Bella Fights the Lions

Tom has been getting braver on his bicycle and has now ventured north of the bridge! Ay yi yi! North of the bridge! We're talking miles here. Of course, to get north of the bridge, you have to actually cross the bridge, and that took some doing.

Right about HERE!

First, there was the matter of the toll. It's silly enough to have to pay a toll to drive a golf cart across, but do you really have to pay if you're on a bicycle? The answer is yes, but it was only $2 Belizean round trip, so Tom decided that was no big deal. No, the big deal occurred when the bike chain broke as he was trying to pedal his way up the incline.

Our Man Henry

And that's how we happened to meet Henry.  It would appear that Tom is not the only one who breaks bike chains while straining over the rise, since the nearest bicycle repair shop was only about two blocks back to the south. Henry replaced the broken link in about five minutes and, in the meantime, readily agreed to pose for a picture. He told us he has already been in several magazines and news articles and I guess you can see why. (At first, I was going to tell you this was a picture of Tom after riding around a lot on his new bike, but I figured you'd never buy that.)

The Palapa Bar

So off we headed to the Palapa Bar and beyond. The Palapa has three levels. The upper tier is the main bar and restaurant where the food is great and the atmosphere is lively. The middle tier is primarily an entrance and service area. And the lower tier is the Caribbean itself. It is here that happy patrons float in inner tubes and imbibe from bottles of beer which are lowered in buckets by rope! The water is shallow enough to stand in and there have been no water accidents to date. It's a great place to go, and Bella gives it the coveted four-claw award.


Past the Palapa Bar, you go by a chihuahua crossing. It is of no particular significance, other than to say I don't understand why I don't have my own sign. If I do get my own sign, I want to pose with a better hat. We didn't go much further than here when Tom realized that he was going to have to go back in order to get home again, so we turned around.

And now we turn our attention to a much greater problem in the San Pedro area, the matter of lionfish. First, let me say that lionfish are beautiful. They puff their lacy fins and spines way out in an array of color and grace just before they release their deady venom. Yikes! The lionfish, mistakenly released into the Atlantic in the 1990's, have spread to the Caribbean and are in the process of killing anything and everything aquatic in their path. A totally invasive species, they will eat all of our marine life unless they are checked. (Having been put on a severely restricted diet myself, I appreciate their tenacity. When I say I could eat a cow, I'm not kidding. But at least I'm not being charged with ruining an entire ecosystem.)

So what's to be done with these critters? Groups of concerned fishermen, tourism board members, and hotel owners have begun the fight to eradicate these bad boys from our part of the Caribbean. Unfortunately,  one of the better suggestions to come out of the discussions so far, seems to be, "Eat More Lionfish!" (I do not make these things up.) The idea seems to be, if we can get the tourists to chow down on these guys, there will be less of them. If my faithful readers have any better suggestions, please let me know. And hurry. 

Bella on Lionfish Watch

Well, it's certainly not all doom and gloom here. Shelley continues to improve, there are still lots of "Big Burritos" at Micky's, and the sports fishing boats are still filled with tourists. I'm confident that La Isla Bonita will continue to be one of the most beautiful places in the world--unless we wind up with a chain of Lionfish Burger restaurants.

Y'all come visit. We'll down a few buckets of beer as we float in the water and come up with emergency eradication plans. You're gonna love Belize!

Bella Checks Out Bill Gates' Yacht

The "Sea Dream"

Jane and Tom and I walked over to Hotel Corona Del Mar to visit with Marjorie who has been the bartender at Coconuts (now owned by Corona) for over 25 years. We began talking with a couple who had just arrived from Providence Island, an island off the coast of Rhode Island, on their boat, the "Havs Dröm,"  Swedish for Sea Dream. The lady, Ann Marie (rhymes with John Marie) told us they had begun their trip to Belize on November 1st. I don't know how long it takes to sail from Rhode Island to Belize, but that seems to be a pretty long time to me. I noticed they weren't talking to each other very much. 

The "Sea Symphony"

A little later, Tom and I walked over to check out the "Sea Symphony," a really cool houseboat/party boat used by the good folks at Discovery Expeditions to take people out partying, snorkeling, diving, and snuba-ing. "Snuba" is right there between snorkeling and scuba diving. The air tanks are kept on board, and the guests can dive down to 20 feet without having a lot of equipment on their backs. Very, very cool.


