19

A pot of gold may be at the end of a rainbow...but a chocolate-coconut pie is at the end of a pot hole ridden alley in a ramshackle shack where Maggie lives.  It looked & smelled scrumptious...we bought the whole pie for $12.50...the pan (which we promised to return) was still hot.  We couldn't wait to get home and sink our teeth into it.  It was a bite of heaven!  We shared some with the lady who runs the hotel and a couple of the drummers.  Wish I could bring lots of them home to share with you!!!

18

The Tobacco Caye dock filled with people that we'd met the last few days all wishing us well on the rest of our trip.  The ocean was calm so we seemed to glide on top as we headed back to Dangriga to catch the bus to Hopkins...a small village about an hour away...a diamond in the rough.  We had booked a room at the Garifuna Drum Center and found it freshly painted, well built, cleverly decorated with a frig, coffee pot, spacious hot shower, a real bed and a porch with a hammock....all right on the beach.,,all for just $55.  The hot sun quickly encouraged us to get in our suits and let the cool Caribbean Sea roll over us.  Bikes came with the room and so after a while we headed out to check out the town and find some lunch.  Though definitely still Belizean, this town has an extra dose of friendliness.  The tourist and locals seem to mingle easily.  After dark, the drumming started so we followed our ears.  With amazing speed they beat the drums...their hands a blur of movement.  We only planned to stay one night but have extended it to five.  When you find a piece of paradise, why rush away looking for another?  I should qualify this statement by what you must look beyond here:  piles of trash, deserted crumbling buildings & ones very similar but not deserted where chickens, dogs & children play in the dirt yards...but it's what you can take in that overrides this:  kids in their school uniforms walking to school or on rusty bikes often with a smaller child on the handlebars, the broad smiles & friendly greeting from the locals, the smell of fresh baked coconut bread, the multi colored hammocks where the cool wind rocks you gently, the vibrant green coconut trees, the glistening sand and of course, the warm inviting sea.  Need I saw more?  We found the local bakery, sucked down a pineapple smoothie, soaked up the sea, rode bikes up & down the sides streets and searched for Maggie's famous coconut-chocolate pie.  We were hot on the pie trail when we met two women walking on the road.  Rog asked them if they knew where Maggie's was...and one piped up..."I'm Maggie!"  Unfortunately all the pie was gone but she promised to make us one tomorrow.  Can't wait.  Again right after dark, the drumming started.  It was a group of young boys who also dancing the Punta.  We went back to our room after a bit and were serenaded to sleep by the sound of distant drumming.  

17

Day 2 on this 5 acre island ...that brings back memories of the Gulligan's Island TV show.  We know most every one on the island now...both tourist and locals.  The morning sky was cloudy and hung them just  before it started to rain.  In intervals we read, visited with neighbors & staff, napped in hammocks, played cards, walked around the island & made careful & prolonged viewing of the osprey, pelicans, crows, herons, rays & fish swimming around the docks.  Even a coconut dropping was interesting.  After a couple showers, we re-wrung out clothes & hung them on our porch.  The day went by about as fast as the clothes dried.  Island time is easy to get use to.  Here meals are served family style and on days like today...we linger around the table with rich conversation.  Fellow travelers can tell such fascinating stories!  Day 3 brought sunshine so we were on open water and what is called The Garden.  The vibrant colors of the fish & reef was worthy of it's name.  A group of Vermont students snorkeled at night with headlamps and showed us their video of a green moray eel & a large octopus they'd spotted.  It was tempting but not convincing enough to make me go.  Princess, a 3 year old hung around me for a while so we wrote the ABC's in the sand & read a couple books I had.  She rewarded me dancing the Punta (she could shake every part of her little body!).  Day 4  Spent the first couple hours saying goodbye to Muriel & Judd and then getting to know our new neighbors...Jeff & Erica better.  We had talked to them a bit yesterday and today they said they thought it was such a good idea to do some volunteering while traveling that next year...they were going to do it.  We exchanged our emails & they want us to let them know more about Safe Haven...the orphanage we worked at in Thailand.  We canoed along the nearby reef and spotted sting rays, trunk fish, star fish, coral & many tiny fish through the sparkling clear water.  We watched guy cleaning conch & later his wife brought us some freshly made conch fritters. Our dinner last 2 hours as a couple from Belgium, a girl from Switzerland & her boyfriend from Hawaii and a couple from Canada shared many of our views of this world discussing all we have learned while traveling. ..not only from the countries we travel but also the many people we meet from all over the world.  Truly these conversations are one of the best parts of traveling!

