September 20
Life in the jungle: This morning, reaching Belmopan for my passport stamp I was informed that my police investigation was complete. I was able to catch the very next bus back to Belize City. I was stuck taking the 3:30 PM bus home. To describe it as a jam-packed, standing-room-only trip gives no justice to the description. It was super hot and humid today.
The 3:30 bus is always jam-packed, standing-room only
I got a whole bunch of Moringa tree seeds from Verna Mae. Moringa trees are considered a superfood, and a miracle tree. Check out this link to read up on them – HERE. [For the weirdest reason, I couldn’t get these seeds to germinate even though they are easy seeds to germinate.]
September 21
Life in the jungle: First thing I headed to the village for my chainsaw. I had brought my chainsaw to a local for repairs the other week. Returning home I replaced the roofing nails on my new shed with zinc screws. I noticed the nails were already rusting after only about two years while the screws don’t rust.
I then transplant some Rain tree and Custard Apple seedlings into larger planting bags. No new seedlings can be planted until next June (the beginning of the rainy season). So better these trees get planted in larger bags now.
Nelson from the village delivered two new replacement kitchen stools and took my lawnmower out for repairs by the same guy who just fixed my chainsaw. [I’m still waiting five months later for parts.]
I clipped duck wings when I noticed this morning one of my female ducks was gone, but at some point, in the day, she returned. I also slaughtered a rooster and ate duck for the first time in my life. I was not impressed at all. To me, duck tastes like old, bland, flavorless beef.
Two brand new hardwood kitchen stools
September 22
Life in the jungle: Today being my day off I did a little housework, primed my new stools with paint, and organized my email inboxes. I also wrote Belize blog post part 129 and slaughtered two hens.
September 23
Life in the jungle: Today was a full day. First thing I chopped in the coconut field. After lunch painted the first coat of paint on my new stools during a rain shower. In the afternoon I bagged and planted 80 Moringa seeds that I recently received. [They never germinated.] The last part of the day I chopped at the ponds.
Recently germinated Moringa seedlings
September 24
Life in the jungle: This morning I chopped in the coconut field, and then painted a second coat on the stools. Then I slaughtered a second duck. Then I biked up to the village for groceries and brought most of the duck to Verna Mae to cook up. I didn’t like it when I cooked it up for the first but I was hoping to try it one last time cooked properly. Verna Mae loves duck so I figured she could make it good enough to get a proper taste of it.
I saw a Crested Caracara falcon in the village. I don’t see them here very often. I also discovered a Seed-eater bird nesting in one of my Hibiscus plants.
A Crested Caracara falcon and Seed-eater – neither photos are mine
September 25
Life in the jungle: First thing I chopped in the coconut field and found a Vine Sphinx Moth. After breakfast, I used up the last of my black paint on a final coat on my new stools.
Vine Sphinx Moth
While cleaning the front room in the greenhouse I got stung on my palm by a scorpion. As crazy as it sounds, I believe this to be the first real scorpion sting I have received in Belize. I was once stung by a very small baby but I don’t think that counts. Initially, it was a pretty painful surprise but the pain didn’t last long at all.
After cleaning and organizing the greenhouse front room I then rebuilt the greenhouse front doors and installed gate springs on all four doors. Way back I built the entrance doors for the greenhouse all backward and have been waiting forever for someone in the village to design some kind of door handle locking mechanism for doors that had been installed backward. After six months of waiting, I realized just modifying the doors was quicker and easier. And then a rain shower put an end to the remainder of the day. There was also rain tonight.
September 26
Life in the jungle: First thing this morning I chopped in the coconut field. It was really quite hot today. After lunch, I repotted into larger bags about 30 jackfruit seedlings that I had recently grown. I can’t plant anything until next June. At the end of the day, I slaughtered a chicken. The plan was to slaughter two but the second one escaped on me.
Lots of Jackfruits
September 27
Life in the jungle: This morning I finally finished chopping in the coconut field. Now the field can be cut by bushhog (tractor lawnmower).
Before breakfast, I raked a bunch of leaves for the compost chicken coop. The last chicken coop that I built was designed to hold a dozen chickens permanently and throw in as many compostable materials as possible to facilitate making compost. The main problem I ran into was providing protein (insects) to the chickens when permanently cooped up. Because I have been experimenting with raising soldier fly larvae at the moment I can provide them with insects to their diet. So tomorrow morning I will once again keep the dozen chickens that specifically return to this coop each night locked up permanently as long as I have soldier fly larvae to feed them.
After lunch, I went to the ponds and chopped mound one (of three) and watered everything on mound one with liquid fertilizer. I then headed to Verna Mae’s for duck dinner. I didn’t like the duck I cooked the other day. So, I gave her most of the last duck I slaughtered so she could cook me up a piece to try. I liked it. Unfortunately, she had to cook it in a pressure cooker to tenderize the meat. I don’t own a pressure cooker and for me, that is way too much work for me to make a meal. I ended up biking home in the dark and pouring rain and got completely soaked.
September 28
Life in the jungle: Elton showed up to bushhog (cut) the coconut field, but broke down after an hour and a half. So, now he has to return Monday to finish the job. About 50% of the time when he comes, he breaks down.
Bushhogging the coconut field
Joseph from across the river showed up to finish my deck. The other year I had a portion of my rear deck rebuilt out of concrete and this past June I finally finished the stairs and railing. All the railing posts needed to be mortared to give them a finished and more polished look. I can’t believe this job is finally done. I also made some patio stones with the leftover cement mix. Later I also slaughtered a chicken. Today was a very hot day. Both yesterday evening and this evening I am very tired, with no motivation in the evenings.
Cement deck stairs and railings mortared
Belize Part 132 (Sept 13 to 19)
Belize Part 131 (Sept 4 to 12)
Of Note: At this time I am currently 6 months behind in posting my Belize blog posts due to having no internet for the first 18 months of living in Belize.
Glossary of Terms
Glossary of words or people that may or may not be part of this blog post. This glossary will be at the bottom of every blog post for Belize.
Wayne – He is the son of the original owners of the farm (both owners are deceased). The original farm was two – 30 acre parcels minus two – ¾ acre parcels for my house. In 2017 Wayne sold me 40 acres of land from the original 60 acres (one 30 acre parcel plus 10 acres from the second parcel). Wayne lives in his parent’s house and has a few cows on his remaining 18 acres of land.
The ponds – I have two large (300ft long x 50ft wide x 10ft deep) ponds on my 30 acre parcel of land which is basically a jungle. I have about 60 coconut trees (mostly mature) around the ponds. In my first two years of living in Belize, I also planted about 250 assort fruit tree seedlings (Lime, jackfruit, custard apple, pomegranate, and avocado).
The coconut field – I have about 400 coconut trees planted (various growth states) on about 3 acres of cleared land of my 10 acre parcel. I have planted about 350 assorted fruit trees (lemon, starfruit, mango, soursop, cashew, lime, orange) all raised from seed since my arrival in Belize in 2021.
The river lot – my house sits on an ¾ acre lot. I have a second joining ¾ acre lot that allows me river frontage on the Belize River. I call that my river lot.
The dry – Belize has two main seasons. The rainy season and the dry (no rain). The wet is obviously the rainy season.
Chopping – using my machete to clear brush, vines, weeds, and unwanted trees. Generally, when I chop I am removing unwanted vegetation around my baby fruit trees.
Andy – A fellow Canadian who rode his dirt bike from Canada to Belize. When I offered him the use of an apartment that I recently built and the use of my greenhouse Andy decided to stay in Belize permanently and start a hot sauce company here.