One of the guides, Juan, told us they were just cleaning up from a party the night before with 40 people on board enjoying their high school reunion. Later, we looked in the Discovery Expeditions brochure and saw that the Sea Symphony has "seating for 18-22 people." Hmmm. Juan said they were out until one in the morning, so I guess everyone had fun. Check out that party area on the upper deck!

The "Attessa IV"

About 20 minutes later, we were talking to one of the guys at Belize Yacht Club. He pointed out to sea where we saw Bill Gates' super yacht, the Attessa IV, anchored just off the reef in front of our house. (Two years ago, a huge yacht anchored ON the reef causing damage to the coral. A stiff fine was levied for that infraction.) 330 feet long,  Attessa IV is the 23rd largest private yacht in the world, and has an estimated price tag of over $250 million. (I've checked into having our class reunion this year on the Attessa, but Bill hasn't gotten back with us yet.) You should see that yacht lit up at night. It is very, very impressive. And, yes, that is a helicopter on the stern. That cost extra.

Bill and Melinda's Living Room

You may care to add this interior picture of the yacht, shamelessly copied from CharterWorld.com, to your dream list. But you really just have to come to San Pedro to live the dream. It seems as though everybody does, sooner or later!

Shelley and Jane fly, not by helicopter, to Belize City tomorrow morning so Shelley can have more x-rays taken at the clinic there and see the orthopedic surgeon. Oh, yes, and refill a few prescriptions. Tom and I will probably nap, play "catch-up", and revel in our solitude.

By the way, some of you have been grousing that "Bella in Belize" is not always posted precisely at the same time each day. Hey, folks, this is serious research, not some kind of cookie-cutter hack job. Ease up a little!

From the No-Political-Correctness-Here Department:  
We were talking to a lovely friend on the island who had just gotten back from a visit to Immigration. (Personally, I am up to date on all my shots and don't have to make these monthly visa-extensions treks.) She arrived at the office at 11:45am and was told she would have to come back since they were closed. Pointing at the sign on the wall, she said, "But you don't close until noon for lunch. Are you really going to make me walk back home, then come back here again?" The Immigration Officer replied, "I said leave now, lady. Besides, you could stand to walk some more. Maybe you'll lose a few pounds." Our friend, quite thin and elegant-looking, was furious. To make things worse, when her husband called the Central Office in Belize City to complain about the way she was treated, he was asked, "Well, is she heavy?" My, my, my, my, my!

Watching for Bill Gates

Y'all come visit. We'll keep our eyes out for the rich and famous, and maybe keep an eye out on our figures. We wouldn't want to get fat and have to walk it off, would we? You're gonna love Belize!

Bella Celebrates Easter

After-Dinner Nap

Easter dinner yesterday afternoon was a big hit. Four ladies and I enjoyed giggly talk for several hours as Tom politely cringed on the periphery. Jane's colored Easter eggs graced the table, and the menu of chicken tacos, freshly made salsa, and cucumber salad was delightful. Dessert was cookies with fresh pineapple. Mmmm.

Party at the Park

Later that evening, Tom and I went out to do "research" and to let his testosterone recharge. The first stop was the park downtown where lots of people were gathered for more Easter-time celebration. This was, by no means, a family gathering. Young people wandered around carrying bottles of rum and vodka, and the DJ was announcing a "shots contest." And yes, there was another punta contest. 

Immediately north of the park are the Catholic Church and "Big Daddy's Lounge." The evening Easter Mass was in progress, and the celebrants had to contend with Big Daddy's obscenely-huge outdoor speakers booming out rap music. It was strangely symbolic of the profane and the sublime.  

We moved further north to the beach overlooking "Wet Willy's" where the most highly-publicized activity was going on. I wasn't about to pay twenty bucks for the privilege of going inside, and neither was Tom, and, besides, the music was so loud that you could hear it clearly from the beachfront. And that's where the families were gathered. Lots and lots of children played in the water as their parents listened to the music and enjoyed their own refreshments.

The "original" OctoMassager

After a while, we cut back to Pedro's Inn to check out the swap meet. The idea is to bring an item or items to a designated spot [Pedro's]. Then you can take anything you want out of the stack of goodies at no charge. It appeared to be a huge success--if giving away items can technically be "successful." My personal favorite was an original OctoMassager, a battery-operated scalp massager that really works. I know, because I tried it. It's tingly!



