We have been here on Caye Caulker for a week. Time flies here! The first two days were HOT! I went about setting up housekeeping. Unpacked and arranged all small appliances etc. then stood in front of the fan to cool off. Went grocery shopping and then stood in front of the fan again. So it went those two days, a little work alternating with fan time.

The next three days it rained. Not just a normal rain but torrential downpour with only brief periods of just heavy rain. The soccer field looked like a lake and was about ankle deep when we finally got out of the house. Fortunately we had food, TV, our computers and plenty of nap time.

Now we are returning to sunshine and regular island life.

Lester is trying to get the boat moved. It seems everyone in that neighborhood has been "watching" it for him. At first that seemed like such nice acts of friendship and thoughtfulness. But then they all wanted to be paid for this service. Ha!

The rain, low tides, locals in personal crisis, religious obligations, etc. have all combined to delay moving the boat. But we think this might finally be the day. Or maybe tomorrow!

We have been eating in and my little slow cooker has worked perfectly. But last night we went to the Wish Willy. We have been looking forward to eating there during this last summer and the meal far surpassed all our dreams about the event. This might have been our best meal ever anywhere. When he asked us what we wanted I just said "You decide and surprise us. I'm sure it's all good." So he brought us each a platter of grilled fish fillet, lobster, and steak along with rice and veggies. Everything was so good we just ate and sighed and smacked our lips and talked about it all the way home. He seasons everything to perfection. This meal, served with a rum and coke was $10 US each. Unbelievable!

Here we go again! We are only a few hours away from boarding the plane for our return to Belize. Our suitcases have been packed, weighed, and repacked with loads lightened. If our bathroom scales are accurate we are each only ounces under the 50 lb limit for the checked baggage. Our carryons are almost as heavy. I won't be able to get mine in the overhead compartment. Fortunately, I won't have to do this as Lester takes care of the heavy stuff.

Lester has the yard and shrubs looking so nice it is almost a shame to leave. I have tidied up the inside of the house in order to avoid a scandal in case, as my daughter, Marla, said "my ship doesn't sail back home." I used to have a friend who pledged to spiffy up my house after I was gone and never tell about all the dust bunnies and uncleaned corners. She moved away some years ago and, now that I think about it, she was pretty much not speaking to me when she left. I guess that means she won't be coming back to keep that promise.

We'll be catching the 6:00 p.m. water taxi from Belize City to Caye Caulker tomorrow. After we get unpacked and settled in I'll report on any changes which might be of interest to you who have been there before. In the meantime, Love to you all from Diana and Lester!

Back in Live Oak

We have been back home a week now and still experiencing culture shock. Sleeping on a soft bed with a real pillow as opposed to the hard mattresses and lumpy headrests to which we have become accustomed is a difficult transition. Toilets and septic systems that can accomodate used toilet tissue is another change. How long before we stop looking for a waste basket in which to dispose of this material. How long will we feel uneasy and guilty when we flush it away. Here, when we turn on the faucet, hot water comes out. There is no chatter of birds to wake us as the day is breaking, no iguanas to clean up fruit and vegetable scraps. This all requires an attitude adjustment. But we are working on it.

Perhaps most difficult is remembering where we left everything before we went away. We put keys, checkbooks, etc. away where they would be safe and ready for us when we came back. Turns out we were better at hiding these items than we ever imagined. But we are working on that too.

We are looking forward to a busy summer of enjoying grandchildren, camping, kayaking, and traveling here in Calif. and the Pacific Northwest. If all goes as planned we'll be back in Belize in November. Life is good!

Snorkeling on the Belizean Reef

During the last week of our time on Caye Caulker we were able to go snorkeling with Carlos Tours. Carlos offers an exceptionally good tour in that he is an excellant guide and takes underwater pictures during the tour. I have posted some of his photos of native reef inhabitants. Included is a spotted eagle ray, turtle, manta ray, large school of fish and a transplanted California clownfish. (This particular clownfish is a mature speciman with the juvenile clownfish being more sleek and displaying brighter colors!)
Anyway, it was an excellent day!

We are so excited! Les bought the sailboat, GYPSYWIND, and plans to do a few repairs so we can sail our hearts out next year. Of course, we do have to learn to sail. Minor detail!

Our new baby! Gypsywind

Caye Caulker Days

Just before sunrise in the morning the birds roosting in the mangroves behind the house begin to chatter and sing. Theirs is a song of the tropics, a mixture of melody and shrill calls. Sunset brings a repeat performance.

As the day warms up the iguanas who live under the house come out to sun themselves. The large male watches his ladies with a gleam in his eye and chases after them whenever conquest seems likely. I have yet to witness any success in that department.

