Bella Looks for Wahoo

Practicing for New Baby Sling

We went out this afternoon for a hot dog (the best in Belize) and a few Belikins at AJ's. (That's "Average Joe's" to you newcomers.) Tom and I were chatting with a couple from Canada, T.J. and his wife Marteen, when Craig and his wife (didn't catch her name) walked in. Craig, also from Canada, is known locally as "the Half Wahoo Guy." T.J., Marteen, and T.J.'s father had all read about Craig--in Canada! 

Craig with Unnamed Wife

It seems that Craig had gone fishing for wahoo a couple of years back with Suya Tours here in San Pedro. He had gone on several fishing expeditions before with the same guide and was beginning to think he, Craig, was the biggest idiot in the world. Whatever he did was wrong according to the fishing guide (who shall remain unnamed). Then, on this particular trip, Craig finally hooked a wahoo--a big deal, I assure you. But by the time he reeled it in, a shark had finished off half of it. Craig was crestfallen, emasculated, broken in spirit, whatever, and the guide was furious!

T.J. and Marteen

Well, guess what? T.J. went fishing with the same guide this week. T.J. thought he, T.J., was an idiot, also, since the guide just kept yelling at him. Tom and I were right there at AJ's to experience male bonding at the highest level. "You mean I'm not the only one?" was their common theme. It was beautiful to see them regain their manhood, no longer to live in shame, disgrace, humiliation, and degradation. Through mutual bonding and blame-casting, they are once again whole.


We're going back to AJ's tonight to hear "Escobar and Small World" play live reggae music. But mostly we're returning because we know we will see, at the bar, the two best buddies forever, "Half Wahoo" and "T.J., the Redeemed," locked arm-in-arm singing Canadian drinking songs. 

T.V. Anchor Indira Craig, Labor Day 2010

Tomorrow is a national holiday in Belize. "Labor Day." Since it falls on a Tuesday, it will probably prompt a nation-wide shutdown through the weekend. May the fiestas begin!

This, just in from the It's-Probably-Too-Late Department: The Travel Channel's sweepstakes prize for the week of April 23rd is a free trip to Belize. Maybe if you act fast, you can be the winner! And nobody says you have to stay in Belize City!

Win a Trip for 2 to Belize

Travel Channel is giving away the trip of a lifetime to Belize. The winner and a guest will be flown to Belize City where they'll spend an amazing 8 days and 7 nights enjoying first-class hotel accommodations. Trip highlights include a full-day excursion to the Lamanai Mayan site, a cave tube and hike through the Belizean rainforest, plus a visit to the Belize Zoo to see some of the country's most exotic animals.

Start Your Next Journey by Winning It!

We're giving away the trip of a lifetime, and the more you know about Travel Channel, the better you'll do. Take our daily multiple-choice quiz, and enter for your chance to win.

Enter your email address to begin:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Legal residents of the 50 United States (D.C.) 21 years or the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry, whichever is greater. Ends 4/30/12. To play and for Official Rules, including odds, and prize descriptions visit http://www.travelchannel.com/sweepstakes. Void where prohibited.

Alessandro Di Nitto was in town last week. "Who?" you may naively ask. Why, he's only the famous Italian documentary film maker (or "EYE-tal-ian," as faithful reader Jarrod prefers to say) and producer of the Italian TV series  "At the Foot of Kilimanjaro." But the real question is, "Why aren't you in San Pedro this week?" 

Now THAT's a wahoo!

Y'all come visit. We'll hook a few wahoo and listen to live reggae music. You're gonna love Belize!

Bella Stays Cool

Yay, Celtics!

Tom and I were up at dawn to watch the Scottish Premier Football League at Jock's house! Celtics SMASH the Rangers 3-0! Take that, evil Rangers. At the mid-game break, we had a traditional English (not Scottish) breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, and baked beans on toast. Game over at 7:45am. Back home to bed! By the way, I got to meet Jock's dog Heinrich named after Heinrich Schmidtgal, a midfielder for the Celtics. Thank the Lord I wasn't named after a soccer player. 

It's cool being me!

Me, being even cooler.

