4 Feb-Glovers Arrival

Wed, 4 Feb up early to catch the 7am Express Water Taxi to Belize City and a pretty sunrise, a great start to a great new adventure. Darrel went with me and made sure i was safe in Belize City, i took a taxi to the airport, and boarded my flight to Dangriga. it was a short flight, and only 4 of us on the plane. just as we were approaching Dangriga, i saw groves and groves of citrus trees. does Florida have this many? when i arrived in Dangriga, i met Alex, and we went to the boat that would take us out to Glovers. Here is a picture of the 26foot boat. before we left, i met our captain, Fagan. nice guy with bright blue eyes who will be out at Glovers while i am there. he told me that the ride would be rough because it was windy and the waves would be kind of big ... but, he stressed, it's safe! hummmmm, wonder why he told me this? the ride out there was very 'interesting'. once we got out of the mouth of the river, it wasn't too bad; we didn't go real fast, because occasionally we had to 'ride' a wave. it took us about an hour to get out to the reef. once we crossed the reef ... the waves got really big, we were out in the big water; and we were splashing and crashing down and up, like a roller coaster. i looked around ... i could see NO land :~ if you know me well, you know that i really like to keep land in sight, coz i want to know which way to swim; but ... i wasn't scared, Fagan said it was safe :) Alex and i talked all the way out there, he's easy to talk with. he told me that his dad is retired and is out at Glovers 'volunteering' too. i was happy to learn that there was another girl volunteer out here! yeahhhh her name is Marie (not likely i'll forget that name). i'll be working with her and the other volunteer, Nick, both from the UK, on their projects. right in the middle of all the big waves, a pod of dolphins started following along side of us, even saw a baby jump out of the water, they were surfacing and swimming so freely. there were a LOT of them. i was quite excited and pleased that they were excited enough to stop the boat and just watch them. i kind of thought that this would be so common place to them that they wouldn't be in awe as i was, but they were. it was great! i get the feeling that all of these people are environmentalists and truly concerned about it's future. eventually we took off again, they hung around for awhile, then vanished. we continued 'plowing' our way through the waves, and finally reached Glovers Reef. once we crossed over the Reef into the lagoon, it was like being in paradise. the color of the water changed from dark blue, to that beautiful turquoise green, light and dark variations, with the coral just below the surface. oh my ... i'm here! i'm smilin! we had several more miles to go to get to the other side of the lagoon and Middle Caye, and the Research Station. but it was much calmer and so beautiful. then, there in front of us, were a bunch of coconut trees and our dock. the rest of the staff and volunteers were out on the dock to greet us. it's like a family out here. a family in paradise! it is REALLY REALLY windy here! Marie showed me to my bungalow and room, and i got set up ... complete with my princess netting. Marie said i will need it here, even though there are screens on the windows. Photo of my bungalow and view out the door i chose the top bunk so i could see out the window View from my balcony: Marie and i walked around the island ... that took about 10min. the island is about .3 of a mile around. she is happy to have another girl here too. there are literally HUNDREDS of hermit crabs on the trail through the mangroves! you have to be careful where you put your feet when you walk and they come in all sizes, ... some larger than your fist. i walked around and took some photos, sat on the dock, and in the hammock. so far, it's a tough life, but someone's got to do it. did i say what a lucky girl i am? you know the 5 pounds i lost while in Caye Caulker ????????? i'll be gaining them back within a few days of eating here at Glovers! what a feast! Yvette, is our chef. she is so sweet and a wonderful cook. Dinner is from 6-7pm. Photo of inside of Dining Room, screened, overlooking, what else? ... the sea! it's buffet style, when the food is on the table, you grab your plate and fill it up. tonight we had fried rice, wonderful beef in a rich brown sauce, an asian-type salad, also, yummy lemon cake and fresh cinnamon rolls. there is always some fruit juice, water, and fruit. i ate with Alex, Ray, his dad, Marie, and Nick. after eating, we put our paper in a wastebasket, and take our plates to the kitchen. scrape all food into a bucket, including meats and dairy, then wash our dishes. there is a basin with soapy water and a basin with rinse water, then we put them in the rack to dry. :) after dinner i went to the library, ... the internet here is from satelite and, sadly, is slow and unreliable. at 8:30pm Alex, Marie, Nick and i had a meeting to plan the next few days. it reminded me of my days working on the Kalamazoo River Project with Karl, Billy, and Pam. tomorrow i will help with the sea grass study. after our meeting, we retreated to Alex's room for cocktails :) i was happy about this, i was hoping this wasn't an 'alcohol-free' caye, and that i could contribute with my bottle of Capt Morgan and Absolute Vodka :) Brian showed up a little later, the wind continues to blow and the waves are huge, so he was soaking wet from coming over from the neighboring caye. he works at the resort there, but will be helping out here too when we start catching, tagging, and tracking the stingrays. we chatted, laughed, and told stories for a few hours. i noticed that no one was wearing shoes.... then it was time for bed. i climbed up into my bunk and i was out!

