Belizean Beach Bums

A Day In The Life

2012-02-08T15:50:00.000-06:00

Part of a typical day for us... yes we are lazy!!!

First we have a sunrise, this one was a little different but interesting. The water is flat calm and perfect for an early morning kayak.

Then we say good morning to Woody as he peeks out from the palm fronds!!!!

Sammie watching me from the shore (I am in the water).

Bob bringing Sam out to visit.

A quick game of tug-o-war with Buddy.

Come here Buddy, I'll show you how to do it properly.

A nap after lunch and pretty soon it is time to start all over again.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

2012-01-19T12:35:00.000-06:00

Yes, we made some changes.

First off, we have redone our house security.

Secondly, we got a new puppy that we named Sam (short for Samantha). She is a Bull Mastiff and will grow up to be bigger than Buddy. We hear that her grand pappy is very, very large.

Next we will put the new fence up.

Oh yeah, I have changed the picture for where the beach bums are and also changed the design of the blog. We hope you like it.

They say a Ch-ch-ch-ch-Change is as good as a rest!!

Sam

2011-12-08T11:12:00.000-06:00

We were told that we probably wouldn't have been robbed if we left our dog home when we went out. I dare anyone to make Buddy stay home if we are both out. We leashed him to a concrete block and he chewed through the material on the leash. He has chewed through ropes (the record is three minutes I think) and come down the side walk ahead of us. We turn the corner and there he is waiting for us. We chained him to a concrete block and he dragged the block half way to the side walk. He just wants to be with us.

We were told we needed to get a bigger dog to guard our home when we stepped away from it.

Introducing Sam, the newest member of our family. She is only five weeks old right now, but will grow up to be bigger than Buddy, and hopefully a whole lot meaner to strangers.

Will post updates on her as we can.

Down But Far From Out

2011-11-30T19:25:00.000-06:00

Yes, we lost some stuff, but it was only stuff. The three of us are fine!!!

Although Placencia is not the perfect paradise that we thought it was, you must take the good with the bad. We have taken the bad and now are looking for the good.

We have had two break-ins within a six week time period. The first time Bob and Buddy ran down one of the thieves and our stolen stuff was retrieved. The thief was put in jail and then released (yet again, as he was already out on bail for the same crime) and nothing more is said to us. The second time we came home to find them running (they had spotters), but all they got was two computers and a really nice camera. All just stuff. It is unfortunate that we have joined at least fifteen of our neighbours that have been victimized by petty thievery.

A comment was made on Placencia Crime Watch that we should have left the dog at home. Anyone that knows Buddy would agree, he is no guard dog, he is a family member who quite possibly could have been hurt had he challenged the thieves. Anyone that comes prepared to pry open a window frame and put a child through the burglar bars would be more than prepared for a dog on a porch. We would rather have our dog safe and sound, thank you very much for your concern.

It is time for us to regroup and get ready for our come back. We are not gone, just resting.

Sorry no pictures at this time as the camera is gone.

Tis The Season

2011-10-15T12:39:00.000-06:00

It has been a pretty dry 'rainy season' but for the past week, we have definitely been getting rain.

The property next to us is mostly field and with the rain has become a bit of a wetland. The past two nights have seen some drastic changes. The water from the road has been flooding the field so much that it has overloaded onto the beach and part of the beach has collapsed.

They are now digging trenches to relieve the water through the field and the plan is that once the water is drained, they will put rocks across the beach front and backfill with sand.

Right now, da beach ends here!

Windows

2011-09-21T06:55:00.000-06:00

The windows are looking good!!!

They do look like 'French' windows.

The new hurricane shutters are all in place, I guess we are ready now.

View from below.

Who Says You Can't Have It All?

2011-09-13T08:15:00.000-06:00

It appears that we have both lake front and ocean front in one property. It started raining hard yesterday evening and all through the night. We woke up to......

Thirty feet of beach front and thirty-five feet of lake.

Looks like the lake is trying to reach the sea.

Our own mosquito harvesting lake, once the rain stops!

Comes up almost underneath the deck.

No break in the weather, still raining.

More clouds rolling in.

Break Out

2011-09-02T13:15:00.000-06:00

It's a BREAK OUT day!!!

After almost two weeks, our burglar bars arrived today. These bars were specially designed to give the look of french windows. Now we can go out together again!!!

The kitchen side.

The front side.

And the view from the beach.

On Da Beach

2011-08-25T07:53:00.000-06:00

Well, here we are On Da Beach, in our own home.

There are still some finishing touches to be done, but we have the most important amenities in place.

The view from the deck. More pictures to follow in the coming daze!!!

Railings and Cabinets

2011-08-10T14:36:00.002-06:00

As anyone can see, we have some railings now... more to come!!!

Nice view too.

Some of our mahogany cabinets arrived today....

Kitchen sink counter (sinks have not arrived yet) with raised eating area.

Looking from the corner of the kitchen towards the pantry and beyond.

The eating area.

We Have, We Have, We Have.....

2011-08-05T10:11:00.000-06:00

We have cable vision/internet installed.

We have stairs.

We have windows installed.

We have more windows and screens.

And we have doors.

Wood Working!!

2011-07-09T19:18:00.000-06:00

Things are moving along with the building. The ceiling is polished, the floors are sanded, the walls are ready for insulation.

Eventually this will be the bedroom.

And what home is complete without a bathroom?

And the kitchen.

View from the deck.

We've Got Wood

2011-07-01T15:18:00.000-06:00

The house is coming along, all the wood delivered is becoming a house, our home.

Bob climbed up and got this shot of the floor about half finished.

A nice shot of the interior ceiling.

The deck is coming along.

The exterior ceiling over the deck.

The Green Green Roof of Home

2011-06-21T13:19:00.000-06:00

The panels of zinc arrive.

A couple of days later, the panels are all installed and we await hopefully for the next stage to start.

Our house viewed from across the field to the north.

Enough trees around to maintain some privacy.

Raising The Roof

2011-06-20T15:01:00.000-06:00

Rafters complete.

House and deck with matching ceiling.

Bob climbed up to take this one of the wall/ceiling.

It's beginning to look like a house.

Now that the roof is nearing completion.

So We Can't Just Throw The Roof On???

2011-06-06T16:51:00.002-06:00

First we have posts along the two decks.

Then the workers got busy installing the roof supports.

Can you find all six workers in this picture?

Meanwhile, downstairs we have things happening with the dungeon door.

The skies are turning grey.

But it keeps the tourists off da beach!

Da Walls Da Walls

2011-06-03T14:26:00.000-06:00

The first wall being lifted to the site.

And behind door number one?

Second wall in place, door number two.

Third wall being put in place.

Another view of the front door.

Wall number four being slid into place.

It has been a good morning as the walls were in place by lunchtime.

Some Assembly Necessary

2011-06-03T14:22:00.000-06:00

They said our walls would arrive today, but we weren't holding our breath.

The walls arrive!! We hope instructions come with them.

Scaffolding is in place.

The blue house (where we used to live), the white house (where we live now) and the wood (for the future house).

The crane is erect and ready to give the walls a lift.

When It Rains, It Pours

2011-06-03T08:44:00.000-06:00

Just when you think things are going at a good pace, they speed up.

Omar and his helper working on the block room and the wood guys show up.

It's a ballet with the floor joists.

Eight people working all at once.

Floor joists in place.

Room almost finished.

The ground floor is just about done. Almost time to move on up!!

The Dungeon

2011-06-03T08:29:00.000-06:00

The beams are set and the laundry/storage room has been started.

Omar is working on the first wall.

It is going fast now.

The room is half way blocked in.

Concrete, The Final Chapter

2011-05-26T07:34:00.022-06:00

It seemed like we would never be ready for the pour, but Friday the 13th was the day. Good luck for us!!

The troughs are ready for filling, looks like we will have a goodly amount of re bar in our beams.

Manoeuvring this pipe was not an easy job.

Seen from another angle, this shows how large a job it was to fill those troughs.

The troughs are filled and the floor joist connectors are in position.

After what seemed to be weeks of watching the concrete set, we see the finished product.

Concrete 4

2011-05-07T09:23:00.004-06:00

The slabs have been poured.

And smoothed.

The metal forms for the upper beams are in place.

We have electrical power to the property.

Concrete 3

2011-05-04T10:43:00.003-06:00

A quick update as how the building is coming along.

End of April shows the base beams and columns are done.

Kind of looks like a high rise will be going up.

The beginning of May shows a delivery of bricks with the sand truck backing in at the same time.

The sand was used to fill two sections, then covered with heavy duty plastic, which was then covered by re bar and tied into the beams.

That's it for now!!

Concrete 2

2011-04-28T14:47:00.005-06:00

Just an update on the concrete work that is happening on da beach.

The forms are being readied for the column pour.

Wide angle view.

It is heavy work lifting the buckets of concrete up to the top of the forms.

Please take my picture!!

The whole crew in one shot!

The columns minus the forms, now stand alone.

Sharyn's Day Off

2011-04-22T14:00:00.006-06:00

On Thursday, I went to Dangriga for a beauty day. Bob and Buddy walked me to the bus and saw me off. I told Bob that it was his responsibility to take pictures of the building that was happening that day.

First off Buddy and Bob head down to the beach. Have they been drinking already?

Nice shot of the site but I am now positive someone started without me.

Here we see the beams are finished and setting.

Looks like these two had a great day!!

Concrete 1

2011-04-22T13:52:00.003-06:00

We are ready for the concrete beams to be poured.

Right down the middle of the house and deck.

