Bella Learns to Handle Fame

Dive Shop at Ramon's

News Flash! News Flash! Monday's (February 13th) two-hour episode of "The Bachelor 2012" was filmed in Belize! Check out the beautiful people going to the Mayan ruins and swimming with sharks. Just another day in Paradise!

Thanks for your many questions, faithful readers. It gives me insight into your interests, even though I am painfully aware that many of you, in regard to this blog, show the interest of college sophomores studying for required courses. Nevertheless, allow me to address some pressing concerns:

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. You think your parents can afford all that stuff? Get a clue.

No, Jane, barking does not help fishing, and no, I do not eat the bait. Golly, girl, the sardines were raw. I've tried sushi once, and, I assure you, only once. Also, no one has provided me with sunscreen. I understand there are groups of citizens who care abut things like that.

Construction Worker Points to Tool

As far as fishing lessons go, Shelley has already set appointments for Tom to take people fishing. That strikes me as odd since Tom doesn't even own a fishing pole. Speaking of lack of equipment, I'm reminded of a couple from England who were interested in building a house here. There was no lack of people telling them they could build the house, and, finally, the couple decided to give the job to a particularly enthusiastic young man. Then the man said, "Okay, now I need  some money up front so I can buy a hammer!"

As to your questions regarding my local fame, I have been giving some pawgraphs as well as the occasional high five. We were walking home just yesterday when some folks from Michigan, Tracy and Bob, gave us a ride. Although Bob's job is designing "automated flow" for clients such as Walmart (which paid $158 million to his company last year), his passion is driving his Harley motorcycle.Bob recently went on a bike ride with 154 other riders raising $10,000 to pay for heart surgery for a child in their hometown. 

Tracy insisted that I pose with them. Bob, judging by his embarrassed look, is hoping his biker buddies don't see this!  Thanks for the ride, guys.

Buddy

Here's a shout out to new follower "SJH" from Houston" and Buddy," a new reader from New York City who likes to read my San Pedro adventures from his office. He and his buddies want more information about the diving scene here. I'm trying to comply, but I can't get the darned regulator in my mouth. (And I thought taking a bath was a bummer.) Also, I haven't been able to catch up with our diving buddies Eric and Corrin who were going to tell me more about night dives.

Cloudy day in San Pedro. Awww!

Personals Column: Mandy, the email address you left us didn't go through. Will you give it to us again in a "comment"? Oh, what the heck, here's Shelley's email address: sfay5000@gmail.com. Now everybody knows.

It was a little overcast here today, and the temperature plunged to about 70 degrees. Don't worry, we're fine.



Y'all come visit. We'll give rides to other people on our Harley-like golf carts and wave to my admirers. You're gonna love Belize!

Bella Goes to Town

Having lunch on the beach.

Yesterday was sort of a stay-at-home day, so I was delighted when today we could have lunch on the beach. Great food, wonderful weather, and everybody here speaks English. I don't believe this will ever get old.

Divers preparing to go out.

Many have been asking where to find the best local food on the island. After an exhaustive search, I believe I have found the answer.  I'll let you know. It may just be hype.

I told you previously I would give more details about where to find pizza when you come to visit and get tired of rice and beans. There are numerous locations, but the two best are Pinocchio's and PepperOni's. Pinocchio's has the best thin crust pizza on the island. PepperOni's has the best pizza in the world. I'm serious. We were amazed at how good it is. You'll have to try it.

If you find yourself craving Tex Mex food, you'll want to drive south to Mr. Joe's Grill which has homemade guacamole that will make you think you're in the heart of Texas. I loved the sign I saw on their wall. "Why do they call it tourist season if you can't shoot them?"

 Interesting fact: The first airplane of any kind that landed in San Pedro was flown by John Grief in 1969, and our local airport is named after him. I am still dealing with the fact that I arrived in San Pedro on the "Grief Runway!" Hmmm.


Speaking of airports, thanks to veteran San Pedro visitor Keith S. from Tulsa for this photo of him submitting to a routine TB examination at the Belize Airport. It only takes a few moments and is totally harmless. (Relax, people. It's a joke. It's a joke!)

Now for another installment of "It could only happen to Shelley." Talking to a nice lady yesterday, Shelley found out she was an "Ice Road Trucker" as seen in the reality show on the History Channel. Suzanna's husband left her after a 25 year marriage, and she decided she had to do something to support her kids. So she went to a truck driver's school, left Phoenix, and moved to Alaska where the serious money is. No wonder she's vacationing where it's warm!                

A hearty shout out to Chris Johnson from Branson, Missouri, our newest follower. And thanks to everyone who is reading my blog. I am absolutely delighted with the number of people who are following my adventures in San Pedro. (Yesterday was a record high.) Unfortunately, some of my readers had a core meltdown a few days ago when I used the word b-i-t-c-h. I'll try to remember my audience demographics in the future.

 

Y'all come visit. We'll eat the best pizza in the world and watch the sun go down. You're gonna love Belize!

Bella Works Out

Here's a shout out to Dane, our newest follower. I'm in love with anyone named after a dog!

Faithful viewers have been asking about local sports in San Pedro. I have included the 2012 schedule for the San Pedro Sea Dogs' soccer team. Gotta love that name! Although you may wish to plan your vacation around the games, be aware that the Sea Dogs' "home" games are played in Belize City since our local soccer stadium is not considered to be adequate. Humph!

All faithful followers who own bulldogs (that would be Holly who has my cousin Mickey), please take note of the Sea Dogs' mascot! Personally, bulldogs are a bit too drool-y for my tastes.

