Santa Elena Horse Race - Peter August Memorial Track, Belize Dec. 12, 2010

 

Usually a jockey will stick to his horse for the entire duration of the race.

 

But of course there are some exceptions.

 

Fortunately, horse and ex-rider weren't hurt in the tumble.

 

Well... Maybe a little pride

And the race goes on

Greasy Pole

This has got to be one of the craziest fun things I've ever seen. The event called Greasy Pole took place between races in Santa Elena, Cayo, Belize at the Peter August Memorial Race Track. Two teams of 6 people each vied for the prize at the top of the pole, slipping and sliding all the way up and down. It took 4 tries before the prize was claimed but it seems the effort was worth it. A great time was had by all and no Greasy Polers were hurt in the process.

Just Photos

Do you think we'll fit 2 of everything in here?

You just wait til Mommy gets home!

Really cool bridge!

 Awwww... They don't get cuter than that.

Pretty horses by the river

 Just a little more and I'll have mud to roll in.

 The technical name of this is the 'vomit' tree.

Sorry, I'm just too hot & lazy to write today. I hope you like the pictures.

Thanks

Thanks anonymous' comment on Sexy Sadie, You can contact me at Belize Affordable Web Design.

Mystic River

I was out for a Sunday drive as I'm wont to do on Sundays even though it was a Monday that day. Well it was a holiday Monday so it sure seemed liked a Sunday. I drove up the Cristo Rey road and collected a great amount of dust in my Chevy Tracker since the back window zipper decided to split.   

Apparently they're not as easy to fix as your run of the mill pants fly so I've been putting it off. Anyway... I ended up at the Mystic River Resort which fulfilled my goal of going somewhere I'd never been before. I was not disappointed. The place is gorgeous. Top pic is one of the cabanas that overlooks the river and next is the dinning room fireplace. 

The outdoor bar also overlooks the river and did I mention you can see the river from the dinning room too? It seems that the river was kind enough to circle around at that point giving wonderful views in just about every place I looked. Last but also beautiful is the view of the river from the bar. I could have stayed all day but heeded the call of the road, and off I went in a cloud of dust. Thanks Tom and Nadege for graciously allowing me to interrupt your special day. Nice place, nice people. I hope to be back. Mystic River Resort is online at: http://www.mysticriverbelize.com/

Ruta Maya Race 2010 San Ignacio

Here is the beginning of the Ruta Maya race 2010 in order of who got under the bridge first. Well this is my hopeful intention but remember I get confused easily so if some are out of order or missing please feel to reprimand me, (but not too harshly.) These pictures have been removed but are still available.

If anyone is interested in larger resolution for prints you can contact me through the web link or at amedeus13@hotmail.com

  Winners!

Brits in Action

Fly In at the Cayo Airstrip

This was a very cool day. Once a year all the pilots get together and fly in to the airstrip near Central Farm. There are ultra-lights buzzing around and taking visitors for a ride, or just hanging about talking to their old flying buddies.





As you can see, they come in yellow or red and are scary as hell since all they really are is a kite with a lawnmower engine. However, these guys know what they're doing and everyone had a great time.






The planes arrived one by one which is a really good thing since flying in tandem should be left to the Blue Angles. I will not refer to the American team because I can only remember their nick name which has something to do with Hawks.





This pilot is what we refer to as a cowboy. I don't know why. There are no cows in the air and they do not hang out the window and twirl lassos. They do however do loop de loops and fly up-side-down much to the delight of the cheering crowd below. He could at least have worn a Stetson.





This is a Belize Defense Force pilot. I'm not sure how the guy in the trees got there before him but I think it was a very good trick.








If memory serves (and it usually doesn't) this plane came from Blue Creek. It is very sleek and has a wicked blue flame on the side. I gotta get me one of those!








This helicopter is flown by Abe and owned by George. Two very nice fellas who I think are also from Blue Creek. Hey! Wasn't the cowboy from there too? Not
fair. You guys have all the planes and stuff.

Okay. that's all for this blog but next one you'll see the Brits in action!

Hiking the Mystical Maya Mountain Jungle

This is pretty much what you see while traipsing through the mountain jungle if you're not really paying close attention. As beautiful as that is, to see the real beauty and mystery, you need to look a little off the beaten path. Today, my friend and I are searching for orchids and unusual plants to bring back to enhance her garden. We not only found several but also encountered a lot of mystery stuff along the way.

Like this thing to the right. It looks like a home for insects and is as big as a football but it seems to have a stem at the top. So maybe it's a plant, or maybe the insects built the nest around some kind of plant life. I donno! I guess that's why it's called mysterious.

Then there's this pretty fungus thing on the left which isn't really mysterious or unusual but I liked it, so there it is. Count the rings and see how old it is, or how many rainfalls it's been through, or full moons if you want. I haven't a clue but I still like it.

Next we came to a fairy pool. There were no fairies, but we did spot tadpoles, and turtles that would not cooperate for pictures. No, that's not a fairy, it's my friend searching for signs of life or maybe looking at reflections or making a wish.









After the pool, we set off into uncharted territory. We came across this termite nest which was pretty boring and not at all mysterious. Here it is after a major transformation. There were no termites harmed in this process but we did give them some extra work to do. They will be kept busy for days covering this over, but the image will remain. I'll try to get back and take another picture, but I may never find it again.

This is another termite nest with a bromeliad growing on top of it. It kinda makes me wonder if this is how the ancient Mayans got their ideas for head gear.




Here we are sitting precariously at the top of a very high cliff. It was very scary. The ground sloped downwards and there wasn't much to hold on to. But the view was breath taking. The trees were blooming with yellow flowers which is a sure sign that spring is starting. Time to go and plant the new orchids.