Looking towards the beach.

Concrete truck shows up and there is a traffic jam on the boards.

Good to the last drop.

Update

2011-04-18T06:01:00.002-06:00

Three consecutive days from almost the same angle.

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Almost ready to pour the beams for the foundation!!!

Trespassers Welcome - Dog Food Is Expensive

2011-04-14T14:47:00.005-06:00

There has been a rash of crime around here lately. Petty thievery, shoes stolen off the deck (yes we are watching feet so be careful), but now it is getting a little more serious.

Our door has been jimmied and now an attempted break-in by coming through the windows. Screens are ripped off and tossed and they probably thought they could break the window, unlock it and climb in. But I woke up and did a walk about which probably scared them off.

Be warned, we have a dog now and he doesn't like other people much.

Ground Zero

2011-04-13T17:20:00.006-06:00

We were told that the building would start, but thought... maybe tomorrow, so we went for lunch and stopped for a side trip on the way home at a friend's place.

When we got home, we had a surprise waiting for us on da beach....

Here is the proof.

Concrete truck and workers.

All the forms are set by hand and the concrete is done by wheelbarrow.

If you want to be above Davy Jone's Locker, then leveling is important.

It's Our Turn

2011-04-08T12:29:00.004-06:00

It isn't earth shaking, but..... we have finally started to build. The corners have been staked and the lines are drawn where our house will be some day.

It doesn't look like a lot right now, but it is a start.

More to come.

Buddy

2011-04-08T12:02:00.003-06:00

Well, we got ourselves a dog, or rather, a dog got us. We were coming home from the village one evening and this really nice looking dog followed us down the sidewalk. When we got home, he continued to follow, up the stairs and onto the deck. He lay down like he belonged. We left the gate open in case he wanted to leave in the night, but the next morning he was still here....

After a couple of days Bob went and bought a collar and leash for Buddy. We were walking him down the beach, off the leash but with the collar on when he took off. He came to Bob when called but as he was putting the leash on, Buddy twisted and was off, sans leash and collar. He didn't come home that night, so we assumed he had decided to go to his real home.

The next morning, Buddy was back, he had obviously been in a fight and he just wanted to come 'home'. He has been with us ever since.

Our builders recognized him as belonging to the welder in Seine Bight, so I tracked down his number and gave him a call. Seems that Buddy (or Chop Chop as known in Seine Bight) just has a thing for Placencia Village. He would scale the fence built to keep him in and they would find him half way to Placencia. Every time they came to the village, the dog would jump out of the vehicle and run away, so we were told that we could keep him. Seems he just wants to live in Placencia.

As you can see, he has made himself at home.

Have You Seen...?

2011-02-22T14:53:00.001-06:00

Someone had the audacity to steal our palm tree that we planted in December.

We miss it and would like it returned please.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2010-12-31T14:31:00.001-06:00

Just wanted to take a moment and wish all our family and friends a very
HAPPY NEW YEAR and best wishes for the coming year.

Sharyn and Bob Flindell
aka
Belizeanbeachbums

Lest We Forget

2010-11-11T12:59:00.001-06:00

In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

All In A Day's Play!

2010-10-16T08:14:00.007-06:00

For the past couple of weeks we have been working on the new property. There was just a "little bit" of hard work to clean up after Matthew. Now it is starting to look pretty good, even if I do say so myself!

After pulling weeds and raking, we go for a swim before heading back home again. The past little while we have noticed something nibbling on us when we are swimming.

Bob looking for the nibblers!

Nibblers on my foot.

They don't hurt at all, just kind of tickle.

Yesterday we found a baby conch. We did put him back before heading home.

Dragonflies were everywhere and we followed them home.

Work A Little, Swim A Little

2010-10-07T11:54:00.003-06:00

The storm surge left garbage (plastic, wood, rocks, shells, etc, etc) all the way up to the cabana. It is going to take a bit of work to get it all cleaned up.

We rake, pick up plastic, pull weeds and move wood bits for about ninety minutes and then we go for a swim before heading home. It works for us!!!

Yesterday, we had a visitor in the field next door. It was an egret stalking something, probably frogs and I did see him get something. You don't see that every day.

Here is my view of the property.

Here is Bob's view of the property.

Bums On The Beach

2010-10-04T16:32:00.001-06:00

Well, we finally made our choice, we want to stay in Placencia. Looking around we found a few properties on the beach but our first choice was the old 'campin on da beach'.

First thing, was to put in an offer, which was countered and we made our final offer, which was accepted. Then it was just waiting for the paper work, but it has finally happened (in Belizean time) so all is good.

The end of the road is where we are.

View from the yard to the beach as it is now.

View from the beach back to the yard.

View from the beach to the cabana.

Existing storage building.

Bob standing at the back of the cabana.

To answer everyone's question, "No, we will not be carrying on a business of camping on the beach." Both the cabana and storage building will be removed to make room for our new house.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRACY!!!

2010-10-03T08:51:00.002-06:00

Today is your birthday. We have been through a lot together and just wanted to let you know that you are one of the best.

Without humour, life sucks;
Without courage, life is hard;
Without love, life is hopeless;
Without friends like you, life is impossible.

Thank you for being my friend, now have a GREAT BIRTHDAY!!!

Wish we were there!!

Horseshoes at Barefoot

2010-10-02T19:12:00.023-06:00

Horseshoes are back at Barefoot. We were out and about and stopped into Barefoot to watch the horseshoes and have some refreshment.

Some Liquid Sunshine before the games begin.
Really, that is the name of the drink!!!
Mayro makes a great Liquid Sunshine.

The pitch.

Either the score is 5 or it looks good from this end.
(The score was 5)

Scoreboard.

Alvin checking the pin.

Anyone else want to join before this round is done?

Mel setting the pace.

Form is important, along with follow through.

Way to go Mel!!

Ringer!

This guy is a good player.

Another lady joins the tournament.

Lots of fun.

Maddie, the official judge and runner of interference.

Checking the stance.

Looking good.

Maddie, in her capacity of interfering.

More good form.

Everyone had a great time.

Did I really get it that far?

Yessssssssss!!!!

Alvin concentrating.

Mayro contemplating.

Follow through.

Round two.

Mel digging for shoes.

Great form.

And follow through.

Done.

Another ringer.

Form.

End of round two.

We had to go after round two, but while we were there, everyone had a great time.

Rain! Rain!! Rain!!!

2010-10-01T11:06:00.001-06:00

We know it is the rainy season, but really..... we were riding our bikes back from the point and had to dash into Barefoot because of the rain.

Looks like the sign is getting a little water logged.

You could hardly see across the street.

Now this is rain!!

We had to wait until the rain passed so we stayed for dinner...

Mosquito Invasion?

2010-09-29T09:23:00.003-06:00

So everything seems to be getting back to normal, TS Nicole is headed north and away from us. We had a great thunder and lightning storm yesterday and this morning, this morning we have mosquitoes.

I happened to be on the front deck and looked up to the ceiling. It really kind of freaked me out.

There are hundreds of mosquitoes clustered on the ceiling of the deck.

I climbed up on a chair and sprayed, but they only really moved around, they didn't leave.

Ugly little buggers!

If anyone knows why they are doing this, please leave a comment.

Matthew, September 25, 2010

2010-09-25T07:46:00.011-06:00

I think everyone will be posting about Matthew, but this is our view.

This morning we have winds and rain. The wind is pushing the rain sideways onto the deck so doors and windows are closed. When I say sideways, it is like someone is out there with a hose pointed at us.

View of the beach from our front deck at 6:30 am - the waves are rolling in.

The photos from the deck were not showing the true 'picture' so we decided to gear up and head to the beach. So at 8:00 am, coffees in hand, we braved the wind and rain and wandered down to take some photos.

The water has surrounded the coconut trees.

True beach front property.

Looking south along the beach.

They won't have to go so far to pick up the plastic in next week's clean up.

Looking north along the beach.

Placencia Caye and storm clouds coming in.

Watching Matthew

2010-09-24T08:37:00.002-06:00

I would imagine we all have the same thing on our minds today... "Matthew". What is he going to do? Will he stay a Tropical Storm as predicted, or will he gather up strength and become that hurricane? We have decided to prepare as though he will become a hurricane.

Extra food, water, candles, we all know the drill, or at least we should know it.

This photo was taken just before 6:00 this morning, usually it is sunny and bright. I had to use night settings to get anything at all.

Same direction about 8:30 this morning, it was pouring rain. These photos are looking towards the direction that Matthew will come from, some days we can see Honduras.

You can see the rain bouncing off the neighbour's roof.

Now the wind has come up and we had to close the doors and windows as it was blowing the weather inside the house.

So far, it is just like a west coast Canada storm, but warmer. We will keep watch.

Around and About Us

2010-09-22T09:29:00.003-06:00

Monday evening, we went for dinner at Barefoot.

Alvin and Myro were our bartenders and manage to look after us very well. Can you tell they are brothers?

Caught Bob unawares?

Believe it or not, last night this little guy (iguana) was clutching the branches of the guava tree off our deck. It was hard getting a photo of him as the wind was blowing the tree every which way.

The full moon.

This morning the iguana was still there, we are going to call him "Buddy".

September 21, 2010

2010-09-21T00:01:00.001-06:00

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY BELIZE!!!

Twenty-nine years.

Dinner at the Flindell's

2010-09-19T06:45:00.006-06:00

First, you have some live lobsters delivered to your door.