If the weather is calm out back we can paddle the kayaks over to check on the marine life. One regular stop is just north of us where a school of young tarpons have taken up residence and are being protected by the dock owners there.

We are tending four newly sprouted coconuts planted out on my property. Since they are planted in sand we are transporting soil to pack around them for nutrients and since it has not rained recently we are also taking them water. Makes for a good bicycle ride as well.

We are kayaking over to the north island of Caye Caulker (across the split) and hiking around there. In the process we have met some of the north island residents and made some new friends.

Shopping for dinner is also an adventure. You never know when you will find a treasure. For example, yesterday they had avocados and okra. A few days back I found a package of bean sprouts and hurried home with it to make a stir fry. Carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, pineapple, bananas, papaya are almost always available.

There have been more cold fronts and wind this year than I have seen in the past. We have not been able to do much snorkeling as the water is often too stirred up to see much. But we are hoping for some good snorkeling days before we have to leave.

The theme of this island is "Go Slow" which is advice we are happy to follow.

My friend, Joan, has been here for almost two weeks and we have been staying busy. We went to Cayo District to see the kick off of the Ruta Maya canoe race. We stayed at the hi-et guesthouse. Les and I stayed there last year too and really like the place and the family that runs it. If you are ever in San Ignacio that is the place to stay.
On the day of the race we got up early (at 0 Dark Hundred) and made our way to the Hawksworth bridge. Below us was the starting line. There were about 70 canoes in the 4 day race and it was great fun to be part of the excitement of the event. (If all goes well I will include a couple pictures taken from the bridge. If they aren't included, I couldn't get it to work.)
We also rented a car while we were there and explored some sites, Barton Creek Cave, the Mennonite home builders at Spanish Lookout, and Cahal Pech (small Mayan ruin on the hill above town.) It was a good trip.
Our first days back on the island were too windy for the kayaks and snorkeling. But the last few days have been perfect. We have bicycled, kayaked, etc. until our legs are sore, we have blisters on our hands and our noses are sunburned. It just doesn't get much better than this.

A Good Day on the Reef with Ras Creek

Greetings from Caye Caulker

We arrived here on the 11th along with Mike and Jackie Travis. Rob and Linda Langille joined us on the 12th and my friend, Alice, from Alaska showed up on the 14th. Les' friend, Harold, came with us from Mexico and Guatemala so for a while we were a party of eight!

We lucked out in the lobster department as our landlord, who is also a fisherman, had just come from his last lobster run of the season and we were able to buy a nice supply of lobster tails and the big crab claws for $5 per lb. We had our first lobster/crab feed (and pina colada party) while Rob, Linda, Mike, and Jackie were still here. We were joined by neighbor, Richard, and new friend and traveling companion from Guatemala, Lawrence. Harold and Alice missed out as they left that morning. Sorry guys!!

We went out to the reef with Ras Creek in his little palapa roofed boat. Both the Travis and Langille parties expressed doubts about the seaworthiness of his craft but we survived and had a good time.

There is a new eatery on the island. They serve Cuban food and every Saturday they roast a whole pig. We had some last Saturday and it was soooo good. This will be a regular Saturday stop for us! Another treat was that Meldy came by and helped Jackie and me make a seafood stew. Fun and good eating.

We have made several trips out to my property and I am now in the process of having 10 boatloads of sand delivered and spread out there which should be enough to be ready to build. A slight problem (or maybe a big one) is that now they are starting to require house plans and building permits. I should have started building last year! Will be looking into it.

Linda and Jackie and I went out to the yoga center by my property and had a nice class on Wednesday. I plan to attend more!!

They are all gone now. Linda and Rob left Wednesday afternoon and we saw Mike and Jackie off this morning. Will miss them all but someone has to stay and eat lobster, snorkel, kayak, soak up sun, etc. Tough job but I think we can handle it.

