Life in Belize

Belize Part 70 (Feb 23 to March 5)

Belize Part 70 (Feb 23 to March 5)

February 23 Life in the jungle: I dragged my morning for a bit.  I am physically tired from all the chopping and chainsaw work these last few days.  I eventually did a little bit of chopping at the...

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Belize Part 69 (Feb 12 to 22)

Belize Part 69 (Feb 12 to 22)

February 12 Life in the jungle: All day it was an overcast and cool day.  After feeding the chickens I actually got back into bed to stay warm.  Today is my Sabbath.  I spent the first part of my...

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Belize Part 68 (Feb 4 to 11)

Belize Part 68 (Feb 4 to 11)

February 4 Life in the jungle: I started my day finishing my chicken coop with lumber that Saul brought yesterday evening.  After lunch, I planned to start working on my book.  I can't remember when...

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Belize Part 67 (Jan 29 to Feb 3)

Belize Part 67 (Jan 29 to Feb 3)

January 29 Life in the jungle: Today was my Sabbath.  My day to do nothing but try to spend some time reading and of course a nap. Elton my bushhog guy did come first thing to finish cutting the...

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Belize Part 66 (Jan 24 to 28)

Belize Part 66 (Jan 24 to 28)

January 24 Life in the jungle: It was hard to get out of my hammock this morning.  After yesterday's bull shit at immigration, it's hard to find motivation.  Which sucks because I have so much to...

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Belize Part 65 (Jan 18 to 23)

Belize Part 65 (Jan 18 to 23)

January 18 Life in the jungle: Today was a work day.  I painted, I did some minor chainsaw work around the house and coconut field and I went to the ponds to water my papayas. January 19 Life in the...

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Belize Part 64 (Jan 11 to 17)

Belize Part 64 (Jan 11 to 17)

January 11 Life in the jungle: I started my day getting a job out of the way that had only been partly started a while back.  I finished putting a cement block perimeter around my apartment septic...

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Belize Part 63 (Jan 6 to 10)

Belize Part 63 (Jan 6 to 10)

January 6 Life in the jungle: I woke up in the middle of the night (early morning) and I never fell back to sleep.  This morning I spent the whole morning lying in my hammock with my eyes closed.  I...

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Belize Part 62 (Dec 30 to Jan 5)

Belize Part 62 (Dec 30 to Jan 5)

December 30 Life in the jungle: I started my morning finishing the framing for my screen-enclosed greenhouses.  I wanted to get that job out of the way quickly, as 2x2s warp quickly in the sun.  The...

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Belize Part 61 (Dec 23 to 29)

Belize Part 61 (Dec 23 to 29)

December 23 Life in the jungle: By going to bed early last night, I got an early start this morning.  I had to plant pineapple (tops) at the ponds so I spent my morning chopping at the ponds.  I was...

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Belize Part 60 (Dec 18 to 22)

Belize Part 60 (Dec 18 to 22)

December 18 Life in the jungle: Today is my Sabbath.  I continue reading Walking with God by John Eldredge.  Of course, I also took a nap.  In the afternoon I was thinking about a question I wrote...

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Belize Part 59 (Dec 11 to 17)

Belize Part 59 (Dec 11 to 17)

December 11 Life in the jungle: Today is my Sabbath.  I did take a walk to the river to check on the rising level.  The level was actually perfect for pumping water as my vat was getting dangerously...

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Belize Part 58 (Dec 4 to 10)

Belize Part 58 (Dec 4 to 10)

December 4 Life in the jungle: Today is my Sabbath and I do nothing but read.  Somehow my morning dragged out and then I ended up cleaning the bathroom and then the kitchen.  They do say cleanliness...

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Belize Part 57 (Nov 30 to Dec 3)

Belize Part 57 (Nov 30 to Dec 3)

November 30 Life in the jungle:  Today was my second trip to the city this week.  It was all about working on my Belize residency.  The first thing was a tuberculosis test.  I will have to go back...

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Belize Part 56 (Nov 25 to 29)

Belize Part 56 (Nov 25 to 29)

November 25 Life in the jungle: One year ago, today I arrived at my home in Belize from my two year bike ride.  What a year from hell.  You can read a condensed breakdown of my last year blog post...

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Belize Part 55 (Nov 22 to 24)

Belize Part 55 (Nov 22 to 24)

On November 2nd Hurricane Lisa hit and I have been basically without power since then.  Check Belize Blog posts #53  and #54 for more hurricane details. Sorry for lack of photos in this blog post....