This afternoon Tom and I wandered down to Ramon's Resort, about 200 yards away, to go swimming--in the Caribbean--again. Water temperature about 81 degrees. Perfect! Then, later, Shelley, Tom, and I went walking down the beach. (That's a big deal: Shelley is outside walking! Yay.) And this is me being adorable on the beach.

Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Belize

If you want to come to Belize and experience scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking, and manatee watches, or do inland adventures like exploring the Maya sites, caving, tubing, birding, or walking the rainforest trails, then Hugh Parkey's Belize Adventures is the place to check out. And the guys you want to talk to our my buddies Jerome and Patrick. These guys will help you make memories that won't fade over a lifetime. (Okay, Jerome, I told you I'd get you in the blog.) Their dive center is located at the beachfront in front of the SunBreeze Hotel in the heart of San Pedro Town. They'll help you arrange your activities, all the way from a one-day diving trip to staying on their private 186 acre island and doing the whole deal. Check them out at www.belizeadventurelodge.com/lodge.html.

I saw a sign over at the local clinic's pharmacy the other day I thought you would enjoy :

  

"As of today, April 16th, all patients are requested to bring their own bottles for liquid medication. Thank you."

And additional thanks to alert reader Jane K. from Missouri, who pointed out that the water activity I referred to in an earlier post is more appropriately known as "parasailing," not "that parachute thingy."
 

Y'all come visit. You can get a cold drink on the beach and hang out with my new beach friend "Sandy." Just be sure to bring your own bottle! You're gonna love Belize.

Bella Overcomes the Storm Troopers

We experienced an unexpected treat yesterday after we put Shelley on the plane to Belize City for a checkup. Take the first road to the right past Maya Island Air, and you'll come across a tiny outdoor restaurant called "Neri's." You might call it a hole-in-the-wall if there were a wall, or part of the food court if there were a court, but that doesn't diminish the quality and taste of the food. 

Neri's Food Emporium

Our friend Angie, Tom, and I had breakfast tacos (both chicken and pork) and crispy fry jack stuffed with beans and cheese. Usually fry jack has the consistency of bread, but the crispy fry jack is fried until it's, uh, crispy. And it's delicious. As a local Belizean friend says, "Tanks! Ah gwein go try dat rite now.Tanx again!" (Seriously, they talk like that!) By the way, the plural of fry jack is fry jack. You can have a stack of fry jack if you want.


Shelley's checkup went very well. She no longer needs to wear the arm sling and shoulder brace and now only takes Tylenol instead of the heavy-duty stuff she was taking. 

So where did Tom and I go last night, now that we can leave Shelley unattended for a few hours? Why, the Star Wars Party at Pedro's Inn, of course. Gino and the Shack Shakers were in fine live music form, and the crowd of tourists dressed for the occasion. 

 Uh, yes, that is Tom on the right even though he is cleverly disguised as "Storm Trooper Captain Rex." Our friend Ritchie on the left (from Ireland, as if you couldn't tell) went as nothing special--as usual. Excellent, Ritchie. 

Sir Richard

I overheard Pedro's manager Cindy complaining, "I'm not a storm trooper. I'm a Rebel Warrior!" A common mistake, my dear, I assure you.
 

Darth Vader

Tomorrow morning, 5am Belize time, we meet at Jock McPake's house to watch the Celtic/Rangers football contest broadcast live from Scotland. These two Glasgow giants dominate Scottish football and seem to exist simply to antagonize the other. The Celtics have been around since 1888 and will win. The other team won't, and anybody who says otherwise is crazy. And lest you think watching U.K. football in Belize is a bit bizarre, please remember, Belize was formerly known as British Honduras.

As you may already know, the Belize National Agriculture and Trade Show 2012 begins April 27th and runs for three days. A reporter from the mainland gives this advice: 

"Everyone is excited about the National Agriculture & Trade Show for this year. With the alarming increase in crime rate, there is a lot that worries me.  As a concerned citizen of this beautiful country, I would like to leave you with a list of 10 things you should avoid when being at the National Agriculture & Trade Show."

(And the number 1 reason is . . .)

"1. Don't drink and pass out anywhere -- you might just get robbed from your belongings without even knowing."

How true, how true.

 

Y'all come visit. We'll make Star Wars costumes out of cardboard boxes and eat fry jack at Neri's You're gonna love Belize!