I've been meaning to show you a picture of one of my favorite signs in San Pedro. I think "Warpaint Beauty Supply" captures the essence of makeup in just a few words. The missing "I" makes it "Warpant," but that's okay, too!

Wet Willy's at Dusk

Y'all come visit. We'll tingle our scalps, throw on some warpaint, and head out for some serious fun. You're gonna love Belize!

Bella Meets the Easter Bunny

 Praise the Lord that Jesus rose from the dead 

and provided us with eternal life.

All of us here wish you a blessed Easter!

San Pedro shut down on Good Friday. By order of the mayor, no alcohol could be served publicly, and, consequently, many of the restaurants and all of the bars were closed. 

Dancing in the streets.

On Saturday the bans were lifted, and the people were ready to celebrate. And today, Easter Sunday, we will be celebrating even more--with the traditional bikini contest, punta contest, beer drinking contest, and volleyball on the beach. (I will not try to explain "punta" except to say if you saw your child dancing like that, you would slap him or her on the head!) And don't forget the pancake breakfast at the Lion's Club today. They say the Easter Bunny will be there.    

Easter Bunny on Beer Break

I don't know about the Lion's Club, but the Easter Bunny definitely visited us last night. I woke up to a lovely basket of dyed eggs which will be used, no doubt, as part of our lunch after church today. Jane, Tom, Shelley, Karen, LaDonna, and I will also enjoy the traditional Easter tacos and other goodies. I can hardly wait--I do love to eat. Afterwards we're going to Crazy Canucks! It's on the beach very close to the house, and, just maybe, Shelley will try to walk over there with us.

Medical Update: Shelley has slept through the night (once) and removed the seeds from a slice of watermelon by herself. Progress.

No problemo!

For those who have shown concern, please be assured that I am adapting to my new home in Central America quite nicely. I am no longer freaked out by large quantities of sand and seawater, and I'm beginning to deal with the paucity of green grass. (Whatever! Look it up!) As you can see, I'm getting closer and closer to the Caribbean every day.

Y'all come visit. We can dance, eat pancakes, play volleyball, and look for recipes for leftover Easter eggs. You're gonna love Belize!

Bella Looks for Whale Sharks

It's hot here today--about 90 degrees. It sure doesn't seem like April. As I mentioned previously, a lot of offices and shops are closing for the Easter holidays, but that doesn't mean that there is no activity in San Pedro. 

"The National," the English newspaper in the United Arab Emirates, has just voted Belize as the number two destination in the world for snorkeling. (And let me tell you, those guys, sitting in the desert, research snorkeling sites like crazy.) At first I wasn't going to tell you the number one place, but I knew you'd bug me if I didn't, so here are the others in the top five:  #1,the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, #3, the Republic of Palau, #4, Nigaloo, Australia, and, #5 , Koh Tao, Thailand. Since Belize is only a 2 1/2 hour flight from Houston, Texas, you decide where you want to go! Besides, everyone speaks English here! Check out more information at  http://www.travelbelize.org/things-to-do/reef-beach-2/snorkeling.

Shelley snorkeling "before the fall."  *

Our backyard neighbors, Belize Diving Adventures, take snorkeling tours to Hol Chan, Belize’s first marine reserve, almost every day. The reserve, located only fifteen minutes south of Ambergris Caye, is home to  tropical fish, nurse sharks, moray eels, and stingrays as well as the beautiful coral.  After touring the reserve, you are taken to Shark Ray Alley where you can snorkel with the guides and play with the nurse sharks and southern stingrays. (Or, if you prefer, you can snorkel with the sharks and stingrays and play with the guides.) All this for $25 US. What a deal!

For those (very) few of you who were upset when I reported the shark fishing ban in Belize, let me help you get un-upset. (Dis-upset?) The annual whale shark season has just begun in Belize. Lest you're tempted to say, "Who cares?" you should know that the largest recorded whale shark is 41.5 feet long weighing 79,000 pounds. (You should have seen the scale!) That makes whale sharks the world's largest fish and the largest living animal. 

