Green Day in Ambergris Caye!

Well I may be many things, and I have left behind a tarnished reputation in the UK, but I never expected to be accused of being a "radical terrorist, bomber"! So today was a new 1st for me....engaging in the a lively discussion on tourism and economy on the AC forum......resulted in just such an accusation!! I do have to add this was from a Texan......not George W Bush though!

My title reference to Green Day is in honour of the band Green Day's song "American Idiot". The antagonism in the discussion forum arose when someone used the term "suburban American idiot" and I decided to re-quote this is my reply.

This certainly triggered the American paranoia and resulted in a Texan idiot telling me the "good old U S of A did not want people like me" in AC and to "Try Iran"!! Further adding that I must be some "radical terrorist, bomber". WHY? Because he thought I was being anti-American. Now even if I was being anti-American........why does this instantly make me a terrorist? Certainly makes you realise that all the propaganda on terrorism in the US IS having a frightening pervasive effect on the consciousness of many Americans.

Anyway....excellent song....just read these lyrics:

"American Idiot"

Don't want to be an American idiot.
Don't want a nation under the new media
And can you hear the sound of hysteria?
The subliminal mind fuck America.

Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alien nation.
Where everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.

Well maybe I'm the faggot America.
I'm not a part of a redneck agenda.
Now everybody do the propaganda.
And sing along to the age of paranoia.

Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alien nation.
Where everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.

Don't want to be an American idiot.
One nation controlled by the media.
Information age of hysteria.
It's calling out to idiot America.

Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alien nation.
Where everything isn't meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We're not the ones who're meant to follow.
For that's enough to argue.

Pyjamas and Political Correctness!

Reading the news from the UK today I came to the conclusion that journalists in the UK must have felt they needed to inject a little ‘realism’ to the news today. Maybe a diversion from the tragedy of Haiti was needed?? Tesco announce that they are to ban customers from shopping in pyjamas; and an employment agency are informed that they cannot advertise for “reliable, hard-working” employees as it would be “offensive” to unreliable applicants!! It is good to know that some people focus on real issues in these surreal times!!

Shall we Stay...or Shall we Go?

The last couple of days have been good days. We have finally ‘switched on’ our working heads and begun to address a few issues. We have had a couple of very minor ‘horn-locks’ but these have been resolved and neutralised. Now we have to try and decide our forward plan. The frustrations of the useless inconsistent internet and lack of skype continue to plague us. And the last couple of days have pushed us to explore options for leaving AC – however, we have been shocked to discover the extortionate costs to fly around Central America. So the question yet remains…..to stay, or not to stay? And if we do decide to move on…….where next?

Six Weeks in San Pedro!

My first diary writing for a week, although there have been a number of activities that warranted some observational documentation.

We have been here in San Pedro for six weeks now (the longest we have stayed anywhere since leaving the UK).

We have settled into our little abode at the Yacht Club, and feel comfortable now thinking of this as ‘home’. There is a friendly sense of community spirit from those that live and own here, Americans and Canadians, and all retired. We joined in another cocktail hour last night, not only feeling very young amongst all the retirees, but also beginning to feel at home amongst these folks! Now all we need is come cash to be able to purchase the few things we require to make our place functional and more ‘homely’. It will be a milestone achieved when we actually begin to make our mark on this place. We are not talking major “stuff” here…..just simple things like crockery, a couple of pans, a tin opener, a garlic press, a toaster, a rug…….oh and of course, a hammock….no self-respecting home in the Caribbean is complete without one!!

We have encountered our first crocodile here…..and got up close and personal!! The other evening we took a golf cart ride with Billy and Joy (Billy who we friendly refer to as Fred Flintstone!) and visited the lagoon out the south of San Pedro, where the crocodiles are becoming so bold they will saunter across gardens, and have even been eating small pet dogs!!! Doing the brave (and stupid) thing that ‘tourists’ do…we walked to the edge of the lagoon where a croc was loitering in the water, and threw sticks to entice him out of the lagoon!!!