Second, you frantically Google for the best (and most humane) way to kill them. Agreement seems to head in the direction of putting them in the freezer where the inner core of their body is cooled to the point where they feel no pain. So that is what we did, put them all in the freezer.

Third, make sure you have a nice bottle of wine chilled in the fridge.

Take the chosen lobsters out of the freezer to defrost.

Make a potato salad.

Prepare a green salad, and prepare the lobsters for grilling.

Once that is done, you deserve a reward. Cocktails on the back deck catching some afternoon sun usually works for us.

After cocktails, you need to prepare the grill and get the coals just perfect, then you can put the prepared lobsters on.

Cooked to perfection.

A glass of wine and good company makes for a perfect dinner.

Man-Of-War

2010-08-19T13:45:00.004-06:00

The Portuguese Man-Of-War is a jelly-like marine animal that looks like a fragile blue bubble. These sea creatures are infamous for their very painful, powerful sting and very common in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Pacific and Indian oceans, and the northern Atlantic Gulf Stream which are the waters just off the island paradise of Key Biscayne. It is sometimes found floating, and often found washed ashore, normally in the winter months and when the winds are blowing onshore.

The man-of-war's body consists of a gas-filled, bladder-like float (a polyp, called the pneumatophore) - a translucent structure tinted pink, blue, or violet - which may be 3 to 12 inches (9 to 30 centimeters) long and may extend as much as 6 inches (15 centimeters) above the water. Beneath the float are clusters of polyps, from which hang tentacles of up to 165 feet (about 50 meters) in length. The "animal" moves by means of its crest, which functions as a sail.

Some of the tentacles of the Portuguese Man-Of-War bear stinging nematocystic (coiled thread-like) structures that paralyze small fish and other prey.

The pictures here were taken on Caye Caulker.

In the water.

Washed up on the beach.

We Are Back

2010-06-20T10:22:00.002-06:00

Yes, the rumours are true, we are home again.

We spent five weeks away and are happy to be back where we are finally warm again. You try wearing a jacket for five weeks!!!

We got back Thursday evening and once I get my memories sorted out, I will start posting again.

Anyone miss us?

Only in Canada... eh???

2010-06-06T09:07:00.005-06:00

Well, it was a hell of a trip to say the least.....

We had planned to go to Canada in July, visit with some friends in Edmonton in early August and finish up with the estate and come home. Plans change.

Circumstances were such that we felt it was best to get our butts there sooner. So we did. We thought that since we were there, we might as well change my name on legal things... like credit cards, bank accounts, passports, social insurance, pension.. all the good stuff.

Some of it went well, some of it not so well. I found out that in order to change your name on your government ID (driver's licence, social insurance, provincial ID) to your new name, you need to have two pieces of government issued ID in your new name. You think that wasn't fun?

Apparently the problem is that 'Big Brother' wants to know not only who you are now, but who you have been since date of birth and if anything changes, they want to track it. I can no longer get a driver's license in British Columbia because my license changed from British Columbia to Alberta and they (British Columbia) lost track of me. They could not find the linkage from my birth certificate forward to the current driver's license, although they did find my previous driver's license in the system. If this doesn't make sense, it simply means, they couldn't link my birth certificate to previous driver's license and refused to update my current one. Trust me, I am confused too.

Some of it was easier than others... RBC, BMO and Pension Corp accepted the Belizean marriage certificate for what it was. Kudos to you!!!

President's Choice was a different matter altogether. In order to change the information on my bank account and credit card, I had to have two pieces of ID in my new name, plus the marriage certificate. However, they first told us I need one piece of ID, so once we got the first one, we rushed out to the kiosk and prepared to change things over. Then they informed us that I really needed two pieces of ID and the young man in the kiosk had the audacity to laugh at my frustration.

We were able to submit all documents necessary to a kiosk in Edmonton where I signed many papers and signature cards. After two weeks, my name still wasn't changed on my accounts so we started phoning. It turns out that they misplaced the signature cards and then destroyed the rest of the documentation as it wasn't 'complete'. We were told we could go the next day to the kiosk in Langford, but as I explained to the male person on the other end of the line, (at the no service/no help desk - as Bob calls it) we were leaving the first thing in the morning, it was not possible. He allowed as it wasn't his problem and he really didn't care if it was done or not.

Eventually it was all changed via email through supervisors, who could have guessed it could have been so easy. Why couldn't we have done that in the beginning?

Happy Birthday

2010-04-21T23:31:00.002-06:00

Well, it's been another year and we are ready to celebrate Bob's birthday.

Wishing you the very best my love. Happy Birthday!!!

Matt's Visit

2010-04-12T06:53:00.007-06:00

Well Matt finally came to visit us and a great visit it was.

We rented a golf cart and went to pick him up at the airstrip. After taking his luggage back to our place, we did a whirlwind sight seeing tour and took the cart back to Paradise Resort before going for dinner at the Pickled Parrot and dessert at TuttiFrutti. Yummy!!

We spent a few days just hanging around on the beach, swimming and snorkeling, although the water was a little rough. More like a wave pool than a beach, but we had fun playing in the waves.

After a few days of relaxation, we headed off to San Ignacio. We had breakfast at the Caladium Restaurant in Belmopan and decided to do a little detour side trip to the Belize Zoo. It was awesome as usual and we are certainly getting our money's worth with our family membership. We would encourage anyone living down here to get one.

After the zoo, we got a ride back to the Belmopan junction and picked up a bus just coming out of Belmopan to San Ignacio. Timing is everything. We stayed at the Cahal Pech Resort where we were able to make arrangements to go to Tikal (Guatemala) the next day. We swam in the resort pools and generally just lazed away the day.

We were up early to head off to Tikal and it was just the three of us in the tour. We climbed the ruins and got some great photos. After our tour, we had a late lunch at the site before starting back to Belize. Once back to San Ignacio we had dinner at Serendip, a Sri Lankan restaurant that serves excellent food.

The next morning, we were off, back to the coast. We headed to Belize City to catch the water taxi to Caye Caulker. It just wouldn't be a visit to Belize without going to the reef to snorkel. We got to the caye and settled into the room before a light lunch and heading off with Anwar Tours to the reef. We spent the afternoon snorkeling and swimming with the rays.

That evening it was a relaxed time, we had appetizers at the Bamboo before moving on to the SandBox for dinner. After dinner we had drinks at UnoMass and then ice cream at Chunky Monkey before saying hello at Lloyd's Sports Bar. All in all a good evening.

The last morning, we had a subdued breakfast at The Tropical Paradise before putting Matt on the plane back to Belize City Airport as he was heading home.

All the pictures of Matt's trip are here.

Habeneros

2010-03-25T07:52:00.000-06:00

I have often said that Habeneros on Caye Caulker is my favourite restaurant in Belize. I thought I would share a few reasons why.

Don, Gwen, Sharyn and Bob after the first pitcher of sangria.

Bob and Sharyn's shared appetizer of Glass Noodle Wraps.

Don and Gwen's shared appetizer of Creole Voodoo Cakes.

Bob's dinner of Banana Leaf Parcel.

Sharyn's dinner of Brazilian Pork.

Gwen's dinner of Sizzlin' Fajitas Mista.

Don's dinner of Seafood Satay.

Don and Gwen after dinner. It all tasted as good as it looked.

Our friends Michael and Lu met us for dessert. We had Creme Brule, Cheesecake and Chocolate Truffles. (Sorry, no photos).

Then we all headed to the Canadian Sports Bar for Lloyd and Caroline's wedding anniversary party.

Michael at the Sports Bar.

Luciana and Sharyn at the Sports Bar.

Don and Gwen on Caye Caulker Day 2

2010-03-23T15:00:00.000-06:00

After breakfast at the Happy Lobster we rented a golf cart and gave Don and Gwen a tour of the caye. We went past the airstrip and around the south end.

House for sale. The 'road' goes along the side and around the back before continuing on.

We found a pig roasting at Popeye's. It was still morning, but made us hungry.

We were at Anwar Tours at the appointed time and picked out our snorkeling gear and were ready to go. We had four underwater cameras between us and all got some great shots. I concentrated on videos so the following pictures are from Don and Gwen.

Thousands of tiny little blue fish in a school made it very colourful.

Some of the corals and sponges.

Rays.

This ray had a friend tagging along.

More rays.

After an afternoon of swimming and snorkeling we headed back and got ready for dinner. We went to Habeneros (my personal favourite) and a great time was had by all. Our friends Luciana and Michael joined us and then we all headed to the sports bar for Lloyd and Caroline's first wedding anniversary celebration.

Don and Gwen on Caye Caulker Day 1

2010-03-13T06:29:00.000-06:00

What would a trip to Belize be without a tour to Caye Caulker and the reef? We were up early and on our way to Belize City to catch the Caye Caulker Water Taxi.

Only in Belize! Check out some of the advertising in the water taxi waiting room. The yellow sign is advertising Viagra, Cialis and Levitra (I don't even know what this is) next to the sign advertising trips to Flores, Tikal and Chetumal. What can I say?

Gwen and Don enjoying the ride in the inner harbour of Belize City.

Don and Gwen under the rainbow. We stayed at the Rainbow Casita this time around and I would recommend it, reasonably priced and clean. What more do you need?

We had lunch at the Rainbow on the beach and watched the children playing in the mangroves. The mangroves had certainly grown in the thirteen months since we had last been on the caye.

We found other changes as well. We remember when this lot had a derelict house on it and then was cleared and the building on this began. Looks much better now.

Great Egret on the dock at sunset, we grow them big here.

Sunset on Caye Caulker.

