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We all have our different stories about how why and what motivated us to move to Ambergris Caye Belize. I find it interesting to hear how other people made it to Belize and other places that captured their heart. Since many of you reading this hold similar dreams I know you enjoy this post - One couple’s story about how they made the jump from corporate America to living and owning a business on a tropical island.

“My husband and I, first bought in this country in 1999. We spent a lot of time here, and my husband moved to Ambergris Caye about six years ago, when we opened the San Pedro Family Fitness Club.

“I finally joined him fulltime last June, after taking early retirement from corporate life. We lived separate lives while we tried to figure out what do with the property in Belize. I continued in my corporate role. I was a VP in a Fortune 500 company. But I was eager for escape. It just took me a while to extricate myself from the security of a regular paycheck.

“We Baby Boomers don’t usually retire, per se. We transition. My husband knew I would drive him crazy if I didn’t have something to do after I left my corporate job. I think I am busier now than ever, running the fitness club, setting up a real estate business, teaching salsa aerobics, trying my hand at travel writing… But it is so much more fun and interesting than my previous life.

“There is a real sense of community here that I have never experienced before. Big cities are busy and remote. You never see your neighbor. Now, everywhere I go, I know people. It is very satisfying, since I never lived in a small town.

“I lived in the San Francisco Bay area for 35 years, which is fantastic. But it is huge. We lived in a cute neighborhood in Oakland, which I loved. I miss the foreign flicks and fantastic little restaurants…and my friends, of course. Otherwise, the transition has been a lot easier than I anticipated.”

Ann will be doing occasional guest posts  as she has more to share about her experiences in choosing Belize - moving to Ambergris Caye - building a house - and starting a series of businesses.

Come and enjoy Kick a Brit day - a family fun-filled day at Pedro’s and SAGA fundraiser this Saturday 4th of July.

Live Music by Small World Band - Pool party bring your own towels - BBQ - All you can drink for Keg $30 / cup - Hot dog eating competition - Apple pie bake off - Horseshoes - Poker tournament 4:30pm - Hamburgers - Watermelon seed spitting competition - and much much more. All proceeds for the SAGA humane society.

Just got a few more details from Grant….

Raffle tickets are now available at the vets, lime and from
Grant at Pelican Properties - price $10 bzd

To get in to the party on Saturday - all adults must have a raffle ticket.

Prizes donated so far:
Dinner for Two at Victoria House, courtesy of Victoria House
Free sunset cruise for a party of eight, courtesy of Searious
Adventures
1 night stay and continental Breakfast at the Blue Tang Inn,
Courtesy of the Blue Tang Inn
1 return ticket to Belize City, courtesy of Tropic Air
1 Digital Camera
1 I-pod shuffle
1 mixed tropical wood clam chair, courtesy of Graniels Dreamland
A pretty good bottle of Tequila

Additional prizes just came in from Black Orchid - Banana beach - Capricorn and Capt Sharks

If you are not here and still want to help out by donating to the fundraiser just go to SAGA website there is s place to specify what your donation is for so it can be counted in for the grand total raised. Pedro’s will also be running credit cards for donations as well.

Let’s all work together to make this a successful event.

p.s. Happy Canada Day to all.

Molly our timeshare dog came from SAGA - she was grateful to go to a good home and be able to continue visiting SAGA when she needs to see the vet.

Busy day for a Tuesday.

Had to run an errand in town for Paul this morning so I decided to add in a few of my own.

First stop was Ritchie’s Supermarket to try out my Hot Card. We don’t go there much anymore now that Dick and Carole have moved and we are south of town but I figured it was worth the ride to save 10% on my groceries. I bought toilet paper - toothpaste - jar coffee - parmesan cheese and bleach the total was $41.70 and my discount $4.17 making my bill $37.53 - any savings is good savings.

Next stop to Atlantic Bank to pick up my / our first Belize bank card - very exciting. Onto Pauls stuff - Seaduced which lead me to Hummingbird Cafe. After all one can burn off a lot of calories riding around town in this heat. Bacon eggs over medium and potatoes was definitly on order.

