The End of the World? says who

We had a crazy LOUD party last night.  ALL NIGHT.  the Mayans like their end of the world music played very loud.  (must scare the evil spirits?)  The first part - the City / Political stuff was so very very very slow, boring and drawn out it almost put everyone to sleep.  the MC introduced the Mayor, the National Minister of Tourism, and a half dozen other people, including a historian.  the mayor read a 10 minute prepared speech all in Spanish.  the tourism minister was pretty tame and quick thanking everyone he could think of for everything they might have done.  next the historian gave us the history of the Mayan before time began, from then till now...  the biggest rip was the 8pm ceremony didn't start till after 9pm. 

After the speeches the crowd was either getting up to leave or fighting off sleep and boredom.  note: this is a Mayan celebration scheduled to start at 8pm.  what we got was a political performance that ran very late and very long.  (the band - which played following the "culture presentation" was told they would play starting at 9:30pm but they didn't actually get to start till Midnight)

The band played from midnight till 5AM.  This at a hotel shaking explosion of volume. (it was louder in my room than the level i can play the TV at, and the bass could be felt in your chest.)  after awhile i put in earplugs and went to my room and dozed some.  i gave up @ 4:30am and went back down to get some photos of the band and the sunrise.  The closing was a Mayan Ceremony after the band quit.  It was a sunrise service on the beach complete with a priest.  no virgins could be found for an adequate sacrifice.  I know why the Mayans disappeared.  they partied themselves to death!

A good time was had by all.  nobody was injured and no arrests were made.  There was a large police presence around the park to insure things went according to plan.  i am pleased to have had the opportunity to share in the experience.  thanks San Pedro.  i want to thank the Mayor, the City Council and the dance troupe from Corazol....

I have had fun all week.  All my Scuba Dives were great.  the weather has been great.  the food has been better than great.  the people have been friendly, helpful and warm.  I like it here.  *** NOTE:  if you've never been to Belize - you are truly missing something special.

Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year!       Xo Skip

End Of The World 12.20.12

Thursday 12.20.12

Man these Mayans are pretty serious about the end of the world and all. I am just a half block from the city park and the entire village is getting ready for a festival. (the sound system just fired up with a low thumping bass that has changed my heart rhythm. Boom, boom, boom, boom as it rattles the windows.) We are going to have a massive blow out party tonight for the end of the Mayan World.

Then tomorrow it’s scheduled for day two. I’m getting mixed signals about the end of the world. If it ends tonight, how do we have a 2 day party?

Regardless I have outsmarted them all. I have put everything on my credit card. I ran up huge hotel, scuba, airplane bills and when the world ends….. I wont have to pay them. Priceless!

It’s Thursday night so we have the chicken drop at my hotel. Plus they are setting up tables, and vendor stalls all around the park. (~200ft away) I’m not exactly certain what they do at the end of the world. Could it be sacrificing a virgin? Remember the Mayans!

I’ll be down there to get some photos of it all. If we are still here tomorrow, I’ll post some.

Merry Mayan Christmas. Xo skip

Sunday/Domingo 12.16 San Pedro, BZ

I shot a second video yesterday while diving.   (look for the Nurse sharks, Spotted eagle rays, and moray eel.)

here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt5pkUAK6IE&feature=youtu.be

Monday 12/17. another beautiful Scuba Day in San Pedro


Early this morning after taking my sunrise photos, at breakfast sitting in my favorite little local Deli, el Esquinta, I ran into an old San Pedro friend. My dive master, Adolpho, from many years ago walked in. He’s in another line of work now and not diving. We got to visit and hear about him and his family. Adolpho asked me if I had met his brother at the dive shop. (I haven’t) it seems that Adolpho’s brother Hector was killed a few weeks ago when filling pressure tanks at the dive shop. A faulty aluminum tank exploded under pressure and shrapnel killed him instantly. Life is too short and often wasted needlessly. I am sorry for my friend’s loss.

I did two dives today. The wind was blowing pretty hard kicking up waves out passed the breakers but once we were underwater it was calm and beautiful. On today’s dives we saw 2 large turtles, 3 spotted eagle rays, numerous 6-7ft nurse sharks, and one 8’ black tip reef shark. The black tip swam around us several times coming within 20feet. It was pretty curious. (to non-divers; normally the reef sharks spot a diver and then quickly swim away) it was 2 great dives. Afterward I had lunch at a little Tácoria – 4 Conch tacos. All this followed by a nap. It’s tough down here.

Tomorrow I’m going to take a day off from diving and play tourist. I also need to catch up on some work emails. (I’ve not done any work email in a week and I’m not sure what awaits me)

** Did we talk about the chicken drop? At my hotel on Thursday nights they have a raffle game. You pay a dollar and get a number. Then they drop a chicken onto a small flat sheet of mixed numbers. Whoever has the number “where the chicken drops” wins $100.


It’s still sunny and warm here in Belize. I hope your weather is great wherever you are.

Merry Christmas
Skip

Scuba Diving 12.13 / San Pedro, BZ

Today we did 2 Great Dives!  After killing a Lion Fish, we fed it to a passing shark...  (video attached)


In addition to the Lion fish and shark, we saw:  Toad fish, Drum, Turtle, Eagle Ray, and swam through a great 'tunnel.'

i would love to write more BUT it's the night of the chicken drop here at the Sprindrift Hotel...   (the world famous chicken drop)  i gotta run.   i have money on the next drop!

xo merry christmas.   -skip

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
__________________

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