The moon while having pre dinner cocktails at UnoMas. We later went for dinner at the Sandbox, then strolled down Front Street stopping for ice cream before wandering back to our apartment. After some television to relax us, it was sweet dreams after a full day.

Belize Zoo

2010-03-06T06:30:00.000-06:00

Did you know you can get memberships to the Belize Zoo? Well you can and we got our membership a couple of months ago.

After cave tubing we got dropped off at the zoo.

Welcome to the Belize Zoo!!!

Made perfect sense to us.

Don and Gwen making sure the cameras are ready.

Ocelot.

Scarlet Macaws.

Iguana, big iguana.

Junior, just three years old.

Monkey.

More monkeys.

Watch that tongue!

Mountain Lion.

Jabiru Stork.

Smiley Crocodile.

Junior.

A Great Curassow.

Gibnut.

These are just a few of the creatures we found at the zoo. It was a great day. The consensus was that it is the best zoo any of us have been to.

Happy Anniversary

2010-03-03T13:33:00.002-06:00

I was going to post about the adventures of the Belize Zoo, but was reminded that it has been two years today since we arrived in Belize.

Exactly one year ago today we were in the Immigration office in Belmopan submitting our application for residency.

Exactly two years ago today we were arriving on Caye Caulker with four large suitcases and four carry on bags. We still have those suitcases and bags, but have added a few things to our list of possessions.

Happy Anniversary to us!!!!

Jaguar Paw Cave Tubing

2010-03-02T11:46:00.011-06:00

We save all the fun stuff for when we have company. Cave tubing.. I love cave tubing... especially at Jaguar Paw. Bob was into it and Don and Gwen were up for it. The decision was made, we were going. We decided to head up to Belmopan and go cave tubing and then hit the Belize Zoo.

We woke up in Belmopan to fog, yes, that is correct, fog!!!!

Our driver Dorian, picked us up in Belmopan and drove us to Jaguar Paw where he changed hats and became our guide. The first part of the trip was a hike along a path to the first cave. On the way we stopped and learned about some of the plants in Belize. The fruit trees were in full bloom and we managed to skirt a swarm of bees by being very very quiet.

The first cave had a stalagmite that looks a little bit like a turtle.

Our dropping off point to the river and the second cave.

Group photo before we all slid into the water.

Bob made it.

Dorian made it.

Inside the second cave looking back towards the way we came in.

Good thing we had lights on. Bob and Don in the distance.

Don relaxing as the river carried us along.

Heading through the rapids into the third cave.

Bob and I as we floated along.

Coming out of the third cave.

Looking back at the cave.

The river rapids were much slower this trip.

Almost to the finish line. After lunch of barbequed chicken, rice and beans and salad with a cold drink, we were off to the zoo. We made arrangements for Dorian to drive us there and we would take the bus back to Belmopan.

Don and Gwen's Introduction to Belize

2010-02-23T13:46:00.016-06:00

If you have ever been to the far north in Canada in winter time, you understand what cold is. We have some visitors from northern Canada staying with us now.

Our friends Don and Gwen came from this. When they arrived, they had already spent four days in Mexico so the icicles had melted and they were almost dry.

Now it was time to introduce them to the Belize we know and love. We met them in Corozal after they crossed the border at Chetumal and we stayed a night in Corozal at the Mirador Hotel.

Gwen and Don all thawed out.

Walkies along the waterfront before breakfast where we see the pelicans waiting to be fed by the local fishermen.

After a hearty Belizean breakfast of eggs, ham, refried beans and fry jacks at Al's, it was off to the bus depot to start the journey to San Ignacio. It was a good thing we had a big breakfast as it was a long ride to our destination.

We stayed at the Cahal Peche Resort which overlooks the valley.

The view to the valley was only enhanced by this squirrel in the fruit basket set out to attract the birds.

One of the cabanas on the hill.

The view.

Toucan at the fruit basket.

Here we are trying to stay warm while we convince Don and Gwen that it is always warm here.

Correction!!!

2010-01-27T15:49:00.003-06:00

Yes, I made a booboo, a mistake, an error. That's life. So before the emails start flowing in, I thought I better correct my error. My last post indicated that the bar beside the old Barefoot was Daisy's. Not true... we saw the sign and assumed we should turn towards the beach.

The sign!!!

If we had of turned away from the beach, we would have seen another Daisy's sign tucked away between the sidewalk and the road. Sorry if anyone got lost looking for it. We will try to find out what is going in beside the Tipsy Tuna.

Miscellaneous Update

2010-01-27T07:04:00.000-06:00

Since Barefoot Beach Bar was closed, a lot of people have been wondering where they are going. I came across this ad directing you to go to Facebook.

Ad on the back of the 2010 Placencia Peninsula Business Directory & Visitors Guide.

Here, on the left side of the picture, we have a shot of the old Barefoot site where worker bees are busy changing the site into something new. On the right side, there is also some furious work being done and it looks like it could be a new bar. It is called Daisy's and looks like it will be opening soon.

Closer to home, it was difficult to get this guy out of our sink. We even put a cutting board up the side for him to walk on... nope... he did jump out when I started running the water though.

We headed to the Crow's Nest on Saturday to listen to John and Fred of the Lost Reefers play. It was a good time and we caught up with some friends we hadn't seen for awhile.

John and Fred

Debbie

Jenny

Dan

Kat

Still Here

2010-01-22T12:34:00.010-06:00

For all those wondering if we are still here, we are. We were just hibernating, waiting for the warm weather to resurface. Now that it is warming up, along with the good weather have come some visitors.

First a glorious sunrise!

Three parakeets

Oriole (not Baltimore)

Woody Woodpecker

Kiskadee

Warbler

Peewee

Last but not least, what collection would be complete without a grackle.

Here's to warmer times ahead.

2009 In Retrospect

2009-12-31T10:20:00.006-06:00

Well, it's been one hell of a year. A quick recap...

January

We had Tamara visit, actually arrived in December but stayed a week. We went to San Ignacio where we checked out Xunantunich, did some cave tubing at Jaguar Paw Resort, and finished her stay by going to Caye Caulker for some snorkelling at the reef. After that we started struggling with Access America for the refund due to Air Canada cancelling their flights. This is the month that Elvis finally opened his new store in Seine Bight.

February

We saw bats in the bedroom, plenty of birds, even more rain. At the end of the month, we sold our grill and moved from Maya Beach to Seine Bight. We continued our struggle with Access America for our refund. They did reinburse us for some of it, but put it on the wrong credit card. They promised to cut a cheque for the remainder sometime in the next 60 days.

March

First we went to Belmopan where we applied for our residency as our year was up. That was a struggle in itself as there is no set standard and if you talk to two different people, you will get two totally different sets of instructions. We took a mini vacation and checked out Punta Gorda as it was one of the places we had not been to yet. We then settled into the new digs at Seine Bight. We continued our struggle with Access America.

April

We had Easter and we went to our first Passover Seder, which was wonderful, then my mom's birthday (which we celebrated without her), Bob's birthday party at Lil Bit's place and I did the Walk For Polio. I got bit by a dog in Seine Bight. We had our Police Interview for residency. They started building the road in Seine Bight. We continued our struggle with Access America.

May

The Village of Seine Bight got a road, Adriane had a birthday, Yoli's had a deck opening ceremony and party, we were finally paid the amount owed by Access America. We checked out some property in Riversdale on May 19th, but later found out the realtor took us to the wrong lot. On May 27th, we went back and checked out the correct property on our own. We continued our struggle with Immigration for residency.

June

The road continued to North Seine Bight, Lobster Season opened, LobsterFest happened and I did the Walk For Cancer. Our struggle with Immigration continued.

July

We celebrated Canada Day, Barnacle's birthday, and continued our struggle with Immigration. They managed to complete my application but lose Bob's. Bob's mum passed away, so we went to Victoria for two weeks. First we had to move out of Seine Bight and put our 'stuff' into storage.

August

We returned from Victoria and moved into the new digs in Placencia Village. We got our residency, Social Security and Voter Identification all set. We applied for internet to be installed in the new house before we left for Victoria and got it on August 20th. They installed the wrong speed but at least we had internet. Not bad for a $605 installation fee!!

September

We had lots of rain, Barefoot reopened, we celebrated The Battle of St. George's Caye and Independence Day. David Perez reopened his store in Placencia. We received our Social Security cards in the Placencia office.

October

We went to Dangriga to pick up our Voter ID cards, we celebrated Dax's birthday at the Maya Breeze. We checked out the property at Riversdale again, this time wondering why we were interested in the first place. We found out that we were being billed the wrong amount for the internet and began our struggle with BTL to have the billing corrected.

November

We started our struggle with Solicitor General's Office in Belmopan to get a Marriage Licence. Like Immigration, it depends on what day it is and who you talk to as to what information you get. We did get our Licence in the end but had to pay four times as much as originally told because we are FOREIGNERS. So why did we go for Residency? TuttiFrutti reopened. We celebrated Remembrance Day and we did get quietly married barefoot on the beach in front of our house on November 28th. We continued with our struggle with BTL billing.

December

We spent eight wonderful days in Costa Rica on our honeymoon. We celebrated my birthday at Barefoot Beach. We think we finally got the internet billing straightened around. We went to some friends in the village for a Christmas party and we had a wonderful Christmas Day with our friends and neighbours. Christmas Day afternoon we went for a swim. Just yesterday, we hooked up with some dear friends from Victoria who will be coming down to visit we hope. The year is ending on a wonderful note as our struggles seem to be over for now.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and look forward to a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Bob and Sharyn Flindell

Costa Rica - Part 5

2009-12-21T12:14:00.003-06:00

THURSDAY

We got up to have an early breakfast before heading out on the catamaran tour. We were picked up on time and went down the road to pick up more people as we headed towards the marina.