Bella Supports the Arts

Kirt Cruz with another aspiring artist

When you arrive in San Pedro, take a few minutes to visit with 33-year-old Kirt Cruz, a very talented and inspirational local artist. Doctors told him he would never be able to walk again. But after four months, he was able to stand with the aid of a walker. Although he spends much of his time in a wheelchair, he can presently get around with the use of a crutch.

"Toucan" by Kirt Cruz

Unable to use his right hand after a horrendous knife attack, Kirt began painting again with his left hand. Today, he sells his paintings from his shop located behind Micky’s Restaurant. He told us, “In my heart, I believe you shouldn’t give up. Never give up. Always be strong and have faith.”

I met the nicest lady today. I went to get my hair done at Dr. Laurie Droke’s San Pedro Animal Hospital not expecting that I would see Dr. Laurie herself. She is the only full-time licensed resident veterinarian on Ambergris Caye. Although I was only there for grooming, she checked me for fleas and ticks (I had none, thank you very much) and some other matters I won’t mention for decency’s sake, and gave me a new pink bow!

Gorgeous Again

Thank you, Dr. Laurie, and all the nice folks  who work there. Once again, I look beautiful! Ah, it’s so good to get back to a shorter hair-do. I feel like I’m 14 ounces lighter! You can read more about Dr. Laurie at www.sanpedroanimalhospital.com.

"Lucky"

Apparently today was inter-species visiting day at our house. Our friend Angie left her CAT with Tom and me while she went out with Shelley. I don’t particularly like cats, but I had no say in the matter. This big boy outweighed me by a good 7 or 8 pounds and had those razor-like claws he wasn’t afraid to unsheathe. He thought it was really fun to lie on my special set of pillows in the living room and had no hesitation about eating my food. Felines. Who needs ‘em?

From the Things-You-Didn’t-Think-to-Ask Department: Coconut water is the liquid found inside a coconut. Coconut milk is made by boiling the white coconut “meat” with water and straining it . Boil this down further and you get coconut cream.  There, that clears that up.

Y’all come visit. We’ll get our hair done, drink some coconut water, and visit with local artists. You’re gonna love Belize!

Bella Prepares for Lobsterfest

Looking for coconuts

Shelley was able to get out of the house for about five hours today. (This is her best day in weeks and weeks.) She wanted to get her hair and nails done, but things don't always work out as planned in San Pedro, so she ran errands with a friend and ran around in a golf cart and did lots of other things she hasn't been able to do for a long time. Now she's exhausted, but that was expected.


Well, her getting out freed me up a little as well, so I was able to go for a really long walk. I don't know why I was feeling so social--I'm usually not--but I had a great time visiting with tourists allowing them to adore me for longer than usual. I walked on the dock, I walked on the beach, I ran, I frolicked. I looked for coconuts. Actually, it was all pretty exhausting for me as well.

Miss Lisa

As we were headed back home, Tom and I happened to see Island Academy teacher Lisa Anderson (with a cast on the arm she broke after she fell off her bicycle about a month ago) handing a ball somewhat larger than a softball but smaller than a volleyball to a student named Kaylie (phonetic). 

Let me make this very clear from the outset. We were only passing by the  Academy and stopped for a very few minutes, so this is not exactly reporting in the strictest sense. However, what we observed was pretty amazing. With the tape measure stretched out, Kaylie threw that same ball 103 feet, 10 inches, besting the record set by fellow student Paul by 3'10". That's right, Paul, your record was shredded! Way to go, KAYLIE!

When you're doing your research on Ambergris Caye and San Pedro, be sure to go to www.belizeforum.com/belize
and www.belizespot.com. Both are excellent sources of information, and they're fun, too!

Lobster Costume Prototyp

I'm not saying you should ignore me, of course. I'm always chock full of information. So put this on your calendar, bucko! The 2012 Lobsterfest begins Friday, June 15th and ends with the traditional Block Party on Saturday, June 23rd. That's nine days of everything lobster you can think of. Lobster pub crawl. Lobster pizza. Pin the tail on the lobster. Grill your own lobster. Lobsterfest King and Queen Pageant. It's Carnival, good eating, and high cholesterol, all rolled into one. I'm already working on my lobster costume. You can't start too early.



