Bella Goes Local

What a day, what a day, what a day!

It all started when Tom called our friend Obby (rhymes with Hobie) to see where he should go to get a haircut. The island ponytail fantasy had ended, and it was time for Tom to start looking human again. Obby said to come to his house and he would take us to see his barber, "The Turk."

When we arrived we had coffee and talked to Jaime and Alfredo who wanted to go fishing. But first things first. Off to Back Street to the barbershop. (Faithful readers will recall that San Pedro has three streets, Front Street, Back Street, and, not surprisingly, Middle Street.) The Turk is a 19-year-old who goes by the name Steve which is easier to say than his Lebonese name Mestapha. Steve talks non-stop, mostly about hot chicks he would like to, shall we say, go out with, peppered with obscenities and offers to sell real estate. But, man, can he cut hair. I swear, Tom looks fifteen years younger. He still walks like an old man, but he looks good!

Our Friend, Obby

Back to Obby's to make fishing arrangements. Jaime and Alfredo had to go to work, and we wound up going with Obby and his younger brother Carlos who is the bartender at Caramba's on Middle Street where Obby works. It turns out Carlos, aka "Charlie Brown," has been tending bar since he was fourteen when he got his first job at Coconuts and was trained by our friend Margie. Small island!

Off to the south of the island, past the Mayan ruins, to the old fishing hole at the abandoned dock. I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say the fish weren't very interested in eating. After an hour, Carlos had caught one medium-sized snapper, and Tom and Obby were batting zero. We gathered the gear and headed a little further south where those crazy guys waded into the water to cast their lines. (I don't do water, but I am rather good at napping. Enough said.) Nothing. zero, zip. We moved on to a third place and kept fishing when the rain started. Didn't last long.

Carlos caught a medium-sized barracuda, then Obby caught a fish he couldn't name, then Carlos goes nuts reeling in a monster. Uh-oh, Obby starts yelling at Tom to get out of the water when they realized Carlos had just caught a stingray! Whew, that stingray was not happy, and it took some doing to release him. 

By this time, it's getting dark and we head to a huge abandoned dock that had been destroyed by a hurricane. Tom, the Gringo, is getting a little cranky and concerned about falling in the water through the missing boards, when the fishies got hungry. Whoa. It was FISHING TIME! Bait the hook, throw the line in, reel in a red snapper. Sweet! Now it was really dark, but we had a bucketful of fish and it was time to head home.

Neighborhood Kids

We stopped by the house and picked up Shelley who had been happy to stay home following her ordeal the previous day in Belmopan, the capital, and we headed to Obby and Ruby's house. There we had a feast. Talk about local food. Man, we were in the local neighborhood in the local house eating local fish and talking Creole!  Charlie told Tom he had to eat the fish head, but he wouldn't. Something about the eyes, the eyes!

We got home about ten, tired but happy. What a fun time.     (I wish I liked fish.) We're off tonight to the Blue Water Grille for a goodbye dinner with Bart and Mandy. What a contrast that will be.


Y'all come visit. We'll show you the local fishing spots, then go to Carambas. You're gonna love Belize.