A Report from Captain Lester and First Mate Diana

It's official!  Lester is a bonafide Belizean Boat Captain with a 3 year certificate to back it up.  The boat is 99% registered and licensed.  All that remains is a trip to the Port Authority in Belize City to pick up the papers.

And this is how it all went down (remember when that was such a frequently used phrase on TV.  Now, of course, it is all about talking points!)  Anyway, Lester gathered up required safety equipment and transported all out to the marina and into the boat.  He made a nice gangplank to allow the inspector easy access and armed with the required papers, gathered over the past two years, we were first in line on the first day the inspectors were at the village council office.  As it turned out they were not particularly interested in seeing the boat and were content to take his word about required items being aboard.  They did give him the written Captain's test, which he passed with flying colors, but opted not to have him demonstrate his sailing skills.  It all came down to making contributions to the inspectors upcoming personal Christmas funds.  (Our landlord had suggested that might speed things along.)  Our friend, Richard, showed up and after a similar contribution to said fund, was granted a license as well, based on the inspection of his boat.  Pretty nifty, considering his boat is still down in Guatemala as he hasn't even brought it up here this year yet.

We are enjoying some early morning bicycle rides out to the marina and also to my property.  I am strengthening leg muscles that have enjoyed significant and noticeable lack of use lately, developing calluses on behind areas that make painful contact with the bicycle seat, and practicing deep breathing, all at the same time.  With all this physical activity I will either come home robust and healthy or slumped over in a wheelchair.

But we won't come home skinny.  There is a woman from Oregon who spends her winters here and is a gourmet cook, She prepares and  sells these gourmet lunches, delivering them by bicycle each day.   We enjoy them with a lunchtime rum and coke (diet rum and coke! Ha!)  Besides her great food I have put out a few tasty dinners as well.  Grilled lobster, Vegetable and shrimp curry. and eggplant parmisan, just to mention a few.  Served with wine, of course (diet wine, that is!

Ah yes, life is good!

Caye Caulker 2012/13 Season

After only a few days we have slipped easily back into our comfortable Caye Caulker island lifestyle.  There are few tourists here now, allowing us to fully enjoy our cast of local characters and friends.  Among them are Chocolate, the legendary protector of manatees, bandy legged, trademark white moustache leading the way, we pass him on his early morning dog walking excursion. "Mornin" he calls.  Fredrick, our gap toothed 40 something adopted son, delivering cargo to various businesses with his bicycle cart,  "Mom! - Dad"  he greets us.  Maurice, the dredlocked owner/cook of "The Wish Willy" a  backyard eatery where the lack of ambiance is more than made up for by the generous helpings of  delicious local cuisine.  Lucianna, our darling transplanted 95 lb(soaking wet)  bundle of Italian energy and the best darn snorkeling guide in Belize.  Ras Creek, the owner of a palm frond decorated, brightly colored boat that he uses to transfer tourists to the reef where they may swim with the sting rays. Marie, the "Laundry Mat" lady.  Mark, the internet cafe guy.  Raena, the meat pie lady, To mention just a few.

Two new acquaintances.  A man somewhat worse from over indulgence in local rum crawled up into a boat stored next to our place and remained there for so long without evidence of movement that we asked the local police to check and see if he were still alive.  Yep! and happy to stagger off for another go at the bottle.  Also a large iguana, one of the group that lives under the house and comes out daily to sunbathe below suddenly bounded up our stairs onto the porch and demanded to be fed.  (At least, that was our guess).  Apparently a correct one as she allowed Les to hand feed her chunks of banana.  This after never being able to get near any of the iguanas before.

I am happy to report that the nu wave cooker that I smuggled into the country on Sunday works like a charm.  Our first time use?  Broiled lobster tails drenched in garlic butter. (Notice how cleverly I worked in that part about already having lobster for dinner!)  Subtle, right?  Today eggplant parmesan is bubbling gently in the crock pot.  Looking forward to cooking a pot of the local red beans with the "Better Than Bullion" ham flavoring, a seasoning trick passed on to me by neighbor Mary in Panama.  Life is good!

Okay, there is one fly in the ointment.  No internet in the house.  For that reason I am here at the internet cafe pecking away and posting the first report of this new season on Caye Caulker.  Wish you were all here!

Oh yes, about the boat.  It is trapped in the marina behind several others that came in later.  We expect to get it free in a few days.  The inspector is expected later this month.  We must be ready!