Cover photo of the Frogman Resale thrift shop in Roaring Creek
July 22
Life in the jungle: Two days ago, I had a piece of wire under tension pierce my bicep; my arm is still a little sore from this. [My arm would eventually heal completely.]
Also, yesterday, my web developer put me onto a Japanese process of finding purpose called Ikigai. I continued to do a little further work on this with the help of ChatGPT. I still need to determine if this work will become blog content.
In the afternoon, I put a third and final coat of paint on the kitchen floor. I also filled in trenches (with dirt) that were dug a couple of months ago and watered seedlings and plants. I feel like the rainy season is a little on the dry side. I’m not complaining about this (yet).
A newly metamorphosed tree frog – likely a Mexican Masked tree frog
July 23
Life in the jungle: First thing, I chopped at the ponds and got the third mound (of three mounds) completed.
Shortly after arriving home, the phone rang. It was immigration about my residency. They want a declaration of how I plan to finance my life after my savings are gone. The worrying part is that they want an updated bank statement. My bank statement is not what it was when I first applied.
The interesting part is that a week and a half ago, I woke up realizing I needed to start my Belize and bike touring advising, coaching, and consulting business. I was able to get my website completely set up for that. Only because I had already integrated my website into this business plan am I able to add this to my declaration. I’m just so glad that was thought of and integrated before this unexpected phone call.
I feel that in the last four years, I have invested heavily in future investments to sustain me. The question is whether immigration agrees with me. Once again, I had ChatGPT help me with the wording of this declaration. What a tool!
I then headed to the village to get the declaration printed and signed off by a Justice of the Peace.
In the last part of the day, I continued to fill in trenches in the yard.
This evening, I found out on Facebook that, apparently, my oldest niece got married today.
July 24
Life in the jungle: Today, I went with Andy to Belmopan. He had his passport stamp, and I had to drop off my declaration and recent bank statement. I am worried that my statement might raise red flags, but at the same time, I’m not worried, as at this point, I am rather indifferent to getting my residency anymore. I either get it or I don’t (shrug).
Not that Belize Immigration would care about my journey, but with Andy, I recounted my journey over the last 12 years to reach this point and everything that I went through here in Belize to get me where I am today. And how, after everything, I may not even get my residency. I couldn’t help but think wow, I need to write a book about this.
After immigration, we went to Spanish Lookout to price out materials for the new greenhouse floor expansion that I have been slowly working on since last year. We had lunch at the Reimer’s gas station coffee shop. We had the very best hamburger I have had on the mainland in Belize since my arrival in 2021. Finally, a good hamburger in this country, at a gas station, nonetheless, and in a place that I rarely get to visit.
This large plastic waterfall was at the gas station/restaurant in Spanish Lookout.
It has to be the ugliest thing that would have cost a small fortune to bring down here from America.
July 25
Life in the jungle: There was rain early in the morning, and it rained through to lunch. I started my next book. Which I think I will call From Scrubbing Toilets to Living in the Jungles of Belize One Kilometre at a Time.
Almost three years ago, I started writing my bike ride book, and I feel like it may take another three years to finish. And about two weeks ago, I started organizing my coaching and advising business. If there is one thing I probably don’t have time for, it’s this.
I spent the whole day working on this new book. The one thing I will say is that I feel like this new book should be written before the bike tour book. And because the bike tour is such an integral part of my recent story, many of the highlights will be included in this new book.
I got the first draft of chapter 1 completed (5,691 words), and it’s called Hard Lessons. I also got 2,000 of 10,000 plus words of chapter 2 completed. I say of 10,000 words because I also cut and pasted much of the main content of the rest of this chapter from previous writings and notes. The one bonus to writing as much content as I do is that generally, 80% of everything is already written. I just need to edit accordingly.
As more of a memoir, I could help use this book in the coaching business process. And also, reach and grow a wider audience.
There was some rain throughout the evening.
Passion flowers
July 26
Life in the jungle: There was rain in the morning and all day. I continued to work on my new book.
My new book progress had me get 5,000 more words of Chapter 2 completed and 9,500 words of my Belize chapter (Chapter 5) completed as part of my first draft. I also figured out my chapter titles.
Chapter 1 – Hard Lessons, Chapter 2 – The Canada that Took Me In, Chapter 3 – America the Beautiful, Chapter 4 – Mexico the Generous, and Chapter 5 – Alone in Belize. Right now, the book is looking to be at least 50,000 words so far.
In the morning, Belize Immigration called wanting to verify certain information from my declaration. They never asked about my bank statement, and they are working on Saturday. This is promising. Talking to Andy about the fact that immigration was working on my residency on a Saturday, we both very quickly came to the conclusion that this is probably the most bizarre news we have ever heard in this country.
My breadfruit tree trunk
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 parents’ 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.