Date	Time	Venue	Home	Vs	Away
Feb. 5	4:00PM	Norman Broaster Stadium	Belize Defence Force		SP Seadogs
Feb. 12	3:30PM	MCC Grounds	SP Seadogs		World FC
Feb. 19	4:00PM	MCC Grounds	FC Belize		SP Seadogs
Feb. 26	4:00PM	People’s Stadium	Juventus		SP Seadogs
Mar. 4	4:00PM	People’s Stadium	San Felipe Barcelona		SP Seadogs
Mar. 11	3:30PM	MCC Grounds	SP Seadogs		Belize Defence Force
Mar. 17	7:30PM	Norman Broaster Stadium	World FC		SP Seadogs
Mar. 25	3:30PM	MCC Grounds	SP Seadogs		FC Belize
Apr. 1	3:30PM	MCC Grounds	SP Seadogs		Juventus
Apr. 8	3:30PM	MCC Grounds	SP Seadogs		San Felipe Barcelona

San Pedro Fitness Club Pool

Over-achievers, like you Cross Fit people, this is for you. There are, indeed, workout facilities in San Pedro. The San Pedro Fitness Club, the largest, welcomes visitors. It features tennis (two screened and lighted courts open until 9 pm) and swimming (the island's largest pool complete with lap lanes). And day visitors can also enjoy my favorites: strength machines, free weights, cardiovascular conditioning equipment and a mix of workout accessories such as steps, body bands, fitness balls and BOSU stabilization balls. C'mon, already! "Stabilization balls"? I'm in heaven. 
 

Meet our new friend, Jose, who lives just down the street from us. His home is right on the beach, and there is  a local park and playground in his front yard. Jose's house, a wooden structure about 12' by 12', can be seen right above his head. Jose, in the third grade, is one of the happiest kids we know and can hardly wait to visit us when we move to our new place.


Y'all come visit. We'll swim a few laps, play some tennis, and party 'til we drop. You're gonna love Belize!

Bella Gets Ready to Move--Again

The time is getting short before we move to our new apartment on the beach. Located immediately next to the Belize Yacht Club, it is a spacious two-bedroom, two-bath fronting the coast. We learned yesterday (this is so amazingly cool) that both Madonna and Julia Roberts have stayed there, though not at the same time. Right there. Right in our apartment. How neat is that? 
(Hmmm, I suppose I just might sound as though I'm bragging. Sorry. Hehehehe!)

You can't play golf at neighboring Caye Chapel!

Next, a response to "the Mayor" who said I was begging for comments:  Bella doesn't sit, Bella doesn't roll over, and Bella doesn't beg!  My "entreaties" for comments were solely for the purpose of knowing there is someone out there who is reading my innermost thoughts.

Now, to answer the Mayor's question, Caye Chapel Golf Course is not open to the public. In fact, Caye Chapel Golf Course is closed to everyone. Doors closed. Shut down. Kaput! Personally, I don't play golf--the clubs are too big--but I understand your concerns, Mr. Mayor, for a golf course on the island. So buy property now before Tiger Woods starts building a golf course and land prices go up.

Earlier attempts by Tom baiting hooks.

The fishing trip with a real boat didn't pan out. The projected cost of gasoline kept rising, and soon we were back to abandoned-dock fishing one more time. Tom is a certifiable "queasy person," but he is now able to bait his own hook without noticeable discomfort. 

Tom still doesn't have a clue how to fish: currents, wind conditions, time of day, all goes right over his head, and pure luck is the only chance he has. No luck yesterday, and no fish were caught, at least not by Tom. Trey will be pleased to know that Tom only cut himself once with his giant, and extremely sharp, fishing knife. Also, the flip-flops worked extraordinarily well with the built-in beer bottle opener. Brilliant idea.

Not to worry. Everyone had a great time anyway. Fishing is exhausting work as any fisherman knows, so we tried not to pay attention to Shelley carrying on about how tired she was after she got off work.

In the evening we had a great meal at a friend's house overlooking the lagoon. The menu: chicken breasts stuffed with fresh spinach and cream cheese, white rice, baked eggplant, salad, and plantains. I stayed with the baked chicken, myself, but the others raved about the entire meal. 


Shout out to Kent, David, Amy, and Cheryl, our newest followers. The word is spreading! 


Y'all come visit. We'll fish and eat fantastic meals and talk about golf. You're gonna love Belize.

Bella Goes Croc Wrangling

Shelley started her new job selling crazy expensive condominiums right on the beach in San Pedro. We have a couple of pictures for you, but the details and pricing can be found at www.sandsvillasbelize.com. Shelley can get you a really good deal for just under half a million U.S. dollars--each. Ten of the twenty first-phase units have already been sold!


Heading back to the apartment after a little grocery shopping, we came to the lagoon near our place and saw lots of activity. A film crew from England's "Wild Productions Limited" was recording our local croc wranglers Vince and Cherie Rose. Vince had a chicken tied to a rope trying to lasso a medium-size crocodile who was smart enough to realize that chickens aren't usually delivered to his house. Vince and Cherie capture "problem crocs"--sounds like a redundancy to me--and relocate them to safer locations. Not in my neighborhood!

New friend Anthony Pine

Their newest research volunteer is marine biologist Anthony Pine. Originally from L.A., a graduate of James Cook University in Australia. Anthony clearly loves crocodiles and loves to talk about crocodiles. So if you really want to know, the difference between alligators and crocodiles is mainly in their teeth and snouts, plus only crocodiles can exist in a saltwater environment.You probably already knew that.


  
Faithful follower Marie Seigle sent us a picture of a crocodile ROCK from her home in Costa Rica. Pretty cool, Marie. Do you still miss me?

By the way, I can't believe no one has commented on Tiger Woods' golf course in Belize! I mean, c'mon, that's awesome!


Y'all come visit. San Pedro isn't just pretty beaches and rum punches, you know! One night we'll do a little croc wrangling! You're gonna love Belize!