November 3
Life in the jungle: I started SEO, improving my Morning Routine for Jungle Living in Belize: Why Starting Your Day Right Matters post. This is this week’s post I plan to share on Facebook groups this week, but not before I ultra-SEO optimize it.
I wasn’t planning to move dirt all day, but I got in the zone. I have finally, after over six months, filled all the trenches dug back at the end of May. There is a lot of moving dirt to the low areas around the yard in the future. It was a long day.
I’m so glad this job is done
November 4
Life in the jungle: It ended up taking the entire morning to update my post for complete SEO optimization due to a Google Console Search issue. With ChatGPT’s help, the problem was solved, and I started sharing it on Belize Facebook groups.
I did receive my monthly Google report, and my website efforts are paying off. Clicks are up 36.9% — with more people visiting my site from Google. Pages with first impressions up 57% — my content is being discovered by searchers more often. Along with CTR improvements, my content isn’t just being seen; more people are clicking when they see it. And, Impressions are slowly growing — steady growth here shows that Google is gradually showing my content to a wider audience. This is positive momentum.
After lunch, I hung the door on the new cabana. Of all the jobs required to build a cabana, hanging the door is my least favorite job. This hanging went smoother than the (kitchen) cabana door.
I hate hanging doors
November 5
Life in the jungle: It rained all night, last night. I’m so glad I moved that dirt when I did. The first part of the day was my month-end cleaning house of my computer. After breakfast, I wrote Belize blog Parts 191 and 192. I wasn’t super focused today.
In the afternoon, I wrote a blog post about my four-year journey of keeping chickens here in Belize.
November 6
Life in the jungle: This morning, I headed to the city for paint for the cabana bunk bed I just built and two kitchen sinks for both new cabanas. Fortunately, the weather was fairly overcast. Usually, the city is wickedly hot.
I ended up with a flat tire in the village, biking home, so I had to walk home almost two miles and then deal with that. So much for getting some work done this afternoon.
November 7
Life in the jungle: First thing, I continued working on my chicken blog post. After feeding the chickens, I slaughtered two hens. I then bagged up three ducks and seven baby ducks and biked them out to Orlando as a gift. After breakfast, I painted a primer coat of paint on the bunk bed.
Time to get rid of the ducks
Then headed to the ponds and finished cutting the grass on mound 2. I will do mound 3 next week.
I discovered a massive section of chicken wire ripped away on one of the coops. This makes no sense. The section of wire is new(ish) along with the staples. The tear is four feet high. I doubt I could even do this with my fingertips. And why didn’t whatever did this not slaughter all the chickens in the coop?
I was pretty exhausted by the end of the day.
November 8
Life in the jungle: I continued working on my chicken blog. After feeding the chickens, I cleaned some of the hen houses. I then painted a coat of black on the new bunk bed.
After living on the farm for the last two years, Andy informed me that he was moving from the farm to live in the village. The good news is that the cabana that he was supposed to use for a kitchen will now become a regular cabana. With what lumber I had left, I started building a second bunk bed for that cabana. I got the bed 90% complete before I ran out of lumber. When I ordered lumber, I wasn’t counting on building two bunk beds.
Unfortunately, the road is a muddy mess with lots of rain in the forecast. I’m unsure how long I will have to wait before I can get lumber brought down the road. Along with the kitchenette that I was planning for the newest cabana, I now have to build a kitchenette for the (older) kitchen cabana.
My YouTube Channel – Safari Arie – Please Subscribe!
November 9
I worked on my chicken-keeping blog post and got it posted. It’s called – Raising Chickens and Ducks in the Belize Jungle: What Worked for Me (and What Didn’t).
I then took my Sunday morning nap. There was a fairly heavy rain shower. Afterwards, I quickly put a second coat of paint on the bunk bed. The one bed is now painted.
I had a follow-up video call with a friend about a YouTube collaboration I first proposed last month. It sounds like it’s all a go. [This will happen in December.]
November 10
Life in the jungle: First thing, I posted Belize blog Part 188. After feeding the chickens and ducks, I installed a PVC pipe for the newest cabana shower, as the pipe would be between the bunk bed and the wall. I then moved the bunk bed to its final position and vacuumed the floor in preparation for a coat of primer paint. After breakfast, I painted that coat of paint.
I then recorded a YouTube intro video for my collaboration. And I recorded a YouTube video on my journey of chicken keeping.
We had on-and-off light rain throughout the morning and early afternoon. Shortly after retreating to the house, more rain came, but with gusts of wind.
November 11
Life in the jungle: I shared my chicken post on Belize Facebook Groups this morning. This will be the post I share on all the groups first thing every morning this week.
After feeding the chickens, I cut up some plywood for the bunk beds. I then measured out and figured the kitchen counter materials needed for the two cabanas.
I headed to the village and discovered there are no vehicles that can deliver lumber down my road in the condition it’s in, and there is only more rain in the forecast. The weather has been quite cool, especially in the mornings. It’s this time of year that I am thankful that I have a hot water option for my shower.
After getting back from the village, I put a coat of paint on the new cabana floor.
A male Spiny-tail Iguana
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.
