Shopping Adventures in Town

Sunday was a mixed bag as far as the weather was concerned. It started off in the morning with high clouds, and the sun peaking through every once in a while. But it was perfect for a game of Bocce Ball. It was Sunday morning Bocce Ball over at Bob and Martha's place (which is where I'm staying). So by 8AM, two Bocce Ball courts were in use, the games were a close matches and so began the roar of the crowd (and the neighborhood dogs). I evidently wasn't sleeping in today.

I didn't feel like playing Bocce Ball today and it seemed they already had enough players. It was a good time to head into town and pick up some supplies so I wouldn't be eating out so often. As nice as it was at the Don Quixote, they didn't have a stove to cook on, only a microwave. At Bob and Martha's, at least I have a stove and lots of utensils.

So once into town, I stopped by our P.O. Box in town to see what had accumulated over the couple of months we had been away. No junk mail here. The only thing I had in my mail box were bills from Belize Electric, LTD (BEL), and they were addressed to the former tenant of my mail box. That will be a job for me to do during the week, to go to BEL and get my bill sent to the P.O Box and have him removed. It's amazing to see the P.O. Boxes still use the old skeleton key.






After that, it was to the local market to pick up some essentials. Bread, eggs, milk, juice, etc. Not much that different than home, just not the selections you have at the big supermarkets. More like a 7/11 or Circle K. And once in a while you may find that special spice or seasoning you need for that special occasion. Unfortunately, you will probably find it when you don't really need it or just after you really needed it.

From there it was over to Chico's tortilla factory for fresh, hot tortillas. Mmmm. $1.25BZ for a pound of them. $2 worth, please. Hot off the tortilla press, weighed on an old time scale, wrapped in soft butcher paper and given to you still steaming.





After that it was over to Frank's, the butcher, for fresh bacon from the slab. How thick, Mr. Perry? Only one pound? Oh, I also need a couple of pounds of ground beef and a pound of chicken. Is that all Mr. Perry? It's nice when the locals know you.

From there it was over to the fresh fruit and vegetable market to pick up a few things and then to head home. As you can see, shopping in Corozal is a adventure, moving from shop to shop, place to place. But that is part of the enjoyment of living here. And it's not like I don't have the time. I get to meet people and go places that are sometimes overlooked. From there, it was time to head back to Bob and Martha's.

After I made some lunch, I want over to the house to clean up the future lawn area and get it ready so I can install the sprinkler system on Wednesday. Of course, about half way through cleaning up, it begins to rain. Not too hard and it wasn't cold, so it was back to work.





Because I had been working outside, I had battery powered music and an ice chest with beer, I didn't realize that the power to all of Corozal and Consejo had been knocked out, and for more than a couple of hours. Maybe it was time to stop working and go home to see if I had any candles in case this blackout lasted into the evening. By the time I got back to Bob and Martha's, the power was back on....only to go back out a few hours later. Oh well. No internet tonight. And it began to rain again. Time to kick back, light some candles and enjoy some smooth jazz. Nice way to finish the day, Belizian style.