinking of going into the nursery production business since there are no plant nurseries within 60 miles. The roses should prove a true test as to his abilities.
Our latest efforts have been focused on preparations for our housewarming party on September 26th. We have 60 confirmed guests and are planning a table full of food (roasted pig in the ground accompanied by some authentic Belizean dishes), a couple of kegs of Belikin and lots of fun. We’re praying for the weather to cooperate!
Speaking of weather, Tropical Storm Karl blew through this week with 40 mph winds and buckets of rain. We suffered minor flooding on our lot and a few downed trees, but overall we were really lucky…we were prepared for much worse! Since we had the downed trees already, Rick decided to do some tree work. With the help of 4 of the crew, they cut up the downed trees, cut down the dead ones and cleaned up the property. They ran out of time yesterday, so this morning Rick decided to cut the last of the dead trees (it was threatening to fall on the RV!) He thought the two of us could do it, but three-quarters of the way through the attempt we decided we weren’t strong enough. Ed and
Scott came with their ATV’s and muscles and we finally were successful in bringing it down. Besides the storm, the weather has been much more stable than in mid-summer. It’s still hot and humid, but with wonderful breezes throughout the days and cooler temperatures in the mornings and evenings. We’ve also had some incredible sunrises and sunsets (see pix)!
We have nightstands on order that are being built by the Mennonites across the lagoon in Little Belize. They were supposed to have been ready 10 days ago, but since we’re on “Belize time” we’re just hoping to have them prior to the party. We haven’t found the right bookshelf yet. If the nightstands are completed to our liking, we may design something for the Mennonites to build and then the decorating will be complete.
We have the RV coach up for sale and then we will start thinking about the guest house. We’re still waiting for our first visitors…we’re ready whenever you are!
Life remains pretty much a dream. It’s like living on a cruise ship except for having to do our own cooking. Speaking of cooking, it’s LOBSTER season in Belize, so it has become a part of our weekly menu.
Everything we do is done on our self-made schedule with plenty of time for relaxing, playing in the lagoon and falling deeper in love. You have to live it to really understand what this experience is all about. Any takers?
Until we write again, health and happiness to all…
In late August Linda was entering the lagoon for a relaxing soak and encountered a 4 ft. stingray! It was more afraid of her than she was of it, so it took off to find shelter. One of the few times Linda didn’t have her camera handy, so her memory will be the only record of that encounter, but she will remember it fondly.
We celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary on September 3rd by travelling back to the Placencia peninsula for a few days. The weather, water and company were wonderful. We had a great time (check out the photos)! On our way back home we stopped at a huge nursery and Rick picked out some beautiful flowers to accent our landscape (which is coming along quite nicely). The garden is growing too…we planted some of the developing seedlings and Rick took some rose cuttings and is hoping they will take root. We’re still waiting for the rest of the seedlings in the trays and the rooting avocados to be ready for transplanting. If we can outwit the insects, this should be quite a producing piece of property when we’re through. Rick is also thinking of going into the nursery production business since there are no plant nurseries within 60 miles. The roses should prove a true test as to his abilities.
Our latest efforts have been focused on preparations for our housewarming party on September 26th. We have 60 confirmed guests and are planning a table full of food (roasted pig in the ground accompanied by some authentic Belizean dishes), a couple of kegs of Belikin and lots of fun. We’re praying for the weather to cooperate!
Speaking of weather, Tropical Storm Karl blew through this week with 40 mph winds and buckets of rain. We suffered minor flooding on our lot and a few downed trees, but overall we were really lucky…we were prepared for much worse! Since we had the downed trees already, Rick decided to do some tree work. With the help of 4 of the crew, they cut up the downed trees, cut down the dead ones and cleaned up the property. They ran out of time yesterday, so this morning Rick decided to cut the last of the dead trees (it was threatening to fall on the RV!) He thought the two of us could do it, but three-quarters of the way through the attempt we decided we weren’t strong enough. Ed and
Scott came with their ATV’s and muscles and we finally were successful in bringing it down. Besides the storm, the weather has been much more stable than in mid-summer. It’s still hot and humid, but with wonderful breezes throughout the days and cooler temperatures in the mornings and evenings. We’ve also had some incredible sunrises and sunsets (see pix)!
We have nightstands on order that are being built by the Mennonites across the lagoon in Little Belize. They were supposed to have been ready 10 days ago, but since we’re on “Belize time” we’re just hoping to have them prior to the party. We haven’t found the right bookshelf yet. If the nightstands are completed to our liking, we may design something for the Mennonites to build and then the decorating will be complete.
We have the RV coach up for sale and then we will start thinking about the guest house. We’re still waiting for our first visitors…we’re ready whenever you are!
Life remains pretty much a dream. It’s like living on a cruise ship except for having to do our own cooking. Speaking of cooking, it’s LOBSTER season in Belize, so it has become a part of our weekly menu.
Everything we do is done on our self-made schedule with plenty of time for relaxing, playing in the lagoon and falling deeper in love. You have to live it to really understand what this experience is all about. Any takers?
