225/75R15 - 5/30/07

Melissa and I just finished celebrating our two year anniversary down South. We found ourselves taking a little side trip, however. As we were heading back into the mountains toward Belmopan, we passed several orchards; the orange groves growing right next to the side of the road. Melissa wished to herself that she could get a closer look at them. That’s only funny in hindsight.

As we were driving along with the windows down, we suddenly heard a terrible screaming noise from the edge of the trees, keeping pace with the truck and causing us to think some unknown jungle animal had flown toward us and was now following along, jaws open wide and talons ready to attack. When our reality checks were cashed, we realized we had only blown a tire. The truck needs an alignment, and on these roads it didn’t take long for the rubber to wear down. After it blew open there was a hole in the side of the tire large enough for a toucan to nest in. Lucky for us, there was no cell service and we were in the middle of nowhere. Wait … that’s not luck.

We tried to get the tire off, only to realize our jack was in fact broken. We had passed a large, walled mountainside estate about a half mile down the road that may or may not have been the home of an international drug lord, so we started walking toward it looking for help. That’s when we noticed the clouds on the horizon. The beginning of June marks the beginning of rainy season, and the clouds indicated that this year’s rains would arrive right on schedule.

Alongside the wall of the house we met Miguel, who was able to find a jack for us behind the compound. We started back toward the truck, just as the rains hit. Rains here are surprising in two ways. One, they are almost exactly like standing under a waterfall. Two, the rain is warm so the water soaking through your underwear is surprisingly refreshing. At first, anyway…

Miguel came along to help, and another local stopped to assist as well. Between the four of us, we were not able to get the tire off the truck. Our only other option was to walk to the nearest phone – which the big house did not have. Melissa and I started to walk in the rain when a woman and her young son emerged from the orchard and told us of the citrus company a mile down the road that had a phone we could use. We walked with her, keeping in mind the lodge Melissa read about in our guide book as we passed this way a couple days earlier.

We arrived at the rusted, rickety gates of the Hummingbird Hershey Citrus Company, Ltd to call the nearby resort. Caves Branch Lodge had vacancy, so we asked for the guest shuttle to pick us up, take us to the truck to get our bags, and to the lodge to dry off. While waiting we learned that the citrus company’s building was once a research outpost for the Hershey chocolate company. They grew nothing there, only used it for “research.” I’m really not sure why Hershey would need a field station in the middle of nowhere and outside the jurisdiction of the FDA and US laws just to figure out how to improve their chocolate … maybe to come up with exciting Wonka-like flavors or search for oompa loompas?

When we got to the secluded, romantic lodge we explained our situation to Oscar, the head handyman. We told him we were comfortable leaving the truck there until tomorrow when we could take a taxi to Belmopan and buy a new tire. He wasn’t comfortable with that. So, he had George, a Romanian in Belize who could only communicate in Spanish, get a tire and drive me to the truck while Melissa played Scrabble with a girl who worked at the lodge. Nothing is simple however. We arrived to discover:

• The tire wouldn’t fit (the holes were too large.)
• George had a bad battery in his truck, which died after we parked leaving two decrepit trucks alongside the highway. “Now that’s what I call ironic.”
• The once-a-year hatching of the “rain bugs” that accompanies the first rain shower had since happened and our truck was swarming with a thick cloud of black-winged termites that can find their way under any clothing. Pestilence, or vacation? You decide!
• After a running start in George’s truck, we went back to Watchman Mitch at the Hershey Co. to ask for a tire, which he had – but without air.
• I had to guard the truck (it was now dark) while George and Miguel took the tire to the big house to put air in it.
• The tire would not hold air, so I had to guard the truck again while George returned to the lodge to try to find a different one. I stood by the road in the rain with a crow bar. I’m handy.
• George returned with Oscar, who knew that the crow bar I held as a weapon was also used to stick in the small hole between the bumper and tail gate. It is the “key” that lowers the spare to the ground, though that’s not how it works in any of the vehicles owned by the people trying to help us. What a versatile tool! It is a weapon, lug wrench, key, crow bar, and I’m sure it could also be used as a shoe horn and back scratcher. Every home should have one of these things.
  