2 Feb-San Pedro

Tues, 2 Feb when i got dressed today, i realized that my pants are almost falling down. i've lost some weight since i've been here. it's no wonder, i haven't eaten a lot since i got to Belize; and literally no sweets! No divers or snorkelers today. in the morning, i found an internet cafe -- hey, i'm in San Pedro now, and it's not so slow ... and, it's not so expensive! it's a nice little place with a nice girl running it that made me a great fresh fruit drink with milk and ice. in the afternoon, Darrel and i hung out again ... i feel like i'm on vacation :)

1 Feb-Esmeralda-SPedro

Mon, 1 Feb in the morning, Madi hugged and hugged me when i showed her the money. now she REALLY doesn't want me to leave. she said she's never had a contribution that large before. she said she could buy 4 'bales' of food with that, enough for 16 days. that's pretty huge for her. she was especially happy since i had given her a B$600 payment before she went to Mexico with her Mom .... and it was all gone!!!!!!!!!! After Madi left for work, Eddi and i finished up, quite quickly. a few days ago i figured out how to use the phone system here :) you buy a 'phone card', which is really just a receipt with a number on it. there are pay phones on almost every corner here! you go to the pay phone, pick up the receiver and wait; a recording comes on, "enter your pin", then you enter the number you want to call. as far as i can tell, this is how most people use the telephone. even for the land line at Madi's house, she has to buy a phone card to use it. you buy phone cards and enter them into your cell phone as well. so i took my phone card and called Darrel at the Dive Shop to see if anyone was going diving. he said they had a group at 9am ... it was 8:30; and they'd go out again at 11:00. i said i'd be there for the 11:00 -- hold the boat! i ran back home, packed my bags, wrote a quick note to Madi and Eddi, walked down the street to get a taxi, and left! i took the other water taxi this time, i didn't want to be late! i got there on time; and met the group from the morning dive. 2 women from Canada who were sailing around the world ... a young girl who was just certified ... a guy with a lot of camera equipment. Still being unsure of myself, i got in the water, and of course, i wouldn't sink :) i'm not sure why that is; but it's always been the case. Darrel helped me get down to the bottom where the rest of the group was waiting. we were diving OUTSIDE of the reef, at a place call Esmeralda Canyons. he had a gallon plastic water jug with fish he's caught to feed the sharks, moray eels, and grouper. it's an awesome place. there was a large area that had a sandy bottom, which is nice because you don't have to be concerned about stepping on or destroying any coral. he coaxed out a large green moray eel, and kind of held it and played with it ... no way, not me! i'll hold stingrays and nurse sharks, but no eels! lots of nurse sharks, which have skin like fine sandpaper. they have no teeth, they are bottom feeders, and just suck .. which is why they call them Nurse Sharks. many different kinds of large grouper. they aren't colorful, but really are pretty coz they have a lot of variations of brown, grey, black on them. then we started travelling. it was like being in the Rocky Mountains under water. there were huge crevaces, canyons, and gullys, with tons of soft and hard corals and fishes fishes fishes everywhere. it was so cool. i guess i was off in my own little world, marvelling at what i was experiencing ... and i was also practicing my breathing .... so i missed 2 sea turtles :( ...next time i'm staying close to the dive master! even so, it was awesome. unfortunately, i have no photos. after the dive, Darrel helped me find a room in town to rent for a few days before i take off for Dangriga and Glovers. we hung out, walked, and ate at the local restaurants, not the tourist ones. and fed the local dogs ... not cats for a change:

