Back in March, I built a small 10ft x 12ft cabana. For now, Andy will end up using the cabana for his hot sauce kitchen.
April 5
Life in the jungle: This morning, I worked on the new cabana. I installed screens on the windows. Basically, the exterior is done except for painting and installing the door.
After lunch, I built the floor for Andy’s new compost toilet. Because Andy’s tiny apartment is ground level, and even with his toilet raised another foot off the ground, during heavy flood times, his toilet has difficulty flushing. The plan is to build him a compost toilet to use during the rainy season.
A future compost toilet floor space beside Andy’s apartment
I called the day in the early afternoon to head to the village. It was Nelson’s birthday. Nelson had me out to a farm he manages in Rancho Delores back in February. He has also helped out on accession when we need a pickup truck to pick up materials and supplies. This is my first social visit in the village socially this year for a few beers. But I was still home by 8 PM.
April 6
Life in the jungle: Today is supposed to be a down day, but it ended up being pretty full, and I never got to my mandatory nap in my hammock. First thing, I made a dozen new patio stone molds. I have some patio stone projects I need to work on in the near future. My old molds are too beaten up to continue to use.
Mid-morning, an American tourist visiting Belize showed up wanting to visit and get a realistic perspective on living in Belize. As per normal response from visitors, he couldn’t believe what I have so far accomplished back here, and couldn’t believe the isolated living conditions. I feel like two miles from the village doesn’t seem isolated enough.
During his visit, I received two deliveries of hardwood lumber from the village.
Later in the afternoon, after he left, I jumped on a video call from Canada with a very old friend with whom I have had almost no contact for decades. A few days ago, an image of him appeared to me in a dream and wouldn’t leave. I found the experience a little disruptive, so I reached out to catch up.
My ducklings are coming along
April 7
Life in the jungle: The city was hot today. I was too efficient and had too much time to spare, and sit around before the return bus left the city.
Arriving home, there was a much-needed thunder shower. I even got wet going home down the road. Which was refreshing. After getting settled, I went straight to framing the exterior walls of Andy’s compost toilet that I started on Saturday. Thunder continued into the evening.
This morning, I discovered three new ducklings.
April 8
Life in the jungle: There was another new duckling this morning, and upon closer inspection, I discovered the last four remaining eggs were spoiled.
Before lunch, I finished the compost toilet room (framing and exterior). The interior is yet to be finished and won’t be finished until the rainy season, as I am far too busy with other projects. In the afternoon, I moved all the lumber that was delivered on Sunday.
A future compost toilet for Andy
April 9
Life in the jungle: First thing, I headed to the village for some materials (for delivery). I saw two coatimundis on the road. I spent most of the day working on the new cabana, smaller jobs, caulking, etc. My delivery of materials never came.
April 10
Life in the jungle: I decided to spend the morning moving gravel/sand mix for the greenhouse expansion floor. We have been out of blocks for a while, but the hard job is moving wheelbarrows of sand/gravel mix. And the sooner the materials are moved, the sooner the job is done for good, and the longer the floor base is finished it can settle to help create a good floor base.
The greenhouse expansion floor with sand/gravel mix floor base
The greenhouse is about 1,000 square feet, and we soon discovered that 50% shade cloth is too much shade for hot peppers. So, I am building a 1,600 square foot cement block floor to grow the hot peppers outside the greenhouse. I call that my “greenhouse expansion floor.” I use cement mix as my base material and lay cement blocks on their sides as flooring material.
I ended up digging up a green iguana nest. I moved 19 eggs into a makeshift incubator. [As of June 26, I’m still waiting for the eggs to hatch.]
Green Iguana eggs
After a late lunch, I finally started working on the new cabana floor. Only to discover that the 2″ finishing nails I purchased for the tongue and groove boards couldn’t go through the pine lumber without bending. I had to go up to the village to see if they sold better quality nails, which they did. What is the point of manufacturing a nail that can’t hammer through (soft) pine?
Somehow, that used up most of the rest of the day. Which I can’t figure out why. I am exhausted tonight.
April 11
Life in the jungle: First thing, Andy and I made a quick run to Boom. Andy needed to use the ATM. I have never used this ATM, and I wanted to find out if it would accept my cards. It accepted my Mastercard but not my VISA or debit card. That is very frustrating, especially since the machine took a fee from me (x2).
Arriving home, I went to work on my cabana tongue and groove floor. The job is a challenge and slow going to do a good job. It took most of the day to get half the floor finished.
At the end of the day, my order of materials I purchased on Wednesday was finally delivered. Andy calls me an impatient white person, except it took 57 hours for a delivery from a business located only six kilometres away. I call myself the most patient man on the planet.
With the delivery of materials and diminished daylight, I started building the cabana deck and got that job half finished.
A hen decided to sit on eggs, so I gave her six recently laid duck eggs.
My Bougainvillea is in full bloom
April 12
Life in the jungle: First thing, I mixed half a bag of cement for a dozen patio stones. Then I finished my cabana deck I started yesterday afternoon.
After lunch, I went back to work on the new cabana floor. At the end of the day, I ran out of nails and have completed 90% of the floor. Today was a long day.
Cabana deck finished
My first tongue & groove floor job
April 13
Life in the jungle: I woke up pretty sore, but I still mixed half a bag of cement for patio stones. I also watered all my seedlings and did a laundry before lunch. I then rushed to my hammock for a two hour nap.
In the afternoon, I agreed to a video call with an American looking to move to Belize, and shortly after that, I finished a video chat with a friend from last Sunday. Interesting that last week an American stopped by the farm to discuss moving to Belize in a few years, and a week later I am doing a video chat with another American wanting to move here.
It’s possible that this is called Capparis bodinieri
Belize Part 160 (March 28 to April 4)
Belize Part 159 (March 17 to 27)
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.
