tacogirl.com » Island Life

Solo Vacation

tacogirl — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 10:35:33 +0000

One of the projects I have been quietly working on is lining up some more guest posters. Today I would like to introduce you to Christine Lane – she is currently living and working in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan; but calls Dallas home. While here in Belize Christine stayed at Caye Casa and says they were wonderful people and the place was perfect. [ I have 2 more pictures to ad but having size issues so going to talk a walk and come back to it]

In 2004 I visited Costa Rica; it was a coin toss between Belize and Costa Rica; I lost. I had wanted to go to Belize for the longest from hearing friends talk about their trips to the tropical paradise… so after six years of various life events keeping me from going, I went to Amamzon.com, selected the Lonely Planet – Belize and waited impatiently for it to arrive so I could begin planning my first truly solo vacation! After flipping through the pages and looking at the amazing pictures, I decided on San Pedro. It’s the most popular tourist destination in Belize and for good reason. The place is simply AMAZING! It’s beautiful, the water is perfect, the people are incredibly nice everywhere you go, and there are no language issues to work around if you’re an English speaker, and the list goes on….

Although I was supposed to certify as an Open Water Diver during this trip, I was unable to thanks to a nasty little head cold that blew that plan totally out of the water however since there are so many things to do for the active traveler, I was still able to keep busy by para-sailing, snorkeling and taking a trip to the main land for a day. With completely affordable rates on Tropic Air, it was nothing for me to fly from San Pedro to Dangriga for a day to meet with a realtor and scope out some a few properties.

Belize is so beautiful and the slow pace, small town, family oriented way of life is completely appealing to me. If you leave the beach and walk throughout the little island you can meet the nicest people and have an amazing dinner for 2 for less than $10.00! I couldn’t believe it. Belize is definitely someplace I am planning to visit again and seriously considering as a location to retire early.

On a side note here are a couple of links I found on EssentialTravel Twitter that I thought were worth sharing. Your Complete Big-Ass Guide To Annoying Airline Fees and 5 Ways To Stash Your Holiday Cash.

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Deni Eiley Update

tacogirl — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:34:54 +0000

I had a chance to reorganize the veranda the other day and now it makes much more sense for laying in the hammock. [It is actually last night and I am doing my initial draft of the update post. Knowing how long it too for today's post and all the puzzle pieces that I need to fit together for Deni's I figured I better start ahead.]

Caught up to Thursday now – actually took a day off from posting and here we are at Friday morning. I just finished watching a sun shower and tracking down the rainbow that went along with it – will post pics of that in a day or so.

Thanks to everyone who helped with info and pictures for this blog post – Mary – Lori – Stace and Susan to name a few. Cheryl Bowen also sent in some great pics this morning which I will sort through and post some at a later date.

Here is where the totals were at as of my last email from Mary [ they may be slightly higher now]

Good Morning,

See our total below. I’m sure there’s a little more that’s not accounted for but that’s pretty close. I hope it gets up to 10,000.00!

Here are the numbers with a breakdown for Sunday….

Food $ 531
Desserts $ 147.75
Raffle $ 526
Auction $ 455
Yard Sale $ 55.75
Bingo $ 261.25
Donations $1970.75

Sun. Total = $3947.50
Sat. Total = $4533

Commitments = $1110

*GRAND TOTAL = $9590.50*

It is good to see what areas raised how much and it really does put perspective to how many people joined together to make this happen – well done everyone.

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Dollar Collectors Wanted

tacogirl — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:06:00 +0000

For those of you who are watching the weather on Ambergris Caye – the sun is doing it’s best to stay out but we still have lots of clouds in the sky. I am hoping it will get a bit bluer so I can go out later and take more pictures – am content working for now though and getting lots done.

It figures step away from emails for 5 minutes to start editing some of yesterdays 500 + pictures and already 3 more have come in – it never ends ha ha. In addition to work I have been chatting my cousin in Texas and Jo in Toronto off and on all morning. Jo changed my direction from editing pictures to doing a post for her – taken me a few hours to get it in place but almost ready to post.

