March 12
Life in the jungle: I started my day by heading down the road. I got a few large trees cut. Only one more to cut – the biggest.
After lunch, I took some time in the hammock, and later in the afternoon, Andy and I took out that last tree. The road, as far as I am concerned, is clear enough for heavy equipment to come down the road.
March 13
Life in the jungle: This morning, I headed to the city. Waiting for the bus, I noticed two buses were basically following each other towards my stop. Instinctively, I knew this would not end well (in Belize). My bus ended up tailgating the other bus and (unsafely) passing the front bus at the next main stop (Flowers Bank). My bus clipped the other bus’s mirror and kept going.
There were no more issues, as the other bus remained a defensive driver instead of an offensive driver, like my bus driver. But my driver was on the phone pretty much the whole way to the city. [On April 4th, during my next trip to the city, my bus (the same bus) would clip the mirror of same other bus again.]
I had the most craziest experiences in the city this morning. At Universal Hardware, I got a senior’s discount! How is this even possible? I have always prided myself on looking almost a decade (or more) younger than I am. It was all I could do to keep a straight face when the cashier gave me my total that included my “senior’s discount.” I spend more than enough money in there that I will take any discount they want to give me. The discount appears to be 10%. [This same cashier continues to give me a senior’s discount on all my subsequent visits.
Some Belize City architecture
Today, I also got my Belizean driver’s license. The main reason I pursued my Belizean driver’s license (even though I have no plans to have a car in Belize is that I am hoping that my license will qualify me for the “Belizean rate” to hike Victoria Peak. This is a main goal for myself this year, but the “tourist price” is beyond ridiculously high. This license also allows me to once again drive in Canada. During my visit to Canada last year, I was unable to drive as my Canadian driver’s license expired the year before. [Unfortunately, this dry season, I was far too busy to hike Victoria’s Peak, even though my driver’s license did indeed qualify me for the cheaper rate.]
The city was hot today. Getting back home, I did a couple of odd jobs. We have water pump issues (again) and worked late trying to fix. No luck.
March 14
Life in the jungle: First thing, I headed to the ponds and started cutting down coconut trees. I want to and plan to cut down the majority of my coconut trees at the ponds to make room for dwarf coconut trees (someday). [I would indeed get some dwarfs and plant them later in June.]
Today, I learned that cutting down coconut trees is a whole other animal compared to cutting down a typical tree. You have to cut 90-95% through before the tree finally falls. It was kind of scary having to cut through 90% of a tall tree standing directly over your head. Some fell easily, and some not so easily. There are two trees actually still standing that are 90% cut through. I will let the wind blow them down.
The coconut tree in the center photo was left standing for the wind to blow it down.
After lunch, I headed to the village for groceries and find out what was going on with some road materials to be dropped on the road. On March 7th I was expecting a construction materials delivery that never ended up coming. It turned out that somehow the delivery truck got stuck in a large pothole. The plan was to have that hole filled with road material.
After I returned home, I went back to the ponds and cut up coconut tree fronds that landed on or by any seedlings from this morning. I ended up crushing one small pomegranate and stripping a jackfruit off its branches, but it should rebound. I can’t believe how many coconut trees dropped beside seedlings with no damage. The hope is to plant dwarf coconuts, which are better for coconut water but not as good for coconut oil.
Andy was in Belmopan and Spanish Lookout getting various supplies, so today was the second day without water. Right before dark, I got a call from the hardware store about dumping 4.5 yards of road materials in a couple of bad spots tonight.
I also firmed up that the new cabana build will finally start Monday. Today was a long day.
March 15
Life in the jungle: First thing, I headed down the road to just finish smoothing out the road materials dropped from last night. We got most of the work done last night, but it was in the dark.
No one is getting stuck in that hole again
I then planted 30 mandarin fruit seeds.
Nelson came back (from helping us cut trees on the road last Saturday) and helped with removing two very tricky (to remove) coconut trees. One was leaning towards the greenhouse, and also in the way of the greenhouse expansion floor, and one tree was leaning over the yard fence, but growing right next to my septic leech bed.
Then a delivery of 360 cement blocks that I was expecting last week arrived. The blocks are going to be used for greenhouse floor expansion and floor expansion by the chicken coops, all to deal with rainy season flooding.
I spent what was left of the afternoon moving some of the cement blocks to the chicken coop areas. Today was a solid 12 hour day, as it seems most days are now.
Today, there were two dead pullet broiler (meat) chickens. I can only assume from the heat.
March 16
Life in the jungle: This morning, I woke up to baby ducklings – finally. I feel like it’s been forever for them to start hatching.
Finally, some baby ducks
Sunday is usually my day off, but not today. Steve, the guy helping me build the new cabana, showed up with a helper. We worked from 8 am till 1:30 pm, and got the floor and two walls framed.
Today was the hottest day of the year with no breeze. We still have no water. Andy reinstalled the pump at the bottom of the riverbank but then discovered a leaky seal that he couldn’t fix. So, another day with no water. We also discovered that the tower vat is now empty.
There was a third dead broiler. I think we can safely assume that raising broilers at this time of the year is too risky. Except I also have four young chicks growing. [I would start housing broiler chickens in pairs and not in a quad, and that seems to be working.]
Finally, starting to build the cabana
Belize Part 157 (March 2 to 11)
Belize Part 156 (Feb 23 to March 1)
Glossary of Terms
Glossary of words or people that may or may not be part of this particular 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 assorted 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 a 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 season (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 at the end of 2023. When I offered Andy 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.