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Belize Part 54 (Nov 16 to 21)

Belize Part 54 (Nov 16 to 21)

On November 2nd Hurricane Lisa hit and I have been basically without power since then.  Check Belize Blog post #53 for more hurricane details. November 16 Life in the jungle: The power shut off at...

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Belize Part 53 (Nov 8 to 15)

Belize Part 53 (Nov 8 to 15)

November 8 Life in the jungle: Today I was able to get half the coconut field clean of all hurricane debris.  I finally pulled out the chainsaw to tackle larger branches and one big tree.  There is...

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Hi and Welcome to my website

Hi and Welcome to my website

Hi and welcome to my website and blog.  My name is Arie Hoogerbrugge originally from Canada and for over the last two years, I have been living in the jungles of Belize.  I started my blog in 2019...

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Belize Part 52 (Nov 3 to 7)

Belize Part 52 (Nov 3 to 7)

November 3 Life in the jungle: I woke up at 6 AM and did a walk around.  The yard is a complete disaster with many mature trees down.  The river lot is basically decimated.  Virtually every mature...

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Belize Part 51 (Oct 29 to Nov 2)

Belize Part 51 (Oct 29 to Nov 2)

October 29 Life in the jungle: I started my morning as usual chopping in the coconut field.  I ended up disturbing a nest of large wasps.  I never got stung but I had a wasp come at me.  He buzzed...

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Belize Part 50 (Oct 24 to 28)

Belize Part 50 (Oct 24 to 28)

October 24 Life in the jungle: I started my morning by basically sending my paralegal one last threat about producing my corporation papers and my deeds.  The business registry office is open on...

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Belize Part 49 (Oct 16 to 23)

Belize Part 49 (Oct 16 to 23)

October 16 Life in the Jungle: I didn't sleep great last night.  I woke up this morning determined to stick to a Sabbath habit I started last Sunday.  I started reading The Divine Conspiracy by...

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Belize Part 48 (Oct 9 to 15)

Belize Part 48 (Oct 9 to 15)

Sorry, almost no photos with this blog post. October 9 Life in the Jungle: It's Sunday (of course).  I was all prepared to head to the ponds to chop.  Over the last few months, I have struggled with...

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Belize Part 47 (Oct 4 to 8)

Belize Part 47 (Oct 4 to 8)

October 4 Life in the Jungle: Waiting for a load of gravel to be delivered I planted seedlings in the coconut field.  Saul from the village brought me a yard of gravel from the hardware store.  He...

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Belize Part 46 (Sept 30 to Oct 3)

Belize Part 46 (Sept 30 to Oct 3)

September 30 Life in the Jungle: It's amazing how I was so exhausted to do anything yesterday but it took so long to fall asleep last night.  I don't know what the temperature was last night but for...

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Belize Part 45 (Sept 21 to 29)

Belize Part 45 (Sept 21 to 29)

September 21 Life in the Jungle: I finally finished the hen house pen.  I let out the hen with the oldest chicks to make sure everything would work out well.  And everything did.  So tomorrow both...

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Dreams & Goals – Emptying the Monkey Mind

Dreams & Goals – Emptying the Monkey Mind

A few weeks ago, I had an unusual sense about my mood and attitude.  I was actually what I would refer to as half-happy.  Which I understand is a weird thing to say.  Happiness has never been part...

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Belize Part 44 (Sept 12 to 20)

Belize Part 44 (Sept 12 to 20)

September 12 Life in the jungle: Another sleepless night.  But I didn't have the motivation or energy to get out of bed and be productive.  I think tonight I just won't go to bed until I am sleepy. ...

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Belize Part 43 (Sept 6 to 11)

Belize Part 43 (Sept 6 to 11)

Last week was a very stressful week dealing with Belize Immigration.  That blog post link is at the bottom of this post. September 6 Life in the jungle: I slept in quite late this morning.  It is...

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San Pedro Part 2 (Oct 12 – 14, 2023)

San Pedro Part 2 (Oct 12 – 14, 2023)

This is Part 2 of a recent holiday that I took when I went to San Pedro Town on Ambergris Caye.  You can check out Part 1 if missed it HERE. October 12 Life in the jungle: I attended a 7 AM Catholic...

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San Pedro – Part 1 (Oct 10 & 11, 2023)

San Pedro – Part 1 (Oct 10 & 11, 2023)

After a grueling 5 months, finally finishing my greenhouse floor and about 9 months since my last vacation, I decided I had earned one.  This vacation was a little different.  I was determined to...

