February

Month end again. Also the end of our huge string of company. Maybe now time will slow down a little. Anyway ... Just for Sharon (I want pictures, pictures, pictures) here are lots of pictures.
My sisters came to visit and we had a great time. Here we are under a ceiba tree. A really huge ceiba tree.
And in a very cool cave. Rio Frio Cave.

Because of all the company lately, we have been spending lots of time at the zoo. One of our favorite places, luckily. Here the jabaru stork was showing off a little. This stork is about 5 feet tall with a wingspan to match!

Here are a couple more fun Belizean signs.

And more ruins. These at Caracol. The largest ruins in Belize. They are amazing!

Frio on pools. A great place to swim. Lots of rapids and pools to play in. Brynn and Kori found a place that made a natural water slide.

Howler monkeys were everywhere on the grounds of the Lamanai Outpost Lodge where we stayed for a weekend with mom and dad. We could get within a foot or 18 inches of the babies. So cool!

There is a large Mennonite community in Belize. They run the gamut from totally modern to totally not. Here we went through Shipyard, a Mennonite town that was closer to the 'not' side of that spectrum.

This sugar mill was abandoned in the mid - late 1800's. Less than 200 years and this tree has grown up and is trying to take back the space. The jungle grows fast!

My Mom decided to lead my kids astray. She wanted to pick some oranges so we found an orchard (not hard - citrus is big business in Belize) and Mom and the kids 'stole' some oranges. They were very yummy.

Ernesto (bare head) and Terry (hat) found a turtle on the road and stopped to show us. After, we made sure it got to a safe place. If other locals had found it, it would have been someone's supper.

Final picture for now (more later, Sharon, I promise). Kori's artsy pic of her shadow in the water. Have a great March everyone!

Trip to Lamanai

Mom and Dad are here visiting and we decided to take a weekend and go up to Orange Walk to the ruins at Lamanai. Good idea, no? I searched the net and my tourist books and found a nice looking lodge close by: Lamanai Outpost Lodge. Early Friday morning we loaded up the Tahoe and headed out with our computer directions in hand. That would be when the fun began. We were doing great until we were north of Belize City and began to rely on the directions. They went like this:
Zero your odometer at the toll bridge - check if in kilometers or miles
Easy enough so far. We would be working in kilometers. (so in the interest of blog space, I will ignore the 'mile' directions)
0.8 turn left at Guinea Grass Junction
Again, so far so good.
7.5 entering Guinea Grass Village
7.5 kilometers? Are you sure? Alfred is sure we are already in the village and it's only 5 km. I am still optimistic and am sure they mean 7.5 to the centre of the village. (Alfred points out 'it says entering'. Ya - still ...)
12.9 sharp right hand bend
Hard to miss that but, unless there is another one that we missed, we are at about 15 km. So we decide maybe the mileage is just out by about 2 km. Last time it was 2 km late now it's 2 km early. Maybe the directions are sort of +/-?
13 turn left if going to Lamanai Outpost Lodge boat landing - do not turn left if you are going to the lodge - you are now entering the Mennonite town of Shipyard
Good thing we are going straight to the lodge. Did anyone see that left hand turn? No? Oh well, we are supposed to go straight anyway. We are definitely in Shipyard. There are people in costume driving horses and buggies everywhere.
By now my Mom keeps asking 'What's the next clue?'
16 passing Mennonite store on the right hand side
There's the store. We are doing very well. We have stopped asking Alfred for the odometer reading. He just gets snippy when we tell him he's wrong.
19 T junction - turn left
24.7 narrow culvert followed by road to the right - go straight ahead, do not turn right
Problem. There was definitely no T junction at 19 km. We do see the narrow culvert with the road to the right and we go straight, not right, just like we are told. We must have just naturally taken that left without noticing. That happens, right?
34.2 crossing T junction. Go straight ahead. Do not turn right.
There's the T junction and we go straight. Yes!! We're doing great. WAIT!! Why has the road ended??? We are at a T junction. Maybe we should be three 'clues' back. We have to break down and ask Alfred for the odometer reading. 21. We are definitely three 'clues' back. Turn left! Good thing all the other 'clues' said 'go straight'!
Back on track. Straight at the narrow culvert. (not right) Straight at the T junction. (not right)
35.1 3 way junction. Turn left. Do not go straight ahead
What is the difference between a 3 way junction and a T junction? While we are debating this dilemma, Alfred turns left. Wait! What is the odometer reading? Did the clue say to turn left there? Alfred, it turns out, has had enough of clues all together and has followed a sign instead. It said 'Lamanai Outpost Lodge' and was followed by a left arrow. He votes we do away with the clues but the rest of us are kinda into the whole treasure hunt thing. Besides there are only two more clues. Then, maybe we get a treasure.
39.3 entrance to Indian Church Village - go straight ahead, do not turn right
40 Lamanai Outpost Lodge parking lot.
Here's where we finally get lost. Alfred cannot tell where the parking lot is and ends up driving into the lodge grounds where he's not supposed to be. The staff are very kind about it and tell us to move it later. First come in and relax and have a cool drink.
After the trip we've had, this sounds like a great idea. Our treasure! So we go in, sit down and discuss the tour options with the concierge as we enjoy our drinks. Brynn is being very rude. She keeps trying to talk to me while I am trying to listen to the guy explain about the tours and help us decide what to do for the weekend. Finally Alfred takes care of that and Brynn quits talking. Now Alfred is trying to talk to me. What is going on with these guys? Finally, Alfred touches my arm and says 'don't drink any more'. Turns out we were guzzling down rum punch. Brynn was the only one that heard the waitress. Now Alfred and I are both a little woozy and sick.
I don't think I've ever heard Mom, Dad, Brynn and Kori laugh so hard!! After all this, we had a fantastic weekend. The lodge was amazing as were the guides. There was so much to do and see. Howler monkeys everywhere. Beautiful place. Definitely has our recommendation - just be careful of the complimentary drinks!