I'm told that whale sharks are peaceful and allow divers to touch them during their annual stopover in Belize, but I do not personally endorse touching anything that big. Only a handful of other places in the world, including Madagascar, South Africa, Australia, Mozambique, Indonesia, and the Yucatan host these annual whale shark feeding seasons. 

And besides, you shark-fishing wannabees, who really wants to catch a 79,000 pound fish?

Seadogs on the Attack

Seadog Alert: On Saturday, March 24, the visiting San Pedro Seadogs defeated World FC by the score of 3-2 at the Norman Broaster Stadium in San Ignacio Town. Ooh, I just love winning dog teams!

 

Y'all come visit. We'll snorkel at Hol Chan, then watch for whale sharks. You can't do that in Schenectady. You're gonna love Belize!





* Disclosure: Sometimes I utilize stunt doubles in these depictions.

Bella Likes Roadkill

In the "Let's-Get-This-Over-Once-And-For-All" Department: I have received one too many skeptic comments about my ability to write a blog, and I would like to clear it up now. For your information, I don't type; I dictate. Enough said. Get a life.


Medical Alert: Shelley is doing better. The blood-curdling screams of pain are less curdled, and Tom, Jane, and I actually left her alone for a couple of hours this morning. But don't stop praying for her. Thanks.

Happy "Roadkill" Patrons

Well, it's true: Roadkill Bar is the place to be on Wednesday nights in San Pedro. It's loud and funny and the karaoke borders on "awful." In other words, you shouldn't miss it. Even Wade the Gringo got in on the act singing his oft-repeated version of "I'm too Sexy for My Shirt." Tom has been mindlessly humming "Secret Agent Man" all day today to the irritation of everyone.

"Up Close and Incredibly Loud"

Karaoke Night coincided with "Drummer Dan's" birthday. He said he was afraid to blow out the candles on the cake due to the amount of rum therein. Pam, aka the Cookie Lady, said dogs weren't supposed to eat rum cake, but thankfully she was booed down.

Posers

Today, April 5, is BECKY'S birthday! (She is the cute one of the threesome to the left, the champion group huggers of the evening--hugging both animate and inanimate objects alike.) When Becky promised to read my blog, I promised to feature her. (I know, I know. I'm shameless.) Happy Birthday, Becky!

Well, it's almost Easter weekend, and San Pedro is beginning to shut down until the following Tuesday. Shops, public offices, schools, even public utility services, began closing at noon today. Many of the local residents return to their hometowns to be with family leaving us ex-pats wondering where we will be able to purchase bottled water and other necessities. Grandma Jane thoughtfully brought Easter egg dye, but I haven't had the heart to tell her that all the eggs here are brown. I wonder what they're going to look like? Fear not. There are worse places to be. Much worse! 

Y'all come visit. We'll sing loud songs way out of tune and dye Easter eggs and group hug. You're gonna love Belize!

Bella Takes Advantage

Jane and me and the Caribbean.

Hey, when Grandma's in town, you get what you can, right? Shelley's sister, Jane, thought she came here to help Shelley in her hour of need and give Tom some much needed relief from his nursing duties, but, actually, I'm the one who is getting most of the attention. She walks me, brings me treats out of her endless supply of goodies, and scratches me where I itch. Everybody should have someone who treats them like that.
 
And just when Tom thought everything was going to be better, the unthinkable happened. He was out and about on his Hurricane Bike running some errands when a golf cart passed him on the left and ran over his little toe. (Buying anything named "hurricane" in this part of the world was his first mistake.) You guessed it: There was absolutely no sympathy from the home front where the more seriously ill are lying. So now Tom is grumping around making indistinct muttering noises. (Oh, wait, he does that anyway.)

Actually, all of us have been taking advantage of Jane's largesse. As you may already know, since I am a dog, I am not allowed to eat chocolate. Nevertheless, the favorite treat of all so far seems to be the emergency chocolate bar. What a great idea! So far, we've been saving it for Shelley, but she'd better not wait too long.

Faithful follower Anita has sent some information which may solve the "unable to leave a comment" problem for some of you. 

"Type your comment in the box at the very end of the post. Then choose a profile from the drop-down menu below where is says "Comment as: ___ ."  An easy way is just to choose "anonymous" and leave your name. Finally, click the "PUBLISH" button."