Until we write again, health and happiness to all…
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Home Sweet Home
I have always heard the saying that "time flies when you're having fun", but this is ridiculous. Another 2 months has passed us by without an update here and so much has happened. Our container of belongings arrived at the Belize Port only 3 days later than planned and was ready for pick-up on July 16th, our 5 month anniversary in the country. Rick and a couple of the crew drove into Belize City and spent an incredibly hot/humid day dealing with customs agents, transport agents and brokers. They were forced to unload 80% of the truck for inspection and then reload. If you recall, the truck was filled to capacity in AZ, so unloading and reloading was no easy task. Rick and the guys finally arrived back home around 7:30p with the truck/container following about two hours later (after running out of gas!). A couple more of the crew guys and some friends helped us unload for the next two hours! What a job. There was some minor damage to some of the furniture and appliances (mostly cosmetic and not a big deal here) and some additional charges that we were not expecting, but we decided to put that particular day behind us and look to the future. We spent the next five weeks unpacking, decorating, cleaning and getting used to the sights, smells and sounds of our new home. The Belizean who constructed all of our solid mahogany cabinets for the house built us a beautiful custom mahogany dining room set. It arrived two weekends ago, so the only additional items we need to complete the house are night stands and a bookshelf. We celebrated our 6 month anniversary in Belize last week and are happier than ever. We spend the days in our own activities (Rick has been working all over the 2 acre property grooming, planting and beautifying. He does amazing work even though it is difficult to improve on what God has done here. His tropical fruit tree collection is slowly taking shape…he has planted custard apple, sour sop, star fruit, avocado, tamarind, coconut, banana and mango trees. His garden is dug, mulched and ready for planting. We’re going to start the seeds in planter trays due to the ants and then transplant them when they’re stronger. We’re hoping to be able to supply all of our own veges and fruits. The front landscape and walk-ways are in, so now we will dedicate a day to return to the nursery in Ladyville to purchase some plants and flowers to enhance the look. His next project is to build a sand beach above the seawall at the lagoon. He has realized that he doesn’t get as much done everyday at 55 1/2 than he did at 20, 30 or even 40 years of age …I keep telling him there is no hurry…we have the rest of our lives. I spend the days sunning/soaking at/in the lagoon, reading, internet-ing, listening to music, cleaning, laundry, groceries etc. Dee and I went into town last week and played some slots while we were there. We both won…$50 for me and $180 for her, so we splurged and bought ice cream…$22 BZ/pint! Boy was it good!!!) Our evenings are always spent together, whether alone on the patio watching the lagoon in the moonlight while listening to music (and the crickets, geckos, frogs and birds) or with friends playing dominoes, cards, pegs and jokers or a board game. Our health has been very good, except for Rick's couple of cases of Che Chen poisoning that required trips to the Dr. in Orange Walk for steroid shots. The second bout is healing now and Rick has plans to cut down the Che Chen trees that remain on our property to avoid further contact. The weather has cooled a little bit, but we're still under the threat of "hurricane season". For a few weeks in July it seemed like we would need to build an ark to survive the storms, but that, too, has calmed down. Progresso Shores definitely feels like home now and Ed, Dee and Scott, our neighbors/friends/home builders, have helped to make the transition much smoother. Now that we're settled, we're ready for visitors! Start making your plans for a little Belizean adventure! We’re living in an amazing piece of God’s handiwork…not perfect, but worth the little inconveniences that we encounter in order to appreciate the rest of what we have.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Lots of changes
Wow! I can’t believe another month has flown by. It was a busy one with travel back to AZ to visit and pack up the house there. We left Belize City on 6/9 and flew to Phoenix with a brief stop in Houston. Janessa met us at the airport (it was wonderful to see you, babe!) We saw some other family and friends while in town…sorry if we missed you, it was a whirlwind! We shopped for appliances and other necessities that either are not available in Belize or are not the quality we desire (thanks for letting us borrow your car, mom and dad). After 10 days of shopping and packing up the house, the 20 foot container arrived on 6/21 for loading. With the help of 2 great friends (thanks Bobby and John) we loaded the container solid and it was back on the road. We tried to sell our bedroom and dining room sets and some dishes and lamps on craigslist without success. Janessa will have to have a garage sale when the house sells (unless anyone knows anyone who needs any of these items).
We left AZ on 6/25, flew to Cancun and took a bus to Playa del Carmen. We had a lovely dinner, walked on the beach in the full moonlight and saw a little bit of the town. We slept like logs that night and in the morning headed back to the bus station for our return to Belize. It rained most of the 5 hour bus ride, but the towns we passed through were quite quaint. Scott met us at the border for the final leg of our journey.
We arrived back in Progresso to a wonderful surprise…while we were back in the USA, Ed, Dee and the crew worked feverishly to complete as much of the house as they could. We couldn’t believe the progress they had made (see photos!) The house is almost move-in ready…just awaiting the arrival of the container with our appliances, furniture and some items we purchased to complete our new home (we just found out that the container may not arrive until mid-late July!). Everything is beautiful!
On that first day back in Belize we discovered that the power had gone out in the RV while we were gone, we had a flat tire on the car and that tropical storm Alex was headed straight for us. We opened the refrigerator and freezer to find everything spoiled and very stinky. After emptying both and washing with a series of bleach, orange cleanser and a Mexican-style Lysol, we still have an odor. Have had baking soda in there for a few days without much luck, so today I’m trying coffee grounds. I’m awaiting an e-mail response from the “Queen of Clean” for any other suggestions. The tropical storm was a threat, so we spent the first night back in the guest house instead of the RV. We got some wind, a little rain and some downed trees, but otherwise the threat was bigger than the storm. The tire was easily repaired with “fix-a-flat” and Dee and I went shopping on Monday to replenish our supplies. Yesterday was laundry, lagoon, relaxing and dominoes for me, but Rick is back at it full speed ahead with assisting on the front porch tile and planting some banana and coconut palms and more pineapples.
We’re back into a comfortable routine and looking forward to many happy years here.
We left AZ on 6/25, flew to Cancun and took a bus to Playa del Carmen. We had a lovely dinner, walked on the beach in the full moonlight and saw a little bit of the town. We slept like logs that night and in the morning headed back to the bus station for our return to Belize. It rained most of the 5 hour bus ride, but the towns we passed through were quite quaint. Scott met us at the border for the final leg of our journey.
We arrived back in Progresso to a wonderful surprise…while we were back in the USA, Ed, Dee and the crew worked feverishly to complete as much of the house as they could. We couldn’t believe the progress they had made (see photos!) The house is almost move-in ready…just awaiting the arrival of the container with our appliances, furniture and some items we purchased to complete our new home (we just found out that the container may not arrive until mid-late July!). Everything is beautiful!