Of course, you don't have to wait until June to come to San Pedro. Here's a picture Tom took this afternoon of  "Catching Dreams" pulling up to our dock. Owned by Unique Dive Adventures on Turtle Street, the number of divers on the boat is never more than eight so the staff can concentrate on the needs of their guests. That sounds like a pretty good business model to me. (Maybe not to Walmart.)


Y'all come visit. Now is good, and so is June. Whenever is a good time to catch some dreams here. You're gonna love Belize!

Bella Hunts Down Grammar Errors

Grammar Patrol

As you may know, I have been reared in a home with English majors and teachers and otherwise picky people. I am understandably on the lookout for grammatical errors, intent on correcting them whenever possible. I have been known to bark incessantly at in-store signs such as the one below.

Hence, I'm sure you will share my dismay when you are made aware of the following map of Ambergris Caye presently being advertised on the Internet:

 "Ambergris Cay on Sale. The Ambergris Cay is high quality product. 100% best and lowest price guarateed. You can buy Ambergris Cay Best Price. Buy Now! Save with Free Shipping!"

Hmm. Did you guys mean Ambergris Caye? One might question the quality of a map that misspells the name of the location itself! Hmm. By the way, even though the lowest price is "guarateed," Amazon.com's price for a used copy is $104 USD. Better grab one fast, or just use the free map in The San Pedro Sun.

Here's a shout out to all the folks coming to our island tomorrow for the Belize Tourism Expo! For the next three days, we're going to be entertaining a whole bunch of folks from all over the world including the international press. Thanks to the Princess Hotel for providing space for almost 50 local suppliers. Then there's a "Caribbean Night" party followed by three days of tours throughout Belize. Makes you want to be a travel agent, doesn't it!  Howdy, y'all! Look for a little white dog on the beach. That would be me!

You da man, Rowan!

Have you been feeling just a little bit sorry for yourself recently? Oh, c'mon. Tell the truth. Well, knock it off! Go to www.walkacrossbelize.blogspot.com to read about Rowan Garel, a 13 year old who was born without the ability to see. Rowan and his Dad are going to walk across Belize beginning July 12th with the goal of raising over $100,000 BZ for the Belize Council for the Visually Impaired. Harry (as in "His Royal Highness") took special interest in Rowan during his March visit when he learned Rowan was the youngest child to climb Belize's Victoria Peak, Belize's second highest mountain at 3,675 feet!

If you weren't in San Pedro today, you missed out on Tequila Night at El Divino's, Sushi Night at Blue Water Grill, and the wine social at Wine De Vine, not to mention diving, snorkeling, and going to the Belize Red Cross emergency planning session at the Lion's Den. Better get here quick, guys. Rather than leaving the house, we grammarians just fixed a light supper of smoked salmon, brie, white cheddar cheese, and hummus with roasted red peppers on Carr's water crackers. Yum. 

View from the Dock

Y'all come visit. We'll go on long walks hunting for grammar mistakes, then have lunch on the dock.  You're gonna love Belize!

Bella Recommends Barracuda

Faithful readers will recall that yesterday the stingrays came to visit us. Well, today was barracuda day! Two of these bad boys didn't exactly drop in. Each barracuda was about 2 1/2 feet long and they were caught and brought to our dock to be cut up into fillets. Tom and I got front row seats with about seven other gawkers, mostly locals, to watch the fish cutting.

Our Front Yard

Eat barracuda? Ewww, you're thinking? Well, okay, there is that tiny little problem about maybe contracting ciguatera, but, hey, that could happen anywhere, right? When you weigh out the risk of experiencing polymorphic syndrome with gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neurological signs and symptoms, hypertension, and bradycardia versus inviting all your buddies to come over for some barracuda. Which would you vote for?

Barracuda Watcher

Barracuda is, shall we say, a "strong fish" like tuna or salmon. Here's a fast, down 'n dirty recipe for those barracuda fillets you're now itching to run out and purchase for this weekend's cookout:

Heat oil in large fry pan and cook the barracuda fillets sprinkled with lime juice and any herbs available, the more the merrier. Turn once. Don't over-cook, just until the fish flakes with a fork. Serve with rice and Belikin beer. And say "yarrr" a lot!