Jo and Heather from Direct Abundance are doing a Loonie drive to help send Holy Cross kids to highschool. They will be out collecting at Yonge and Dundas Square on August 6th 7:00 – 10:00 pm and 7th 3:00 – 6:00 pm if you live in the area and want to go join the fun – contact info is listed on their site.

I would like to ask all blog readers who would like to give back to Belize and the kids here to consider doing a simultaneous dollar drive that day [or night] and see how big our collective conscious can fill the bucket for this great cause. If you have kids get them involved [I am sure many of your kids know about Belize to some degree if not first hand]

These girls have already sponsored a child in 2009 and created a scholarship program. Their goal is to send two students this year – lets help them push past that and raise Loads Loonies for Learning – give a few more deserving kids a chance. [$500US to send a grade 8 student to high school for the year]

If you are not up for organizing a dollar drive and still want to help you can easily do so on Direct Abundance paypal just look to the right hand side of the Global Buddies Program information. You can also join fundraising party on the Loonie Drive facebook page.

Every dollar raised will go directly to supporting education for those who otherwise could not afford it. These kids are the Faces of the Future – lets make it bright.

While I am on the topic of Direct Abundance – here is a recent update from Heather Zwicker.

Hello Everyone!

I hope you are having a wonderful summer. Ours has been full of friendship and family times and wish the same for you.

It has been some time since our last contact but know that we continue to move forward in our hopes of helping the children and families in San Mateo.

I continue to move forward in hopes of developing the community of San Mateo into a cleaner and healthier place to live. I have recently been contacted by the Waste Water Garden Representative of Belize from the Plantary Coral Reef Foundation. He is interested in meeting in San Mateo and at Holy Cross to see how he can best support these places. I am excited about the knowledge and skills he brings with him. Lets hope the excitment and possibility of impovement continues.

We have been contacted by GoVolunteering. They want to work together with DirectAbundance in providing volunteers to help us move our projects forward. It is always exciting to join up with others who are interested in improving the lives of others in need through volunteering.

Pics below were taken while driving around town yesterday with Dick on the CG Esthetic mobile. Carole is getting ready to announce an upcoming special so stay tuned for details on that.

Deni Eiley update with pictures coming by the end of the week.

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My biggest fear

tacogirl — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:37:35 +0000

My biggest fear right now is that both my cameras are going to crap out on me at the same time. I know I said my underwater camera was done for but I have managed to make it last a bit longer by trying to air it out well and methodically cleaning it as best I can. Now it is in the hit or miss stage for working and I think better for rainy days only and not so much underwater shooting.

My regular Samsung Digimax L85 camera is showing the same signs of age as last time – not opening and closing properly and making a sad beeping noise. I can pinpoint the exact time it started too the day we got the 11 inches of rain on Ambergris Caye.

I cannot stress how important it is to take good care of your electronic equipment here especially with all the rain we have been having lately. Yesterday was very wet out I even had to put my portable radio in a zip lock bag to use it on our drive around town.

This morning is still very gray out and it looks like we may get away without any rain from what I can see right now. I know how fast that can change going to check Ambergris daily and see what today’s weather calls for.

Good find this morning while surfing the net… Known as the center of the ancient Maya world, Belize once held almost 2 million Mayans. Temples, pyramids and palaces, surrounded by agricultural villages, reined supreme for well over 600 years. Such a length of time could not help but permanently mark the landscape, as shown by these Top 10 Maya Ruins Sites to See in Belize as listed on Caribbean Travel & Leisure .

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Results are in

tacogirl — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:26:46 +0000

As I sat there watching Jaun do Carole’s fitness assessment – taking pics and drinking my iced coffee I could totally see why she is getting such good results with him for a trainer. He payed attention – took time to explain things and helped motivate her to push past her previous times.

One of the things I thought was really cool about Juan’s training is that you can opt for the food assessment and he will creating a special weekly menu specifically for your needs. Carole chose this option and in addition to her weekly food menu – Juan also went through a bunch of restaurant menu’s and customized them for her so that Carole could still eat out but will have the healthy options to choose from and be easily able to remember what they are. In doing this he talks to the chefs and finds our how they prepare the food – just because she can eat conch fritters at one place does not mean she can have them everywhere. On certain weeks she is even ok to go for to Dandie’s and enjoy raspberry sorbet on a sugar cone – how cool is that.