31 Jan--Last Day CC

Sun 31 Jan the last day of the month ! slow down, go slow, .... but you can't stop time ! we fed the cats, and did all the chores ... we were quite proud of ourselves :) it rained really hard a few times early this morning. all the locals have been telling us for a couple days that the weather was going to change and it was going to get cooler :( today wasn't very nice ... it was mostly cloudy and sprinkled off and on all day. before i leave Caye Caulker, it was a perfect day to do something that i've wanted to do since the first day i got here .... rent a bicycle and tour the island. so.... finally, on one of my last days ... i rented the bike. Why didn't i do this earlier ?????? i had a great day, and it was nice that it wasn't sunny, coz i was on a nature trail in a kind-of-jungle, .... well, certainly more jungle that i have seen so far. i saw some nice homes in this remote part of the island, ..totally different from the main 'town'. a lot of the homes look vacant. i was told that they people that own them can't afford to come down here now and they can't sell them..... the tide was out, and i saw these boys playing in the soft sand by the mangroves. they were having so much fun jumping from the dock and sinking in up to their knees. it was Sunday and it looked like a family outing. back in town, i also saw some of the homes where the locals live. they don't have much; but they seem happy. i went to the Leeward side of the island and took these photos of the storm that was coming in ... it looked real scary ... (but never amounted to much but a little more rain) i thought my time was about up, so i headed back, but found out that i had 10 more minutes. a quick ride down the beach sounded like fun (yes, it's allowed here ... ). i hadn't gotten far when i saw a sign at a Cuban Bar for Mojitos. Mojitos originated from Cuba (i think). they are made by pulverizing limes and mint leaves in the bottom of a glass, adding simple syrup, some ice, rum, and usually soda water or sprite. they are expensive down here, and i didn't know why; and they are hard to find down here because of the shortage of ... all things ... MINT! i can't get rid of it in my yard! note to self: if you move down here, you could grow mint and sell it to the bars! Anyway, i screeched to a halt and ordered a Mojito, even though it was out of my budget price range. they didn't have a to-go-cup and i had to get the bike back. the bartender gave me a glass mug with a handle, so i could ride my bike and drink at the same time :) ... i could return the glass later. i guess it's ok to 'drink and drive' here :) i went home, Madi was back, i grabbed Eddi and we headed back to the Cuban Bar so Eddi could get a Mojito, and return the glass. the Mojito was good, but not as good as the ones that Friz and i had in Bonita this fall.... they were, by far, the best i've ever had! ...thank you Friz! i needed to do some more uploading of photos, so i went to the Sports Bar to use their internet. a guy that Eddi had introduced me to stopped by and wanted me to play Trivia with them. i declined, i was on a roll with my photos. i kept working and working, 2 rum n cokes later, i'm tired and about ready to leave. a guy sits down next to me ... and pulls up his chair really close to me. you know me, i'm not real happy about this..... so i try to discourage him. he kept talking, i kept typing, and trying to respond. he had a German accent and was from Switzerland. eventually he said the magic words. he was sad and worried because he had to leave his cat at home while he was on vacation. and he had spent over $1,000 and hired 3 people to come in and entertain and take care of his cat. so, since i had my laptop and i had all the photos of the cats on it, i started pulling them up and showing him. oh, he liked that one, and that one, wasn't that one cute; maybe he would take some home with him. (he had consumed a few beers). anyway, i kept the photos rolling, i was enjoying myself now, with a man that liked cats. he kept telling me that he thought i was a nice person :) i still wanted to go, so was trying to wrap up the conversation; when he says, i want to show you something. i look to my side, as he started taking his belt off ......... i watched with intrigue ... what was he doing ??? he had a money belt on. he unzipped the inside of the belt, took out a US$100 bill and handed it to me; with a serious comment that this was not for me, but for the cats ! i tried to refuse since i knew he had been drinking, but he wouldn't hear of it. i encouraged him to come by Madi's the next day; but he said it wasn't necessary. isn't that nice? some people just have big hearts for the animals! i went back happy for the cats.