On that first day back in Belize we discovered that the power had gone out in the RV while we were gone, we had a flat tire on the car and that tropical storm Alex was headed straight for us. We opened the refrigerator and freezer to find everything spoiled and very stinky. After emptying both and washing with a series of bleach, orange cleanser and a Mexican-style Lysol, we still have an odor. Have had baking soda in there for a few days without much luck, so today I’m trying coffee grounds. I’m awaiting an e-mail response from the “Queen of Clean” for any other suggestions. The tropical storm was a threat, so we spent the first night back in the guest house instead of the RV. We got some wind, a little rain and some downed trees, but otherwise the threat was bigger than the storm. The tire was easily repaired with “fix-a-flat” and Dee and I went shopping on Monday to replenish our supplies. Yesterday was laundry, lagoon, relaxing and dominoes for me, but Rick is back at it full speed ahead with assisting on the front porch tile and planting some banana and coconut palms and more pineapples.
We’re back into a comfortable routine and looking forward to many happy years here.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
planning a visit to the U.S.
another couple of weeks have flown by and, despite some rainy days, the house construction continues running smoothly. we are estimating completion and move in during the first week of july. to prepare for that, rick and i will be returning to the U.S. to pack up some of our "necessities" to ship back down to belize. we will be flying into AZ (via Houston) on june 9th and then returning to belize via cancun on 6/25. hopefully we can see as many of our AZ friends while we're there...check your calendars for those dates and let us know. other than that, nothing major to report, except that i am trying to convince rick to take a trip back down south to see the whale sharks that migrate to that area this time of year. we'll let you know what happens with that!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Wow...the last 4 weeks have flown by so fast! I guess it's true that time flies when you're having fun. It doesn't even seem possible that it is May already and May is half over. We’ve been in Belize for 3 months now and it’s feeling pretty comfortable!
Things here have been moving along nicely with home construction and continuing to get settled into our new routine. We usually travel into town (Orange Walk or Corozal) at least once a week and have been to Belize City a couple of times in the last month, too. We have chosen paint colors, tile samples, light fixtures, fans and bathroom faucets and sinks. The inside walls are up, the slabs are poured and the next step will be the plastering and the ceiling. Hope you have been able to follow the progress with our photos! No work today due to rain off and on for the last 15 hours (the parrots are partying this morning in the cool damp air).
We applied for and have been accepted to the QRP (qualified retired persons) incentive program. This required dealing with red tape here in Belize as well as over the phone/internet to AZ, but finally, with a lot of people's help, things were accomplished. Now we can return to the U.S. to pick up some more of our "stuff" to bring back to our new home duty/tax-free. We will fly to AZ sometime in the next 2 weeks, buy a truck, trailer and appliances and drive back to Belize through Mexico in the middle to end of next month. Scott, the guy who sold us our lot, has agreed to meet us in Brownsville, TX to show us the ropes through Mexico. We've heard some borderline horror stories about gringos in that country, so his experience will be invaluable. I’m sure there will be more adventure to report!
Our house in AZ is currently on the market, but Janessa will continue to live there and care for it for the time being (she will be starting her new job as a cake decorator in Phoenix sometime in the next couple of weeks. Yeah!)
Rick has been working right along with the crew or on odd jobs around the lot. He continues to drop weight (maybe 30 pounds now) and will need new clothes or at least a new belt soon. Linda suffered a rib injury a couple of weeks ago, so exercise has been limited, but things are starting to heal now and her clothes are starting to hang differently, too. We moved from Ed and Dee's guest house to our RV about 10 days ago thereby giving up Dee's excellent Italian cooking for dinner every night. That, in and of itself, will help encourage our weight loss!
There have been a couple of incidents that have kept us on our toes lately. A few days ago while the crew was pouring the patio slab for the house the electricity went off ( a common occurrence). Because the well water pump doesn't function without electricity, Ed decided to connect to the water tank on the RV. They were able to finish the slab with the water from the tank and shortly after completion the electricity came back on. Only then did we realize that the buttons that were pushed to change the water flow also affected our toilet. OMG! What a mess!!! That was definitely an adventure I could have lived without! Then, this morning I was making breakfast (french toast) and opened the kitchen drawer to retrieve the pot holders only to come face to face with a tennis-ball-sized mouse. I actually screamed! Rick is headed into the village now to see if there are any traps available. Ewwwwwwww! Other than those two episodes, the only negatives have been the heat/humidity (unusually high for this time of year) and the mosquitoes (in the early am and late afternoon we have to be vigilant with monitoring our outdoor activities). We purchased a couple of tire inner tubes recently and when we get a chance we're going to use them to float around on the lagoon...the water is perfect temperature for cooling off on all of these hot days.
Dee and I spent a couple of hours last week in the “Entertainment Center” in Orange Walk. This is basically a small establishment with slot machines. I found out I am no more lucky in Belize on slot machines than I am in the United States…lol! It was a fun way to spend some time though. Yesterday Ed and Dee threw another poker game and this time Rick and I both came out ahead. A few of the players were people that we met at the last game and a couple of people were new friends. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Besides poker and slot machines, we also have been spending a lot of time playing cards and/or dominoes. There were a couple of days last week where my luck was incredible and nobody could beat me at anything. I often wonder how that works…nevertheless, my luck has returned to normal now.
Gracie’s puppies are 7 weeks old today and are as cute as ever. Not sure if I already mentioned it, but I named one of the puppies that Ed and Dee are keeping...“Diablo” because she is a little devil. She is the runt of the litter but thinks that she is in charge. The other puppy that they are keeping has been named “Goldie” in remembrance of another dog that they had in the past. The puppies and Gracie will be in charge of security on the property as the lots continue to sell and the boundaries are extended. A guy arrived last night from Hawaii to survey the lots that are available and to report back to friends/family at home for possible future purchase. Our community may be growing! Will keep you posted. Thanks for following our adventures!