Carole has been working out 4 times a week with Juan and doing his food plan for 2 months now and over the course of that time her body shape has changed a lot and she has been getting more compliments that ever. When Carole started her weight was 112 and that dropped to to 103.6. Her body fat was 22.7 % and she is now at 10.4%. Since she has dropped enough in those 2 areas Juan has asked her what her new goals are and she said she wants 6 pack abs and to tighten and tone.

Carole says that as a result of sticking to her work out and food program she is feeling better than ever. She has noticed improvements to her neck and back and does not feel sore anymore when she is working a long day or doing a cart ride north on bumpy roads.

Juan said he definitely notices her increased strength – better cardio and said that it will not be long before she gets those lean tight results she is looking for.

If you are looking for someone to help you get good healthy results Juan is your man. You can contact him at Juan Alamilla 627-8496 or jjalamilla[at]live[dot]com to set up a consultation.

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Deni Eiley Fundraiser

tacogirl — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:13:29 +0000

On Friday, October 9th, 2009, 41 year old Deni Eiley (Dulce Wolfe’s sister) was brutally attacked inside her home in San Pedro. During the attack, she sustained severe head trauma which resulted in loss of motor skills as well as ongoing seizures. Her recovery has been long and arduous. After a recent visit to doctors in Merida, Mexico, they found several blood clots inside her brain. Deni must now undergo surgery to remove these potentially life threatening clots. Two fundraisers have been planned in San Pedro for Saturday, July 24th and Sunday, July 25th, 2010 at BC’s Bar and Playa Lounge with music by Dennis Wolfe Jr. – Jess – Dale Wallace and Scott Pooke. See flyer below for more frundraiser info. If you are in San Pedro, please stop by one or both of these venues to support Deni’s ongoing recovery. If you are not in San Pedro but would still like to make a donation, you can do so to her mom’s Belize Bank account as follows: Placida Vasquez Account No. 251615 c/o Belize Bank, San Pedro Branch San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye Belize, Central America Our goal is to raise US$25,000 for her surgery. (If you have any questions regarding donations to the Belize Bank account, please email Dulce Wolfe at denwolfe@btl.net.) Thank you for your kind support. Family & Friends of Deni

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San Pedro Summer Camp

tacogirl — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:02:55 +0000

San Pedro Summer Camp is in full swing and the kids are loving it. Who wouldn’t – they have done parasailing - enjoyed beach days – practiced archery and baton twirling – gone cave tubing and Belize Zoo – done arts and crafts – dove and learned useful things from Be Kind Belize.

Yesterday I had the chance to catch up with the kids at Pedro’s Hotel – they were having a pool party and learning the fine art of pizza making from Walter. He took the kids in 3 groups and showed them all how to make pizza from scratch and helped each one make a personal size pizza.

Tammy will be taking reservations for next year’s camp at the end of camp. Over the next few months she will be asking if people can donate items for arts and crafts for next year. Paint supplies, paper, pencils, glitter and simple things. Any help is greatly appreciated – there is also a sponsorship program happening for those kids who cannot afford camp. Contact sanpedrosummercamp[at]yahoo.com

You can see some great camp pictures on San Pedro Summer Camp facebook page.

Trivia at Roadkill Bar was tons of fun – the bonus round was all Simpson’s and we had one of our top scoring nights giving us a win. Robbie let me pick tonight charity so I chose Deni Eiley and $204 was raised for her.

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Global Giving Green Open challenge

tacogirl — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:52:45 +0000

It has been a while since I posted news on Holy Cross so I figured today is the day to catch you all up today on that. One of the most exciting things going on there is a new state of the art bathroom facility - 26 toilets and 2 large trough urinals. Thanks goes out to the Episcopal Church Women for their generous grant which provided the money to get this project underway and a huge thank you to the many volunteers who have worked and continue to work in the hot Belizean sun to make this incredibly needed facility a reality. Holy Cross will have the most environmental friendly bathrooms in the country and hope that this will set a new trend. They are thrilled to be ecologically sound and to get rid of the huge lines at potty break.