Front and centre, you can see our catamaran heading towards us.

The two of us.

Dolphins.

Our hotel from the sea.

Breathtaking views.

Two-toned blue fish.

Bob and some clown fish.

The tour was excellent and we would recommend it to anyone. We had a great day, chasing dolphins and booby birds, cruising the coast, snorkeling, drinks and lunch and more drinks on board and sailing back to the marina.

After we returned to the hotel, we changed and caught the shuttle down to the village. We wandered around the shops, managed to find a great bar for happy hour. Then we went to the beach to catch sunset.

Surfer's beach.

Sunset over the surfers.

FRIDAY

We had our first sleep-in then coffee on our patio before breakfast. After breakfast we walked the trail loop before going to the swimming pool. We were picked up at 1:30 for the trip back to San Jose. It went a little slower than anticipated because the mountains were pretty much fogged in.

We got back to the hotel at 6 pm. Once we got checked in, we wandered around and found a restaurant where we had some of the best shrimp and a couple of bottles of wine. After dinner, we went back to the hotel to make a phone call to the family. It was another early night as we were to be picked up at 3:15 a.m. for our 6:30 flight home.

SATURDAY

We were up early, ready for the trip home. We flew from San Jose to San Salvador, then on to Belize City. It was a long day as we got home just after 6:30 pm.

Costa Rica - Part 4

2009-12-17T11:21:00.000-06:00

WEDNESDAY

We were up very early for coffee and breakfast before heading out. Debbie and Gary got up to see us off, we are positive it was to make sure we left. They were part of the dance crew the night before. It was a short boat ride across the river to the landing strip.

Here is a picture of the plane that came in to get us. It came down the runway, came to a screeching halt and did a quick turn. There were some young girls from another lodge and their breakfast on paper plates went flying. Everyone was scrambling to catch something that was blowing away. Gary ran for his hat that was blown off.

It was a pretty awesome flight to San Jose as we were above the clouds and flying between the mountains. I was impressed with the views as well as the skill of the pilots.

We were met at the airport by Henry, our driver for the day. He drove us through the mountains along a roller coaster road that took approximately three hours to get to the west coast.

Our hotel was the Hotel Parador Boutique Resort and Spa in Manuel Antonio near the Manuel Antonio National Park, Punta Quepos. It was really a very nice place, a little too fancy for us perhaps. We were greeted at the front desk with a cool cloth soaked in something that smelled nice and a fruit drink.

As you can see the views overlooking the Pacific were spectacular!!

We got settled in and made arrangements for a sail on a catamaran for the next morning. Then we hiked down to the beach. There were a few people there, but not too many and we took a little walk.

Found some yard art, but too big to bring it home with us.

Kids having fun.

Then we had the hike back up... I actually was proud of myself, I didn't have a heart attack on the way back up.

We relaxed in the deck chairs looking at the view when we returned, waiting for happy hour (6 to 7 pm) and had dinner reservations for 7:30.

After dinner, it was an early night again as we would be up early the next morning.

Costa Rica - Part 3

2009-12-13T12:02:00.001-06:00

TUESDAY

Well, here we are in the middle of the rain forest!! Our guide Hernande comes along at 5:15 a.m. to make sure we are awake for the river tour. First up, we get coffee, we have found that you can NOT get a bad cup of coffee in Costa Rica, they grow excellent coffee here. Of course, you are wired on caffeine for the day.

We head out in a smallish boat, going back and forth along the river, or as they call it, the canal. We saw lots of birds, monkeys and one Caiman (a small crocodilian reptile living in Central and South America).

The shore as we saw it from the boat.

A bird on the shore but the lush vegetation in the background is awesome.

Monkeys swinging in the trees.

More monkeys, they are so high up, we almost missed them.

This bird is like a cormorant and could be one, but I can't remember the name.

Caiman

The river ahead of us was still as glass.

We returned at 8:00 a.m. for a breakfast of eggs, pancakes, rice and beans, wieners and fresh fruits. There is always fresh fruit at each meal, papaya, pineapple and watermelon. We were quite surprised that we have not seen a banana served at any meal.

At 9:30 we donned our rubber boots and went for a hike through the rain forest. We were very glad that they insisted we wear their rubber boots, as the paths were streams of slippery, mucky mud.

This is one of the trees that you can not tell the age of as it has no rings.

Here is our guide Hernande, explaining to us about the trees, and the hummingbirds.

During our hike we learned some new things. We learned that some trees you can't tell the age of because they have no rings. The reason why they have no rings is that there are no seasons in Costa Rica, just like Belize, they have wet season and dry season and Another thing we learned was that an enormous amount of hummingbirds die of Cirrhosis of the liver. This is caused when people put out sugar water for them and don't clean the feeders every day. On the second day, the sugar starts to ferment and by the third day, the hummingbirds are drinking alcohol. Autopsies that have been done, have shown that they died of liver disease. The second cause of death for them is heart attacks.

Bob's boots after the hike.

After the hike we had lunch and then a 'free' afternoon. We were going to go kayaking, but I chickened out after learning about the crocodiles and caimans on the river. Since then, I have learned that the caiman keep the piranha numbers down. We decided instead to hang around the second pool that is a little ways away from the hub of the lodge. There were three of us, Bob, myself and a new friend named Cathy. We had the pool to ourselves and had a great time swimming, chatting and taking pictures.

While lounging around the pool, Bob got this shot of a Toucan sitting in the top of the palm tree. After a bit, Cathy's husband, Ellis joined us and we had a glass of wine. Then it was time to head back to the cabin to get ready for dinner.

We were a little early for dinner, so stopped in at the pool bar by the restaurant and joined Peter. The special of the day seemed to be margueritas, so we had one each, and then we had another one each. Then Gary told the band we were newlyweds so they played us a very special 'slow' song. It seemed like it went on forever. Then everyone joined in and we did the limbo, and a conga type of dance. It then changed to a huge circle of people taking turns with the maracas, shaking them and doing a little dance, then passing it on to the next person. It was a lot of fun, and after a while the band took a break and the leader came over to us. He told us he had a special wedding present for us. It was one of their cds, and it would only cost us $10.00 US.

After that, dinner was very uneventful and some of us headed back to the bar for more dancing. At one point, Bob and I got up and showed everyone how to "Punta", even though we don't know how. It was a great evening and we were sorry to see it end, but we had to be up early in the morning to catch a plane back to San Jose and carry on to the west coast.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2009-12-11T10:42:00.002-06:00

Yes, it was my birthday on Wednesday.

I just wanted to say thanks to my friends that sent me e-cards, to my brother Ken who phoned me, and a special thanks to Deb, Dan, Jenny, and Pam for joining us for dinner and drinks at the Barefoot Beach Bar. We had a great time. Good to see Kathy and John and Steve as well.

We took yesterday off to recuperate but now I am feeling much better. I will get back to Costa Rica Part 3 sometime this afternoon.

Costa Rica - Part 2

2009-12-06T21:51:00.021-06:00

MONDAY

The alarm went off at 5:00 and we dressed, repacked and headed to Denny's for a light breakfast of fresh fruit and yogurt. The bus was a little late, but only about ten minutes, so at 6:20, we were on the road to Pachira Lodge at Tortuguero. You can't just drive to Tortuguero, you have to either get there by boat or by plane.

We had a great guide, Hernande and our driver, George was very nice. George would take us as far as the river, but Hernande was coming all the way with us. He was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humour. We couldn't stop on the winding road for photo ops, but he did warn us in advance when one was coming up. I did manage to get a quick picture of the place where two rivers meet. The one on the right is clear and clean and one on the left is filled with silt.

We drove through Braulio Carrillo National Park where we stopped for a real breakfast at Guapiles, our guides' home town. Just about all of the meals served are buffet style with plenty of choices for those who like to try new dishes. After breakfast, we went for a short walk around the grounds, which were beautiful.

We walked down the path to the river with another couple, Cathy and Ellis and took some pictures.

We then continued on and turned towards San Albert Nueva. In this area we went through many banana plantations, which are not a new thing for us. However, we are not used to driving through gates with guards to get through them. The first one was Chiquita Bananas and the second one was Del Monte. We actually drove right through the processing areas.

They have banana trains which are a series of poles and cables that start in the growing area and run to the processing area. The blue wrapped bunches of bananas are hooked to the cable and are pulled to the staging area. There the workers take them off the hooks and discard the blue plastic. They are put into a wash or bath and rinsed, then sorted and the bananas going for export are rinsed again, before being packed into cardboard boxes ready for shipping.

We all wave goodbye to George as he heads back to San Jose with a bus load of people just coming in off the river.

Here we see Hernande helping Debbie and Gary onto the boat we will take down the river to the lodge. We are about to enter the rain forest.

We cruised down the river and saw plenty of birds.

Here we have some spoonbills watching us from the river's edge.

We arrived at the lodge and after checking in and finding our cabins, it was time for lunch before heading out across the river/lagoon to the village of Tortuguero for a tour of the beach and see where the green turtles nest.

What amazed us most was the beach. The sand is black from the volcanic rock and the waves were huge, a surfers beach for sure.

The pictures don't do justice to the size of the waves, but you get the idea. They told us that this was an extremely calm day. I am not sure we wanted to be there on a rough day.

