Future of Belize

October 28, 2018

Future of Belize

While Belize was founded by Creoles, the descendants of African slaves, and that group has dominated the government until recently, the Mestizos and Maya are rapidly advancing economically and socially. A recent report indicates that the Creoles and Garifuna (descendants of African slaves and Arawak Indians) have the highest rate of unemployment. Belize is also a haven for displaced Central Americans. One of these is Adonías, an immigrant from El Salvador. He is an electrician and the owner of Z Power. He married a Belizean woman, and they have three children—two girls and a boy. Adonías works all over the country and the Caribbean. Albert’s parents came from Guatemala and Mexico. He repairs washing machines and works as a clerk at Juan Chuc’s Hardware Store (Mayan owned).  

The pool

One of the nicest things about October has been having the pool at Midas Resort all to myself.  The temperatures have cooled a bit, and I love making big X’s in the water, crisscrossing the pool.

Street construction

The town council for San Ignacio/Santa Elena sent out crews to dig out the drainage ditches and grate the roads. They did the road in front of my house the same day that I needed to drive to Spanish Lookout to do some shopping. That meant that I needed to move my truck early. It is always a bit difficult to get the truck out of the yard because of the dogs. I usually have to trick them into coming into the house and having to lock them up there, getting the truck out, closing the gate, and then letting the dogs out. Because they wanted the truck moved right away, I wasn’t able to get the dogs locked inside. Instead, they took off and disappeared down the road.

In a little while, one of the men signaled me where the dogs had gone. I ran down the road looking for them and finally saw them about three blocks away. They were frantically looking around—I guess they could hear my voice but couldn’t see me. Once they saw me, they came running. The little one went right into the yard, but Boss, the medium sized dog, began twisting and leaping and running up and down the street. I had to get hold of her collar to get her back into the yard.

The next day it rained, and the road, which is mostly limestone, was a slimy mess. One good thing that came out of that entire business is that Leroy, my across-the-street neighbor, had to move all his clunkers off the road onto his own property. That makes it a bit easier to back out of my drive now.

I have been taking Boss out for Sunday morning walks on a lease to get her used to walking with me. The first time we went out she began leaping and jumping and I got pretty banged up trying to get through the pedestrian gate (she slammed me against it a couple of times).  She has been gradually doing better except she gets too excited around people and other dogs. Both pups are about a year old now, so hopefully both will become calmer as they age.

Driving to Belmopan

Belmopan, the capital of Belize, was carved out of the woodlands and is a planned community. Consequently, it looks more like a North American city than San Ignacio. All of the embassies are located there. I have to drive there every two months to renew my tourist visa and sometimes more often to shop. I try to leave fairly early in the morning. Most shops open at 8 AM, and it is a 30-40 minute drive down the Western Highway. While it is only 23 miles, the highway goes through many small villages with their speed bumps. About 8:30 AM, there are children in uniform walking along the highway to school, men with machetes chopping the tall grass, Mennonites in horse-drawn wagons, and lots of highway construction—the highway is being widened. The roads are paved with crushed limestone that has been oiled. It looks like asphalt, but it isn’t. And it doesn’t last as long.

Rabbit and door

After the two pups popped out the pet door, I tapped over the opening. That didn’t suit the Rabbit. With his teeth, he started ripping the tap until he had an opening large enough for him to enter and exit. He is also spending some time every evening lying next to me on the bed. If I don’t pet him, he begins nipping at me. A few times, he has tried out each of the dog beds as well.

We have had no rain for the past week, and it looks like we might get some this afternoon. It might rain out the circus that is in town.

 rabbit modified door

 Mestizo boy--future of Belize

 helping his dad--Future of Belize