Fri, 29 Jan

Fri, 29 Jan i arrived here with medicines for most possible ailments. but did i ever in a million years think that i would get a COLD?????????? i had a sore throat yesterday and i have a headache this morning and a head full of snot. i have no cold medicine, and i am not happy about this! after taking excedrin for my headache, i got up. Madi tells me that her mother isn't feeling well and she has to take her to Belize City this morning to see the Dr. ok, i guess my cold isn't so bad after all. this is the day i needed to go to San Pedro to get a 30 day extension on my visit. so i wanted to get there early. as with most bureaucratic organizations it was destined not to go smoothly. i mentioned that i went there several days ago to make sure i arrived prepared and at the correct time... coz they do different things on different days. The 8:20 water taxi was late and left at 9am ... later than i should have arrived in San Pedro .... note to self: don't use this water tax service again, even though you will be going to the competition :) i found my way to the immigration office, across from the airport. there was a sign on the door, call Camillle at whatever #. another woman arrived and she called and was told it would be another hour or so :) the good news is: i was first in line! the bad news is: i had to pee! by the time i returned i was 7th in line :( there was the usual squabbling about people cutting in line, but no one took a punch. the woman at the desk, recognized me from a few days ago, so she was pretty nice to me. it just was crazy: you had to go to her; and she gave you a piece of paper that you had to take to the end of the building to another office where you waited in line again to pay your B$50=USD25 and got another piece of paper that you took back to the first girl, where you waited in line again :) i had other errands to run: check on prices for airline tickets from Belize City down to Dangriga . the other option is a 5 hr bus ride on one of those old American BlueBird school buses. it stops for anyone along the road. i'm splurging for a plane! i can get there for B$67 one way. sounds good.. i spent the rest of the day Belizian style ... sitting on the dock overlooking the reef :) life on an island ..... the plan was to return to San Pedro tomorrow to dive. well that was the plan. when i returned home to Caye Caulker, Madi asked me if i would stay here Sat until she returned from Mexico. her mother has a pain in her stomach and they need to go to Mexico for a scan and a second opinion. they'll have to spend the night and return on Sun. so the diving is off again :( i've decided it's time for me to leave Madi's place at Caye Caulker. Eddi is here now and has a pretty good idea of what's going on, and with the charts, duct tape signs, and procedure manual i made; she'll do fine without me. i've been here 3 weeks and i'd like to take a break from volunteering before i go out to Glovers and start my volunteer assignment out there. i'm going to San Pedro for a few days and just hang out; and hopefully dive. i told Madi that i'd be leaving in a day or so. chores were finished and now we are out of cat food, ....again! ....so Eddi and i went to the store, then came back here and i ate my left over pasta.