Sexy Sadie

I promised a while ago that I would post an updated picture of Sexy Sadie. This was no mean feat as she is getting so fat, I was afraid she would not fit on the page. Here she is, beautiful as ever and still ride-able for now although she is having a few hormonal problems. Like... stubbornness, faking fear of downward slopes, eating on the job and giving me dirty looks! Well I guess I can't really blame her. She has enough to carry without having a saddle and me on her back too. I'm really not cruel. I was very easy on her and didn't demand too much on the ride. However, like any typical horse she showed surprising agility and speed on the way home and really seemed to appreciate the molasses enriched feed when we got there. Thanks for putting up with me Sadie.

Mountain Pine Ridge

Five Sisters Gorge

I decided to mix a little business with pleasure and took a trip up through the Mountain Pine Ridge area in Cayo. Although the resorts are beautiful, the natural scenery can't be beat. Here a few pictures of both.

Pinocchio at Blancaneaux

The pool at Hidden Valley

No Heros or Villians... Justs lots of Fun

Since I never get picked for Survivor, I've decided to start my own Survivor Belize. My friend has a fantastic retreat for the location. It's so secluded that I couldn't find it again if I tried. Talk about your Blue Lagoon, Paradise Lost, or whatever you want to call your fantasy world... This is it!
We drove the bumpy back roads until the road turned into a deer trail, then walked for miles into the jungle to reach the river. Ah, we're there, but there's still a slight dilemma. We need to get to the other side!
No problem. An old canoe was hidden in the underbrush. Once it was pulled out and turned over we hauled it into the river where it promptly filled up with water and sank to the bottom. Our first challenge had begun!
We pulled the canoe out and put it back in the bush, then took off our shoes and walked across. Mission accomplished. Yea for the Maya Team!As we walked up the bank and away from the river, I sucked in the beautiful scenery all around. A 500 foot cliff with 4 caves in the top was to my left.
A smaller cave was close to the bottom and we found inside pretty much what you would expect to find. Cute little bats clinging to the rocks. They were very cooperative and posed willingly for pictures asking only that we send a set of prints to the family since they didn't have computers. I will try to oblige.
Just past the cave was the most fantastic view I've ever seen. I can't even show you in pictures how spectacular it is but I will show you bits and pieces.
Gorgeous falls cascading down into a clear spring fed pool surrounded by rock.

Ah ha! Challenge number 2. Climb to the top of the rock and jump in the pool. Your reward? A cool, refreshing dip and immunity from the heat of the afternoon.
I really did this and here is the proof. Kids, don't try this at home. It's very scary and does naughty things to your bathing suit top. Don't ask what. It was very embarrassing. But so much fun!

Dear Anonymous

Dear Anonymous
Thanks for clearing up the points that I missed on your comment. How did you know? Were you lurking about in the bushes? Me and Candy thought it was a private survivor BBQ. Next time bring the cocktails. We do not need another dog though.

The Fox & Flowers in Placencia

Just a short bit on the fox. He or she came to grab the tortillas we threw down in the garden. There is a whole family living behind Candy's house but only one came out for a portrait.

Beauty on the Beach:

Visit to Placencia

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting my good friend Candy in Placencia. Every time I go, there are so many changes it makes my head spin. The best change is the road in! It's not finished yet, but boy is it nice to drive without shaking my car to pieces and scrambling my already fragile brain. It was hot & dry so I still had to endure a little dust and dirt but at least my car was still recognizable when I got home.
First thing we did was drive to Seine Beight for beer to wash out my clogged throat. Relaxation and chat is how we spent the rest of the day.

Day two was for BBQ survivor style! We got potatoes & wrapped them in foil. We got corn on the cob and wrapped it in foil. The chicken thawed in the fridge. We had no matches or fire starter. We didn't know any boy scouts in the area. We were roughn' it! We had to use primitive methods to start the fire. Newspaper, kindling gathered by hand (okay... it wasn't our hands), and a lighter. But we did it. We got the fire going and before long we could put a bigger log on.

Two hours later we were ready to throw in the potatoes.
Candy's question: "How long will they take?" - My answer "I dunno."
A little later we turned the potatoes and added the corn.
My question: "How long will the corn take?" - Candy's answer "I dunno."
We turned & waited & repeated several times.
question: "Is it time to put the chicken on?" - answer "Sure.. why not."
We put the chicken on the grill that had been rubbed with an onion to keep it from sticking. A little later we turned the chicken. It stuck! Next time we should use a bigger onion.

We continued to turn everything until we were too hungry to wait any more, took it all upstairs and proceeded to unwrap the potatoes. They were done. A little burnt all over, but some was still edible. The corn was next. See above sentences following the word potatoes. Next the chicken. A little bit of burn here and there, raw in the middle but perfect around the edges after taking the skin off. We ate... we enjoyed... we survived!!! We went to bed.

Next time we're going to kill our own food and rub sticks together to make the fire.
Well okay by me, as long as there's beer.

Engagement in Belize

Yesterday I met my daughter and her boyfriend at the Tourism Village in Belize City. They were cruising on the Norwegian Jewel and decided to look at the diamonds in the shops. Well... they found one, bought one, and right there and then. Carlos got down on one knee, looked into her eyes and said, "Sabrina, will you marry me?" She smiled, then cried. They hugged, I hugged her, I hugged Carlos, I cried, Then we went and had lunch at the Biltmore to celebrate. We had a great day, but it went way too quickly. Back at the dock we said our goodbyes, cried some more and they were off to Mexico.
Congratulations you guys. Love you.