Sat, 30 Jan

Sat, 30 Jan Madi was up at 5am feeding the cats before she left or Mexico ... Eddi and i could have done it, ..... but ... we did finish up and Madi left with her mother. Eddi and i spent several hours going over the 6 page document that i spent 4 hours on one night outlining the Feeding Procedures. having finished that, we went to the internet cafe and had them print it out for us. we now have a document to follow! this document would will make it MUCH easier for the next volunteers ... too bad i didn't have it when i got here i needed to get some meds at the pharmacy for the cats and pick up some cat food that was supposed to arrive at 11:30 on the water taxi. while i was at the water taxi dock i saw a poster about a Bonfire at The Split for tonight's Full Moon, ... a possibility for Eddi and i. the cat food didn't arrive ....and the pharmacy was closed for 'siesta' or something :) it was hot and sunny, so i came home, put on my suit and went to The Split. it was one of the most beautiful days here, full blue ski, no clouds, and little wind ... would have been a great day to dive :( i got bored swimiming and sitting in the sun, . .... gosh ... does that sound like me ????? so i got some shrimps from the Shrimp Man, then Eddi came and we headed back for the evening feeding. Here are some more pictures of the cats: This is a group from the Kitty Kat Lounge that were waiting by the door to come in for their evening feeding, ...how many cats do you count ? This is Munchkins ... doesn't he just have a face like you've never seen before? not sure what's with his ears, but he sure looks sweet. This is a cat from across the street. Madi feeds 13 cats there. Punkin, he was wild, has been trapped, neutered, and released. he doesn't 'live' at Madi's ... but he's always in the yard and on the porch, putting in his time, hoping someday to be accepted. Another great cat that would sit on your lap for hours and purr. Who could refuse? This is Snowy ... a beauty, isn't she ? by the time we finished with the cats, the clouds had started rolling. so we only had a few minutes of the full moon in all it's glory. ... so we walked slowly to The Split. when i was in San Pedro in December, i noticed that after school, young boys walk the streets with baskets, selling baked goods or jewelry that their mother's have made. none of them are pushy, they just ask, with those beautiful eyes and beautiful young faces. sometimes they don't even say anything, just show you what they have. if you say no, they quietly go away. it's not like in Mexico where they hound you to death. their approach works much better, how can you refuse those sweet faces? .... plus the food is always unusual and very good. we got to know Julian ... he was a beautiful boy, ... thoses eyes! we saw him tonight, so i asked if i could take his picture. his brother was with him. they were kind of embarrassed and were excited when i told them i would post their picture on the internet. so, Julian, ... here it is. there was a bonfire at The Split, a big one, but no one was around it. there were a 'few' people at the bar ... but it was early... for most partiers. they had 2 for 1 Happy Hour ... we each had 4 Panty Rippers :) we met another nice local guy, that lives on the north end of the island across The Split .... he just takes his boat across to the bar. we enjoyed talking with him ... 4 Panty Rippers were enough and we went home early.

Wed, 3 Feb

Wed, 3 Feb My last day before i leave. There is a large group going diving and a smaller group going snorkeling out at Hol Chan; i'll join the snorkel group. Hol Chan is a Marine Reserve Park, so there is no fishing there, and there are lots of fishes. i've already been there, but i really like it for snorkeling because you get to see lots of fish. Devon, our guide was another young good looking Belizean :); and he took us all around the Marine Park and showed us lots of fish, eels, stingrays, and sharks. there were lots of boats out there today with lots of people. we had trouble finding a turtle, but did finally did find one, ... a green turtle. they are so graceful! then we went to another location with more nurse sharks. i was having fun diving down to the bottom, holding my breath, and swimming after them. i've always been 'afraid' to try this, i don't know why; but now that i've been doing it, it's lotsa fun! on the way back along the reef, we saw 2 fishermen in a boat cleaning conch they had caught. Devon pulled up to their boat and we saw a big Loggerhead Turtle feeding on the remains of the conch that they were throwing overboard. This is not a 'scheduled stop'; but Devon said we could get out for a few minutes if we wanted to. everyone else just sat there ... i had my fins and mask on, and i was in the water before anyone knew what was happening! the water was only a few feet deep and i got in there and swam with and around that big turtle. he looked a me with huge brown eyes and was eating and swimming ... with me right next to him, or on top of him. it was SO cool !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he could just 'fly' through he water, such a sweet face! a highlight on my last day! i am one lucky girl! :) i am so sorry that i haven't been trying out my new underwater camera. i had it with me today, but i need to practice taking shots. i had a sharks tail here, a flipper there, a lot of sand ... sorry, nothing to show here on my blog. hopefully i can do better once i get out to Glovers. in the afternoon i bought my airline ticket for tomorrow's flight, walked around with Darrel, ate more local food, sat on the dock, and watched a pretty sunset. and had one last Mojito before i left for Glovers ... where there will be no Mojitos ...

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.