May I introduce ...

just a few of the people that make Hopkins such a special place to live? If I were to try and introduce all the wonderful people we have met, this post would go on for much longer than your attention span. (It may anyway but I still plan on doing it.) So here they are: a sampling of the best Hopkins has to offer.
Here are Ernesto (in red) and Lucky (in blue). Ernesto thinks he is one of the family and I'm OK with that. He joins us on day trips, goes hiking with the kids and taught Adrianne to drive standard and kayak the last time she was here. Lucky is a little more reserved than Ernesto (Richard Simmons is a little more reserved than Ernesto!) but a real sweetheart. He is a dive master and took my kids scuba diving over the Christmas holidays. They loved it!




This handsome young man is Shaquille. He is Kori's age and is one of my kid's most consistant friends. He comes by almost every day to sell pastries his mom makes (and she is a great cook). He also loves to drop by for a game of hockey from time to time, or just to visit. We love Shaquille!
They might kill me dead for using this picture but it's the only recent one I have of the two of them. While not actually living in Hopkins, no blog about special people would be complete without Todd and Ashli. They are absolutely and totally a part of our family now (whether they like it or not!) Todd and Ashli actually live in Silkgrass and are here with the American Peace Corp. Almost like our own kids (although NOT 'replacement Rafe and Adrianne!!') my week is not complete unless they come over at least once.
Nurse Judy is one of this worlds sweetest people. She is one of those people that is loved at first meeting. I would do anything for her and, I know the feeling is mutual. Every Tuesday and Thursday (OK, almost every Tuesday and Thursday) Kori and I go and help out at her medical clinic. She provides affordable (mostly free) medical care and medication for the people of Hopkins, Silkgrass, Sitee River and elsewhere in the area. She is funny, passionate and kind. Here she is putting seven stitches in my Dad's hand after he fell on the rocks trying for 'the perfect picture'.
OK, possibly not one of the best, and again not from Hopkins, but Charlie is a definite part of my life here. He hangs out at the 'Price is Right' grocery store in Dangriga where I sometimes shop. He loves to wash our car while I shop and I pay him for that. Much to Alfred's chagrin! He washes the car by splashing muddy river water on it and smearing it around. The car rarely looks better after he is done. But, what he does do that I so appreciate, is scare off any panhandlers that may walk by. If they try to approach me and I say no, Charlie can be counted on to chase them off - with a few choice words. It makes me feel safe.
Are you still with me? Hopefully I didn't over tax your attention span too much. Those are truely just a few of the good folks here in Hopkins. A blog to cover them all would take many, many pages. I think you should all just come down here and meet them for yourselves.