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Belize Part 42 (Sept 2 to 5)

Belize Part 42 (Sept 2 to 5)

September 2 Life in the jungle: I slept like crap last night again.  It rained all through the night and was still raining when I woke up.  I didn't even bother bringing my city footwear, I was...

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Belize Part 41 (Aug 24 to Sept 1)

Belize Part 41 (Aug 24 to Sept 1)

August 24 Life in the jungle: I woke up at 5 AM, with the stress of a rotting and costly house deck falling back asleep was not possible.  [See photos in last blog post.]  I started my morning...

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Belize Part 40 (Aug 20 to 23)

Belize Part 40 (Aug 20 to 23)

August 20 Life in the jungle: Orlando and Joseph came this morning.  We finished installing the door on the apartment and we put the roof on the front entrance of the greenhouse.  [The door was...

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Belize Part 39 (Aug 9 to 19)

Belize Part 39 (Aug 9 to 19)

August 9 Life in the jungle: Orlando and Joseph showed up this morning.  We replaced the larger section of the house roof with the new zinc roofing that was delivered the other week.  We got lucky...

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Belize Part 38 (Aug 1 to 8)

Belize Part 38 (Aug 1 to 8)

August 1 Life in the jungle: Over two months ago I got sick.  This morning I had another cough attack.  Everything is pretty wet outside.  There is no point in working outside today.  Everything...

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Belize Part 37 (July 27 to 31)

Belize Part 37 (July 27 to 31)

July 27 Life in the jungle: In four days it will be two months ago that I got sick with a chronic cough and the coughing returned again last night.   Another sleepless night.   This morning I was up...

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Belize Part 36 (July 21 to 26)

Belize Part 36 (July 21 to 26)

July 21 Life in the jungle: Somehow my morning got away from me again!  But it didn't help that I slept like crap last night either.  I did wake up to a reply from the Labor Department regarding my...

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Belize Part 35 (July 15 to 20)

Belize Part 35 (July 15 to 20)

July 15 Life in the jungle: I slept in as planned.  Today I made two trips to the village.  The first one to pick up my cans of paint that I had left at Verna Mae’s the other week and the second...

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Belize Part 34 (July 10 to 14)

Belize Part 34 (July 10 to 14)

July 10 Life in the jungle: I ended up sleeping in from a late-night last night.  I started my day at the ponds to plant papaya seeds.  Twice I dropped the container of seeds.  TWICE!  I couldn't...

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Belize Part 33 (July 3 to 9)

Belize Part 33 (July 3 to 9)

July 3 Life in the jungle: It's Sunday so it wasn't my most productive day.  With a late start to my day, I retrieved some more 1/2" PVC pipe that had previously been laid and buried out towards the...

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Belize Part 32 (June 27 to July 2)

Belize Part 32 (June 27 to July 2)

Of note, last week I finally started building my greenhouse. June 27 Life in the jungle: I had a much better sleep last night.  Orlando and Joseph showed up this morning.  No concrete work today. ...

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Belize Part 31 (June 21 to 26)

Belize Part 31 (June 21 to 26)

June 21 Life in the jungle: I slept okay last night but at 6 AM I woke up with a horrible cough.  So bad I got up and took a walk around the yard and went back to my hammock and fell asleep until 11...

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Belize Part 30 (June 13 to 20)

Belize Part 30 (June 13 to 20)

June 13 Life in the jungle: It rained all morning.  My allergies were at their worst and my cough was bad.  It took some Jack ass bitters that I had picked last week.  Last week Verna Mae showed me...

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Belize Part 29 (June 2 to 12)

Belize Part 29 (June 2 to 12)

June 2 Life in the jungle: It rained and thundered hard last night with a power outage.   Because I couldn't run a fan during the power outage, I spent the first part of the night in my hammock....

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Belize Part 28 (May 28 to June 1)

Belize Part 28 (May 28 to June 1)

May 28 Life in the jungle: It must have rained most of the night and into the morning.  The road is drenched and it was a wet bike ride to the bus in the rain.  I bussed it to Belize City and then...

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Belize Part 27 (May 22 to 27)

Belize Part 27 (May 22 to 27)

May 22 Life in the jungle: I was expecting to wake up to heavy rain.  It never came.  I woke up and went down to my hammock and ended up sleeping until 10 AM.  My day was spent completing my...