I finally rolled in to Caves Branch for dinner to find Melissa had been adopted by a kind family from Texas. The lodge employees didn’t want her to eat alone, so they asked other guests to sit with her so she wouldn’t have a chance to worry or feel lonely. We spent the rest of the night and next day enjoying our stay at a lush, romantic jungle resort as an unplanned end to our anniversary celebration. We left with some souvenirs: a great T Shirt, road rash from working on the tire, bug bites from standing in the rain at night, and a bag of wet clothing.

Though it was an unexpected detour, the lodge and the tours available there were top notch. I highly recommend checking it out – but on purpose.

Marriage is Paradise, 50% of the time – 5/28/07

One thing we’ve learned about living in Belize is that time seems to move faster here than anywhere else we’ve been. It seems like back home, the weeks moved slowly; we were always saying, “Great, it’s Monday … again.”

Strangely, in Belize we’ve noticed the opposite. The weeks fly by, and it seems we’re always saying, “Wow, it’s Friday again!” In the blink of an eye a year has gone by – school is over, we’re getting ready to move back to the States, and our 2nd year anniversary came and went. Two years already! We celebrated our anniversary this week in Hopkins, a Garifuna village down South in the Stann Creek district. Fitting, considering we spent our honeymoon in Placencia – by another Garifuna village in Stann Creek.

Hopkins isn’t as well known as Placencia, but Belizeans seem to prefer it. It’s no wonder. Most of the mainland in Belize has no beach along the coast, only mangroves. Hopkins and Placencia are the main exceptions. Lucky for us, low season in Hopkins (when the rates drop) starts at the beginning of May rather than the beginning of June. And, you get the best deal if you just show up. Without a reservation, you usually get a 20% discount, though I wouldn’t attempt that during the busy season.

So, we drove down the scenic Humminbird highway that snakes through the Maya Mountains from the capital of Belmopan to the coast. Those mountains are as lush and green as the Cascades, but tropical. Giant Cohune Palms (which look like up-side down feather dusters) pierce the rainforest canopy covering the narrow, towering peaks. It’s a sight I’m glad we were able to appreciate before leaving.

Once in Hopkins, you basically have 3 choices for fancy resorts. Belizean Dreams, Jaguar Reef, and Parrot Cove. Belizean Dreams was both fancy-shmancy and hoity-toity. Parrot Cove was nice, but for our anniversary we wanted a bit more. Jaguar Reef was juuuust right. It’s the choice Goldilocks would have made. The beach at the resort was beautiful, and it was close enough to the village center to bicycle in. They had a nice restaurant, friendly staff who insist on memorizing your name when you check in, AC, kayaks, bikes, and snorkels to use, two pools, wireless internet, massages under the cabana on the dock, and most amazing of all – a remote-controlled ceiling fan. I mean, let’s get serious here folks – that is pretty awesome.

The people at the resort and in the village itself were unbelievably friendly. They certainly make a tourist feel welcome. We biked into the village to look at the gift shop and get some exercise. We stopped at the local market, and while waiting in line the woman in front of us turned and began talking to Melissa. She asked if Melissa wanted to hear the music she was listening to, then put her headphones to Melissa’s ears. She then mentioned that if we liked it, she would burn us a copy and gave us her phone number. That’s not really the typical mindset in most resort towns.

Most of the time though we spent at the resort, swimming in the pool or on the beach. Even though there were not many people staying at the resort, the guests we did meet were also celebrating marriage. Most were on their honeymoon, with one or two other couples celebrating an anniversary. It was then that I realized Melissa and I have spent half of our marriage living in paradise. Half in the States, half in Belize. How cool is that! Though, many of the honeymooning couples we met were able to say they’ve spent almost 100% of their marriage in Belize. Oh well. On a side note, a shout-out to Miller’s Pub in downtown Chicago. Hope you enjoyed your trip. Melissa and I met the owner and his new wife at the poolside bar. Thanks for the T Shirt!