Our shopping is improving….we have discovered a fabulous produce market on a Tuesday morning by the lagoon, where mainland traders bring their produce to sell. It is such good, fresh produce and a fractional cost of some of the produce offered by stores here. For $BZ18 we got green peppers, broccoli, onions, cilantro, tomatoes, lettuce, apples, limes. We have found our supplier for large, raw shrimp….which happens to be the Belikin distributor…well I guess beer and shrimp go hand-in-hand!! And, we have now sourced a little meat factory where we can purchase 2lb fresh boneless chicken breast for $BZ11. Prices for provisions in all the stores vary so much you really have to shop around. No one store can be said to be best value for everything, and we are told the price war depends very much on who on the island buys up a supply of something. Our local store near to the Yacht Club is Lebonese owned, although as an ‘island of shop-keepers’ there seem to be a number of nations running stores here!

I am now very conscious of the fact that Nick uses pot to reduce the stresses of his life and block out the things he does not want to face. It is so readily available here, it will always be the easy answer! And the irony being that I am one of his biggest stress factors……and being with me will probably always determine a certain level of stress.

The ‘responsible’ activist in me just wants us to be able to ‘fix’ some of the stresses such as money. I also have a dream, and that dream involves living a happy, healthy life here. I would like to be cycling around the island, doing yoga once or twice a week, I miss running and would love to run along the beach in a morning to start my day.

House-warming!!

Today has been something of an ‘un-day’……largely as I felt extremely delicate this morning after last nights over-indulgence on beer, rum and pot….without eating! Apart from the lethargy and the headache, I was feeling terribly nauseous and suffering from heartburn. So I spent another morning wishing I didn’t feel so rough and sure I could develop an aversion to coconut rum!!! A little sun peeked out so we did get to enjoy our pool, albeit briefly before clouds and rain returned.

Nick is ‘perky’ as usual and is like a little kid in a sweetie shop when he realizes that his internet is working, and with a good speed…….now life at the Yacht Club is just getting better!!! Apart that is, from the slightly annoying Americans staying here, but I guess that is par for the course if you chose to live here!

Moving into the Yacht Club!

After our little uncertainties moving into our place at the Yacht Club late last night, this morning brings a greater sense of optimism. This buoyant feeling grows as we start the big clean-down and dust removal, and start to feel like the place is not grimy to the touch. Our uncertainty last night dissipates, as we grow warm to our apartment. Although quite ‘cozy’ the space is airy with a super veranda area and beautiful view of the pool and the sea. As the sun has not decided to bless us with her presence today, it makes a befitting day to be indoors cleaning and ‘home-making’! Although it IS very warm work…..helped along with a few Belikins of course!! After a few Belikins it seemed only proper to celebrate moving into the Yacht Club with a bottle of coconut rum and mango juice. Hey…and I am now sure that Nick has some magnetism for Rastas as who should he bump into at our little store outside of town….the Rasta who tried to ‘beg’ $5 from us in town today!! So now it is time for us to relax.

Saturday 9th January

Another somewhat fuzzy morning, not helped by the fact that it is a wet and decidedly cooler day. A good day for staying in bed, and we surface shortly before lunch, driven by hunger. Good ole BBQ chicken, beans and rice to the rescue!

Everyone is wrapped up today, the locals make you feel even colder looking at them, as they are wrapped up to the nines.

Our New Home

Today started with a morning coffee at Estel’s on the beach, and then we decide to go for our morning walk with a planned visit to the immigration to extend our visas, and to call on Mr Bob to see if the Yacht Club apartment is still available as we are now certain that this is the ‘home’ for us whilst we extend our stay here. The excellent news at the Realty office is that not only is our apartment is still available but Mr Bob must have been on the ganja, as he cannot remember what price he quoted us……meaning we were pleased to agree a deal for less than he had originally quoted!!!

