The Sun Came Out and So Did We

Originally my friend Debbie and I had planned an early Saturday morning drive north to Secret Beach and then we were going to stop at X’tan Ha or Dive Bar for lunch.

Waking up to rain that had started late the night before slowed our plans down to a non-existent crawl. As we messaged back and forth we both agreed that sleeping in was now top item on the menu. I added laundry while I settled in to watch TV in bed – a perfect rainy day activity.

We were not disappointed though, after not having any significant rainfall for a while, dust had begun to accumulate everywhere and the island was in need of a good wash. Although it seemingly came down quite heavy, according to Wunderground (my favorite weather app) it only amounted to 0.01 mm. That evening, it got as high as .57 mm, needless to say, the dust has been washed away a bit now.

The Sun Came Out and So Did We

Several hours later, the rain had let up and Deb FB messaged me that she was ready to go out if I was and her destination was SP Hardware for ant ammunition. Lately her yard had become overrun by fire ants, red ants and super tiny ones. I was happy to have a good reason to play chauffeur and off I went to pick her up.

At the hardware store I ran into Stevie, a young boy my old neighbors (now stateside) had befriended. They occasionally helped sponsor his soccer stuff and gave presents for he and his sister’s birthdays. He stopped me to chat and asked how they were doing so I snapped a pic and sent a fast FB message for him.

As we drove back to Deb’s house in DFC, we both agreed since there were no impending rain clouds of doom on the horizon, it would be a good idea get our joyride drive in and kept rolling south. We ended up driving around Captain Sharks area, to the left of the boatyard behind the big green and cream warehouse. The area is getting quite built up residentially.

After that we kept heading south to the barge dock with the wind in our hair and the pedal to the metal at 15 mph. The view was peaceful with a side of big fluffy clouds so we decided to park for a while and admire our surroundings. Both of us have industrial taste and love big machinery and rusty boats.

On our way back north we decided to detour and go check out the transfer station. I love the canal road that leads to there and have been enjoying it for years – well before it was a real road. I reminisced to Deb about how it used to be in that area. You could keep going straight east, on a hidden path and end up at a secluded boat entry point. Sadly that it has long grown over. One of my last fond memories was coming back out of the bush one day to unintentionally surprise a security guard. I am sure the last thing he expected way back that way was a girl in a golf cart to come driving out of the bushes.

After our scenic tour, we decided to go for a residential and drive through Escalante area and look at houses. This led to one last stop before taking Deb home – La Divina Providencia for coconut paletas, a favorite frozen treat.

I will leave you with a rundown on last months weather followed by a few road trip pics. Thankfully for us it was not as wet as for some. Condolences to everyone who has suffered from Hurricanes.

Recap of Belize Weather in September

Temperatures on Ambergris Caye in September generally range from highs of 86°F or 30°C to lows of 77°F or 25°C with the average being about 81°F or 27°C. This year it often felt several degrees hotter than it actually was and definitely had that sweltering, sunny “Ground Hog Day” feeling. The heat was so strong in fact, that I remember thinking “boy is it hot out here” pretty much every time I walked out my door. I know I am not the only one and a few times friends were happy to take a few minutes refuge in my cool apartment on the way to their end destination.

The first week of September, my friend Jerry and I took a short 4 day mainland trip to the jungle near Belmopan. With no ocean breeze to seek out and help offset the suns rays it was a bit stifling. The good thing was that at night the tree house cooled down enough to use covers and sleep comfortably.

South West Ambergris Caye

Later that night a few of us had arranged to meet up at Carlo and Ernie’s Runway Bar to catch live music with a Steel Drum Band playing from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm. The Pantempters were fabulous and the night was filled with great people watching as well. This event was a free concert on the Pantempters Steel Orchestra’s 25th anniversary tour. While it was technically “at the Bar” they played at and in promotion of, the future La Sirene model site next to Carlo & Ernie’s.