Here, we can see how black the sand is and it was very gritty sand, not smooth like we are used to here.

After the beach, we wandered around the village and checked out all the souvenir shops until it was time to head back to the lodge. Here is a picture of the local church in the village.

Once back at the lodge there was time for a cocktail before dinner.

Someone, I won't mention any names Bob, let it slip to our travel agent that it was our honeymoon and we were presented with a drink at the dinner table. A hollowed out pineapple covered with fruit flowers and balls was filled with Pina Colada and two straws for sharing. It was really very nice, but now the cat was out of the bag and our fellow travellers knew what was up. After this, it was time to head to our cabin for some much needed sleep.

Costa Rica - Part 1

2009-12-06T11:33:00.012-06:00

SATURDAY

After an extremely quiet wedding barefoot on the beach, we headed out for the 'honeymoon'. Below are a couple of shots of the peninsula from the air.

Seine Bight as seen from the air. If you look closely, you will see Elvis' new store.

The Placencia Hotel and surrounding area.

Our plane left Placencia airstrip with a stop in Dangriga before arriving in Belize City. From Belize City, our next flight took us to San Salvador and then we continued on to San Jose, Costa Rica. Our flight arrived at about 9 pm and it had been a very long day for us. We were exhausted and very happy to see a pleasant looking gentleman holding a card with our name on it. He directed us to the next man who took us to a private van and drove us to the hotel. The Irazu Hotel & Casino was a very nice Best Western. We went for a late dinner and headed back to the room as we were tired.

SUNDAY

We were up and had a light breakfast of fruit and yogurt as we didn't know if we would be stopping along the way. At 9:00 we were picked up and after picking up some other people at their hotels, we were on our way to the Arenal Volcano located in the northern part of Costa Rica. We went to the town of Sarchi, for a rest stop and were able to shop in one of the shops there. Sarchi is famous and has earned the name "Birthplace of Costa Rica's Artisans". We didn't buy anything although there were some very nice carvings, but we were only allowed 25 lbs luggage on one of the next tours. As we continued on our way, we passed through coffee plantations and pineapple plantations. They grow many ornamental plants for export in this area. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant in La Fortuna which is right in front of the volcano. Next stop was at the Tabacon Grand Spa & Thermal Resort, where there are thirteen pools and we think we made it to eleven of them.

Sharyn all squinty-eyed.

A nice private pool.

Bob in a calm pool.

Bob under a waterfall. It was all good. After we were finished in the pools, we showered and had pre dinner cocktails around the swimming pool. Then we had a great buffet dinner in the hotel dining room which faces the volcano. On clear nights you can see the volcanic activity which is supposed to be like fireworks. The weather did not cooperate for us and we never saw any volcanic activity, but the trip to the thermal springs alone more than made up for it.

It was a long day, thirteen hours, but more than worth it. We got back to the hotel Irazu about 10:00. Early to bed as we had an early morning coming up.

Unbelizeable!!!

2009-12-06T06:32:00.009-06:00

Okay, everyone wants the story, so we have decided to tell all. Finally.....

It was always our plan to get married in Belize once we got our residency. In August, we became residents......

In early November, we phoned the Solicitor General's Office in Belmopan and asked what we needed to bring in order to apply for a marriage licence. We were told that we needed to bring some photo ID, a copy of our divorce papers and a letter from the Justice of the Peace requesting permission to marry us. I mentioned to the woman on the phone that our divorce papers were scanned in on the computers, would this be acceptable? She asked me if they had the seal of the court on them. I told her yes, she said, no problem, that would be fine. I then asked her how much the licence would cost. Her response was $200 dollars. I told her we were residents and at that point she informed me that because we were residents, it would only be $50.

The next day we hustled our butts up to Belmopan with all the papers and found the correct office, which is the Solicitor General's office, hidden in with the Attorney General's office in the Ministry of Health building. We put a big smile on our faces and showed our papers. The woman said "this is no good, we need your original divorce papers. Ummm, we don't have the originals, we were told to bring these. No, you need the originals. You will need to return to Canada and have the copies notarized and certified as true copies." We were heading out the door when she said, "Another couple had this problem, they got someone in Canada to get the papers and mail them down."

We slept on it and I went back by myself the next morning. I wanted to talk to the highest person I could find. She wasn't very happy as she is Senior Crown Counsel and is a very, very busy person. So I sat myself down in her guest chair and waited. I asked her to please explain to me exactly what we needed to bring back in order to get the marriage licence. She told me that we needed a certified copy of our divorce papers, our passports, the application form filled out and signed by a Justice of the Peace, and a letter from the JP requesting permission to marry us. I asked her who the letter should be addressed to, her response was the Solicitor General. I then asked for the correct spelling of the Solictor General's name and she went blank. She told me I would have to look it up on the internet.

I went outside and phoned my sister Deanna in Canada and had her get us a lawyer, request the papers from the courts, have them notarized and certified as true copies and Fedex the papers to us. Just over a week later, once we got all the papers together, we had the JP (Ms. Louise) sign the letter, certify the application and we headed back to Belmopan.

Back we went, and glory be, all our papers were in order. We were told to go pay $200 at the Treasury Board and come back with the receipt. I said "oh no, we are residents now and it should be only $50." I opened our passports to the back page and showed her. She took the passports and left the room, but two seconds later, she was back. "$200"... okay fine, let's just get this over with. Bob went to pay and came back with a strange look on his face. He had a receipt and in huge capital letters it said "$200 - 2 FOREIGNERS". He handed it over and we were told to come back after lunch for the signed certificate.

I should note that there was another couple applying at the same time. They were not asked to show proof of residency, no passport, no birth certificate, no letter from a JP, and they were only charged $50.

At 1:00 we were waiting and were called in and questioned regarding the Justice of the Peace. Apparently their records were not up to date as Ms. Louise, who is the Senior Justice of the Peace for Placencia and the only one certified to marry people on the peninsula, was not registered with their office. She has been marrying people on the peninsula for over ten years now and they have just realized that they had sent off her Sr JP certificate before registering it. We had to phone Ms. Louise and get a fax number so they could fax her the permission to marry us. This is something new as Ms Louise has never before had to ask permission.

So on the bus back to Placencia, the 2 FOREIGNERS decided to have just a simple wedding in Belize and spend the entire honeymoon in some other country. Bob found an awesome eight day package on the internet for Costa Rica plus return flights.

Last Saturday, we were married barefoot on the beach in front of our house at 9:00 a.m. with Ms. Louise officiating and her sister Ms. Jean and nephew Brian witnessing. We were at the airstrip by 1:30 for the first step of the honeymoon in Costa Rica.

Lest We Forget

2009-11-11T05:38:00.004-06:00

Remembrance Day – also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day (the event it commemorates) or Veterans Day – is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.)

The poppy's significance to Remembrance Day is a result of Canadian military physician John McCrae's poem "In Flanders Fields". The poppy emblem was chosen because of the poppies that bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, their red colour an appropriate symbol for the bloodshed of trench warfare.

At eleven this morning, we will be observing a moment of silence and remembrance for all those who have been to war, those who are at war now and those who will have to go to war sometime in the future. Thank you all.

IN FLANDERS FIELDS

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
— Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 - 1918)

TuttiFrutti - It's Official!!

2009-11-07T16:19:00.005-06:00

We had to pick up a few things in the village this afternoon and rode our bikes past TuttiFrutti to see if there was anything happening.

Now it is official, the Open sign is on the door. TuttiFrutti is open for business. The day so many of us have been waiting for is finally here.

How can anyone resist that beautiful, smiling face?

First day open and the choices were too many. I wanted one of everything.

I ended up with three layers.

Titzi across the road giving us the "thumb's up"!! Later she came and chatted with us. She did let it slip that there will be some new flavours this year. She told us what they are, but we said we would keep her secret.

On The Road

2009-11-07T16:03:00.003-06:00

Early the next morning, I was out running errands while Bob hit Southside Meats and I came across a family setting up their wares.

This little princess was doing a little dance for me.

Here we have the backside of the market. There are five or six individual little places where you can get breakfast or lunch, depending on the time of day. Be warned, the only place we have found that serves drip coffee is the Caladium.

On the way home, we had two hours to kill in Dangriga so we went to the Pelican Beach for lunch.

Here we have a squirrel that literally jumped from palm tree to palm tree. Entertainment was free!! After lunch we caught the 2pm bus back home.

Belmopan Artisan Show

2009-11-07T15:45:00.008-06:00

We heard there was going to be an Artisan Show in Belmopan on Thursday, so decided we needed some culture in our lives. We were up early Thursday morning and on the bus. We rolled out of Placencia at 6:25 and we were in Belmopan just before 10. We were lucky and got the air conditioned express bus.

Breakfast at the Caladium and we were on our way. We found our way to the US Embassy with no problems, it was a nice walk and we got to see all the smaller embassies on the way.

It was not exactly what we expected, it was quite small, but the art displayed was very nice. We bought a hummingbird feeder.

By the time we got there, I was looking for a washroom. There was no problem using the washroom at the embassy as long as you were willing to leave everything you carried with security, went through a metal detector just like at the airport, and promised you were not carrying a bomb. I only had to pee for heaven's sake.

Stars and Stripes behind bars.

Here is one last picture saying not to take pictures.

Views From My Hammock

2009-11-03T21:25:00.009-06:00

Branching Out

2009-11-03T15:34:00.006-06:00

Most of us know David Perez from his store in Seine Bight, but last year David opened a second store here in Placencia Village. It is tucked in right behind Omar's restaurant on the main (only) road.