Our house and visas sorted we call into Lime’s for a little Belikin celebration. Somehow this brief morning beer turned into a very long day of beer, and our introduction to the Road Kill Bar run by a fat, talkative, self-clever Glaswegian. 

Popcorn and Pot!

As it was another overcast and cloudy day, and with no funds, after sending a couple of emails off and having a online chat with Nicole, we did the only sensible thing to do and got stoned and went to bed. Waking in the evening with the munchies we dined in style on fresh popcorn, washed down with chilled aqua!

Goodbye Nana ;-)

Strange to know that by the time I awoke this morning Nana’s funeral was already over. I was trying not to thing about it, and when I checked my email after our morning walk I got the news that all had gone well, and Simon had read out my message.

Tuesday 5th January

The highlight of today was finding where we want to rent…..our true new ‘space’ and home in Ambergris Caye. We went to view an apartment at the Yacht Club this afternoon, and both fell in love with the small apartment straight away. It just had such a ‘good’ vibe and totally feels right for us. Our only dilemma now is how we can stretch to securing it.

Phoning Home.....

I really need to talk to my Mum, so we decide to go to Lime’s and see if we can use their phone to call the UK. I make a call to my Mum, and it is so good to talk to folks back home for the first time in weeks! The call goes well, I manage not to get upset being that I am in a public place, and my Mum seems to be holding up well.

I feel like I am emerging out of the ‘fog’ of the last few months, and feel stronger (for the first time) to fight for ‘me’ and confront some of the concerns about being with Nick that are eating away at me. I make a decision to change my paypal account password, so that I can retain some control over the movement of money. A small attempt to ensure I can at least retain some small funds in paypal so I never feel totally without. This does cause some conflict with Nick, but we manage to talk through it, and I stick to my guns about retaining my management of paypal. We now have about $15BZ dollars left and no confirmation of pending payments from the two clients due.

The tension is still palable as we walk up the beach, and my bristles stiffen following our encounter with Rasta Todd. I then discover that Nick is still owing him $30 (or so I am told!!) for pot already consumed, yet he talks about purchasing some more!! But our visit to view another prospective apartment serves to break the tension somewhat, and the rest of the day was ‘real good man’. I even felt our-indulged with my tuna sandwich and salad and water with lime.

At a whisker, and no doubt in response to Nick’s curt email, we get our outstanding payment into Paypal by 5:30pm and this is quickly transferred to the bank……this means it should clear by Friday…so only another day and a half to eek out our $15BZ!!!!

Monday 4th January....news from home!

Sad news arrived today by email from my Mum….my Nana has passed away. I sat and read the brief couple of lines several times before letting a few tears well. I feel sad, yet some comfort that she no longer has to eek out her existence……’un-living’. I feel sad for my Mum, especially not being able to be there and hold her; but I also feel the sense of relief and peace that my Mum must feel knowing that she no longer has to watch her mother slowly ebb away.

The Business of Paradise!

Today has been noticeably quieter in San Pedro, as we arose at 6:45am we watched the first melancholy tourists lining up at the Water Taxi pier ready to embark for their journey back to their ‘real’ lives. It made our steps as we strolled out this morning much more buoyant, as we laughed with each other about how good it felt to be staying on this little island. This morning we decided to walk as far South as possible to fully explore this end of the island. We followed the only main paved road in San Pedro out of the town towards the South, curious as to why this paved road ran South of town when all the development seemed to be North. We found out why…..despite many more large resorts out to the South of town, we found that the paved road terminated whereabouts the water depot was. No wonder this road was prioritized for surfacing! It certainly appears that the South of town was once a more lucrative real estate area, but sadly in addition to many closed businesses and abandoned development, most of the property is for sale or up for lease. We also discovered San Pedro’s closed down casino, and even more supermarkets…..bringing us to the conclusion that Ambergris Caye certainly is a “nation of shop-keepers”!

