Things That Make You Go Hmmm and Sargasso Report

Whether you are living in San Pedro Belize or are just visiting, chances are you will see a few things that make you go hmmm. Most of my friends would agree there are many, I have chosen a few interesting ones to share with you.

• Store cashiers give odd looks when you tell them an item you are purchasing is the last one. You walk away wondering if you will ever see that item again. Sadly many times I haven’t.
• I once asked for breadcrumbs, and the guy promptly took me to the giant Crisco containers.
• Atlantic bank machine will give you $50 bills yet you are not allowed to withdraw a $50 has to be in denominations of $20.
• My friend was getting moved to a new groundfloor oceanview suite due to no hot water and low pressure on the second floor. Upon checking the shower she got no water, the resort staff quickly explained it was shut off because they were cleaning. Hmmm waterless bathroom cleaning that’s a new one to me.

These next few come with pictures.

I can get an egg burrito at breakfast or dinner but not lunch. The day I found that out I had been toting my container around. At the third place I stopped I was able to order a ham and cheese burrito. What made me go hmmm about this order was the fact that they felt the need to line my clean container with a paper towel before they put my already wrapped food inside it.

Oncoming traffic-driving right at you is normal. It’s scary how used to it I am becoming. In the picture below that truck was driving on the wrong side of a two-way street well before he needed to in order to turn the corner.

This next one made my friend Jenna and I laugh. Why would you possibly need a front pocket in your underwear? Condoms? A Snack? For visual purposes, we decided her pack of smokes would do although in reality that would make your hotbox look a little too boxy haha.

I know for sure I am not the only one who has ever wondered how you can make a level building with crooked sticks. Somehow they manage.

No longer useful? Hmmm, lets put our garbage on the roof. I had intended on getting a picture of a mechanic shop that had a ton of vehicular garbage on their roof but the day I went to shoot the pic it was cleaned up and replaced by gently used tire stock. I shot this one instead with an old rusted frame chucked on the roof at the bike rental. It is not uncommon to see garbage on rooves here. Near me at the Artisan’s Market, there are brooms, a couple of rakes, an old toy stroller frame and a few other items. These could all be hazards during a hurricane.

For those of you who may have been wondering what the featured image is, it was fireworks containers. They recently had a 2020 Election party in the old football field in town. It was not only the fact that I love a great fireworks show that got me up out of bed to go watch, but that it sounded much louder than normal. That explains it the fireworks were on the road and not on a barge.

I often say living in Belize is like living life without guardrails. As soon as it felt like the light show had died down enough, I popped around the corner to see firsthand why the noise was so deafening. About 20 fireworks cartons were lined up in the middle of the road and there was more being lit beside a big palm tree. Safety first? Not always.

According to Hollywood Pyrotechnics, the distances for most display sites are dictated by the NFPA 1123 guidelines, requiring 70 feet of safety distance per inch diameter of the shell, with a minimum of 210 feet. So a small display with 4″ shells would require at least 280 feet in all directions.

More importantly, the National Fire Protection Association reports that fireworks start an average of 18,500 fires per year, including 1,300 structure fires, 300 vehicle fires, and 16,900 outside fires. With our track record for being able to put out fires easily that is a big HMMMM! Setting fireworks off in the road with so much possibility for sparks to fly and hit nearby things like the water taxi palapa which could easily catch fire is probably not a good idea.

Sargasso Report

Over the past few years, sargasso seemed to be a never-ending plague and has definitely affected the Ambergris Caye economy. I am pleased to show you, the San Pedro beaches are looking very inviting these days.

November Weather

It’s perfect for tree climbing – a balmy 28°C or 82.4°F with light clouds and a nice breeze on the water. One street off the beach, it feels like 33°C or 91.4°F

The boy on his bike below stopped to let his friend catch up on their way home from school. As soon as the second boy caught up he decided to take a minute and be a kid.

When the boy on the ground saw I was taking pictures, he called up to his friend to smile. That made me go close up so I could actually capture him in the tree as he was pretty well-camouflaged from a distance.