Things here have been moving along nicely with home construction and continuing to get settled into our new routine. We usually travel into town (Orange Walk or Corozal) at least once a week and have been to Belize City a couple of times in the last month, too. We have chosen paint colors, tile samples, light fixtures, fans and bathroom faucets and sinks. The inside walls are up, the slabs are poured and the next step will be the plastering and the ceiling. Hope you have been able to follow the progress with our photos! No work today due to rain off and on for the last 15 hours (the parrots are partying this morning in the cool damp air).
We applied for and have been accepted to the QRP (qualified retired persons) incentive program. This required dealing with red tape here in Belize as well as over the phone/internet to AZ, but finally, with a lot of people's help, things were accomplished. Now we can return to the U.S. to pick up some more of our "stuff" to bring back to our new home duty/tax-free. We will fly to AZ sometime in the next 2 weeks, buy a truck, trailer and appliances and drive back to Belize through Mexico in the middle to end of next month. Scott, the guy who sold us our lot, has agreed to meet us in Brownsville, TX to show us the ropes through Mexico. We've heard some borderline horror stories about gringos in that country, so his experience will be invaluable. I’m sure there will be more adventure to report!
Our house in AZ is currently on the market, but Janessa will continue to live there and care for it for the time being (she will be starting her new job as a cake decorator in Phoenix sometime in the next couple of weeks. Yeah!)
Rick has been working right along with the crew or on odd jobs around the lot. He continues to drop weight (maybe 30 pounds now) and will need new clothes or at least a new belt soon. Linda suffered a rib injury a couple of weeks ago, so exercise has been limited, but things are starting to heal now and her clothes are starting to hang differently, too. We moved from Ed and Dee's guest house to our RV about 10 days ago thereby giving up Dee's excellent Italian cooking for dinner every night. That, in and of itself, will help encourage our weight loss!
There have been a couple of incidents that have kept us on our toes lately. A few days ago while the crew was pouring the patio slab for the house the electricity went off ( a common occurrence). Because the well water pump doesn't function without electricity, Ed decided to connect to the water tank on the RV. They were able to finish the slab with the water from the tank and shortly after completion the electricity came back on. Only then did we realize that the buttons that were pushed to change the water flow also affected our toilet. OMG! What a mess!!! That was definitely an adventure I could have lived without! Then, this morning I was making breakfast (french toast) and opened the kitchen drawer to retrieve the pot holders only to come face to face with a tennis-ball-sized mouse. I actually screamed! Rick is headed into the village now to see if there are any traps available. Ewwwwwwww! Other than those two episodes, the only negatives have been the heat/humidity (unusually high for this time of year) and the mosquitoes (in the early am and late afternoon we have to be vigilant with monitoring our outdoor activities). We purchased a couple of tire inner tubes recently and when we get a chance we're going to use them to float around on the lagoon...the water is perfect temperature for cooling off on all of these hot days.
Dee and I spent a couple of hours last week in the “Entertainment Center” in Orange Walk. This is basically a small establishment with slot machines. I found out I am no more lucky in Belize on slot machines than I am in the United States…lol! It was a fun way to spend some time though. Yesterday Ed and Dee threw another poker game and this time Rick and I both came out ahead. A few of the players were people that we met at the last game and a couple of people were new friends. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Besides poker and slot machines, we also have been spending a lot of time playing cards and/or dominoes. There were a couple of days last week where my luck was incredible and nobody could beat me at anything. I often wonder how that works…nevertheless, my luck has returned to normal now.
Gracie’s puppies are 7 weeks old today and are as cute as ever. Not sure if I already mentioned it, but I named one of the puppies that Ed and Dee are keeping...“Diablo” because she is a little devil. She is the runt of the litter but thinks that she is in charge. The other puppy that they are keeping has been named “Goldie” in remembrance of another dog that they had in the past. The puppies and Gracie will be in charge of security on the property as the lots continue to sell and the boundaries are extended. A guy arrived last night from Hawaii to survey the lots that are available and to report back to friends/family at home for possible future purchase. Our community may be growing! Will keep you posted. Thanks for following our adventures!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
settling into a routine
the day to day "adventures in belize" have settled into more of a routine. cooking, cleaning, laundry (drying clothes the natural way...on the clothesline...can you believe it, mom?), walks, swimming in the lagoon and shopping in orange walk town 30 minutes down the gravel/dirt road for everything from milk (in a box) to paint, tile, faucets and lighting for the new house. the weather has been hot and humid and we even had our first thunderstorm the other night!
dee and ed continue to be wonderful hosts. since the guest house has only a gas burner and refrigerator, dee continues to provide us with delicious dinners every night, often followed by cards or dominoes (depending on how tired Ed is after his day of supervising construction). speaking of construction, the power house is almost complete, the guest house slab has been poured and the plumbing connected to the septic tank, and they have started on the block for the house. things are coming together much faster than i anticipated. after hearing some of the horror stories from others building here, we were cautiously optimistic. it appears we made a good decision on the location and builder for our dream, tropical vacation home.
we continue to put together the requirements for the QRP incentive program and will be returning to belize city sometime later this week to submit the paperwork. bank of america screwed up and deleted janessa from our safe deposit box contract, so jason had to fly to phoenix this past weekend to collect copies of certificates that are required (thanks for trying, janessa and thanks for successful completion, jason!)
gracies puppies turned 3 weeks old yesterday, are growing like weeds and are developing their own individual personalities. their eyes opened last week and they are teetering around on tiny legs that can barely hold their chunky bodies :) gracie is a wonderful mother, but enjoys being able to return to her routine also. she patrols the property at night for security, swims in the lagoon and chases the birds who invade her territory. Ed and Dee have convinced us to avoid the lagoon after dark because of crocodiles...according to them, gracie has had several encounters with the crocs and has only been successful in these encounters because she thought it was playtime. she pulled the intruders out of the lagoon by their tails and then ran around them barking and encouraging them to wrestle. gracie is no worse for the wear. yesterday afternoon while we were up at the construction site, we heard shotgun fire from a property well south of us. the work crew told us that there must have been a croc intruder during daylight hours...now maybe dinner?