Early Morning View from Casa Rosada

Lester of the Jungle

Finca Tatin bungelow

A Few Words from Livingston

We have completed our first week of travel and are spending a day of rest here in Livingston, Guatemala after being in Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and Chetumal, Mexico followd by Flores and Finca Tatin, Rio Dulce, Guatemala.In Mexico the highlights were the Mayan ruins at Tulum and a morning walk on one of the world's most beautiful beaches south of Tulum. The night at a funky little unfinished hostel in Chetumal will also certainly be memorable.
The little island town of Flores is picturesque and we popped for a lttle more upscale accomodations there, or maybe it just seemed that way after the Chetumal hostel.
Lester and Harold went pyramid climbing at Tikal while I sat below applauding and admiring their efforts.
The bus ride from Flores to Rio Dulce connected perfectly with the departure of the launch down river to Finca Tatin. A smooth tranfer but we missed out on lunch at the Red Dog Cafe. Darn! Maybe next time.
I think that Finca Tatin will be the high point of the entire trip as I can't imagine anything topping it. The place is set in lush tropical foliage with thatch roofed bungelows scattered around the main large palapa lodge center and tha attached dining area. The floors are all polished woods and the decor is jungle relaxed. Lester and I stayed in the loft of our bungelow, sleeping under a mosquito net and listening to the rain drip off the leaves around us. Our place fronted on the river where we had our own dock complete with hammocks.
My friends from Caye Caulker (the ones who live on the sailboat and sell jewelery) met us there with a bottle of wine and lots of fun stories to share. They stayed for dinner and came back the next norning to take us on a jungle walk. By the way, dinner was some kind of chicken dish that was the best thing we'd had to eat so far. After our walk the people at Tatin loaded up our luggage and took it down to our Livingston hotel by launch and we came down the river in kayaks, About a two hour paddle. Perfect. And guess what we had to pay for all this (lodging, food, transpotation, kayak rental etc. Just under $40 each! Amazing!
Last night I had tapado (Garifuna seafood stew) here at Casa Rosada. Perfectly seasoned and brimming with shellfish.
Life is good!

The Descent into Senility

What next! The recent Green Toroise experience proved that I am no longer up to the challenge physically. Yesterday's experience proved that I am also losing mental capablilities. Here's the way it went down. (Fox news reporting language)
Yesterday was spent in final preparations for the upcoming almost three month absence. Laundry was done, folded and put away, refrigerator cleaned out of possible bacteria growing leftovers (even the last of the milk drunk, "Here I'll take care of that." says Lester) The few fresh veggies and fruits left over were passed on to a family member lest we be greeted in April with an unrecognizable slush in a bucket on the back porch. Beds were changed, Valuables locked away in a safe place (granted, that was a light and easy task), goodbys were said, bags were packed and waiting by the front door for Les's son to come by and whisk us off to the airport for our flight south in a few hours.
Then, oh so casually, Les says, "Let's see. Monday is Feb. 1st. Right?"
An alarm goes off in my head! Adrenalin shoots through my body! "What day is this?" I cry. "Saturday, Jan. 30th." he replies. A quick check of travel documents confirms my growing suspicion, our reservations are for Sunday evening, Jan. 31st.
So, except for a casual remark on my partner's part we would have been at the airport calling for a ride back home or sitting there for 24 hours with our faces lowered in shame. I ask you, What next!
There is an upside to this situation, however. (There usually is if one looks hard enough.) The upside is that we now have an extra day. A free day in which we are not obliged to do anything because it is all done. There's nothing left in the house to eat but we can sneak out to eat. Maybe we'll dress in disguise in case we run into any of the many people to whom we so ceremoniously bade farewell. But in any case we have an extra free day to do whatever we might choose to do.
Just one thing. For those of you who I have helped with travel advice; it might be wise to check your itineraries. If I have you scheduled to travel on Feb. 30 or Feb. 31 you may want to look into it more!

One of several Courtyards at El Fuerte hotel

Mule ride to Hot Springs

Overlooking Beach Camp in Baja

Fouteen Days on a Big Green Bus

For some time now I have been heard to proclaim that those of us in our senior years "can still do it all! It just might take us longer." Well, I'm here today to tell you that this is not exactly true. I hesitate to report this, as I still believe in Green Tortoise and find it to be an amazing adventure experience, but I am now convinced that there comes a time when not all adventures are appropriate for all people. This time does not necessarily correspond with too many years lived. It does, however, have much to do with too little strength and agility left after those years lived. Darn!

Anyway, this was a great trip in terms of traveling companions. Such an interesting group! Two young sisters from Denmark, two older Polish ladies, a young British fellow, a frenchman of middle years who lives in Spain and is an employee of British Airways, a young Canadian woman from Halifax and a number of U.S. citizens from scattered points across the country (with Oregon providing a surprising number of participants). They were all fun and good sports. One woman, who at first appeared a bit disgruntled, "I could have gone on a cruise for this money and I would have had my own bed and would have been waited on ---" was heard to announce a few days later that all was well after all because she was pretending that she was not "roughing it with a bunch of stangers". She proved to be a real trooper!

I will take a look at my pictures and post a few next. The whale watching was hard to photograph as it was impossible to predict where the next whale might surface and by the time you swerved around in that direction, focussed the camera and snapped the shutter (with it's built in delay) there was hardly a ripple left of the event. But I can tell you that all accompanying baby whales (you won't see any of those, of course) were only one day old. That is what our guide said. Not quite sure how that was determined but each one was one day old.

