Friday, December 3, 2010

Friday, December 3, 2010:

SUN!  YAY!!  We’ve been shut-in for a couple of days and the sun and blue skies look great!  It’s still a little cool (for here) but I’m not complaining! We are definitely going in to town today…just to get out if nothing else!

The road is back to the same mess (maybe not quite as bad) as it was before it was graded.  That’s what the rain does! I sure hope they grade it again.  It’s past the rainy season, so this much rain for so long is odd. 

We make our list of things to get (cause we forget!) in town.  Linda is having the famous chicken chili dip tonight at Coco Locos and Gerald is going to play music, so she can introduce us to more people here, so I thought I would help and make a few things too.  I need to pick up a few extra items for my dips.

We bounce down the road and notice the government has big road equipment on this side of the bridge. No wonder the roads are bad! Can’t figure out what they are doing, except digging holes every 25 yards or so and making a mess.  Looks like home – 1 guy digging – 4 guys watching!

We drive a little around town, stopping by The Greenhouse for some veggies and Ritz Crackers. We head to San Pedro Town center and park the cart, take our Christmas cards to the post office  (hope you get them before next year!), look for a laundry service and walk around town. We see James the Rasta wood carver and say hello! He tries to convince us to buy cheap property in the mountains again and shows us some pictures of him carving and his home town.

I’m getting a little hungry so we go into Fido’s to have a bite to eat.  Fido’s is a popular spot here (they advertise a lot), and probably where lots of fun and frivolities occur (with mostly the younger crowd – but maybe a few frisky elders!).  The name is pronounced “feed-doze.” Their food is mediocre and nothing special.

We walk the beach for a bit taking in information and looking at the various beach side hotels and rooms. We also get information on taking a taxi to Caye Caulker, a little island to the southeast of Ambergris. We’ve heard it’s a quaint little island – like Placencia used to be.  We thought we would take a ride over there to see what it was all about.  Might be an alternative – and close to Ambergris if you need to come get something.  While I’m standing on the dock waiting for Gerald to get the information, a large stingray swims by, and meets up with another. It’s so cool watching the sea life here. I get big eyes with I see that stuff…but everyone else can care less…guess they are used to seeing them all the time!

 (this stingray met up with another stingray - he was about 3.5 ft)

 (SunBreeze Suites - looks like a nice place from the outside!)

(cemetery between hotel and bar! Street, hotel, cemetery, bar, beach!)

We kill some more time and then head back to get stuff ready.  Plus Gerald has promised to re-tune Linda’s guitar and he needs to practice too! 

On our way back, we stop by a new condominium building being built down the street from us called Solitude.  I’ve noticed it, and have seen signs saying “Show Suite Open” and I’m curious as all get out to see it and get a price. We stop by and there are some other people looking too.  Oddly enough, the developer is currently living in the Show Suite and invites us in.  It makes me feel uncomfortable to nose around someplace where people are living. Creepy! Anyway, we look at the place and it has nice features and a good floor plan.  Lots of storage too. The pool will be great when they finish it. It’s a 40 ft lap pool. They have limestone slate on the outside floor and I like it a lot.  There are a total of 6 units in the building, 3 up, 3 down and the 2 bottom end units are sold – so all three top units are available! ;)  Plus there is a 3^rd floor 3000 sq ft common terrace. Should be nice when it’s finished.

We talk about the condo, adjoining properties, people, locals and San Pedro in general. Turns out that they are coming to the big shindig tonight and it’s his wife’s receipt for the chicken chili dip that Linda is using.  These communities are tight huh!?  Anyway, they also have a unit at Reef Village – but they stay across the street at the new condo…doesn’t that tell you something? He offers to let us stay in his unit here, but I tell him thanks, but we’ve already paid for this one… and it doesn’t solve the water issue.  It’s a nice gesture though.  We say goodbye with hopes of seeing each other later tonight.

Back at the condo, we stop and pick up the guitar from Linda and get stuff together. I’ve already made the dips, and need to organize the trays and stuff.  I’ve got some extra hoagie rolls and decide to slice them thin and toast in the oven with olive oil to make some crostini for the horseradish and sun dried tomato dip I made.  I figure that might be better than Fritos! Plus I don’t have to worry about eating them soon or having them go to waste.

Gerald tries to tune Linda’s guitar, but the strings are too rusted, and she just had them changed not too long ago.  Doesn’t take long here.  He changes them again…lubes and tunes it up and gets it ready to play tonight. 

It’s about 5 and we better head out, so we load up the cart and head across the street. The bar stools are full, people are standing and even a table is full! It’s a crowd!  Probably between 20-25 people anyway and a few others that mosey in and out.  Gerald plays, we eat, he plays some more and then quits for the night.  We meet some new people, Jim and Cindy, who have a fly fishing business here.  We’re thinking about learning and taking a fishing trip. Sounds like it may be fun.  We’ve never done that before.  Also, Bart and Marlene, who have the Solitude condos.  It’s a good time with good people and around 8pm the action dies.  For most of us…it’s bedtime! =) 

Back to the condo…and bed.