we continue to document our progress with photos and will be updating those soon. thanks for following our "adventures" and stay tuned!
dee and ed continue to be wonderful hosts. since the guest house has only a gas burner and refrigerator, dee continues to provide us with delicious dinners every night, often followed by cards or dominoes (depending on how tired Ed is after his day of supervising construction). speaking of construction, the power house is almost complete, the guest house slab has been poured and the plumbing connected to the septic tank, and they have started on the block for the house. things are coming together much faster than i anticipated. after hearing some of the horror stories from others building here, we were cautiously optimistic. it appears we made a good decision on the location and builder for our dream, tropical vacation home.
we continue to put together the requirements for the QRP incentive program and will be returning to belize city sometime later this week to submit the paperwork. bank of america screwed up and deleted janessa from our safe deposit box contract, so jason had to fly to phoenix this past weekend to collect copies of certificates that are required (thanks for trying, janessa and thanks for successful completion, jason!)
gracies puppies turned 3 weeks old yesterday, are growing like weeds and are developing their own individual personalities. their eyes opened last week and they are teetering around on tiny legs that can barely hold their chunky bodies :) gracie is a wonderful mother, but enjoys being able to return to her routine also. she patrols the property at night for security, swims in the lagoon and chases the birds who invade her territory. Ed and Dee have convinced us to avoid the lagoon after dark because of crocodiles...according to them, gracie has had several encounters with the crocs and has only been successful in these encounters because she thought it was playtime. she pulled the intruders out of the lagoon by their tails and then ran around them barking and encouraging them to wrestle. gracie is no worse for the wear. yesterday afternoon while we were up at the construction site, we heard shotgun fire from a property well south of us. the work crew told us that there must have been a croc intruder during daylight hours...now maybe dinner?
we continue to document our progress with photos and will be updating those soon. thanks for following our "adventures" and stay tuned!
Monday, April 12, 2010
construction begins!
Thursday and Friday we spent ironing out the details on the house and playing dominos and cards. On Saturday we received some troubling news about the people selling us the land and building the house (Ed and Dee). After hours of investigation and an in-depth discussion, we determined that the news was incorrect and we decided to proceed with the plans.
For Easter Sunday we were invited to a party at the home of the vice prime ministers brother, just down the road. When we arrived we discovered the main party had been on Saturday, but today the "left-over" party continued. We were welcomed with open arms and spent the next two hours talking with the brothers/family and eating (tamales)/drinking (corona). People here are soooo friendly! When we left their house we found out that they would still be at this weekend home tomorrow, so we invited them to come see our new piece of heaven! Afterwards, we spent the evening playing dominos (Mexican Train).
On Monday the first bull-dozer was delivered and then Rick and Ed drove Jim (the owner and operator) back to his home in Copper Bank. He will return tomorrow morning to start construction. When the guys arrived back home, who arrived by boat but the brothers and more family that we had invited over yesterday (with their cooler). They had already been drinking most of the day and were feeling no pain, except for sunburn! They loved our property and spent a couple of hours laughing and sharing with us again. When they left we had dinner and shared our DVD of Jeff Dunham with Ed and Dee. They really liked Walter!
Tuesday construction began and proceeded quickly. The land was cleared for the guest house and main house and the plans were finalized. Ed was so tired he fell asleep right after dinner, so we made an early night of it too.
Wednesday we drove to Belize City to start the process of applying for the QRP (Qualified Retired Persons Incentive Program) and to have the long-awaited car part exchanged in our car. The explanation meeting for the QRP didn’t take as long as we had anticipated and our car would take longer than anticipated, so we walked around downtown for a little while, had a breakfast sandwich in a little café, caught up on the internet and then took a cab to our favorite Belize City restaurant (Riverside Tavern) for lunch. From there we walked back to the Toyota dealership and waited for the service to be completed. From there we did a little grocery shopping before returning home to Progresso Shores. Whew…long day (we left at 0630 and got home around 4p). Will probably be an early evening tonight too!
Thursday was a quiet day for Linda spent around the house. Rick drove back to Belize City to pick up Scott (Ed’s business partner) at the airport. The rest of the day was uneventful.
Friday we drove into Orange Walk to meet with our new Dr, Ricardo Fabro. He did a routine check up and some labs so that he could certify our health for the QRP program. We went to the internet store to see if we could figure out what was wrong with our connection (she said she fixed it), then to get our passports copied for the QRP application, did some window shopping for furniture and appliances and finally some groceries before heading home for lunch. Quiet afternoon and then a game of Mexican train dominoes with Ed, Dee, Scott and his girlfriend, Chrissy before bed.
Saturday was another quiet day in preparation for the big poker game on Sunday. Boy is it hot and humid today! One thing we did determine was that the Smart gal didn’t really fix the internet connection, she simply convinced Linda that she had done so. We’ll have to check with Ed and Scott about what to do…
Sunday the poker game started around noon and we played through the day until about 7:30p. There were ten of us at the peak of the game (Rick and I, Dee and Ed, Scott and Chrissy, Chrissy’s mom, Nancy and Paul, Joe and Janelle (from Corozal). We only lost about $20 between Rick and me…not too bad for my first official poker game! Everyone got along great and immediately made us feel like part of the group. Fun times and good food/drink! What could be better?
Monday morning construction resumed early…they poured the slab for the guest house and started on the well construction! Things sure do move quickly with Ed in charge! We're keeping a day to day photo update of the progress, so check out the pix if you're interested!