Though we realize marriage isn’t always going to involve glamorous locations, it has still been an amazing first two years. Our cup has been filled to overflowing and we are both ready to start the next chapter in our life. It was obvious from the beginning that marriage isn’t easy, but we’ve learned that at least half the time it is paradise…

"Your mom's an 'effing' Legend!" - 5/22/07

This statement was uttered by a particularly drunk, but very well-meaning, Irish student on our third evening in Caye Caulker. But, I am getting a little ahead of myself…

Mom was here a total of 10 days and we had a great time. It was really nice to have someone to show around this beautiful country. Mom has a great adventurous spirit, so she was ready for all we were willing to dish out! After Chan Chich, we headed back through Blue Creek and out toward Belize City, making a stop at the Mayan ruins of Lamanai. We have 2 previous blogs about Lamanai, so I won’t go into all the history and what-not. I just want to say that mom climbed the ruins, braved the Central American mosquitoes, dodged the army ants, searched for and hooted at howler monkeys like a local. We had an amazing time and got some wonderful pictures.

That night we continued to Belize City where we spent one night and caught a water taxi to Caye Caulker the following morning. We arrived on the island and began the sweaty task of finding a hotel for 4 nights. Yes, I know what you are thinking, you think we should have made reservations somewhere. Well, low season locals know it is better to ask around for a room than to make a reservation because you are more likely to get a good deal. So, we found two great rooms with A/C and cable that were right on the beach. Mission accomplished, it was time to find out what the island had in store for us.

We signed up for the same sunset tour Nathan and I took on our last trip to the Caye. So, at 5 pm, we and about 10 sunburned tourists set sail. It was a beautiful evening. The sun sets behind the island, so they sailed a few miles out and we watched the sun disappear and the stars and moon grew brighter all around us. Stop for a moment and try to picture this. The gentle rocking of a sailboat inside the reef, the sound of the water against the side. The wind is blowing gently, bringing the clean, refreshing smell of the ocean along with it. The only light you see is the streetlights on the distant island and the glow of the heavens. And then the raucous sound of a half dozen Irish college students bellowing drinking songs at the top of their lungs. …Oh yeah, there was also lots of rum punch. As soon as we set sail, they chopped up some delicious fresh conch ceviche- which, for some of us, was the only food we had had since breakfast. After they finished making the ceviche, they began passing around pitchers of rum punch which they had all prepared in a 5 gallon jug. Yes, the surroundings were beautiful, paradise even, but everyone knows that Caribbean + tourists = rum!

Anyway, the college students were singing Irish drinking songs and my mom was teaching them YMCA camp songs in return. They also taught me an Irish phrase which they told me meant, “Hello, nice to meet you.” But, surprise, surprise, it doesn’t mean that at all. It means something much more offensive. So, the boat docked about 2 hours later and we continued the rest of our vacation, which included getting some food in our stomachs.

It was two days later that Nathan and I came across the charming young man who provided the title of this blog. He saw us, immediately recalled the evening with mom on the sailboat, and wanted to wake her up and have her come drinking with him and the rest of the college students. Reggie you’re right, this certainly is a new world.

We also went on our final snorkeling tour while we were on the Caye. Mom was not excited about snorkeling because she had only gone once before in Cancun, which has no reef and was recently hit by a major hurricane. But, she was awestruck by the beauty of the barrier reef in Belize! We saw some striking bright blue coral, TONS of beautiful fish that would cost a small fortune at a pet shop back home, sting rays, sharks, a moral eel and 2 bottle-nosed dolphins all backdroped by beautiful sun-soaked coral. Mom, who before this trip wasn’t excited about either sailing or snorkeling, can now be classified as an “enthusiast.” It was the perfect day for our last snorkeling trip in Belize.

We headed back to the mainland on Tuesday the 23rd and made two more tourist stops with mom. We went to the Belize Zoo and got some great pictures of the local wildlife and Old Belize, which is like the “Old West” of Belize, where you can purchase great wooden souvenirs. Finally, we headed back to the Radisson for dinner and mom’s final sleep in Belize. Dropping her off at the airport the next day was sad, until we realized we could say, “See you in three weeks!” It was a great way to end an unforgettable trip.