16

My Birthday!  FIrst thanks for all the emails wishing me a good one!!!  We found a great place that had cheese omelets, french fries & Coke Light for breakfast then hit the bank, internet cafe, bakery & a grocery store to stock up with Coke Light and then climbed into a boat headed for Tobacco Caye about 45 minutes out.  Ahhh! What a haven surrounded by turquoise water and a reef that is part of the second largest in the world.  By 2:30we were snorkeling seeing schools of various fish feeding on the reef.  Can't say it was the best we've seen...but no complaints.  We watched a glorious sunset and the dinner bell rang at 6...just like at camp.  We enjoyed the company of a couple from Oregon comparing travel experiences.  Drummers filled the night air with their rhythmic sounds late into the night. How is that for a birthday???

15

We got on the bus and headed to the jungle stopping at the Hummingbird Guest House.  It turned out to be another unique experience.  A clearing had been cut in the middle of the jungle by a group of mostly Californians who lived there at various times for various amounts of time ...basically communal style.  They worked & ate together and made joint decisions on what to do with the property.  They had planted many trees and flowering bushes that all produced something edible and had gardens and chickens.  It was pretty basic living with shared outhouses & showers.  I am not sure what the attraction was.  We walked the land that was encircled by a clear, fast running creek.  We rode to the village with one couple but there seemed to be nothing happening there...or would be happening.  A bit farther up the road, what seemed to be a mirage was actually a real ice cream stand...they had Coke Light too...I got one of each!  The ice cream was made fresh daily by the Mechannites--they were Mennonites that used mechanical equipment.  Great fine!!! Unfortunately some nasty biting sand flies (we call no see-ums) found us and we itched lots.  Next a.m. we waited in what looked like the middle of no where for one & a half hours for the bus.  We felt like Steve Martin in The Jerk.  The bus finally did come and we headed for Dangariga passing by acres of orange trees that produce not the picture perfect ones we buy in the states...but rather greenish-blackish ones that taste delicious.  We got to Dangariga and found Ruthie's --our hotel.  Lonely Planet--our guide book...sure let us astray on this one!  A dump...but it seemed all the ones nearby were the same so we just bit our tongues, scratched our bites & made the best of it.  The beach we were on was covered with litter & the water was as muddy as the Mississippi.  We walked around town...everything was pretty run down.  We did enjoy going to the Garifuna museum.  We were the only ones there and the guide unlocked a gate to allow us in & relocked it as soon as we entered it.  We'd been told this town was unsafe...guess this was proof.  Our guide was of Garifuna descent and spoke from her heart as she explained each exhibit.  The Garifuna is a mix between the Black Caribs & slaves from a slave ship that shipwrecked on the island of St. Vincent.  Later the British deported them in chains to Honduras & some made it to this area.  They remain a people who hold fast to their traditions.

14

14
As I reflect on our time helping the Omega Church, I am grateful for the time we spent with kids, Paula & Emmanuel.  But I also find myself thinking, we could have done so much more if only they had been more organized.  That's my Midwest USA, work ethics talking...that's not here.  Don't I always tell myself that I will let God be in charge, not me?  He let me know he was in charge as I hugged Paula and she whispered in my ear, "You inspire me and give me the courage to continue."  So that's enough for me.  Amen

13

We visited the Belize Zoo.  In 1982 a lady came here to do a documentary about some injured animals in a rehab and when she found out there wasn't a zoo in Belize...she started this one.  It is unique as you feel like you are walking through the jungle with only wire fences & one strand of electric fence separating you from puma, jaguar, black leopard, ocelots, tapirs, howler & spider monkeys, harpy owls, peccaries, jabiru storks, coatimundi, jaguarundi, kinkajou, scarlet macaw and a variety of other animals.  Several other animals sneak in and freely join the ones behind fences ...sometimes on the same walk way we were on.  