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Belize Part 26 (May 17 to 21)

Belize Part 26 (May 17 to 21)

May 17 Life in the jungle: Because of how I felt last night before bed I didn't set my alarm.  While I don't feel sick my allergies are really bad and it feels like I have a cold when I sneeze but I...

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Belize Part 24 (April 30 to May 6)

Belize Part 24 (April 30 to May 6)

April 30 Life in the jungle: Because of my late-night last night I turned off my alarm.  Nery called and woke me up at 6:45 AM this morning from my driveway.  Usually, he showed up closer to 9 AM on...

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23 Days with no power

23 Days with no power

In 2010 Hurricane Richard a Category 1 hurricane hit on October 25th.  There was tremendous yard damage due to fallen trees.  I was without power for one week.  Truthfully all I remember is that it...

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Belize Part 23 (April 24 to 29)

Belize Part 23 (April 24 to 29)

April 24 Life in the jungle: I had a dream last night and a girl from my teenage social circle made a very brief appearance.  That inspired a quick morning poem called l should have told you. From...

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One Full Year in Belize and 2022 in Review

One Full Year in Belize and 2022 in Review

I crossed into Belize on November 23rd, 2021 and I arrived at my home on November 25th, 2021 after spending just over two years biking just over 26,000 km’s to get here.  The original plan was to...

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Belize Part 22 (April 13 to 23)

Belize Part 22 (April 13 to 23)

April 13 Life in the jungle: I started my morning with some housework in preparation for a fire and health department inspection for my tourist license Airbnb listing.  After breakfast, I weed...

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An internet connection story

An internet connection story

On June 2, 2023, I finally got my own internet connection.  This was one of my biggest priorities upon arriving at my home on November 25, 2022.  The experience to get internet to my house was...

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Belize Part 21 (April 5 to 12)

Belize Part 21 (April 5 to 12)

April 5 Life in the jungle: Victor left this morning on his way to the bottom of Argentina.  It was strange watching him push his bike through my gate.  [Victor was a Warm Showers bike touring guest...

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Belize Part 20 (March 29 to April 4)

Belize Part 20 (March 29 to April 4)

March 29 Life in the jungle: It rained last night and through the night and into the morning.  The road is a mud bath.  This rain has really screwed my immediate working plans.  I swear between all...

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Belize Part 19 (March 21 to 28)

Belize Part 19 (March 21 to 28)

March 21 Life in the jungle: Last night, half asleep coming down from my bedroom loft to use the washroom I decided to step off the ladder a few steps too early.  Within a second, I fell and was on...

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Checking In – April 30, 2023

Checking In – April 30, 2023

2022 was a really tough year for me.  It would be my first full year living in Belize after taking two years to bike here from Canada.  Arriving here in Belize I would end up facing challenges that...

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A new dream. A new goal

A new dream. A new goal

Bear with me as I fumble through this new dream and goal of mine.  Most people when they look at their bed, they see a bed.  I actually don’t sleep in a bed.  I sleep in a hammock.  But that is...

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I don’t care anymore

I don’t care anymore

I know, an extreme statement and what don’t I care about anymore?  What I don’t care about anymore is my life here in Belize.  I know that sounds very extreme given everything I have worked for. ...

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Belize Part 18 (March 13 to 20)

Belize Part 18 (March 13 to 20)

March 13 Life in the jungle:  Considering how hot yesterday morning was I didn't not see this morning’s weather coming.  This morning was cool and overcast.  I started the morning chopping in the...

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Some days I feel so old (and really lazy)

Some days I feel so old (and really lazy)

When I look in the mirror I can't tell if I am old.  I don't look old.  Anyone would tell you that I look very young for my age.  Some days I feel like I am in my 20's. But most nights when I go to...

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Belize Part 17 (March 5 to 12)

Belize Part 17 (March 5 to 12)

March 5 Life in the jungle: I started my morning chopped the river lot behind my house.  Then I went to the hardware store for a final load of 1x4 lumber for the cabbage wood project. I discovered...

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Ambition

Ambition

The standard pace is for chumps I have huge challenges ahead of me which will make my life interesting for sure.  But I have no expression of ambition in my life and it's crippling me.  Beyond...

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Belize Part 16 (Feb 19 to March 4)

Belize Part 16 (Feb 19 to March 4)

February 19 Life in the jungle: I slept in until 7 am.  I spent a few hours working at the ponds.  After breakfast I weed wacked some areas around the house that were getting overdue.  I came across...

