Belize Bound

On Tuesday, November 29th ( I think) Pete and I were due to renew our visas. This necessitated a trip to Belmopan, the capital, which is about 40 minutes drive from here. We took the foundation truck and headed off after lunch. After a completely expected run around at the Immigration Department (not the Immigration Ministry two blocks away?) we had some time to kill so Pete suggested the zoo.

We drove another 40 minutes or so to the Belize Zoo and arrived at about 3:00. We were immediately connected with an employee who offered to take us around. Very subtly we were aware that it was getting to be closing time and this was to get us through quickly. Our guide was wonderful though and quite right, it would have taken awhile to find our way through.

The zoo is gorgeous with tropical plants and trees and it’s all very naturally laid out. The cages are right up against the walkways and being that close to the animals was so cool. We visited the Tapir first and I didn’t even know what it was. It’s a relative of the hippo and it is big, prehistoric looking and so sweet. The animals that the zoo keeps are either pets that have been abused or abandoned or they have been shot or orphaned and are rescued in the wild. One of the Tapirs kept walking around in a circle because she had been shot in the head, was blind and continuously circled for comfort. I nearly broke my heart.

We checked out the Mule Deer (smaller than ours at home) and then over to the Spider Monkeys habitat. They are free to swing around and can easily leave, but hey…three squares a day! There is an electric fence around them to protect them though.

 

 

We were shown a Margay which is also known as the Long Tailed Spotted Cat (Ummm yeah). It is smaller than an Ocelot and has longer legs and a much longer tail. Twice the size of the average house cat, the ocelot is a sleek animal with a gorgeous dappled coat. It was my favourite cat.

 

 

 

 

The Coatimundi is pretty cool and there was even an albino in the group. The others were pretty rough on it so discrimination evident there too. The Gibnut is a rodent weighing about two pounds and is a staple in the Belizean diet. It is protected, but many rural families hunt it for food.

 

 

 

 

The birds in the zoo included a Toucan, King Vulture, Harpy Eagle and Parrots We even saw a crocodile that wasn’t really in any kind of fenced area.  The Kinkajou was sleeping as were a bunch of others, but most of Belize’s cooler animals are nocturnal. Of course, we can’t forget the iguanas!

 

 

 

 

We were blown away by our guide who stuck his hands in almost every cat enclosure to get them to come up to the fence. He allows them to sniff him and then sticks his hands right in (although not quite with the Jaguar). It was amazing to be so close to a Jaguar. They are incredibly powerful and sleek. Absolutely gorgeous!

We had a great time despite the fact that while leaning on a railing I was anointed with an enormous and unidentified poo glob on my shirt. I just washed it off, but it caused no end of giggles from the staff. We gave a ride to the zoo staff in the back of the pick up so they forgave us for showing up so late.

Another Sunday date with Martha and Juan. We were going to head out to Spanish Lookout, but Pete had been there earlier in the week and said it was just farms and industrial area so we decided to go to Five Sisters Falls near Mountain Pine Reserve. After packing up a picnic and Martha whipping up a batch of her cheese dip, we piled into the Mazda 2900 diesel, that we are blessed to have access to and hit the road. We stopped at the tortilla ‘factory”, more like a big shack with conveyors and such, for a bag of chips and off we went.

 

 

 

 

 

Rounding a corner in what seemed like nowhere, against the hill was a homemade Mayan site. A family was busy creating a replica of a Mayan ruin and doing a darned fine job of it. Terraces were cut out of the hillside and there were aged looking rocks creating walls where plaques and  statues and one huge altar in progress looked regally down on the road below. For a small donation a young man showed us around his uncle’s property that included a cave that they had carved into the limestone and a workshop with slate, wood and clay projects underway. He showed us the chisels and how they carved the slate. There was also a small gift shop and Pete bought two necklaces for us. It was such a pleasant surprise on our way. We wish them well in their endeavor. They are certainly industrious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We got onto the Cristal Rey road (gravel and NOT graded) and drove through dense jungle sprinkled with gorgeous homes, small resorts and occasional farms. We passed groves of coconut palms with orange trees and little clusters of run down shacks with the sweetest gardens full of the tropical houseplants we buy at home. Some even sell them in little pots and I’m going to snag some for the veranda here.