Yeah, it really is that color!

Speaking of "bad boys," we went with a friend to the police station, then to see the court clerk and social services team members, after a particularly unpleasant experience of domestic violence. I won't go into any details, but suffice it to say that this kind of antisocial behavior can happen anywhere. I'm very glad to say that the police and court system here isn't taking it lightly, and we were very pleased with the professionalism exhibited. Tomorrow we go to court and pray that will be the end of that!  

Savvy Traveler Alert: FoxNews.com puts Belize in it's top ten budget travel destinations. They recommend late May as the best time to visit:

High season is dry season in Belize, roughly February to April. (While the country is hot and humid year-round, northern areas stay much drier than their southern counterparts.) Arrive in late May to find beach-ready weather, early-shoulder-season discounts, and thinning crowds."

[If you didn't already know, "shoulder season" is savvy traveler talk for the time of year, depending on the locale, that's right in-between the high season and the low season. And that's when you can find some great hotel and airfare deals.]

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2011/11/27/top-budget-travel-destinations-for-2012/#ixzz1sv7Br9pB

Y'all come visit. We'll fry up a batch of barracuda, have a beach picnic, and say "yarrr" a lot. You're gonna love Belize!

Bella Has an "Irie" Experience

Food Critic Extraordinaire

There are a lot of restaurants on this tiny island. You can get wonderful Belizean food (of course), but you can also select American, Chinese, Cantonese, Italian, and Thai. And one more: A special treat in the form of authentic Jamaican food can be found at Jambel's Jerk Pit at the Xaman Ek Resort about five or six miles north of town.

Jam Mi Crazy Shrimp

We had seen signs advertising the "Irie Experience," but had to look it up. It means, in Jamaican slang, "powerful and pleasing, excellent,  the state of feeling great." And that sums up what Fitzgerald Jones sends out of his kitchen. (Great Jamaican name, huh?) You can try the jerk chicken, curry goat, coconut curry, chicken Jamaican style, or their sweet and sour jerked pork chops which are to die for! But for an out-of-this-world Jamaican experience, try the Jam Mi Crazy Shrimp! I don't know why the name is limited to shrimp, because there are two other meats in this wonderful concoction: grilled lobster with a spicy garlic jerk butter sauce and chicken, marinated in jerk spice from Jamaica and cooked tender, “off the bone.”

If you don't want to take the 15 minute boat ride to Jambel's Jerk Pit, you can try two other places in town, each of which is also called Jambel's. But beware! You can pretty much guess that when the sign says "Eat to yu belly bus!" that the quality may possibly not be of the highest order. You decide.

From the Frivolous But Fun Department: There are only six traffic lights in the entire nation of Belize. Three in Belize City and three in Orange Walk Town.

Our Front Yard!

And, also, "Just Fun": We had three sting rays swimming in front of the house this afternoon. They would swoop up to the very edge of the beach, then glide around in search of food like those robot vacuum cleaners you see on TV.

I got really close.

I got very close to them. Even though they are actually quite gentle (the locals call them "the birds of the sea"), Tom yelled at me to stay back. Dang it! Talk about "no fun"! Hmmph.

I discovered a wonderful article about Belize on the website TravelExperta.com. Marina Villatoro shares her list of 7 Must Do Activities to Do in Belize. You can read it here:  www.TravelExperta.com/2012/02/what-to-do-in-belize.html. She loved Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker. 

Y'all come visit. You can eat 'til yu belly bus', then write your own list of favorite activities. You're gonna love Belize!

Garifuna Collective

Today's big deal, and we have quite a few big deals for a little island, is Garifuna Collective's free concert at Sundiver Beach Resort with special guests Aurelio Martinez from Honduras and Danny Michel, a gifted guitarist from Ontario, Canada. A very big deal indeed.  

Danny Michel

The "Garifuna," pronounced guh-RIFF-i-na, are descendants of Carib, Arawak, and West African people who live primarily in Central America along the Caribbean coast in Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Honduras. The musical group "Garifuna Collective," famous in the World Music genre, perform much of their work in the Garifuna language. 