12

Our last day in San Ignacia and full a full one.  Our 9 a.m. ride arrived at 9:40 and after stopping to pick up kids a couple times, it dropped us at the bottom of the hill that leads to the leveled area called the Omega church.  We quickly got 45 kids singing Alleluia! adding rounds & speed each time.  Then we did a lesson on the two greatest commandments including games where you had to help your neighbor:  put on gloves, move a rope ring to the next person, identify a neighbor with eyes closed & a version of 7 Up.  We also read the bible story of the Good Samaritan and talked about ways each of them can be good Samaritans.  Food arrived & quickly about 200 garnaches were assembled and gobbled up.  We hitched a ride back to town and had Paula & Emmanuel join us for some peanuts, M & M's and lots of laughs as we shared stories.  After they left, we went out for a hamburger & hot wings while watching a NFL playoff game.  We ran into one of the girls we'd gotten to know a little & invited her & her Mom to our porch.  She speaks just a little English & reads none so I wasted no time and spent the next hour tutoring.  She was visibly pleased with her progress.  Me too.  Again we climbed into the truck, headed up the hill for another service.  A pastor who'd earlier spent 3 months here, preached.  Hugs all around ended the service.  So many kids wrapped their arms around us--how blessed and loved we felt.  They have so little yet they are so willing to share their love with us--who have so much.

11

Here there are no traffic lights & very few stop signs but mucho speed bumps.  Why?  We are told the Belizians wouldn't obey the traffic signs.  Speed bumps cannot be ignored.

In Belize two weeks now and not a sign of any chain restaurant or store...Mc Donald's somehow over looked this country.  

A sampling of Creole language (which is a shorten English dialect):
Whachauta = What are you up to?
Wheredego = Where are you going?
Dis da fi wi chiken =  ????  you guess is as good as ours!

We are told education is not free here--and since we see so many church schools here...we're guessing that's the best route for most kids.

Our ride yesterday was a van (need I say OLD)--us and 16 others.  Our kids will relate to this as they experienced the same while in Guatemala ten years ago.  Paula told us that once they had 60 people in one large van.  I believe it!

Public transportation is quite easy to use.  Busses go through towns about every half hour.  Al the busses are old USA school busses.  Some of the signs we remembered as students are still on them!  Our driver today was talking on his cell phone, drinking a Coke and snacking on chips--and not wearing his seatbelt.  Safety is not a word you hear here.  

Here's ways we've eaten tortillas:  empanadas, tacos, nacho chips, salbutes, enchiladas, fry jacks, burritos, quesadilla, garnache and with peanut butter!

10

Last couple days have been Belizian, in other words, plans change often and there is lots of waiting for the next thing to happen.  Example: today plan 1 was that we were to be picked up at 9 to go tutor & help build a bench.  Didn't happen.  Plan 2 was to help at a BBQ chicken fund raiser at the market.  Didn't happen.  Plan 3 was to deliver flour, shortening, beans, dried milk, crayons & coloring books to the needy family we'd met a couple days ago.  We did walk the mile traversing the mud holes & slippery clay carrying all the stuff to get to their home...but she wasn't there as she had taken her baby to the doctor.  The door was locked but Rog figured out how to open the wood shutter & we dropped the stuff on the bed under the opening.  Plan 4 was to attend the youth program led by Emmanuel & lead the games.  That happened as planned.  Yesterday we spent time showing Paula the curriculum that we use at our church's Sunday School classes...she was excited.  Also, Bekah sent me internet sites that Paula could show several of the young girls that she works with that could help them learn & read English.  Paula is eager to check them out.  I sat in on one of her sewing classes where she was teaching about 10 ladies how to use patterns.  My job was to check the battered pattern packages to see if they contained all the pieces.  Of the 5 I checked, one was complete, one was missing just one piece and the 3 others were missing lots.  I thought of all the ones I've seen at garage sales for 10 cents and wished I'd known to fill my suitcase with them.  We also worked with several kids on reading skills.  But between all these...we wait:  eating food we've purchased at the local grocery stores on our porch or at restaurants, walking around the market, watching TV, & talking about all the interesting people we meet and things we observe.  Belizian time gives your mind time to rest, think & enjoy tiny pleasures like watching a mother herd her 4 or 5 kids, street vendors peddling their wares, fans cheering on a local soccer team, a small entertaining themselves with stones while their parent works a stand or at a store, bird calls amidst the blare of a radio, girls with high heels loaded with rhinestones, the many ways you can braid hair, a group of young tourist just arriving with their eyes open wide as they try to take in all these sights and sounds, and a baby sleeping on his Dad shoulder in the middle of it all.  How much I miss at home when I am in my "efficient mode."