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Belize Part 15 (Feb 12 to 18)

Belize Part 15 (Feb 12 to 18)

February 12 Life in the jungle: On my way to chopping at the ponds I saw my first deer in Belize and then I saw an agouti.  I spent a good part of my afternoon with my chainsaw.  I cut down pretty...

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Belize Part 14 (Feb 4 to 11)

Belize Part 14 (Feb 4 to 11)

February 4 Life in the jungle: After doing a laundry first thing Heath and I biked 20 km's to Rancho Delores to visit the farm Nery has worked at for the last 20 years.  They grow like 9 types of...

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Belize Part 13 (Jan 26 to Feb 3)

Belize Part 13 (Jan 26 to Feb 3)

January 26 Life in the jungle: With Nery coming this afternoon to look at my fencing project my priority was cleaning my last fence line on my home property that runs along the road.  I got a good...

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Belize Part 12 (Jan 21 to 25)

Belize Part 12 (Jan 21 to 25)

January 21 Life in the jungle: I started my morning continuing and hoping to finish digging my waterline trench.  I did get a pleasant surprise when I dug up a Mexican Burrowing Narrow-mouthed toad....

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Belize Part 11 (Jan 15 to 20)

Belize Part 11 (Jan 15 to 20)

January 15 Life in the jungle: I was pretty productive most of the day.  I went into the bush and checked and found along my one property line for on old PVC pipe waterline and an electric wire that...

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Belize Part 10 (Jan 9 to 14)

Belize Part 10 (Jan 9 to 14)

January 9 Life in the jungle: Because of how rough our road is getting, Derrick had to walk down our road.  Derrick came to install the plycem (plywood/cement mix wall boards) on my basement storage...

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Belize Part 9 (Jan 3 to 8)

Belize Part 9 (Jan 3 to 8)

January 3 Life in the jungle: Last night Derrick said he was planning to come down and help replace 4 rotted/termite infested pieces plywood in my crawl space with plycem.  Good call on Jack for...

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Belize Part 8 (Dec 30 to Jan 2)

Belize Part 8 (Dec 30 to Jan 2)

December 30 Life in the jungle: I went to the city this morning.  It was a hectic day and I did not escape my daily portion of grief.  First stop to the bank, and then to DigiCell.  This is my third...

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Belize Part 7 (Dec 26 to 29)

Belize Part 7 (Dec 26 to 29)

December 26 Life in the jungle: I am still sick.  This sucks, I can’t even remember the last time I was sick longer than a day.  I have too much to do and no energy.  I had some noodle soup for...

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Belize Part 6 (Dec 20 to 25)

Belize Part 6 (Dec 20 to 25)

December 20 Life in the jungle: I slept in and then spent the morning finishing my housework and packing some supplies to exit the house until the 24th for some Airbnb guests from Holland that...

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Belize Part 5 (Dec 10 to 19)

Belize Part 5 (Dec 10 to 19)

December 10 Life in the jungle: I went to bed late last night but I am now setting my alarm for 5:30 am.  I have too much work to do and am only too eager to get the day started.  I started my...

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So whats going on in Belize?

So whats going on in Belize?

So it's been almost 3 months since I arrived at my home in Belize after a little bit more than 2 years of biking across Canada and down through the USA and Mexico.  More or less only accomplishing...

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Belize Part 4 (Dec 5 to 9)

Belize Part 4 (Dec 5 to 9)

December 5 Life in the jungle: This morning I got 100% of my coconut field cleaned except for a few small/medium trees that I need a chainsaw for.  The next job is to start cleaning the far [new]...

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Belize Part 3 (Dec 1 to 4)

Belize Part 3 (Dec 1 to 4)

December 1 Life in the jungle: I started my morning chopping the coconut field as usual.  I got a lot of trees de-vined.  I seen the black tail of large snake in some vegetation.  At first, I...

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Belize Part 2 (Nov 27 to 30)

Belize Part 2 (Nov 27 to 30)

On November 25th I arrived home after biking for over 2 years on the road to get here. November 27 Life in the jungle: Perfect weather today.  I got an early start and started de-vining my coconut...

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Belize Part 1 (Nov 23 to 26)

Belize Part 1 (Nov 23 to 26)

I have just spent the last 8 days at a hostel in Chetumal and am prepared to leave and enter Belize. November 23 Destination - Buena Vista Km’s pedalled - 55 km’s (14 km’s Mexico/ 41 km’s Belize)...

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