Was nice catching up with Tammy - She has a lot going on too. Pages book store is going to be doing 2 for 1 on used books during the month of July and Hummingbird Cafe is getting ready to  feature daily specials on their website - people can tune in daily to see what the deal is.

Tammy also told me about Tres Pescado Slam Tournament 1st annual fly fishing only catch and release tournament is coming up August 20 - 22. This is very exciting news as the event is an IGFA Inshore World Championship Event Qualifier. According to their website, the tournament date has been set to coincide with the best fishing for a grand slam of tarpon, permit and bonefish in and around Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Last thing on my agenda is heading to Carole’s shop where the models will be getting made up for the Lemon Crush photo shoot then we will go to the beach to meet Jennifer from Aqualand for pictures. Lemon crush is Lara’s new bejeweled bikini line which combines vintage jewelery and sexy Chasa Rae bikini’s.

New International Food Festival Planned in Playa Del Carmen Mexico.

Taste of Playa to highlight the diverse global influences of Riviera Maya chefs and their cuisine.

Playa Del Carmen, Mexico  – The ‘Taste of Playa’ culinary food festival will be launching their 1st Annual Sampling September 5, 2009 in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico with the full support of the Riviera Maya Tourism Board and the President of Playa Del Carmen and will be the most exciting culinary festival in the Mexican Caribbean that promotes the unique culinary perspectives of local chefs and identify Playa Del Carmen and the Riviera Maya as a world class dining destination.

“We are proud to celebrate the chefs that have chosen Playa del Carmen as their base.  The international collection of chefs, flavors and influences is what has made Playa Del Carmen one of the most popular destinations in the area.” stated the President of Solidaridad, Roman Quian.  This gourmet sampling will take place in the newly renovated city center plaza and is open to the public free of charge.  Over 25 local restaurants have been selected to participate in this exciting event to showcase their unique culinary visions and creativity.

Sponsors and participants for Taste of Playa 2009 include John Gray of John Gray’s Place, The Glass Bar and Divino, Cocina 38, Buy Playa Real Estate Services, Bric International and Abyss Dive Center.

A portion of the proceeds from Taste of Playa 2009 will be awarded to Ak Lu’um International School, a non-profit private learning institution in Playa Del Carmen that integrates young students with physically and developmentally challenged children in a safe and inclusive learning environment with 36% of the student population awarded full scholarships. Funds raised by Taste of Playa 2009 will provide the school with clean, safe drinking water for students, teachers and volunteers.

Taste of Playa is a community supported event that celebrates the creativity and cultural influences of chefs throughout the area and promotes the unique culinary perspectives that have contributed to the international reputation of Playa Del Carmen and the Riviera Maya.

Media Contact
Nicola Inwood or Michelle Kinnon

marketing[at]tasteofplaya[dot]com
www.tasteofplaya.com
011 52 1 984 125 5608
011 52 1 984 114 2783

It’s a hot one in San Pedro today and the mosquito’s are still out in full force.

Feeling in a funk this afternoon with no particular reason why. Just not as creatively minded at the moment as I would like to be. I did manage to think up a good idea for a future post and do some research on it so that’s a start - maybe a swim will help clear my head.

4o laps flutter kicking did the trick.

Found a cool post on twitter by Mikeachim. His blog is Fevered Mutterings and the post - 6 Ways to Crank the World Back into Shape. Along with some good ideas like turning stairwells into open airy inviting spaces making people want to use them more he featured the HYmini which is a really cool device. HYmini is a hand held, universal charger/adapter device that harnesses renewable wind power / solar power and conventional wall plug power to recharge almost all your 5V digital gadgets. The energy stored in its internal battery can be used to recharge your cell phone, MP3 player, iPod®, PDA, digital camera or other 5V devices.

Pics from yesterdays Dia de San Pedro fishing tournament - we saw some big ones come in.