Aurelio Martinez

Tons of San Pedranos are getting on water taxis and heading north about 4 1/2 miles to catch the concert. Knowing these folks, the party will last way past 11pm. 

The healing properties of hair bleach!

Yours truly is, sadly, not going to the concert since Tom and I are still on medical watch. (Faithful readers recall that Shelley took a bad fall injuring her shoulder and hand.) The good news for us, however, is a little known advance in medical science. It seems that Shelley felt good enough today, her birthday, to have her hair done, and it turns out that bleach has some kind of miraculous effect on broken bones as well as total well-being. 

She was gone for hours with her friend Lisa after the hair appointment enjoying lunch at Caramba's. Grilled shrimp, baked potato, salad, the usual. Then, on her return home, Shelley stopped at Wine De Vine, a local gourmet food provider, for their famous chili/chocolate confection. (No wine!) She went to bed at 8:30 this evening, but no screams of pain.  

A Bit of Travel Advice: If you are looking for cheap(er) flights to Belize, consider flying to Cancun or Mexico City rather than a direct flight from Houston. "Mr.B266" posted (on Trip Advisor, U.K.) the following suggestion to some of his pals:

"The cheapest flights might be to Cancun, so include Mexico in your plans. From Cancun, go to Playa del Carmen and Tulum. There are some Mayan ruins in the region if you're interested.

Then go to Belize (Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker) for sun, sea, sand, and snorkeling). Head inland to San Ignacio for rain forest adventures (ziplining, caving) and more Mayan ruins."

Here's a shout out to Christine Norton, a representative of UNICEF, who is presently on the Island talking to new mayor Danny Guerreo about improving conditions for children including education,health, and "life chances." I'm for whatever it takes.

This picture just in from Elbert on the Amergris Caye.com forum. It's a male Loggerhead sea turtle with a five foot shell, approximately 350 pounds, and more than likely older than 50 years, photographed near Sandy Point. Just beautiful. What a great place to live, huh?

Y'all come visit. We'll get our hair done and listen to world music and do some turtle watching. You're gonna love Belize!

Bella Peruses the "Post"

This morning I was perusing "The Huffington Post," and what to my wondering eye should I see posted at 7am  but an article by Lisa McElroy about the vacation of her life--in Belize.  (Lisa is an Associate Professor of Law at Philadelphia's Drexel University Earle Mack School of Law.)

Las Terrazas

The majority of her adventure, booked for her through an outfit called "United Vacations," was spent right here on Ambergris Caye where she stayed at Las Terrazas and went SCUBA diving with the crew at White Sands Dive Shop. I'm assuming she had a few bucks to work with since she also stayed at Francis Ford Coppola's Turtle Inn and "The Lodge at Chaa Creek," a luxury eco-ranch in the middle of the Belize jungle where Prince Harry stayed. They ain't cheap!

Here are some dive sites, courtesy of White Sands Dive Shop, to get your juices going!

Read about Lisa's trip at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-mcelroy/taking-the-plunge-a-scuba_b_1437926.html#s886096. It will make you want to come visit, too. I promise!

Then, this afternoon, Shelley was watching HGTV and saw her friend, Sienna, a jewelry designer from Calgary, Canada, on an episode where she purchased her condo here on the Island. She bought a wonderful two-bedroom right on the water about a mile from where we live. Ambergris Caye is getting famous-er and famous-er! Faithful and alert readers, please let me know if you come across any Ambergris Caye/San Pedro news items. I don't want to miss anything

By the way, I heard howls of protests when I referred to Mandy as Mindy. Sorry about that, Mandy! Give my regards to Bert, I mean Bart. And a shout out to all my readers: We've had over 5,000 page views!

Critter spotted while I was on Guard Duty

From the "It's Not All Luxury Here, Folks" Department: Yesterday was the first day of "mosquito season" which lasts, we're told, for three weeks. "Fly season" doesn't start until August. The iquanas are pretty much an all-year-long phenomenon.

The good barge "Sea Witch."

And this: I was right on time when the daily barge, "The Sea Witch," docked. I try to report it all--the good, the bad, the fabulous, the ugly. This is "the ugly."

Y'all come visit. We'll dive all the good spots or maybe just hang out on the Sea Witch. Either way, we'll have a blast. You're gonna love Belize!