However, these shop-keepers are multi-tasked enterprises where skills or commodities seem juxtaposed….take for example ‘Nora’s Property Management and Nora’s Laundrette’. For many of the locals this seems the ‘norm’ and it is not uncommon to see ‘shared’ business signage.

The business signage itself here is quite incredible, and warrants some photo-evidence to truly appreciate its uniqueness…so Nick has been out snapping pictures of the real ‘marketing’ face of San Pedro. Many signs are hand-painted giving them a very organic and un-corporate feel. In fact, San Pedro is covered in signs…they are everywhere as everyone is vying for that all important $!

We stopped and had a coffee at Banana Beach Resort, and decided we could avoid paying for the coffee if we enquired about long-term rentals. Part of mission in exploring the South this morning had also been about scoping out accommodation. Success on one score……..we didn’t pay for the coffee! Side-effect……I think we may be tempted to make this a means for procuring our morning coffee break!

The day was beginning to warm up now and we were beginning to feel a little walk-weary and mildly irritated at the influx of bugs at this point, so we turned back towards town with an aim to hitch a lift back! We scored on the second golf cart and got a lift back to town with an American couple living out here.

Knowing that tomorrow brings in the start of the first working week of the new year, we do the only thing to do today……… go ‘island time’, go sit on the pier and chill.

2010.......a new future???!!

Fuzzy-headed we awoke about 9:00am…….you know what’s coming next don’t you…..? Yes, of course, caffine fix. That done, I hopped onto the internet to try and catch Nicole and wish her Happy New Year. Luckily I did manage to catch her briefly and exchanged a stilted dialogue. Next we set off South to walk and in search of food. The day was oppressive and muggy with it likely that a tropical storm was brewing yet again. We brunched at Fido’s on burgers….getting a good ‘western’ fix and to celebrate the marking of the New Year we got stoned and slept!

New Moon and New Year!!!

I awoke this morning with the head from hell, but felt surprisingly better after our usual double caffine fix. Heads splitting we decided to seek out the pharmacy and some codine before starting our day. Knowing that many pharmaceutical drugs are available over the counter in this part of the world, we were confident that we would get our drug of choice. What proved a surprise was that drugs were sold by the tablet and not by the pack. Our mission to secure codine cost us $1.50 per tablet.

Pain dealt with we decided to walk up to Ak’Bol today, the yoga retreat about 4 miles North where we spent an enjoyable day the day after we arrived. With suncream, books and a joint in hand we donned trainers and enjoyed the invigorating walk up to Ak’Bol. By the time we arrived the sun was beginning to win the battle with the clouds, and a couple of beers quenched our thirst before we found our spot to settle. After a stint on the pier we relocated for comfort to what we found to be the most comfortable sun-loungers we have enjoyed so far!! So comfortable in fact that it did make a good spot to chill for a while. As the sun began to go down, Palapa Bar called to us, and we relocated to a spot in the sea as the sun began to settle on the last day of the year……now starting to enjoy a good buzz. As darkness fell we realized that the walk back to town was impractical and instead got a free ride back on the coastal Xpress to San Pedro……*note to self: free return easy to blag when most travel on return tickets.

We returned home for a brief freshen-up, and headed back out into San Pedro. Not to mingle with the typical tourist New Years Eve experience but to experience New Year in AC ‘local-style’. Off to Central Park the local hot-spot, and the venue tonight where we could do our New Year un-American and un-British!! The park was alive with locals all dressed to the nines for the evening. Even all the little girls were attired in sparkly heels and cocktail dresses, looking absolutely charming with their Latino looks! After sampling some local cuisine….firstly hotdog ala Belize, and then tasty BBQ chicken and pork ribs, we found our spot to sit back, chill and await the mark of the new year. Alas, our long day was taking its toll, and we were feeling decidedly weary and bed-ready……..and it was only 10:30pm! We were both agreeable to returning to our apartment, believing that waiting out the potential fireworks at Central Park may prove a disappointment. Back home on our balcony, we sipped our final beer, whilst trying to keep awake. I think Nick took mercy on me in the end and suggested we retire to bed. He did not have to ask twice, and by shortly after 11:00pm we crawled into our bed and fell asleep. Another first:……..the first New Year I haven’t seen in since I can remember!!