We came to a small village called Crista Rey. It nestles amongst rolling hills and is a terribly sweet and well kept town. We passed Poinsettia bushes and let me tell you, in the wild they are the size of Rhododendrons. Surprise! They only bloom now and it was such a treat to see them in the yards.

We turned left and headed along even rougher road out towards Five Sisters Resort. It is right beside Blancaneaux which is Francis Ford Coppolla’s resort. It was a long trek with Pete taking it easy. No CAA out there so if you break down you are hooped. We eventually climbed high enough to see the pines. It was eerily like the higher logging areas with sparse trees except for the occasional palms. I noticed a plum sized bright red berry on bushes along the way and asked Martha and Juan about them. We stopped and Juan showed us ‘Dog Nuts’. The outside is bright red and if you split it a white milky sap runs out. This sap is good for the skin-burrowing worms that one sometimes encounters. If you put the sap on the wound entrance the worms will back out. Lovely thought, but good to know! The flesh is also white and sweet and in the centre are two Macadamia looking nuts…hence the name.

We arrived at Five Sisters and sat in the back of the truck to eat our picnic. As everywhere we weren’t allowed to bring food or drink into the resort, but at $25 US a meal, tailgate was way better! We walked through the resort and over a cliff down 250 rock steps to my personal heaven. Five streams tumble down into five rushing waterfalls into a shallow pool with a rough sandy bottom. I was stunned! For anyone that knows me well, you can imagine my delight. I LOVE waterfalls and this one looked like it was right out of a movie. Maybe you’ll recognize it because we could swear we’ve seen it before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We descended and I was into my suit and into the water lickity split! It felt like nothing I’d ever experienced. I felt like a mermaid and swam and lounged on the rocks and sat under the massaging falls and was absolutely happy. Pete and I swam around and then he got out, but not me. I never wanted to leave!

 

 

 

 

 

We stayed for about an hour and then hiked the crazy steps back up to the truck. We got back just in time because the skies opened up and it rained like crazy quite a bit of the way back. On the road back we picked up a Mayan couple walking with big bundles of something and then two young Mennonite men and they all sat in the back in the downpour. We dropped them off at their respective spots and then headed home.

We planned to to go Cayo Twist which is a non dairy ice cream place which opens at 5:00 pm, but we had time to kill.

We drove out to Benque which is a sweet little town on the Guatemala border. It’s only about 20 minutes from here and gave me an idea of how close we really are. No intention of going there because very soon a nasty general dictator will be sworn in as president and he has basically told everyone that he is going to renew the war with El Salvador and everyone else that he can. Avoiding that one! Guatemala and Belize aren’t terribly friendly anyway.

We stopped in at a resort called Clarissa Falls. Martha’s friend runs it, but ‘Falls’ isn’t exactly what’s going on there. Very tiny rapids are more like it. We continued back to San Ignacio, but were still too early for ice cream so we took off for Bullet Tree. We drove out to Mahogany Hall which is a lovely, but ghastly expensive resort. $175 a night US. The resorts here have been empty since the recession began, but they haven’t clued in to reduce their rates. Belize is generally about four or five times more expensive than Mexico and it’s a huge deterrent. The San Ignacio Hotel is $200US a night. I’ll stick with the occasional swim for $6US.

 

 

 

 

 

Martha mentioned that she knew a hunter that we could get some local antelope and gibnut. He spoke to Pete at length about hunting these animals at night, but had recently started a job and didn’t have any on hand. He invited Pete to go hunting with him and then…invited all of us to his daughter’s birthday dinner! We laughed so hard because we had passed so many yards with event tents and were jokingly scolding everyone for not inviting us to their parties..and then Angel invited us to theirs! We ate maza tamales with cheese and it was so good and creamy. Never mind ice cream. Another time.