For Easter Sunday we were invited to a party at the home of the vice prime ministers brother, just down the road. When we arrived we discovered the main party had been on Saturday, but today the "left-over" party continued. We were welcomed with open arms and spent the next two hours talking with the brothers/family and eating (tamales)/drinking (corona). People here are soooo friendly! When we left their house we found out that they would still be at this weekend home tomorrow, so we invited them to come see our new piece of heaven! Afterwards, we spent the evening playing dominos (Mexican Train).
On Monday the first bull-dozer was delivered and then Rick and Ed drove Jim (the owner and operator) back to his home in Copper Bank. He will return tomorrow morning to start construction. When the guys arrived back home, who arrived by boat but the brothers and more family that we had invited over yesterday (with their cooler). They had already been drinking most of the day and were feeling no pain, except for sunburn! They loved our property and spent a couple of hours laughing and sharing with us again. When they left we had dinner and shared our DVD of Jeff Dunham with Ed and Dee. They really liked Walter!
Tuesday construction began and proceeded quickly. The land was cleared for the guest house and main house and the plans were finalized. Ed was so tired he fell asleep right after dinner, so we made an early night of it too.
Wednesday we drove to Belize City to start the process of applying for the QRP (Qualified Retired Persons Incentive Program) and to have the long-awaited car part exchanged in our car. The explanation meeting for the QRP didn’t take as long as we had anticipated and our car would take longer than anticipated, so we walked around downtown for a little while, had a breakfast sandwich in a little café, caught up on the internet and then took a cab to our favorite Belize City restaurant (Riverside Tavern) for lunch. From there we walked back to the Toyota dealership and waited for the service to be completed. From there we did a little grocery shopping before returning home to Progresso Shores. Whew…long day (we left at 0630 and got home around 4p). Will probably be an early evening tonight too!
Thursday was a quiet day for Linda spent around the house. Rick drove back to Belize City to pick up Scott (Ed’s business partner) at the airport. The rest of the day was uneventful.
Friday we drove into Orange Walk to meet with our new Dr, Ricardo Fabro. He did a routine check up and some labs so that he could certify our health for the QRP program. We went to the internet store to see if we could figure out what was wrong with our connection (she said she fixed it), then to get our passports copied for the QRP application, did some window shopping for furniture and appliances and finally some groceries before heading home for lunch. Quiet afternoon and then a game of Mexican train dominoes with Ed, Dee, Scott and his girlfriend, Chrissy before bed.
Saturday was another quiet day in preparation for the big poker game on Sunday. Boy is it hot and humid today! One thing we did determine was that the Smart gal didn’t really fix the internet connection, she simply convinced Linda that she had done so. We’ll have to check with Ed and Scott about what to do…
Sunday the poker game started around noon and we played through the day until about 7:30p. There were ten of us at the peak of the game (Rick and I, Dee and Ed, Scott and Chrissy, Chrissy’s mom, Nancy and Paul, Joe and Janelle (from Corozal). We only lost about $20 between Rick and me…not too bad for my first official poker game! Everyone got along great and immediately made us feel like part of the group. Fun times and good food/drink! What could be better?
Monday morning construction resumed early…they poured the slab for the guest house and started on the well construction! Things sure do move quickly with Ed in charge! We're keeping a day to day photo update of the progress, so check out the pix if you're interested!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
decisions, decisions...
Tuesday we spent the day walking around Corozal. It’s a mostly Spanish-speaking town and the roads are very busy with cars, trucks, bicycles and pedestrians. We had breakfast at Al’s Café, pizza for lunch and dinner at “Patty’s Bistro”. None of them particularly fantastic, but all acceptable. We continued our discussions about what we had learned so far about the country (after 5 full weeks) and where we might like to settle down. We also drew up some housing plans for if/when we make any decisions. Overall a pretty quiet day.
Wednesday we packed up, finished up on the internet and visited with Las Palmas owner, Charles, for one last time. We also met a couple from Canada who are doing the same thing that we are (journeying throughout the country to see where the best “fit” is). They have chosen the northern end of the country, but have not yet purchased any property. After leaving the hotel we went to the pastry shop down the street for breakfast of cinnamon rolls (fantastic) and juice. Rick also had to try the Johnny cakes (kind of like a McMuffin, but the dough is corn-based and his had only cheese in the middle). We then headed out of town in search of Santa Rita, another Mayan Ruin supposedly right on the edge of town. Instead we found the Belikin/Coca Cola distributing warehouse and exchanged our empty bottles for full ones. The guys there gave us directions to the ruin, but we still weren’t having any luck. We stopped another gentleman coming out of a business and he offered to show us to the site in person. We followed him for less than a mile and, sure enough, there it was. He told us about the small site (the birthplace of the Mestizo’s) and then left us to explore. From there we left Corozal en route to Copper Bank to the southeast. After a couple of hours on bumpy, dirt roads and a ferry ride, we arrived at Cerros Beach Resort outside of Copper Bank. We met Jenny and Bill, the owners, who fixed us lunch and showed us around. Their cabanas were beautiful and right on the beach, but no access to the internet. After a couple of hours we returned to the dirt roads and ferry rides (x2) and headed for Sarteneja. The journey took us about 2 hours and brought us to the quaint little fishing village on the coast of the turquoise Caribbean Sea (Corozal Bay). We found lodging at Fernando’s Guest House, unpacked (once again!) and settled on the front porch to enjoy the view and breeze. No WiFi in the house, but Fernando’s sister/nephew have an internet café a couple of blocks down the lane. We headed down there about 515p, ordered dinner and caught up on the internet. By 7p our food was still not ready and the bugs were biting, so we asked if the food could be packaged “to go”. Instead they offered to bring it to our room when it was ready. 30-45 minutes later it arrived and was incredible. Rick had lobster and Linda had fish…well worth the wait. We played some cards (Rick won) and then off to bed.