Here is David's store in late September.

Last week, we were checking things out and came across these discerning shoppers. David has done a lot of work and built new shelving and painted them in nice bright colours.

Little shopper in training.

Two days ago we found David painting the outside. I promised him I would come back and take a picture of the finished product. Looking good David.

Never Trust a Croc

2009-11-02T12:52:00.004-06:00

This little? crocodile is in the pool in front of what used to be Caribbean Travel and Tours, below Rumfish and beside Tutti Fruitti.

If he looks lonely, it is because there is only one of him. The people who keep the pool well stocked with fish, turtles and crocs were concerned because he looked lonely. They brought in a little friend for him to keep him company and all was well. A couple of days later, the 'friend' went missing, this guy has a full belly and is not in the mood to eat. All I am saying is, if your friend is a croc, don't trust him.

Moths

2009-11-02T12:27:00.006-06:00

Everyday we put out fruit for the birds. They are in the trees around us, but not feeding on our fruit yet. However, we have attracted some other creatures. Moths!!

This little guy really enjoys the bananas. Some gnatcatchers came and looked at him, but didn't chase him away.

They can grow to be quite large. This is the same type of moth, same markings and that is Bob's hand.

Here is the same one on a tree. Spread out like this, he reminds me of the rays we swim with out at the reef, but not quite as large.

Update to Home Again

2009-11-02T11:33:00.001-06:00

Just a quick note...
Da Tatch has reopened, with new staff, and.... there is action at the Purple Space Monkey. Looks like they are painting and sprucing it up for a re-opening.

Rainy Days and Sunshine

2009-11-01T13:54:00.004-06:00

Some days, you just never know what the weather will be. Last week it was sunshine for us, but we could see the rain coming down on the cayes that are just a few miles off our shore.

Here you can see the rain falling on the cayes.

Then you can see what it is supposed to look like, nice and sunny with blue skies.

Home Again

2009-11-01T13:44:00.002-06:00

Just a few little updates.

Yoli's is open again, yes I know it never really closed, but the grill is happening and food can be had again.

Folks from Tutti Frutti are home (thank goodness, we were going through withdrawal big time) and expect to be open very soon. I don't think it is a secret, but I was told they brought back some new flavours to be tried.

Barefoot has reopened and the food is as good as ever. The new paint job is bright and inviting.

Mango's has reopened as AnneMarie and Steve are home again from their travels to New Zealand.

That's all the updates I have for now.

Another Day, Another Road

2009-10-17T13:06:00.006-06:00

Okay, it really took three days, but we have a road!!! Before it was more of a couple of lakes with a path connecting them.

This picture was taken of the road as we left to go to Dax's birthday party on Thursday afternoon. It was the beginning of our road being fixed.

Friday morning, these guys showed up with a load of rock and dirt.

Preparing to unload, take note of the post in the middle of the road.

The load was pretty heavy, as it shifted, it dug in the back wheels and lifted the next set right off the ground.

No mishaps with the wires, although it came close.

There is no way I would have crawled under there to check anything out.

This morning (Saturday), the grader showed up. See the post in the road?

Road is nice, although we have no idea where the post went.

This afternoon the roller came and flattened and smoothed the road. It will be perfect for riding the bikes now.... until the next rain.

Osprey or Eagle?

2009-10-17T11:53:00.004-06:00

We were sitting out on the deck the other day and this bird went screaming past us. I thought it was going to land on the table. Not really, but it was close. We watched as it flew to a tree a little ways off. I got the camera and here are the results.

It could be an osprey or an eagle. I won't commit as the pictures just aren't quite clear enough.

Birthday At Maya Breeze

2009-10-16T12:50:00.009-06:00

Word got out. There was a birthday party happening at Maya Breeze on Thursday afternoon. Everyone was going to be there.... so we had to go!!! Everyone there had a great time.

Birthday boy Dax and Strawberry.

The band is setting up.

Everyone seems to be having a great time.

Candid shot, no posing.

This guy was in charge of lighting the bbq grill. He had it going first time, way to go. He wasn't happy with the flames, so added some more fuel to the fire. Lucky he didn't get burned.

She's happy, honest.

Dax and the band.

No names mentioned, but someone taking my picture.

Finally got her to stay still enough to take a picture.

These two are waiting for pirate days!!!

A smiley face.

There were some people missing, but I can't use their names or give any reasons as that would just be wrong. But you know who you are, and you were missed.

Lunch at Omar's

2009-10-03T11:57:00.006-06:00

Thursday we decided to go for lunch in the village. We thought we should try one of the little places we hadn't gone to before. Omar's it was.

We were riding our bicycles and our road was flooded out. I had runners on so Bob had to turn around and come back so we could take the alternative route of the sidewalk.

It isn't a fancy place, but they do specialize in creole grub which is something we both like and enjoy.

As you can see, it is not a large restaurant, but it certainly was friendly. We don't know what the guest house is like, but if it is anything like the restaurant, it will be great.

Here we have a typical order of creole shrimp, rice, stewed beans, vegetable salad and a mug of freshly squeezed lime juice. Two orders came to a total of $36.00 BZ. Way more than I could eat in one sitting. We'll be going back to Omar's for sure.

The Boson's Chair

2009-10-02T00:20:00.007-06:00

Sometimes it isn't easy to get a good cup of coffee, but if you really, really want one, you can head down the sidewalk in Placencia and find the Boson's Chair Cafe.

If you are looking for one stop shopping, you will find it at the Boson's Chair, where you can have a Mocha coffee, surf the internet and have your laundry done. You will also meet some of the most interesting characters if you get there early enough in the day.

Of course, you have to be prepared to do some wading along the sidewalk.

Just another little hiccup during rainy season in Placencia.

Just a little sidebar, the 'rainy season' is now over although 'hurricane season' is still in effect. Yesterday, rainy season ended and conch season opened. Two more great reasons for celebrating in Placencia.

Riding the Bus

2009-10-01T16:30:00.016-06:00

On Monday we took a little trip to Dangriga and I decided it would be good to check out the road along with the scenery. The following are some pictures taken along the route between Placencia Village and Dangriga.

The Community Centre in Seine Bight is coming along, slowly but surely.

Elvis's old store, I was on the wrong side of the bus for the new store. Perhaps next time.

Our favourite bar in Seine Bight. The name is Wamasa, but everyone calls it Cree's.

This is an area called Placencia Estates. It has been dredged from the lagoon and huge houses built. Most of them sit empty. Bob says it is probably because they are waiting for the land to settle.

Between the north end of the peninsula and the Southern Highway, you have about a 45 minute drive along with a slight detour.

The detour road is actually worse than the road they are building and it is very narrow, with only a few real places to pass.

As you can see, the original bridge at Kendall has not changed in the 15 months since the flood waters rose 3o feet and wiped it out.

Now the 'temporary' bridge is at the normal water level of the river. Rumour has it that they will allow to you drive over the bridge until it is two feet underwater.

On the way back we waited while two 'cat's' were dredging. This one was actually in the river.

The other one was on the bridge. As we watched, they cleared out a huge amount of branches and junk that had been caught up against the bridge. We were able to wave good bye to the debris as it floated downstream. Preventative medicine is always good.

The road home, still wet, muddy and difficult to drive. It gives one a whole new respect for the bus drivers on the peninsula.

The road conditions on a nice sunny day, imagine a rainy, stormy day.

Rain Or Shine?

2009-09-29T09:36:00.004-06:00

This past Sunday was a typical day for us. The weather couldn't decide whether it was going to rain and be stormy, or be nice.

This picture was taken at 9:45 a.m., and no my lens isn't dirty, those things that look like snow flakes are rain drops. Honest, they are.

You can barely see the buildings across the way, and the waves are crashing in.

It just got worse and worse.

And then this picture was taken at 10 minutes after 12 noon. What a difference a couple of hours can make.

A Walk Through The Village

2009-09-29T08:39:00.008-06:00

Last Thursday, during a non raining spell (I was going to say sunny day, but it didn't last), we decided to take a walk down the sidewalk and see what was happening.

Here we have some property for sale. I think they will need more fill than they originally planned on. It still looks pretty wet.

Although Scott looks like he is trying to break out of jail, he is actually waiting for a haircut, the barber was away on a lunch break.

This is a view of the parking area between the road and the sidewalk. You need a zodiac to get from your vehicle to the high areas. Hip waders at the very least. This view is from the sidewalk towards the road.

Speaking of hip waders, I hope who ever had to hang the laundry out, had a pair and lots of bug spray.

This is just one of the many signs along the sidewalk. Good advice.

This building is high and dry.

This little guy was guarding the steps to the coffee house/laundry/internet cafe.

We reached the end of the sidewalk and decided to head back along the road. At the corner there is a building and the outside is a huge aviary of sorts. All kinds of parrots, as well as other birds. Caught this guy trying to eat his dinner.

Here is that parking lot again, from the road, looking towards the sidewalk. I still don't see any zodiacs.

Cave Tubing

2009-09-24T09:55:00.003-06:00

I got the pictures back from cave tubing at the same time as the ones of the rays. Here are some pictures of us cave tubing last January.

This shot is taken when we were drifting through the cave, it was pitch black in front of me and I turned around and took a picture of the entrance. Last bit of natural light we saw for awhile as the cave had twists and turns and was longer than we expected.

Finally there is light at the end of the first cave.

Bob making faces. This was before he punctured his tube in the rapids.