Rain, Rum and Remaining here........

A cloudy, overcast and rainy day has resulted in us retiring to our apartment with a bottle of the local Caribbean coconut rum and mango juice. But a huge positive step has been made…..we do like our little island, our local produce stalls and its largely shanty-town feel and ‘island’ life. Nick has decided he can tolerate the American invasion, therefore, a new decision has been made….to remain in AC for now and enjoy the island life. Our brief investigation of travelling within this part of the world has highlighted that the costs for ‘country-hopping’ are not cheap, and that without really knowing where we are going or having some command of Spanish, we could leave here and find ourselves out of our depth very quickly! I am pleased, I took a liking to AC immediately, yes there are tourists, and yes annoyingly American ones at that. But all said the island IS quaint and to be honest we could choose many worst places to sit back and settle for a while. Watching the tourists enjoying their brief visitation makes me feel all the more fortunate to be hanging out here for some time, and for me proves a constant reminder that we are doing things differently!!

Christmas Day 2009!!

Christmas Day 2009…….the first time I have actually spent Christmas outside of the UK, and the first time I have spent Christmas without my children!! Strange as I had wished about being away for Christmas for a number of years, but never envisaged it just like this! Guess it has been made harder by the lack of telephone contact with the children.

However, it has been an extraordinary day and it has been a welcome escape to have an ‘un-Christmas’ this year. We have spent the day relaxing on our pier, and taking the occasional swim in the beautiful Caribbean sea when we needed a cool down. The beach and sea-front was exceptionally quiet in the morning, with little air of Christmas around. My one ‘gift’ celebration was to buy a couple of hand-crafted bracelets from some local children selling their wares. It seemed quite strange that even the children carry on as normal here, out earning their contribution, rather than festering around a Christmas tree or sulking about what they haven’t got! The children told us that they celebrate in the afternoon with a chicken BBQ! And the afternoon did get quite busy with local children playing around the pier, jumping in……enjoying the free time to play.

We made our own ‘Christmas’ dinner which proved exquisite…..local lobster broiled on our little burner in foil with garlic, onion, vegetables and butter, served up with a fresh salad and home-made coleslaw! We washed it down with a bottle of Belikin beer, smug with our culinary success, and I guess pleased that we had made the day special in our own way!

Plumbing Caribbean Style!

We forget in our first world way how different simple things can be in a third world country. Sanitation has to be the one basic commodity, and just the fact that we cannot put toilet-paper in the toilet here due to the poor plumbing system highlights differences!! Somehow it still feels un-natural to go to the toilet and put all tissue-paper in the bin besides the toilet! Nick and I have joked about how this is a simple difference but one that takes some time (and experience) to become a ‘practiced bin depositer’! This caused us a little issue with our ‘hopper’ here, after we failed to do effective bin-deposting and we ended up with a blocked toilet. Requests to have it fixed eventually resulted in Nick taking on the task of plumber, being that plumbers here work on “island time”. We have now taken to using the toilet in Lily’s Restaurant downstairs for those ‘No.2’ moments…..just in case!

D-Day + 1

Well D-Day One has come and passed…….and I am still alive! I had already known that celebrating (or not celebrating!) my birthday this year would prove a nostalgic and reflective process. Especially with the added dimension of poor internet, no skype, and that other dangerous cocktail – hormones!

It seems quite poignant to recollect where we were this time last year, how it felt so magical to be with Nick and yet how this time of year made my leaving the family seem so heartless and selfish.

A Birthday on a Paradise Island!