If that still doesn't work, please leave a message for me on Facebook. I thrive on comments, and I really want to facilitate your being able to leave some.

Today is Wednesday, and what happens on Wednesdays in San Pedro, boys and girls? That's right. It's Big Burrito Day at Micky's! The word "big" does not do justice to these beef, chicken, or combination masterpieces which are available only on Wednesdays until 2:00pm. If you can eat the entire thing, then you deserve people throwing pails of water on your bloated body at the beach as they mistakenly try to rescue you. (Except for my Uncle Aaron who could probably eat two.)



Y'all come visit. We'll eat tons of chocolate and burritos and wallow on the beach. You're gonna love Belize!

Bella Rings the Bell

Grandma Jane arrived! Grandma Jane arrived--with bags and bags of goodies. She thinks she came to help her sister during Shelley's time of need, but I'm looking forward to almost three weeks of "spoil-dom." Oh, this is going to be great!


Jane flew from St. Louis to the Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport, then continued on to Belize City and San Pedro. When we mentioned the big tornado that touched down near DFW today, she hadn't heard anything about it. It seems that hers was the last flight out before DFW was shut down tight and all passengers were removed from the aircraft on the ground and taken to a safe area. That reminds me of something I read recently. If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?


Do not ever, ever, ever ring the bell at Pedro's Bar! Ever. Tom and I went  there to pick up yet another pizza for dinner. (Now, now, don't judge. We had a very lovely lunch of fresh fish filet, beans and rice, and salad. Besides, Jane had just arrived and no one wanted to stop and cook.) 

I was hanging out with some of the other dogs at the bar--seriously--and Tom was talking to some friends while waiting for the pizza. He happened to be sitting next to a very large bell hanging within reach, and the temptation must have been too great. He rang it.

The Restaurant/Bar at Pedro's

It was just like one of the commercials where an unsuspecting customer is the cajillionth that year to buy something and the confetti flies and the band plays, except at Pedro's everyone screamed with joy and pointed at Tom. It seems he had just bought the entire bar a round of Jagermeister. Let's just say it was the most expensive pizza Tom--or anyone else I know--ever bought. Tom went home with his pizza and told Shelley. Shelley was not happy. Live and learn. Now I know why they have all those empty bottles of Jagermeister at Pedro's!

Alex! What a stud!

Here's a shout out to new follower Alex, a most gorgeous Maltese. You can check out his blog at http://allaboutalex-alex.blogspot.com/. Let's just say I'm in love! Look at those eyes! Also, another shout out to Stan from Belgium who is learning the real estate biz in our fair town. He pushed the Facebook button on my blog to tell his friends about "Bella in Belize," and 17 Belgians read yesterday's post! Hah!

In our front yard!

There was a curious sight outside our door this afternoon as some 50 tourists from Mexico arrived by boat and were greeted by the Belizean immigration agents waiting right by the dock. About half an hour later, they all got on another, larger boat and took off again.


Y'all come visit. You, too, can ring the bell at Pedro's, meet folks at the airport, then watch even more tourists show up. (Personally, I'd skip the vegetarian pizza.) You're gonna love Belize!

Bella Goes Carting

If you want a little taste of Belize and just can't get here fast enough, you may want to try some "Marie Sharp" habanero pepper sauce. Virtually every restaurant in Belize has a bottle of this carrot-based condiment on every table. I don't know how Marie cornered the hot sauce market in Central America, but she has 17 varieties including hot, fiery hot, comatose hot, no-wimps-allowed hot, orange pulp habanero, green habanero with prickly pears, grapefruit pulp habanero, mild, mini-hot, Belizean heat, and exotic. Mmmm mmmm mmmm.

When folks contact us about visiting San Pedro, they often ask whether they need to rent a golf cart. For my Aunt Honey, it's a no-brainer; she can't imagine anyone (including her 15-year-old daughter) being in San Pedro without a cart. 
Of course, it's all going to depend on what your plans are. On the one paw, you may not want to do anything except sit at the beach and enjoy the spectacular view of the Caribbean. On the other paw, you may be one of those silly "adventure" people who want to crowd in as much activity as possible while you're here. On the third paw, you may have chosen a place to stay that is somewhat remote from town. ("Remote," to me, means further than four blocks.)

Perhaps a sportier model?