Thursday we headed back to the internet café for internet and breakfast and then back to the room to await the arrival of Fernando Jr. who was going to show us some available property in the village. Several nice lots were available for a great price, but only one close enough to the water to even be considered. We don’t think Sarteneja is the place for us…a bit too far off the beaten path, right in line for damage if a hurricane came to visit and too small of a village to easily fit in as a gringo. We found another restaurant in town, Chez Didi, and split an order of lasagna with salad for lunch. Then we headed off in search of Warrey Bight since we had been told there was a great white sand beach there. After 90 minutes of bumpy, hot dirt road, we found the sea, but no white sand beach. The ride gave Linda severe indigestion, so instead of continuing the search, we headed back to our room. Linda took a nap while Rick sat on the patio smoking a cigar and admiring the view. We then walked to the end of a nearby pier and watched the kids playing in the bay, enjoying the breeze until sunset over the water. From there we headed back to Chez Didi for the steak dinner Rick had prearranged with her while we were there for lunch. Linda’s stomach still wasn’t back to normal, so she just had a sandwich, but Rick enjoyed his steak dinner and arranged to have another steak with eggs for breakfast in the morning. More cards after dinner, then off to bed.
Friday we started out with another round of packing, followed by breakfast at Didi’s and then another road trip. We left Sarteneja and journeyed for a few hours back to Orange Walk for a BBQ’d chicken lunch and fill up of gas. From there, back to Progresso Shores to iron out a decision about the land that Ed and Dee have available for purchase. We visited some of their friends, Phil and Linda, to get an estimate on an apartment rental for if/when we purchased, to live in while a house was being built. Phil was busy building his home on his large piece of land, but took a break to answer some of our questions and show us his rentals (gorgeous!). From there we ended our journey back at Ed and Dee’s and when we arrived we again fell in love with the view, the surroundings and the company. They again welcomed us into their home (air conditioned this time because of the excessive heat, thank God), offered us drinks and we continued our discussions where we left off on Monday. Dinner, drinks and conversation throughout the evening and then we were set up in the guest house for a comfortable nights rest.
Saturday we spent the morning in continued discussion about intentions. Phil and Linda stopped by in their pontoon boat around noon and took us for a ride in the lagoon. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the ride was incredible. The rest of the day was spent visiting between the six of us, defining options for a move and clarifying legalities. Good times!
Sunday we headed over to the Catholic Church early hoping to get lucky again with Mass times, but found out that they don’t have an early Mass, instead celebrating at noon. We joined up with Ed and Dee again and picked up where we left off on Saturday. Mid-afternoon they had visitors, the primary earth mover in the country (and many of his family members) and the country’s minister of security (the head of all the country’s security issues). We all ate, drank and visited all afternoon (the kids playing all day in the lagoon) and managed to end the day with the security ministers business card and well-wishes. Chicken Marsalis for dinner (yummy) during which we announced our final decision…lot #2, a new home (to be built by Ed) and a fully furnished 40 ft. RV (for us to live in while the house is being built and then for use as a guest house until the guest house can be built) now belong to Mr. and Mrs. Richard Ludka. We celebrated the announcement with a game of dominoes and then went to bed.
Monday we spent the day ironing out more details, swimming in the lagoon and preparing for a trip into Orange Walk tomorrow for shopping, legalities and lunch. Rick and Ed drove into the village and while there met the village policeman, Omar. He covers the villages within a 50 square mile area and gets around on a bicycle. If you need him quickly in a distant village, you have to go and pick him up! When they got home from the village, Ed found that their dog, Gracie, had started labor and given birth to her first puppy. Labor continued throughout the day and by the time we went to bed she had given birth to six more puppies. Rick fixed a pot roast for dinner and there was a game or two of dominos thrown in throughout the day for good measure.
Tuesday we all drove into Orange Walk in Ed’s truck and from 0830-1530 ran errands…setting up the internet, bank, shopping (groceries, TV, supplies), meeting the Dr. and pharmacist and having lunch. By the time we got home we were all exhausted, but Linda decided to unpack our purchases and set up housekeeping. Dinner was delicious again and then early to bed after some TV.
Wednesday we spent on the internet and phone trying to get a wire transfer for the down-payment of our purchase. The electricity went off so we were dependent on battery for the computer. Per the BofA website, we found out that large transfers are not allowed without a special pass that has to be mailed to the address on the account. We also learned that we can’t make 800 calls from our cell phone in Belize, so we had to crank up the generator to get Ed and Dee’s house phone to work. After about 30 minutes on the phone (at who knows how much/minute), we determined there was no way to make this work without flying home or waiting for the pass to come in the mail. After hours of deliberation and maximum effort on everyone’s part, we were able to solve the issue with family support (thanks Bob and mom). It was a rough day, so we decided a game of dominoes would lighten the mood…ladies won! After that a game of cards (Rick won), dinner, a little TV (very little) and bed.
Wednesday we packed up, finished up on the internet and visited with Las Palmas owner, Charles, for one last time. We also met a couple from Canada who are doing the same thing that we are (journeying throughout the country to see where the best “fit” is). They have chosen the northern end of the country, but have not yet purchased any property. After leaving the hotel we went to the pastry shop down the street for breakfast of cinnamon rolls (fantastic) and juice. Rick also had to try the Johnny cakes (kind of like a McMuffin, but the dough is corn-based and his had only cheese in the middle). We then headed out of town in search of Santa Rita, another Mayan Ruin supposedly right on the edge of town. Instead we found the Belikin/Coca Cola distributing warehouse and exchanged our empty bottles for full ones. The guys there gave us directions to the ruin, but we still weren’t having any luck. We stopped another gentleman coming out of a business and he offered to show us to the site in person. We followed him for less than a mile and, sure enough, there it was. He told us about the small site (the birthplace of the Mestizo’s) and then left us to explore. From there we left Corozal en route to Copper Bank to the southeast. After a couple of hours on bumpy, dirt roads and a ferry ride, we arrived at Cerros Beach Resort outside of Copper Bank. We met Jenny and Bill, the owners, who fixed us lunch and showed us around. Their cabanas were beautiful and right on the beach, but no access to the internet. After a couple of hours we returned to the dirt roads and ferry rides (x2) and headed for Sarteneja. The journey took us about 2 hours and brought us to the quaint little fishing village on the coast of the turquoise Caribbean Sea (Corozal Bay). We found lodging at Fernando’s Guest House, unpacked (once again!) and settled on the front porch to enjoy the view and breeze. No WiFi in the house, but Fernando’s sister/nephew have an internet café a couple of blocks down the lane. We headed down there about 515p, ordered dinner and caught up on the internet. By 7p our food was still not ready and the bugs were biting, so we asked if the food could be packaged “to go”. Instead they offered to bring it to our room when it was ready. 30-45 minutes later it arrived and was incredible. Rick had lobster and Linda had fish…well worth the wait. We played some cards (Rick won) and then off to bed.