9

We are surrounded by Mayan ruins here.  A once great and powerful nation with a greater population than what is currently here in Belize.  Discussing the possible reasons for its demise with Emmanuel (Paula's brother), he said the European diseases or genocide probably occurred.  Rog said that it died out before the Spanish came...his quick response was,  "Where did you read that?  In an European history book??"  Sure plants a question in my mind.  We headed out to Xunatumich but the ferry that crossed the river to the site was closed as the river was flooded.  Usually the ferry starts operating in Dec but as we have noted, the rainy season just hasn't quit.  What a strain it is on the locals that depend on tourist for a living.  We headed to another site, Cahal Pech which is still being excavated.  We spoke with some students from the Univ of Montana who were paying so they could dig on the site.  I hope they were getting college credit...though they were certainly having a good time whatever the case.   It was fascinating to watch as they slowly uncovered the 1500 year old bits of pottery...remnants of the grandeur of the 2000 year Mayan civilization.  

#9 P.S.  The Maya had their currency right...it was cocao bean based (CHOCOLATE!!)

8

Gail Girbach sent garden seeds with us so today we set out to help plant three gardens--we were taken to a man who had some tools & he and his daughter came with us.  Unfortunately, we found all the garden areas too wet to plant much but we did what we could to clean up the gardens & passed out seeds with directions on how to plant them once the plots dried out.  Though the dry season should have started in December...it still rains often and the ground most everywhere is saturated.  Several locals have mentioned the climate has changed.  We left hoping the seeds would someday flourish...and with several red ant bites.

7

We met four shining stars:  all young girls so eager to gobble up all of our books and all the math problems we could provide.  After a long, hot day at school & a long walk home, they were thrilled at the opportunity to learn more.  We spent an hour & a half with them and a neighbor boy while two younger siblings & their mom with a baby in her arms watched smiling the whole time.  Sound glorious?  Let me try to describe the conditions.  We had to wallow through mud to enter their home--a one room, plywood box where 9 people lived without electricity or water.  Though cluttered with clothes, dishes, beds & one chair, it seemed organized and as neat as possible.  The surrounding area was totally mud--thick & slippery.  How anything or one could be clean there was beyond me...yet the kids' white school shirts...were white!  What was most amazing was what hung on the wall:  four school certificates of excellence awarded to the four girls.  In spite of the bleak conditions, they were truly shining!!

6

Primitive is the only word I can think of to describe our classroom today where we worked with about 15 kids ranging from pre K  to 15 plus one adult.  We were under the make-shift tent using a piece of styrofoam Rog had found in town to hold up a poster with the letters I had printed in random order.  Using two straws we'd joined together as the pointer, Rog worked with the kids & the adult who had not learned their letters. I pulled several kids and did quick assessments and then gave them materials at their level and passed them on to a skilled kids who had come to help tutor.  Several wanted to work on carrying and borrowing as well.  I rotated through about 8 kids keeping them moving forward.  The few mat'ls I'd brought with me seem to multiply like the loaves & fish.  It was rewarding to see the smiles as they caught on to each new skill.  The sun set as we ended the session.  We hiked to the Pastor's home where she had prepared meatballs with rice for us.  We ate as she again told us multiple hardship stories of the people she was trying to help and also of her dreams of how she could do more.  Emmanuel showed up, grabbed a plate of food & he drove us back to our hotel.  We told him to stop for gas and filled his tank.  Twelve gallons cost $64 US ...no wonder there are so few vehicles here!  Prayers flowed from Emmanuel's lips giving thanks for the gas.  How many times have we filled up our vehicles never giving a thought about how lucky we are or how thankful we should be?