The problem is, renting a golf cart is expensive. We paid $306 USD per week, including tax, when we needed one. One of our creative friends worked out an inexpensive hourly  by agreeing that he wouldn't reserve the use of the cart, but would use it only when they weren't booked up. Also, sometimes you can get an Internet discount on the web if you book ahead of time.

Here are some companies you can choose from:
CartsBelize, Cholo's Carts, Islands Adventures Golf Cart Rentals, and, our favorite, Moncho's located immediately south of the airstrip on Coconut Drive. You can contact Moncho's at http://sanpedrogolfcartrental.com/. Tell them Bella sent you.

Well, another Monday and time for half-price martinis at El Divino's and half-priced bottles of wine at the Red Ginger. Blues, of course, at AJ's, poker at Pedro's, and Crazy Canuck's is featuring Pineapple Willy and Peseto. Or you could just come to our house as we continue looking after Shelley. She's doing better, but don't forget to pray, okay? The bruise seems to be healing nicely.

Lots of people have asked how to leave comments here and the definitive answer, so far, is "I have no idea." Every few days I continue searching the web for an answer, but so far to no avail. But I will succeed. And I'll let you know. In the meantime, you can leave a message for me care of "Tom Fay" at Facebook. He'll pass it on. And speaking of which, if you like the blog, will you please tell your friends by pressing the Facebook icon at the top of the page? And, speaking of wildly unimagined success, we just added Suriname in South America to the list of countries where the blog has been read. (Yes, I spelled "Suriname" correctly. I check these things.) Oops, just added Latvia!



Y'all come visit. We'll eat lots of "fiery hot" Marie Sharp's hot sauce and zoom around in golf carts looking for an antidote. You're gonna love Belize!

Bella Gets Conservation-Minded

Vince Rose

Medical update: Shelley is sleeping through the night. Praise the Lord!

Two nights ago both a neighbor plus a neighborhood security guard, Neftali, both warned me to be careful. A raccoon trap was set in our back yard, and they didn't want me to get caught in it. That was really nice of them since I am the size of a somewhat smallish raccoon. 

Don't call me "Rocky"!

Sure enough, the next morning one of our backyard raccoon family was in the cage lying on his back just as calm as could be. Vince Rose, who works primarily with rescuing crocodiles, came over to the house a few hours later and took him away. Thanks, Vince. By the way, I like the motto of his organization, the American Crocodile Education Sanctuary. "Help Take a Bite Out of Extinction." You can find more information about ACES at http://americancrocodilesanctuary.org/.

And speaking of extinction, it's official: Belize, along with seven other Central American countries, have signed an agreement that bans shark fishing. It became effective January 1st, 2012. It's about time, since over a third of the shark species worldwide are presently facing extinction. Much of the credit goes to conservation biologist Rachel Graham who is sometimes called "the aquatic Jane Goodall" because of her dedication to the species.

Shelley in "Cargo," not in a cage.

And speaking of fish, Tom and I had the best fish sandwich for lunch yesterday at Ambergris Brewing Company. Fresh grouper on homemade bread with lettuce and tomato. Really, really good. Two ladies were visiting Shelley, and Tom and I took advantage of their company by taking off ASAP for a few hours away from caring for Shelley. (I know that sounds somewhat heartless, but, hey, it's not like we put her in a cage or anything.) Unfortunately, we couldn't go back to ABC's last night for the live music featuring Keith Cameau from Dallas. That boy is flat out good.  

From the Shameless-Self-Promotion Desk--"Bella in Belize" is now read in twenty-nine countries: United States, Belize, Russia, Columbia, Peru, Serbia, Singapore, Israel, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Ukraine, Egypt, Brazil, France, the United Kingdom, Japan, Norway, Guernsey, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Indonesia, Belgium, China, Myanmar, Mexico, Spain, and China.   How cool is that?  


And, finally, the local San Pedro soccer team will once again be allowed to play their home games, get this, at home. The conditions that had temporarily stopped them from doing so have been corrected. I can't wait. The next home game is  Sunday, April 1st at 2:30pm, and the final two home games of the season will be played April 8th and April 15th. Go, Seadogs!

Y'all come visit. We'll watch some futbol games, bait some raccoon traps, and eat fish sandwiches, all the while listening to live--yes, live--music. You're gonna love Belize!