Wed. 12.12 / San Pedro BZ

We lost our WIFI at the hotel and have not had internet since monday night sometime. *this post is "pirated" via the wifi at the Wahoo bar. (i know, being a pirate is what i do) this connection is spotty, slow and often drops signal. it makes it very frustrating to try and work from here. hopefully the internet service provider will come out today and fix ours here at the hotel.

Mark and Deez, two guys from my work flew in Tuesday evening.  we toured the city and had a fantastic Seafood dinner last night.  Today we did two scuba dives.  they were fun - and safe Mom!  we saw: sharks, turtles, Moray Eels, Spotted Eagle Rays.  it was a great day for diving!  now it's just at the end of nap time and right before the beginning of happy hour.  the quiet before the storm if you will.  Tonight it's more seafood!     having fun down here.   Xo  Skip
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typed earlier on my laptop but unable to post:
Tue Dec 11.
I have been going crazy for almost 24 hours now. Yesterday I lost internet at the hotel. (they have free WiFi) I was working several hours on writing and then it just dropped the connection – lost my work.

Can you relate? The hotel insists everything is up and running, but I cant connect again - anywhere. (I have probably re-set my service, and totally messed up my internet settings, with all the buttons I pushed. I did some creative hunt and peck.)

So, without internet I can’t be certain where I was on my project and what was lost. BUT – I have not given up! I’ll keep plugging along. It might require use of the local internet Café’s? **also today about 5p, two guys from my office arrive for scuba and they are both Computer Techs. So if it aint broke – they’ll fix it.

WHERE TO START? I guess I’ll give you the short version of Sunday & Monday and then go through today…. Sunday I awoke at 6:30am to a hot stuffy room. It seems the electricity here comes from Mexico. (“sometimes the power goes out, but it’ll be back on in a few minutes.”) no water running, no coffee at the restaurant. I did a walkabout and found a deli down the street with hot coffee. Then I had a nice outdoor breakfast at a little Cuban Café on the city square. – No Worries! About the time I paid my bill the electricity kicked back on. After breakfast I walked north along the beach taking pictures. (IT WAS HOT) mostly I ran from shade to shade. For lunch I ate at my favorite little dive. Sunday special meal: Cowfoot Soup. (really) later I took a nap. Then Sunday night was the City Parade. (did I already write this? see the loss of internet is killing me) Monday I went scuba diving. I did 2 tanks diving with Amigos del Mar. we dove 80ft the first dive and then 60’ the second dive. There was nothing special about either dive. We saw about 7 sharks, a turtle the size of the circle I make when I touch my fingertips together. (bigger than a bushel basket) on the second dive we saw a very large green Moray Eel. I followed this dive with a shower and lunch; stewpork, rice/beans, plantain and tortilla. Later I managed to squeeze in some icecream. After my Monday nap I went to dinner at Caramba’s Restaurant. I enjoyed a Conch steak with green salad and baked potato. Every meal comes with complimentary Snapper Ceviche. I followed this delicious meal with more frustration trying to get the internet to work on my laptop. Finally after much ‘cursing and gnashing of teeth’ I went to sleep.

That takes us to today, Tuesday. I awoke early again today. The electrics were fine and the room was nice and cool. I just decided to get up and take some sunrise shots. I managed to catch the Padre going to mass and visited with him. Then I went to the other side of the island to look for better lighting and see what goes on over there early in the day. 7am and a large crew of construction workers are busy building condominiums on the land that used to be the elementary playground. Further down the street I run across the docks and a Mennonite Farmers Market. It was a true feeding frenzy. They arrive by boat from their village on the mainland, about 5am and sell all their produce; hundreds of flats of eggs, bags and bags of potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, melons. I bought a Cantaloupe, 5 tiny banana and two lemons. (frenzy!) cost me $3bz/$1.50US. None of the Mennonite children spoke English. One of the adults was from Alberta Canada. His brother is from the village and he comes down to help. This Farmers market is every Tuesday Morning, so I have made a note to self to get up early again and go back in a week. It really is something to see. *about 60 yards down the beach is a second pier and two sailboats were tied up there. This gentleman is Hispanic and not Mennonite, but from the same village and they caravan, or regatta on Tuesdays from the same dock on the mainland.

Now I’m back at the hotel typing this wondering if I’ll ever get to send it…. I took a second shower. IT’S HOT down here and the humidity is a bit of a shock at first. I have to remember to walk slower, rest more often and stay in the shade. A few years ago I came down to Belize with my Mom, Dad and his sister Aunt Nona. Today is what Nona calls a ‘three shower day.’ It’s so hot you shower- sweat, dry out, shower-sweat, dry out, sweat-shower and then nap! After a few days I acclimate and don’t ‘need’ as many showers. But at first you can truly do some sweating and showering!

Well that’s all the words I want to write for now. I’ll concentrate on some photos.

HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS……………….. skip