#5

Staying in one spot for a time gives a chance for the locals to open up and talk to us more.  Doris, owner of our hotel, visits often.  She has had lots of health issues and tells how hard it is to find anyone to help if you don't have lots of $$$.  She goes to Mexico to get treatment.  She also said Belizians aren't taught skills & just make do so hardly anything is built well & won't last long.  A young man we met, told us the same thing.  He said in schools Belizians are only trained to work for others, not own or run a business.  That may be why the Mennonites who only recently came here, have been able to start many successful business.  They produce almost all the food, furniture & own many stores.  The Chinese here are also very hard-working and successful.  Doris says the Belizians are not desperate enough and too lazy to even plant a garden. Many locals talk about the corrupt gov't and a new group of young people have started a group to make more people aware of corruption.  Both citizens and gov't are proactive in preserving the natural beauty and ancestral Maya ruins.  I sure hope they do.  Locals say the average wage is about $450 - 600 per month with more than half going to rent--most don't own their home.  Food is about 1/3 to 1/2 of what we pay at home except for packaged food in stores which is more than home.  Our average meal out is about $10 for fajitas, tacos, enchiladas, pizza or burger which includes rice, beans & Coke Light, beer or coffee.  Ice cream cone is just $1...and delicious.

#4 First Lesson

By 9 a.m. we were headed back to the Omega Church stopping to let kids hop into the back of the pick up--until Emmanuel felt his bulging, thin tires couldn't handle any more weight.  We stopped at the bottom of a freshly cut , steep drive way.  We climbed up to a level area where a make-shift tent stood filled with kids most of whom were licking suckers.  The 20 some chairs were prized while the rest sat on a tarp or stood.  After another truck load of kids arrived, Paula introduced us and about then it started to rain so we all huddled closer.  Rog & I started our lesson.  In spite of drops coming through the leaking tarp & limited space, God smiled on the chaos & it went quite smoothly.  We started with a version of Mary Had a Little Lamb reworded on the spot to:
Jesus had a little lamb...whose fleece was white as snow
Everywhere that Jesus went...the lamb was sure to go
It followed Him to church one day...to learn the golden rule
Lessons included reading Luke 15: 4- 8, learning about shepherds & sheep (thank goodness for our sheep background), playing games & making lamb masks and ending with Psalm 23 about 90 minutes later.  Then the Pastor sent up three large pots filled with refried beans, chicken stew & fry jacks.  No silver needed as the kids scraped every last drop with their fingers and then licked them clean before heading down the hill nourished with good food & God's words of love.  We walked to the pastor's home to wait for our ride back, took a 3 hr break and then headed back for the evening service stopping to pick up people until the truck bottomed out several times.  A visiting preacher was in high gear when we arrived and they seated us in the front two seats that had been saved for us. Paula was translating the sermon because he was speaking in Spanish. When Pastor Elizabeth took over, the volume & speed doubled & almost drowned out Paula's voice as Pastor Elizabeth (with a baby cradled in one arm & the other arm in constant motion demandingly pointing at the congregation of about 40)  told us THAT BEING A CHRISTIAN MEANT WE MUST TAKE CARE OF OTHERS, SHARE YOUR FOOD, HOMES & FAITH WITH OTHERS. NO EXCUSES.  Then she asked us to talk so we introduced ourselves & told them we felt blessed to be there and hoped we would be a blessing to them. It was very humbling as each person came up to hug & welcome us.