 

 

One of the young ladies in the Women’s Group took me aside last week to ask if I would like to attend her wedding. I was thrilled! Cornerstone was donating the cake (usually about $600 Belize here) and Martha was going too. We asked our new volunteer Jackie (from Florida) to come as well and with Pete we arranged to be picked up on Saturday at 1:30. We got dressed and walked up our ridiculous hill in ridiculous heat to the taxi stand, our rendezvous point. Martha was there and we waited…then the groom showed up and we waited…then our ride appeared. It was a two seater tiny pick up with people already in the back. No room for us let alone the cake. Martha took off in the truck to get the cake and we were promised another ride was on it’s way. You guessed it. We waited and waited, but were pretty confident because we had the groom. A small Honda showed up and we all squeezed in. We took off and then stopped and an elderly lady was hobbling towards the car. So we left the groom to wait for another ride and we bumped off on a crazy road to the back of beyond to the Belizean version of Daly City complete with little box houses made of (seriously) ticky tacky. There were tents set up and thank goodness because we stepped out of the tiny car into a total deluge. When it was all over the blue streamers were no longer part of the decorations.

 

 

 

 

We all sat around for almost two hours as bridemaids and groomsman and parents and small children filed in and out of the tiny house made of ticky taky. NO idea how everyone fit in that house, but they are all very small people so that makes it easier. Finally a lady in yellow came out to sing what I later learned were hymns, but to Mariachi music. Then the procession started. The girls and boys were coupled up and stepped along the road in a three step back and forth formation. It took awhile, but was very sweet. Then Glenda and her father and the two ringbearers came along the same way. Glenda is the sweetest young girl and she and Leonardo have been together for awhile and have three little boys. The family is only now able to pay for the wedding.

 

 

 

 

The priest did the honours eliciting a few giggles here and there (Spanish so we missed out on the jokes). Pete was front and centre taking all the pictures and beaming like she was his own daughter (beware Brooke!). They were so shy about kissing and had to be coaxed like blushing virgins. It really was too sweet!

 

 

 

 

After the ceremony that tiny house provided the most unbelievable amount of food. Every dinner was already plated and consisted of tamales, rice and beans, coleslaw and chicken. By the time we finished dinner we all had to go because it was dark and most of those houses don’t have electricity. We didn’t even get the cake cut. Remember that the sun is down and gone by 5:30 here.

We got a ride (11 of us in a minivan) back to the house and had a great laugh at the adventure. Pete and I vowed to each other that ours would be a tad different, but we had a great time!

Today was my first day of driving as the back-up driver for Cornerstone. Canadian drivers license’s are recognized here by the way. Our regular driver, Stanley, has to go in for a minor surgery in a week or two, so I offered to help with this task.We have to deliver the lunches to Santa Elena elementary school and several elders homes. Today is the day we pick up meat donations from several businesses around town. Huge thank you’s to Caribbean Chicken, Running W Meats, Elvira’s, and several other shops that I didn’t get the names of.We also deliver some of this meat to numerous very needy households ‘on ‘D’ way.

I have always considered myself a capable and confident driver despite one Squamish RCMP Constables’ skewed opinion.

Driving in Belize, particularly in an urban area like San Ignacio is disconcerting to say the least. You are welcome to drive on any portion of the road (left side, right side, up D middle) as long as it doesn’t interfere with the vehicle going the other way. People even drive up the wrong side of a double road (boulevard). Passing anywhere is acceptable. Pedestrians beware you have no rights on the road whatsoever! Stops signs are only there if you have too, and there aren’t many of them. There is no posted speed limits or signs for that matter. You do see the occasional sharp curve sign and they are definitely there for a reason. Apparently there is only two sets of traffic lights in the entire country and neither one is here. If your stop is on the left side of the road then pull over there.

Our regular driver, Stanley, said afterwards, that I was the first person that he has ‘ riddun wit’ and he wasn’t white knuckled at the end. So I assumed I passed the test.

This whole driving thing came about because we had asked to be able to use the truck on the weekends as there are so many incredible places to experience nearby. Buses are cheap and taxi’s vary depending on how badly the driver wants to rip off the  ‘tourista’. We have been lucky to have some really good taxi drivers but have also heard some pretty good horror stories. Actually not too unlike hailing a cab in the lower mainland.

Monday is now set aside for my ESL class, but since most of the ladies in my class   attend the other classes during the week, I will prepare lessons every day.