The good news does not stop there – I was chatting on the coconut phone with Heather from Direct Abundance yesterday and she said that a rep from waste water gardens who is connected with Planetary Coral Reef Foundation plans to to visit San Mateo and do an assessment – now that would be a great light at the end of the tunnel for an area that needs so much help to get set up with eco friendly plumbing.

This next piece is from an email I received this morning from someone who is working towards helping Holy Cross get a permanent space on Global Giving website.

Hello friends and family,

I am writing to you to ask you to support Holy Cross Anglican School (HCAS) in the Global Giving Green Open challenge. To give you a little background, HCAS is a school in San Mateo, Ambergis Caye, off the coast of Belize. In Belize, even public education is not free. HCAS, which is funded through donation, provides pre-kindergarten through eighth grade education to 500 students. These 500 kids are the most disadvantaged on the island and would not have the opportunity of education without HCAS. Not only do these kids receive schooling at HCAS, but they also receive two meals per day; sometimes the only food they eat.

HCAS was selected as one of 20 organizations to participate in the Global Giving Green Open challenge. San Mateo is currently powered by diesel generators, making it extremely difficult and costly to consistently operate the volunteer built dental clinic and computer lab. Through GlobalGiving.org, we have the opportunity to install a combination of wind generators and solar panels. This will provide reliable, effective energy and help bolster Holy Cross Anglican School. HCAS is the only school on the Island with a computer lab this robust and large and opens its doors to adult education programming to serve the greater community. Both the dental clinic and computer lab are huge resources to San Mateo.

Through the Green Open challenge, HCAS has a HUGE opportunity to become a PERMANENT link on the GlobalGiving.org website. All we need is 50 different donors and a total of $4,000 in donations. For only $10 dollars, you can provide enough electricity for one computer for one month. For $75, you can provide enough electricity to support the dental clinic for one month. We only have until July 30th to complete the challenge, so please act quickly if this is something you feel you can support.

HCAS is a school that I fully support and believe will impact and improve the lives of thousands of children and the greater economy of Belize. By providing renewable energy to HCAS, we can help sustain this incredible place. I sincerely thank you for your thoughts and any (tax-deductible) contributions you can make to HCAS.

Lauren

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Just in case

tacogirl — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:42:23 +0000

I was emailing back and forth with Quicksilver Messenger Service yesterday and Dianne sent me some good information about how and where to get tested for Dengue Fever that I wanted to share with you. [not heard of a recent outbreak or anything - good to have info on hand in case you need it] I just got word from Conch Creative that there has actually been an outbreak reported on July 15th by The Guardian. They reported Belize and Cayo districts as the highest and Ambergris Caye was not mentioned.

Dengue can feel much like a very severe flu and it really varies by person. I remember when Maureen had hers she was totally knocked out by it for 2 weeks but when Eileen from DandE’s had it hers was not so bad and she was still mobile but put herself on house rest mode to shake it off.

Dengue Symptoms range from a mild to high fever - severe headaches with pain behind the eyes – muscle and joint pain – rash.

Cost is $38 and no Dr appointment needed to get Dengue test Just show up at the medical lab between Belize Bank and Polo’s Golf Carts. Results back in 3 – 4 h. For the price of an evening out it is good piece of mind. Cheers Dianne

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It’s a cooker

tacogirl — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 02:44:26 +0000

It’s a cooker today the temp says 30c it feels warmer – perfect pool weather. Saw a post from shuffles on facebook that is worth sharing with you regarding more Cheap flights Belize from American Airlines. Dallas Fort Worth is listed from $227 and Miami from $250.

Paul is working at Pedro’s Hotel today and we will meet up later to go for a nice courtyard dinner at Changes in Latitudes Bed and Breakfast. Mary1220 and her crew are here for 5 weeks so it will be nice to hang out with everyone. Anyone who has had the chance to lounge in Latitudes yard knows what a great chill out place it is. Definitely foreseeing hammock time in the near future – Carbunkle Trumpet and and Chunkyruth we will miss you standing around the barbecue.

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