New Pictures Arrive

After three weeks at home and limited news of the construction in Belize, pictures of the house in Belize have finally arrived, showing the construction as of June 25th. Several days of rain have delayed construction, but the walls seem to be going up and everything seems to be in the right places. These first few pictures show the construction as of June 19th.

These last pictures are of the construction as of June 25th. The walls for the bedrooms are just about to the right height, then the blocks need to be set for the higher ceiling in the living room and kitchen.

View of the front door

East side of house

View from the water looking back at the retaining wall and patio

View looking at the retaining wall and west bedroom

View of retaining wall and east bedroom

View of retaining wall, cistern and pool

Almost finished east bedroom and bathroom walls

All of the walls almost complete

I have decided to change the patio doors from the standard 6ft 8in height to a larger 8ft height. With the living room ceiling at 11ft+, it should add to the air flow and sunlight in the living room and kitchen, while also adding a visual effect of a larger room.

On a more serious note, Bob Wright, whom I rented a studio apartment from while I recently was in Belize, is undergoing surgery tomorrow to help restore his hearing. Good luck to Bob and a speedy recovery. I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed that the surgery is successful.

Bocce Ball Sundays

It's Sunday, and that means Bocce Ball at Bob and Martha's. It was another beautiful Belizian evening and we had a several teams to play Bocce Ball. Usually with the snowbirds gone, the game gets down to only a few teams. But tonight, we had visitors that were both locals and soon to be locals. Marvi and her family, including her dad, Joe, all came out to enjoy the day and evening at a nearby beach, and soon were drawn to our game. Joe and I teamed up for a come from behind win and everyone was really having a good time playing Bocce ball. Another new couple was Kristen and Jack, who were visiting from Texas. They are here to explore what Belize has to offer, and who knows, maybe find their own version of paradise.

As you can see, everyone is in shorts, the temps in the low 80's. Does it get any better? Bocce Ball by the sea, warm temps, a little breeze and very few bugs. Oh, and a couple of Belikins and One Barrel rum and Cokes.

It's Sunday in Belize. Relax and enjoy. Life's too short, so go have some fun.

Learning to relax again

I’m starting to relax and slow down to the pace of Belize. Things get done, albeit at a much slower speed, and that’s OK with me. I’m not here to change Belize but to let Belize change me. The studio apartment I am renting from Bob and Martha is a nice place out on the point of Consejo village. If you are planning to visit the Corozal or Consejo area, maybe to look at properties or just relax, their place is an excellent spot near the sea with nice trade winds to keep the temperatures comfortable.

The view of the bay from Bob and Marthas' side yard

Bob has a wood shop in the back of the house where he turns bowls, vases and tables. Below is an example of just some of his artistic woodwork. Beautiful hardwoods gathered from around the country provide him ample supplies to work with. A former logger by trade, Bob knows his hardwoods and how to bring out the beauty that is hidden within.

Bobs' artistic woodwork.

If you are interested in any of Bobs' work, or maybe renting the studio apt for a day or week, please contact them at alwayswright@btl.net. Just tell them Perry sent you.

On Sunday, my contractor John Harris, invited me to his house for rice and curry. He said that is the official food of the English, replacing fish and chips. My how the world has changed. And he can cook a good batch of chicken curry. He has a beautiful place on the shores of Four Mile Lagoon that rivals any place in the States.

They say that Belize is a third world country but I have found that, at times, it is better than where I came from in SoCal. I went today to register my Toyota truck and get new licence plates. The whole process to less than twenty minutes. The only strange thing to happen was that they took my certificate of ownership (pink slip) for the Toyota and issued me a new pink slip. I need new licence plates for my truck, but they are out of them and requested I check back in a month or so. They also requested I remove my California plates, so I now have no license plates, at all. So my Toyota truck is now an official Belizian Toyota truck and will live out the rest of its' entire life as a Belizian.

Next, it was to the bank. There, I deposited a personel check, talked to the manager about transfering construction funds from the US and visited the ATM to withdraw money to live on. Again, this took no more than twenty minutes. From there, it was over to the butchers' to get meat, chicken and eggs, all fresh. They cut the bacon from the slab as I waited. Ten minutes later, I was off to the gas station to fill up the Toyota. This whole process took less than an hour and a half from start to finish, including the drive time. I was back to Consejo village just in time for lunch.

Now it was time for a Belikin and to relax at the shoreline. It's a tough job, but it's something I gotta do.

My Life at Consejo

I'm in Belize, life is good

I’m spending my first days in Belize reacquainting myself with neighbors and friends. I brought a few small gifts for my good friends here. Specialty coffees, golf balls and tees, and a few other things I could stuff in my truck. The problem was finding everything. I have unloaded most of the truck and put it inside the large studio apartment I am renting from Bob and Martha. They have a great place to stay that feels more like home, unlike most of the places I have been staying at the last couple of weeks.

Bob and Marthas' place

I haven’t seen Hipolito since we arrived at the Belize border, but I’m sure he’s OK. After all, this is home to him, with all the family members around. I’m sure he misses his family back in the States, but with all the family members down here, its’ got to keep him busy. I think he is scheduled to leave tomorrow but I hope for his sake, he stays a little longer. The flights out of Chetumal leave around 8AM, so if he’s out of here tomorrow, I won’t see him again until June.

I want to thank all of you for your best wishes during our travel. A few of you left comments on the blog, and that also gets e-mailed to me, so I read them all. I just can’t reply unless I have an e-mail address, which the blog doesn’t always provide.

I’ve had some internet connection problems out here in Consejo, but hopefully they are just temporary. Tomorrow is Sunday, which is Bocce Ball day. We will be out at 8AM playing Bocce Ball with neighbors from the Shores and nearby communities. Bob and Martha have two courts set up right now, but sometimes have as many as four courts set up when the snowbirds are here. The snowbirds have all gone home or are planning on leaving soon, so it won’t be quite as busy tomorrow on the Bocce court.

The days are beautiful here, with the temps in the 80’s and 90’s during the day and 70’s at night. There has been a constant breeze blowing through the last few weeks and that keeps the temps down. The sea is a little choppy, but it is a beautiful turquoise green.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day with Bocce Ball in the morning, a little golf in the early afternoon and a bar-b-que at the contractors’ house in the early evening. Life’s tough, but someone has got to do it. The only thing better would be if Mischelle and the dogs were here.