Thurs, 28 Jan

Thur, 28 Jan: where is the time going? i need to be in Dangriga on 4 Feb to meet Alex, the manager of Glovers Reef Research Station .... that's next week ! today was a pretty normal day, except that another cold front has come in .... 3 days they say ... and it was very windy today ... unpleasantly so ... and mostly cloudy. Eddi and i went to The Split. she got in the water in an attempt to soothe her sunburn and heal all her bug bites ... she is worse than i was! i stayed out of the water and opted for hanging in the hammock instead. pic of Hammock at The Split we stopped on the way home for "2 for 1" Panty Rippers, a local drink, usually pineapple juice, and of course rum. After chores, we ate at a small real italian restaurant, with a real italian man cooking. we had blue cheese and garlic carbonara, with awesome garlic bread. a great meal. i get emails from people asking me things ... i like that .. some things i don't think to mention .. coz i know :) the room i live in is part of the main house. Madi and her mom live upstairs, my room is on ground level with an outside entrance, and also an entrance to the room adjacent to mine, which has a kitchenette. my room does not have anything but a bed, chair, bathroom/shower. Since there has been no one in the 'kitchenette room', Madi has allowed me to use the frig in there ..... that's is nice of her! it nice to have relatively cool water to drink! there is another room with a outside entrance attached to the house, that was initially intended to be an apartment ... but ,.... she needed a place for more kitties ... so now they live in the unfinished room. It is called The Pounce Inn the cats love to sit in that window it has 15 younger cats and kittens. this is the room that has become the most problematic because the unneutered cats are really ... well, how should i put it ... out of control ? Madi desperately needs to get them neutered. but i'll be gone by that time This is Yonnis, about 4mo old ... he is not the cutest kitten, but he'll steal your heart away, when he puts his little paws on your legs and just looks up at you, ...please can't i come up? you can't help but pick him up, and he'd stay in your arms all day. cats/kittens like this one need a home and someone to love them all day every day! , this is one of the kittens, De-l-la. She is blind in one eye, with the other one soon to follow. she gets around fine, and let's the bigger cats know not to mess with her, with a little growl. she is sweet and needs a good loving home. This is Angel, looking out, wishing he had a 'real' home This is Picolo, a typical kitten, a wild child, but sweet as can be the 3 little unneutered females that have to take their 'turn' in a cage until they are neutered. a few of the older cats in here: Spirit, white; Karma, black; and Babe, tiger with white

Wed, 27 Jan

Wed, 27 Jan i set up a possible dive for this morning with Belize Diving Adventures. i took the 8:20am water taxi to San Pedro. it was a nice morning ... when we left, ... 10min into the ride, it started pouring rain :( it was still sprinkling in San Pedro when i got there, so i walked along the beach to the dive shop. no one else had signed up to dive that day, and they need a minimum of 2 people, so i hung around the dive shop in case someone came in and wanted to dive. but no one ever did. i was 'entertained' by Darrel, from the dive shop. he took a fishing pole and we went out to the pier. he caught a small red snapper ... it's a pretty fish, as well as a great tasting one! he caught another small fish and was pulling it in, when out from under the pier shoots a big barracuda and grabbed the fish. it was pretty exciting for awhile; it even broke the surface of the water! but the barracuda kept biting the fish and never got the hook in it's mouth .... so he got away. for while it was looking like i was going to have another chance to taste barracuda, but not this time :( after the barracuda left, the 'clean-up-crew' arrived to finish off any bits and pieces of fish that were left in the water. clean-up-crew translates to 2 large stingrays. they swam around for 15min or so, then left. this is a picture of the stingrays ... kind of hard to see

Tues, 26 Jan

Tues, 26 Jan: Connie and Bob left and i went to work to finish up several things i had on my list: 1) put screening on the main gate, since a couple of the smaller cats were able to crawl through the gate and get in when they are supposed to be out; 2) put screening on another area of fence that the same 2 cats have been using to get in when they should be out; 3) replace a support for the cupboard in the Meow-tel; and 4) make a door for Swiper's cage, so we could get rid of the board and concrete block we've been using. of course, that entailed a trip to 'Meijer's hardware store ... make that 2 hardware stores, the first one didn't have the hinge i wanted. amazingly there are actually 2 'Meijers' stores here .... about 4 blocks apart ... remember, everyone is walking here, ... so it's equivalent to being about 10 miles apart :) the second hardware store had my hinge, although they didn't know where they were in the store -- i finally found them. it took me most of the rest of the day, in between Play Time shifts; to get it all done.... but i got them all finished. At about 2:30 i headed to The Split for a swim. Photo of the Lazy Lizard at The Split: Photo of the pier at The Split before the hurricane. now used by sunbathers and partiers. but, again, it was windy on that side of the island, so i didn't need to swim; i just sat and watched the guys who were 'kite-surfing' ... i'm not sure if that's what you call it, .... getting about 20 feet high and travelling as far, turning flips ... they were having a great time out there ! Photo of one of the guys doing a flip kite-surfing. i have a great video of this, but uploading a video is entirely out of the question ... maybe sometime on You Tube ... Here are a few pics of the "tourist" streets in Caye Caulker and the "Pie Lady" she had awesome key lime with merangue topping. come to find out, she is Madi's sister. returned home for evening feeding schedule. in the evening i went to Oceanside ... it's a combination Chinese restaurant and bar in the evening, and they have wireless, so i worked on my blog downloading photos for several hours ... and, ate Chinese food. you don't get veggies around here much, so it was really nice having them ! i left about the time it started getting really loud --- obnoxious tourists! :)