Tour de France it ain't

Most of us have been riding bikes since we were young children. While it’s true that bike riding has never been my forte, I was surprised to learn how little I really knew about the use and function of the simple bicycle. Here’s what I’ve learned about bikes from living in Belize:
The most useful bike is not necessarily the most expensive bike. Almost all the bikes here are what we call ‘beach-cruisers’: the simple, single gear bike that brakes when the rider peddles backward. If it runs into mechanical problems, they are easily fixed without fancy tools and parts. A little oil and air once in a while and all should be well.
Bikes are not solely for riding. A bike can be used to carry everything from piles of wood to bundles of pipe to whatever you need carried. The ‘rider’ need only walk beside the bike and keep control of the load and the load carrier.
A basket is not a necessary accessory. A person riding a bike can successfully negotiate traffic, potholes, pedestrians and speed bumps while carrying 100 lb bags of oranges on the handlebars. Other loads I have seen being ridden down Belizean streets are: full coolers of food and/or drink on the handlebars; groceries in bags hanging from both handlebars and in a large box on the handlebars; large bunches of bananas over the crossbar and long pieces of sugar cane across the handlebars; bags full of recently hunted dinner; you get the idea.
A plain old regular bike can be a useful family vehicle. Children still in diapers with soothers in their mouths can be successfully taught to sit sidesaddle on the crossbar of a bike and hold onto the handlebars. These same children will grow up to ride the same way, on bikes driven by their beloved, well into their golden years. It is also not unusual to see young parents riding their bikes with an infant cuddled up on mom or dad’s shoulder or on the careful parent’s knee facing out with an arm around baby’s middle. The largest family unit I have seen riding together on one bike? A mom with the infant on knee as described above, toddler on crossbar, also as described above and young child riding on the handlebars. This configuration also seems to work on scooters but with less success as scooters are harder to steer than bikes are.
Finally, these simple bikes, can be and often are, used to tow other modes of transport. Examples of this would be a bike rider holding the handle of a riderless bike and traveling down the street at full tilt. This is done with total comfort and ease which amazes me. I can’t ride one bike with total comfort and ease, let alone tow another one in this manner. I have never seen a Belizean do this and have the riderless bike decide to take an unexpected turn. I don’t understand how it’s done. And the head shaking-est thing I’ve ever seen ‘towed’ by a bike … the other day I saw a biker riding down the highway on his beach-cruiser with his horse in tow. That’s right, he was riding with one hand on the handlebars and the other hand holding a rope tied to his horse. I keep thinking I’ve seen it all when it comes to bikes in Belize and I keep being proved wrong. No wonder Brynn and Kori are desperately trying to figure out how to get their beach-cruisers home when we leave Hopkins.

The Belizean Hockey Team

Brynn has finally managed to pull together a consistant group of kids to play hockey. They come every day after school and in the mornings on no school days. They are learning fast and actually managed to beat Brynn the other day. Of course it was all of them against her but it is still an accomplishment. Post game activities include glasses and glasses of water and a small snack enjoyed on the front deck. It has become a routine that everyone looks forward to. The security guards, cleaning staff and grounds guys make up the fans. We have managed to put smiles on lots of faces. Here's our team picture:

And this is the result of the fast learning that has been going on.

The boy that did this felt really, really bad! Brynn had a hard time convincing him that this was part of the game and she should know better than to stop the ball with her face. One thing I have learned for sure: it's lots more fun watching hockey in the +30 than it was in the -30!!

Back to the Future

Hi Everyone! Today I had to do a fairly normal thing but I had Alfred's mom with me and, just for a moment, I was able to see through her eyes. It looked a little strange so I decided you might find it interesting. So here's my attempt to make a very short story, long.
The other day I was out on a boat tour of the sittee river. Because I was going to be in the boat and bugs aren't usually a problem out on the water, I didn't 'spray down'. What I didn't realize was that it is doctor fly season. I should have known because one of the suckers got me a couple of weeks ago. I deluded myself into thinking it was just a one time experience. Not so. Another one got me in the boat. A doctor fly is about the same size and shape as a smallish house fly but it is yellow. They bite. They are sneaky about it, though, and they don't hurt at all. After the bite, however, you get the joy of reacting. Now the daughter that isn't my favorite when it comes to this is Brynn. She gets bit and a small red dot appears. I get bit, on the other hand, and ... well ... this happens:

You might notice that my right foot looks like it needs to go on a big time diet. It doesn't hurt but the amount of itch is directly proportional to the amount of swell. The only thing I can do is ice it to death. I ice it at regular intervals all day and all night. Notice it doesn't seem to help the swelling. (or if it does, I don't want to know what it would look like without the ice!) Can everyone hear my Mom yelling 'take Benedryl!' at the computer. Good plan except I don't have any. Here's where the whole 'normal for me, maybe not for you' part comes in.

Today I am in Dangriga and I stop in at the pharmacy to buy antihistamine for my bite. (yes, in case you thought I was attacked by a heard of doctor flies, it is just one bite) I walk into the pharmacy. Pharmacies here are very small stores consisting of one room edged on three sides by glass counters with items shelved behind them. I hope you get the idea. If not, go to the western development museum and check out the pharmacy. Change all wood to chrome and shrink it by about 2/3. Two or three guys work behind the counter and customers just position themselves in an empty spot by the counter. Soon one of the 'pharmacists' comes over and asks what I need. I tell him contact lens solution and Benedryl. He hands me the contact solution (there is no choice involved, you take what he has) then reaches for the cough syrup. I say: no, do you have the pills? Oh for allergy, yes. He goes to another end of the store and brings back a huge bottle of pills. '25 cents' he says and looks at me expectantly. No it is not 25 cents for the big bottle, it is 25 cents a pill. I tell him '20, please' and he proceeds to count out 20 pills on one of those pill counter things and then pours them into a small ziplock baggie. On the baggie he carefully prints the name of the pills - not benedryl, but 'diphenhydramine tab. 25mg' and hands it to me. It is my job to know how many of these I can/should take and to know if the big d word is actually benedryl. This is how all pills are dispenced. Even prescriptions. You pay by the pill and have to remember the dosage. It's like being back in the 1800's - with a modern twist.