I awoke early this morning with a clear head, and after a birthday wish from Nick, we started the day after a brief coffee with a walk south of the Island. Now the holiday season has effectively started, we can certainly notice a change around San Pedro. Many more local people have set up stalls along the beach and main street, and for the first time there do seem to be slightly more tourists around. After two days of rain and no sun, there appears to be the hint of blue sky lurking behind the greyness this morning. I am feeling a little strange, a combination of the date, my hormones and missing contact with Nicole, but the walk starts to take my mind off things.

Back at our apartment, I try yet again to connect and email Nicole but the signal is playing up again. We abandon this in favour of the opportunity of soaking up some sun……..and being the true lizard I am…..I do manage to make myself immoveable on a sun-lounger with a few ice-cold Belikins to assist! How appropriate for a ‘Sun-Worshipper’ to receive the perfect gift of sun for her birthday!

Ambergris Caye seems to consist of a bizarre mix of exclusive resorts, unfinished condominiums, houses for sale and an island of shopkeepers! The North of the Island goes 16 miles from town and is largely quite remote and made up of resort compounds. There is a toll bridge to cross just out of San Pedro, and although only golf carts are allowed to cross the bridge, they are charged at $16, making accessing town from the north by road quite expensive. The two main Island ferries (also known as the bus!) run every half hour from San Pedro up the coast of the Island, as well as offering a private taxi service…..this is most definitely the way to get up and down the Island. Despite having four supermarkets serving the Island, there are so many small locally owned stores we have lost count as we have meandered around the town. There are also a large number of realty agents, restaurants and speciality shops, of which many seem to be owned by Americans who are plundering the tourism economy of Ambergris Caye.

La Isle Bonita!

We have made it to AC at last…….a place we have only talked and dreamed about, the place we have been planning on travelling to for some months now. Arriving on our Island was incredible, and so special after thinking about what it would be like for so long. We certainly made the right choice to arrive by boat, as the journey felt quite symbolic, and we did our titanic-esque pose on the boat as we approached our island.

We have found our ‘new world’ here, the promised land, a land without global corporations, where everything you can want IS available…more or less, and most certainly at a price. Will we find our utopia here? Is AC going to be our ‘paradise found’……and as tourism is most certainly a huge aspect of the island’s identity and economy…..how will we find this as a tropical retreat?

Well here I am late afternoon on a warm and balmy day in my ‘paradise found’, sat on a balcony over the white sands of our island. The Caribbean Sea is gently lapping not 15 feet from my balcony. This, one of the first few days in my new world, my new life, started like a “new normal” day for me.

I awoke early, feeling incredibly clear-headed, and realising that my new daily buzz was certainly more agreeable to early mornings! After coffee and a walk on the beach, we encounter Rasta Todd, and I share the start of the day for the first time with a Rasta, on the beach smoking a tobacco-leaf rolled spliff….

Rasta Todd’s trade is selling hand-made shell necklaces, of which he wears one, and carries the other two he possesses. His little wooden stall on the beach from which he is plying his trade looks bare with just the two shell necklaces loosely hanging from the side. I watch the first joint I have seen being rolled in a tobacco leaf, one-handed, by a Rasta on a breezy beach in the Caribbean, breathe in the cigar-tainted aroma of weed, whilst leaning on the wood stall with my Nick. I find it quite amusing, as I reflect, that here I am in a place that not a life-time ago, I would have dreamt of my escape from the world……and now here I am “‘chillin’ wid me Nick man”! I have acquired a taste for Belizian Beer a local draft named Belikin. Well I can handle a small slip to the ‘dark side’ but all tings wit’in reason….eh man?

Back at our new apartment, plans are instantly changed for the day! Now the email to Arbor can get “nicely postponed…after all “dees tings take time”! I grumble to Nick that I haven’t really got a buzz from my Rastafarian sample of weed – so I get to tote on another whilst he showers, just watching the waves from our balcony. I like our new home, Lily’s is quite basic and lacking in some areas; but the location is awesome as a ‘starter’ and Lily is a likeable local woman. We can handle some basic accommodation, and this feels more true in terms of supporting the local economy here and not the ‘foreigners’!.