Thursday we headed back to the internet café for internet and breakfast and then back to the room to await the arrival of Fernando Jr. who was going to show us some available property in the village. Several nice lots were available for a great price, but only one close enough to the water to even be considered. We don’t think Sarteneja is the place for us…a bit too far off the beaten path, right in line for damage if a hurricane came to visit and too small of a village to easily fit in as a gringo. We found another restaurant in town, Chez Didi, and split an order of lasagna with salad for lunch. Then we headed off in search of Warrey Bight since we had been told there was a great white sand beach there. After 90 minutes of bumpy, hot dirt road, we found the sea, but no white sand beach. The ride gave Linda severe indigestion, so instead of continuing the search, we headed back to our room. Linda took a nap while Rick sat on the patio smoking a cigar and admiring the view. We then walked to the end of a nearby pier and watched the kids playing in the bay, enjoying the breeze until sunset over the water. From there we headed back to Chez Didi for the steak dinner Rick had prearranged with her while we were there for lunch. Linda’s stomach still wasn’t back to normal, so she just had a sandwich, but Rick enjoyed his steak dinner and arranged to have another steak with eggs for breakfast in the morning. More cards after dinner, then off to bed.
Friday we started out with another round of packing, followed by breakfast at Didi’s and then another road trip. We left Sarteneja and journeyed for a few hours back to Orange Walk for a BBQ’d chicken lunch and fill up of gas. From there, back to Progresso Shores to iron out a decision about the land that Ed and Dee have available for purchase. We visited some of their friends, Phil and Linda, to get an estimate on an apartment rental for if/when we purchased, to live in while a house was being built. Phil was busy building his home on his large piece of land, but took a break to answer some of our questions and show us his rentals (gorgeous!). From there we ended our journey back at Ed and Dee’s and when we arrived we again fell in love with the view, the surroundings and the company. They again welcomed us into their home (air conditioned this time because of the excessive heat, thank God), offered us drinks and we continued our discussions where we left off on Monday. Dinner, drinks and conversation throughout the evening and then we were set up in the guest house for a comfortable nights rest.
Saturday we spent the morning in continued discussion about intentions. Phil and Linda stopped by in their pontoon boat around noon and took us for a ride in the lagoon. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the ride was incredible. The rest of the day was spent visiting between the six of us, defining options for a move and clarifying legalities. Good times!
Sunday we headed over to the Catholic Church early hoping to get lucky again with Mass times, but found out that they don’t have an early Mass, instead celebrating at noon. We joined up with Ed and Dee again and picked up where we left off on Saturday. Mid-afternoon they had visitors, the primary earth mover in the country (and many of his family members) and the country’s minister of security (the head of all the country’s security issues). We all ate, drank and visited all afternoon (the kids playing all day in the lagoon) and managed to end the day with the security ministers business card and well-wishes. Chicken Marsalis for dinner (yummy) during which we announced our final decision…lot #2, a new home (to be built by Ed) and a fully furnished 40 ft. RV (for us to live in while the house is being built and then for use as a guest house until the guest house can be built) now belong to Mr. and Mrs. Richard Ludka. We celebrated the announcement with a game of dominoes and then went to bed.
Monday we spent the day ironing out more details, swimming in the lagoon and preparing for a trip into Orange Walk tomorrow for shopping, legalities and lunch. Rick and Ed drove into the village and while there met the village policeman, Omar. He covers the villages within a 50 square mile area and gets around on a bicycle. If you need him quickly in a distant village, you have to go and pick him up! When they got home from the village, Ed found that their dog, Gracie, had started labor and given birth to her first puppy. Labor continued throughout the day and by the time we went to bed she had given birth to six more puppies. Rick fixed a pot roast for dinner and there was a game or two of dominos thrown in throughout the day for good measure.
Tuesday we all drove into Orange Walk in Ed’s truck and from 0830-1530 ran errands…setting up the internet, bank, shopping (groceries, TV, supplies), meeting the Dr. and pharmacist and having lunch. By the time we got home we were all exhausted, but Linda decided to unpack our purchases and set up housekeeping. Dinner was delicious again and then early to bed after some TV.
Wednesday we spent on the internet and phone trying to get a wire transfer for the down-payment of our purchase. The electricity went off so we were dependent on battery for the computer. Per the BofA website, we found out that large transfers are not allowed without a special pass that has to be mailed to the address on the account. We also learned that we can’t make 800 calls from our cell phone in Belize, so we had to crank up the generator to get Ed and Dee’s house phone to work. After about 30 minutes on the phone (at who knows how much/minute), we determined there was no way to make this work without flying home or waiting for the pass to come in the mail. After hours of deliberation and maximum effort on everyone’s part, we were able to solve the issue with family support (thanks Bob and mom). It was a rough day, so we decided a game of dominoes would lighten the mood…ladies won! After that a game of cards (Rick won), dinner, a little TV (very little) and bed.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
week #5 adventures in belize
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.
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.
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.
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