The group heading into the second cave. As you can see there was quite a large group. Once we got through the caves, we found we got to shoot rapids and Bob punctured his tube on an underwater root that was sticking out. We managed to both hang on to my tube and made it safely through the rapids. Our guide then traded tubes and we continued on while the guide had to hike and swim the rest of the way.

Swimming With The Rays

2009-09-24T09:36:00.007-06:00

For us, it isn't a trip to Caye Caulker unless we take a trip out to the reef. We finally got our pictures back from the trip in December.

When we say we go swimming with the rays, everyone asks us if it is dangerous. The answer is no. The rays we swim with are very friendly and we have never heard of anyone being hurt by them.

This guy was just coming over to say hello, don't worry, he moved out of the way.

Here comes his brother, or maybe sister, how can you tell?

They just glide along, checking out everything, everyone!!

The tail is the part you never, NEVER touch.

Now this moray eel is far more dangerous than any ray.

Independence Day In Placencia

2009-09-22T12:22:00.006-06:00

September 21st is Independence Day in Belize. During a break in the rain, the parade happened.

The official parade pace car/truck?

The start of the parade, we are outside Tutti Fruitti. Yes it is still closed... sigh...

The good doctor Alexis, we think.

The music vehicle of the parade. This is where the little kids rode when they got tired, the official photographer rode (no, not me) and the music, music, music.

The parade got bigger as it went along. People joined in as it went past them.
Pretty as a princess, don't you think?

We also joined in once the parade went by us.

These ladies were doing the 'punta'. I don't think they really ever stopped once.

We continued on with the parade until we reached the road to come home before it started raining again.

A Week In The Life

2009-09-22T12:06:00.008-06:00

Okay, it's more than a week. We have been busy, what with the rain and all.

Sunrise September 11th.

Woodpecker in a palm tree September 12th.

We went snorkelling off the beach on Sept 14th.

Nice starfish.

Our friends and neighbours, Kathy and John joined us for a swim.

Then the rains started. I know it is rainy season, but ... hello!!!! enough is enough.

Placencia Village

2009-09-09T15:39:00.000-06:00

Friends and family have asked about where and how we live, so here are some candid shots.

David Perez brings fresh fruits and vegetables to the peninsula. He has two stores now, one in Seine Bight (the original) and has opened a second store in our village.

The local police station. Not that busy on a regular day, thank goodness.

Our mini-mall. As you can see there is room to expand as there is an empty space between the corn tortilla factory and the post office.

There is only one road in Placencia, this is the south end looking north. If we stepped back any further, we would be in the sea.

This is Lacy with Belize's version of fast food. She makes corn tortillas, heated and deepfried, flour tortillas and burritos. That big yellow cooler is usually filled with ice cold juice.

Your typical shrimp fisherman, just in with a fresh catch.

Some local artwork at the tourist shop. These pictures don't do it justice.

Placencia Tourism Center, very helpful and pleasant people in there.

Our deck with our new flag in the breeze.

The moon from our deck.

Just Another Day in Placencia

2009-09-01T13:43:00.013-06:00

People are always asking us about the weather. Right now it is rainy season, or hurricane season. So far, no hurricanes. It usually rains in the night and is sunny during the day. It works for us.

Every once in a while there is a great mix of sun and clouds. I was able to catch the sun behind the clouds.

I like this shot, it is just a couple minutes after the first one.

Then came the rain.

Those are rain drops in the palm tree next to us. There are no woodpeckers in the tree in the rain.

We had a visitor on the deck. He stayed for two days and left after the first rain.

We were testing the new waterproof camera. My first underwater picture.

We went swimming yesterday to give it a good test. The neighbour's dog came with us. As you can see she wanted me to take a closeup.

Then she decided that swimming with Bob was more fun. We all had a great time and the camera works great.

Service Excellence

2009-09-01T12:02:00.008-06:00

Last Tuesday we were in Belmopan getting the final stages of our residency finished. We rushed over to the Social Security office and applied for our cards. When we asked if they could be sent to the Social Security office in Placencia as it would just make it so much easier for us, they were very accommodating and made the arrangements.

Yesterday, we received a text message on our cell phone. "Please pick up your social security card at the Placencia office. Open Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks."

Today, we went to our mini mall and picked them up. It was just that simple.

Trip to Victoria, Part 3 (Peacocks for Barn)

2009-08-30T08:04:00.000-06:00

We were driving through Beacon Hill Park and saw some peacocks. I immediately thought of Barnacle and his dream of owning a peacock so we stopped to get him some pictures.

I call this one, peacock on a fence.

Hey, you looking at me?

Strutting his stuff...

We were hoping he might open up his plumage for a real show, but no.....

Got a nice shot of the head. Sorry Barn, I couldn't get one to come home with us.

Trip to Victoria, Part 2 (Sushi)

2009-08-30T08:02:00.000-06:00

So here we are at the sushi restaurant, asking all the usual questions, what kind of vinegar do you use in your sticky rice, what kind of wasabi, etc and the waitress says to us, "would you like to see the gluten-free menu?" What could be more perfect? One of our favourite foods, made right.

These hot spicy rolls were excellent, really excellent.

The nicest serving container for saki we had ever seen.

A work of art. The food was first rate, we went back twice and then met some friends our last night at Yokohama's for all you can eat sushi. We will be good to go for awhile now.

Trip to Victoria, Part 1 (Getting There)

2009-08-30T07:59:00.001-06:00

Well, while the reason that we went to Canada was not the best, we did find time to do a few things and take some pictures.

Our trip actually started on July 19th. In the morning we moved into our new digs in Placencia Village.

Here is the view looking south towards the Village.

We were on the one o'clock bus out of the village to Dangriga. Our plan was to go from Dangriga to Belmopan, stay overnight and go into Immigration first thing in the morning before heading to Belize City for the flight to Canada. It all went like clockwork. On Monday morning we dropped off our paper at Immigration and headed to the bus depot. There, we were approached by a taxi driver offering to take us to the airport for $125.00. I thought that was kind of steep so he said for us, a special deal, only $120.00. The bus was in and we decided to take the bus, we had plenty of time before the plane. Well the bus cost us $8.00 from Belmopan to Belize City, $3.00 from Belize City to the airport turnoff, and $5.00 from the turnoff to the airport for a total of $16.00 compared to $120.00. My advice is to take the bus.

Park walkway in Belmopan.

We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare, we checked our bag, went and had lunch and then sat to wait for our 2:55 pm flight. There were storms happening in Miami so the flight was late getting in and of course late leaving. We were a little concerned because our turn around window was fast disappearing. Where it originally was three hours, it had now dwindled to one hour. Not to worry, our flight out of Miami to Los Angeles was delayed more than three hours. It wasn't too bad, it meant that the eight hours spent in LAX would now only be five hours. Five hours of walking the terminals, trying to sleep, and watching other people sleeping. How do they do that, sleeping on benches with armrests under their backs, or curled around them?

Our flight to Vancouver left on time and we were in our rented vehicle and on the 1:00 pm ferry sailing and had a late lunch buffet. Much needed as the last real meal we had was at the airport in Belize City the day before. Once off the ferry, we went straight to see Bob's brother and then my sister, where we planned to stay. After a visit with my sister and niece, we got cleaned up and headed out to dinner. We walked downtown and happened upon a sushi place and went inside to check it out. Imagine our surprise, they had a 'gluten-free' menu!!!!

That was getting to Victoria.

You Gotta Belize It!!!!

2009-08-26T09:24:00.006-06:00

Well it finally happened, the day arrived and we were there to meet the ship, so to speak, as it came in. Yesterday was a whirlwind day for sure.

Up at dawn and on the bus to Belmopan as this was the day we were finally getting our residency. We got our residency in record time, only took us 175 days and only a couple of extra trips to Belmopan. I am told that the gestation period for monkeys runs from 160 to 240 days depending on the type of monkey. I wonder what kind we are?

We paid our money, getting the 25% Commonwealth discount (not bad at all eh!!!) and went for brunch at the Caladium while waiting for the final stamps and signatures in our passports. It was an open door policy at Immigration yesterday, the gate was open as were all the doors, even the back one. Someone walked outside the back door and started up a car alarm. Sheryl very calmly got up and used her clicker to turn it off. We got a smile out of that. Those that have dealt with Sheryl will understand.

We ran before the downpour to get to the Social Security office, one of the nicest and most efficient offices we have found anywhere. We were even able to arrange for our cards to be sent to the Placencia office for pick up. They said that they would be ready for pick up on Monday... that is very fast service.

The next stop was Dangriga where we went to register for our Voter ID cards which will be ready in early October. We had time for a quick drink at BiBi's and then it was home on the 4:30 bus... arriving at 6:30. We got a lot done in those 12 hours.

You gotta Belize it!!!!

Home At Last.... Finally

2009-08-21T07:51:00.005-06:00

Well, it has been awhile, but we are home at last and we have internet.

Quick rundown of the last little while for us.

On July 15th, Bob's mum passed away peacefully at the age of 95. We were planning to move at the end of the month into Placencia Village, so we packed up our stuff and stored it in the new place and headed to Canada. It was a whirlwind trip for sure. We tried to make the most of it and saw Bob's kids and grandkids, plus most of my family.

We are still in the process of unpacking and getting organized in the new place. We finally got our internet yesterday, which will lead to another posting.

We will be heading back to Belmopan next week with regards to residency, which will lead to yet another posting.

The weather has been a little blustery, but not really that much of the wet stuff considering it is the rainy season.

A special thanks to Deb and Jenny for helping out with our 'accident'.