#3

The sun came out just before our ship headed back to Belize City where we caught a cab for the bus station and headed for San Ignacio.  The 2 & 1/2 hour bus ride gave us lots of glimpses of small villages, land half claimed by palm or scrub trees and barren except for the huge crop of Styrofoam plates, homes with wood siding & rusted corregated roofs & barred windows with multiple clothes lines drooping with clothing & a dog or two sunning in a dirt pile.  Also looking out the bus window were 4 other tourist, 6 Mennonites & a variety of other locals who exchanged spots with other locals each time the door opened & shut--which was about 50 times.  Somehow the bus clerk knew who he had to collect money from & $8 was all he charged us for the trip.  As we neared Belompan (the capital of Belize) & later San Ignacio, we saw nicer homes, a few factories & stores, cows & fruit trees--never did see much crop land.  We found our cabana, squeezed between store fronts & a road.  The view from our screen porch includes orange & banana trees where we enjoy the breeze as well.  We are surrounded by good places to eat, several small grocery stores, a couple internet cafes & other stores.  We are impressed with the cleanliness of this town compared to many other large towns we've been in.  We ate, sent off an email to Paula Salazar ( our contact person here) and then set up our new "home" which ironically has the same paneling that was in my own home about 50 years ago.  We slept well on the cement bed (cause the wood ones would be eaten by termites quickly) with a 6"  mattress and headed out early to the Saturday market.  It was bulging with fresh produce, used & new clothing, shoes, jewelry and a few odds & ends.  Rog got a cup for his coffee & a few bananas.  Then we checked our email.  Nothing from Paula so we waited...played cards....read...browsed stores...ate and at 3 pm, Paula came.  She is delightful.  After a nice chat, she left saying she'd be back at 7, leaving us with more questions than answers...but that is what we have come to expect.  We are quite sure we are doing a bible lesson tomorrow.  Not sure for how many or for how long.  Our Ecuador experience all over again.  We set off to scrounge material for the proven-winner lesson, the lost sheep.  Within an hour, we'd rounded up paper plates, cotton balls, glue, cups, Qtips, crayons, balloons, a large typed copy of Ps 23 and a colored picture of a lamb.  Next, Rog found a way to create eye holes in 100 paper plates while I came up with samples & prepared for games.  At 7 p.m., a battered little pickup pulled up.  It's amazing how similar it was to so many other pickups we've ridden in:  seat guts hanging out, no door handles, cracked windshield, gaping hole in floor board and red light glowing on the dash board.  Emanuel, Paula's brother, was driving.  What an entertaining, God-loving young man.  With much enthusiasm, he told us all about his families activities as we slowly bounced along going deeper into the outskirts of town where the working poor and unemployed live.  Pastor Elizabeth was at her door waving us in which meant walking over a blank, then big chunks of limestone & finally, layers of palm branches.  The rainy season has left her yard a mud hole.  A heartfelt hug & warm welcome made you forget the mud between your toes.  Pastor Elizabeth overflowed with enthusiasm as she told us about her belief that we are all family in Christ and how she is compelled to do for others.  Her family & home is busting at the seam with activities and have dreams of many more.  Many church members, especially youth, came by and soon all of us had mounded plates of food and the stories were as plentiful as the food.  We showed her our plans for the bible lesson which she whole-heartedly approved.  Then we hugged our way to the door, crowded back into the truck and headed back to our cabana.  Whew!

#2: friends from Iceland

 I love meeting new people. A few days ago we met a couple from Iceland and learned much about their country.  Leif Erickson discovered it around 900 AD, and today all native Icelanders can trace their ancestry to that beginning.  They even have an app on their phones that they can type in a name and it will show them how they are related to one another.  Most of the 300,000 Icelanders are related within less than 9 generations.  Their heat and electricity is geothermal and it cost about $40 per month for both.  I asked if many move away and they smiled and said, "If they do, they come back."

San Ignacio

Just letting you know we made it to San Ignacio....all's well.  

We've Arrived!

Hi All,

Way back in May, we planted the seed...an email to Sister Liz (my Mom's 84 yr old 1st cousin) asking if we could come to help at her emerging medical mission in Guatemala.  It was a promise I had made to her many years ago while helping her at her AIDS home in S. Dakota.  If you know Sister Liz, you'd understand.  She looked me straight in my eyes and said, or should I say commanded, "You'll work with me again someday."  Without hesitation, I replied, "Yes, Sister."  And then our church sent a group to help establish a church in Belize so our second connection was as clear as a bell.  There was no need for hours of internet research which was a God send considering our summer & fall:  a wedding, preparing & selling our home, & buying & settling into a new one left no time.  So with a sketchy itinerary, the Lonely Travel guide book, peanut butter & M & M's and lots of prayers, we're off.  The -14 degree and 18" of snow certainly encouraged us to go.  Michigan didn't want to let us go but Ben & 4 wheel drive got us to an airport hotel whose heating system couldn't keep up.  Brrrr.  Our flight out was delayed as the ground crew de-iced us and then struggled to remove the jetway that was frozen to the plane.   After a few more curve balls, we hopped on the ferry to Caye Cauker, Belize with 3 minutes to spare.  

Caye Cauker

We hopped on bikes to explore this tiny island.   It seems to be trying so hard to meet the standard of the tourist but years of poverty and lack of infrastructure is hard to cover up--even with their vibrant colored paint.  It's the honest friendliness and gorgeous water that makes you glad you came.  The cool, rainy weather gave us more time to check out the little shops, bike down every alley , sit on the dock, read & watch waves break on the nearby reefs we'd hope to snorkel.