The beach camp was wonderful. The weather beautiful the first day and then windy and cold the next. When I was a little girl in Oregon I used to listen to the nighttime storms and try to imagine that I was warm and cozy while out in a tent in the howling wind and storm. It was a favorite dream and in Mexico this time the dream came true.

We had expected some sort of old rust bucket of a ferry to carry us across to mainland Mexico from La Paz but it was quite nice. Very elegant. Although, come to think of it, some of that elegance may have been in the eyes of beholders who were fresh from a much less comfortable site.

El Fuerte is a delightful colonial town. We stayed in a hotel there (Hidalgo) that was truly elegant with beautiful courtyards and even a statue of Zorro. Creel, the town in the mountains from which the Copper Canyon may be visited is a cold, miseraable place high enough in the mountains to cause near death to those ( of which I seemed to be the most affected ) suffering from altitude sickness. We visited a most spectacular canyon and I took a few photos there between desperate gasps struggling for oxygen in the thinly supplied air.

A stop in Tucson and Joshua Tree Park and then back to SF where the Green Tortoise Hostel was a welcome resting place before heading back to Live Oak. By the way, this hostel is the perfect place to stay while exploring San Francisco and may be on the agenda at some point in the future.

We are getting ready now to leave on Saturday for East coast Mexico, Guatemala, and then a long stay on Caye Caulker. Pray for us!

Further comment from Copper canyon

Another interesting thing about these computers. Most of the letters, or the biggest part of each one is worn off the keys. Definitely cannot visit high altitudes in the future. Too much difficulty breathing, headaches, etc.

Lost in Copper Canyon

Sorry! Have not been able to post. Mexican internet difficult to use. Could not access this site. Then did not have time to post. Then altitude sickness. Now getting ready to leave Creel and will not be near a computer again until back home. Oh well, it seemed like a good idea a long timr ago in a far away place and in a different life! (Will post some pictures and a few lines when we get back)

Lester is also ready to go!

Packing for the trip

The Green Tortoise packing instructions say that we may not take more equipment than we can carry around a city block. My gear (backpack, sleeping bag, day pack, tent) is ready to go. I have loaded it all up and taken a test walk. If necesssary I could get it around that block. It wouldn't be pretty, but I could do it.

Green Tortoise Adventure Travel

As we get ready to leave on our Green Tortoise trip it occurs to me that not all my friends and family are familiar with the Green Tortoise Adventure travel program. For those of you who are not, here is a brief history and description.

It started out with a stripped down old school bus that carried passengers between San Francisco and Seattle back during the hippie era. Since there were no seats, travelers were able to just throw their packs on board and find a place on the floor to sleep. In the 70's Green Tortoise began to offer cross country trips with some camping and sightseeing along the way. Gradually they added more trips and better buses until now there are many choices. (Check out their website for the many trips available.)One thing remains the same though. While there are some benches and tables on the bus, sleeping arrangements are still as follows; pick a spot, throw your sleeping bag down on the provided pads, and spend the night.

There are regular rest stops along the way as there are no bathroom facilities on the bus. (Well, there are. But they are not available for use.) Some night time rest stops may consist of pulling over to the side of a country road with the men going one direction and the women another. Hot showers are rare. Actually, showers are rare.

Meals are a community project with all pitching in to set up, peel, slice, stir fry, clean up, etc. The food is mostly vegetarian! Healthy stuff! Not my usual diet! But very enjoyable.

Participants may come from every corner of the world, every walk of life, old or young, etc. However, with all the differences, there is one common thread, a willingness to give up some comforts to experience a real travel adventure. There are five members of our travel group, Frank, Carol, Joan, Les, and myself. Some of you would have liked to come with us but were unable to get away at this time (or so you said!) Others among you listened to a description of the trip with eyes glazing over and then politely, but firmly, turned it down. That's okay! It really is not for everyone and I still love you even if you did not want to come.

This trip, The Gold Coast Loop, consists of 15 days, evenly divided between sleeping on the bus, pitching a tent and camping on the beach, and staying in town at a small hotel (Shower Time!!) Activities on this particular trip include whale watching, kayaking, snorkeling, riding a mule, crossing to mainland Mexico on a ferry, riding the Copper Canyon train, and an excursion into the canyon from the town of Creel. All these are optional except for the ferry ride. Those who are interested will also be able to eat fish tacos and drink margaritas at various stops along the way. Count me as one of those interested!

Next on the agenda is packing for the trip.