On Monday I made the mistake of only preparing numbers 1-10 and the alphabet. Boy, was I ever off! There is only one woman who is at that level. Okay, so how do I balance this classwork so that she is brought up to speed with the rest of the women, but still challenge those that are farther ahead? I have to work harder to prepare individual work for the different levels.

While my actual class is only on Mondays, the ladies are here Tuesday for jewelry making, Wednesday for cooking and Thursday for sewing. I have committed to creating lessons every day for them and at three different levels. I will sit in the corner at a table and be available to converse with them individually so that everyone gets some mano a mano time and I learn exactly where each woman’s ability lies. It is also a great chance for me to  really get to know these women and their stories.

Teaching English is completely different from speaking it, but there is a ton of great advice and direction online. I can also access free worksheets which include flashcards, crosswords, word searches and games. I’m nervous and am constantly having to remind myself that I am the first generation of actual class construction here so I can let go of end result and simply evolve this into something workable. I have plenty of time and these woman understand where I am as well. We’ll work together to figure out what works and  I will save my trials and tribulations into the B drive on the Foundation computer for future volunteers to muddle through. Who knows. I may make this workable after all.

Saturday dawned beautiful and we were off to the Farmer’s Market to find some fresh fish. Somehow some lobster ended up in our bag too. The market was predominantly vegetables and cheap gee gaws so we didn’t buy much. On the advice of the other volunteers here, we went to Pop’s for breakfast and had the eggs with Chaya which is a bit like spinach and is known to clean the blood. We also had Fry Jacks, but they’re made with flour so I had to pass. They’re deep fried dough, empanada shaped, that you can stuff. Pete drizzled some honey into it and I knew from his face that I was missing a treat. I’m slimming down so fast that it’s easy to stay on track though.

We weren’t quite sure what we were going to do with the rest of the day so I suggested the Xunantunich ruins. I wasn’t quite better yet with congested lungs and head, but we thought we’d take it slow and give it a try. I’m so glad we did. We walked back to the market and negotiated a taxi to the ruins for $25 Belize which is $12.50 US.

    We drove out through the countryside and then across a hand cranked ferry and up the hill to the parking lot. We both took turns on the crank which was a lot easier than it looks. We paid our entry and headed up the hill to the ruins. There was all sorts of palms and beautiful plants and the walk was crazy with butterflies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Up at the ruins Pete met a couple from Sacramento and their little guys (3 and 4 years old) and stopped to chat with them. They had driven down from Sacramento and were simply having a ‘Great Adventure’. I climbed up onto the ruin at the opposite end of the plaza to the big one. Pacing myself. The view from the top was magnificent if  a little hazy. We need a good rain soon!

 

 

 

 

We walked around the plaza and then approached the largest ruin. I was miserable with a runny nose and sweating like crazy, but completely determined to accomplish this climb. We climbed up most of the way and took some pictures, but then our camera battery died. The howler monkeys sounded like massive gorillas in the trees and it was quite fierce sounding.

 

 

 

 

 

When we reached the top the view was astounding. Off the back was Guatemala and you could see forever.

       The breeze was delicious and we stayed at the top talking to our California friends for about half an hour. The decent was significantly faster. At the bottom in the main plaza there was a couple of guards……Mr. I. Guana and his sleeping friend…… Tarantula. On the way out we saw the Howler monkeys and they are actually quite small and cute. I was shocked that they had made that Godawful noise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There weren’t any taxi’s in the parking lot which broke my heart because my old ankle break was hurting and I was pretty exhausted. We walked a mile down the really steep road back to the ferry and across. A bus from Benque de Viejo picked us up and we were home and into the shower. It was an amazing trip and despite some whining I did pretty darned good for an old girl.

Finally Sunday and our date with Martha and Juan! On Wednesday Pete and I were talking about going to Cahal Pech on Sunday, which is only a 20 minute walk from here. Martha piped up and suggested that we all go together. Pete had met Martha’s Juan, but I had not. Sunday morning Martha arrived…without Juan. His boss called him into work and they are saving for a new place (they live in one room right now) so he went in. Martha was furious, but there it is.We walked up…and I mean UP the hill to the ruins and entered the cool shaded (thank goodness) wonder of the lush ruin site. It was so quiet and lovely. It is situated on the top of a hill overlooking San Ignacio and it runs down the other side of the hill right down to the river’s edge. We wandered around and through steep steps and into small grotto rooms with sleeping platforms.

 

 

 

 

 

It feels so mystical being in these ruins and imagining how busy and populated it all was once upon a time. It is of great interest as to what wiped out the cultures that lived in these massive and bustling cities, but general consensus is that, much like current affairs, political, social and economics led to the decline of the civilization. It happens everywhere and we can see it now as it might have been then. It is amazing to me that so much of the magic and medicine of those glorious years still lives today. San Ignacio where we live is very much Mayan and it’s not hard to get a sense of the pride in their heritage.

 

 

 

 

 

After about an hour we left Cahal Pech and decided to visit the next small town of Bullet Tree. Martha had promised me that she would take me to her sister’s house and show me her flowers and off we went through the neighborhoods of upper San Ignacio. The flowers were beautiful and there was even one jasmine flower left on the bush and it came with me all day. The plants were all the same as the ones we buy for our homes and it was so wonderful to see them growing in the garden.

We walked further to the taxi and caught one going to Bullet Tree. Love the $2 Belize per person fare! The drive took us past lovely rolling hills and farms and opulent homes to a small town. We found a small roadside stand and had the most wonderful Guarnaches, Tostadas, Panades and hot pepper and onion salsa. Pete, Martha and I ate ourselves silly for $10.50 Belize which is $5.25 US! Juan called us to say he was on his way and we lounged and waited for him.

 

 

 

 

 

When he had also eaten we walked down to the Mopan River and across the bridge to the Riverside Resort. We went down the slope to wade in the river and these sardine-like fish were all nipping at me. it tickled. Kids were playing in the perfectly cool water and having a blast! We have decided that we are not leaving the house without our suits ever again, but I improvised since I knew I would dry fast enough. Back up to the bar and while Juan and Pete played pool, Martha and I chatted and I took pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a great afternoon and in the taxi home we vowed more adventures next weekend and many more to come. Pete fell into a deep nap right after we got home and was still ready for bed at 10:00pm. I was pretty stoked at the distance I walked and the beautiful sights we saw. I watched ‘The Shaman’s Apprentice’ with Bethamy who is here for a two week Natural Healing program that is offered here and then went to bed.What a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I want to introduce you to Martha. Martha works here at Cornerstone. She is a little older than I am and fast turning out to be my BFF Belizean style. Martha used to work for the Ministry of education and she had a nice house, but the political party in power took away her house and refuses to pay her pension for her ten years with the Ministry because she voted. Martha used to volunteer here, but now works here full time.

Martha gets here at 8:00 am and starts the huge pot of rice and gets the meat into the oven for the feeding program. Usually there are one or two helpers, but not always. At 11:00 the meals for the volunteers and elders, Martha’s husband Juan and driver Stanley’s daughter are dished out. Then the 33 containers are set on the table and the meals for the Santa Elena school are organized, water jugs filled and it’s all put into a tote and into the truck for Stanley to deliver. Then she starts on the 23 meals for the kids that come to Cornerstone from local schools to eat here. These meals are taken downstairs and we watch the kids eat, clean up and then do art projects for the rest of their hour and a half break.

After the kids are gone, it’s back upstairs to clean up all the containers before the Women’s Group at 1:00. The women arrive and Martha is once again downstairs supervising the cooking, sewing or crafts for two hours until 3:00. The women clean up and then it’s back upstairs to clean the volunteer floor.

I met Martha the morning after I arrived and fell in love immediately. She is sassy and we giggle incessantly. She is fully committed to this place and could make more money elsewhere, but her love for Miss Rita, the Director, the children and the elders and her belief that a difference is made to the women keep her coming back Monday to Friday every week.

I desperately want to put this woman and her husband Juan in our suitcases and bring them back with us. We spent the day together yesterday and had a blast. Pete and Juan are buddies and Juan’s limited English isn’t a barrier to great laughs. We are so lucky to have these friends and I am proud to introduce them to you.

Today I am going to spend lunch hour with my football team.(called soccer in the frozen white north) I think we should reclaim the name for Canada as this truly is a game that predates American football which is mostly played with the hands anyways. Sorry I digressed there. So on Tuesday I met and observed these fine young lads (10-14 years) as they scrimmaged in their schoolyard for 45 minutes. Their passion for the game and the pure fun of it took me right back to my youth.That is a long ways back by the way….LOL. There is some serious talent here and I look forward to focusing them on developing their skills. The were recently eliminated from the playoffs and were quite upset about it so I would like to get them to another level for next season. Fitness doesn’t seem to be much of an issue as they ran around steady for 45 minutes in their school uniforms. Long pants, shirts, shoes, and some even in stocking feet. I stood under a tree in the shade and was dripping sweat just watching them. Today will be more of the same with a few directions from me and then Friday afternoon is sports club where we will begin some more formal training.I will get some photos of the boys today and upload them in my next post.

Hey, we’re back! Sorry we haven’t posted for a few days, but we were determined to get our photos all sorted out so you could come along with us visually. Visuals are important in this colourful country and descriptions just don’t cut it.

On Friday, we left the Foundation house at noon to catch the bus for our 4 1/2 hour journey to Hopkins by the sea. We were visiting our friends Doug and Fran who have built a snowbird haven in Hopkins on the Caribbean.  After walking down the hill to the bus stop (did I really think that a wheeled suitcase would work here?) we got on the bus to Belmopan. All of the buses  are old Bluebird school buses from up north and we do not fit well. Buses are the most efficient and cost effective method of transportation and almost always full to standing. They’ll allow standees, but everyone has to hunker down when they pass an inspection checkpoint.  From Belmopan (the capital for you geography buffs),  we got on the next bus to Dangriga. That bus was much less crowded and a whole lot faster. It was a beautiful drive down the Hummingbird Highway through the Mayan Mountains with lush jungle and crazy varieties of palms. There was sweet little settlements seemingly in the middle of nowhere and we fell in love with some of them.

When we left Dangriga on the last leg to Hopkins, Fran and her friend Miss Stephanie got on the bus and even though we were the only white people on the bus she didn’t notice us until she was right beside us. We had a good laugh. She didn’t expect to know anyone so wasn’t looking.After a quick stop at their little rented suite, we went over to our beachfront cabana and got settled in.  We all decided that we would head out on the town and we did it up right. Fran and I climbed into the box in the pickup and we set off to pick up Miss Stephanie at her sweet little house. I haven’t ridden in the back of a truck in far too long and was whooping it up and waving and yelling ‘hello’ at everyone. We were heading around the end of town and Doug’s truck ran out of juice. We pushed the truck and got a jump start and then hopped into the truck bed to race through the dirt streets trying to get back home. No luck. We got it as far as a bar and we had some more drinks and another jump start. We got the truck to their new house and abandoned it for the karaoke at the New Town Bar.  Adriana (with a sore throat), Fran and even Doug got on the mic and sang karaoke. Pete thinks he can’t sing so he declined.  A blast!

Saturday was beautiful and while Pete lounged in the cabana, I sprinted for the surf. The ocean is super shallow, but it is murky so not the crystal clear you expect of the Caribbean. I floated and swam and felt great, but on the way to breakfast I started to feel sick. I’ve been sick with the flu ever since. Saturday night I had a fever and longed for the ocean breezes that did not appear. Dead calm and hotter than Hades all night!

Doug and Pete went down to the mouth of the lagoon on Sunday morning to fish. They only caught a small Catfish as the tide was going out. Usually better when it is incoming. They passed by the Hopkins Resort ( 5 star) but there was almost nobody there. A lot of people seem to like the small beach front cabanas better. I know we do. The flowers and other plants were amazing and everyone called out a friendly greeting throughout the town. At 2:00 we caught the bus to Dangriga which then hailed the Belize City bus that took us to Belmopan. I had dreaded the trip back being so sick, but felt okay with the breeze from the open windows. My Love insisted that we cab back to San Ignacio from Belmopan and I’m so glad we did. Our driver Saul was a wealth of information and we’ll definitely call on him for some touring when I’m better. We had a wonderful time and Doug and Fran were wonderful hosts. We can’t wait to go again!