We have had some big news at Scotty’s Bar and Grill recently.  All summer long we’ve been trying to get either dominos or darts in Scotty’s for small tournament stuff maybe once a month or so and it seemed as if it wasn’t going to happen.  Then suddenly, late last week, we got notice that a Corozal domino tournament was going to happen last Sunday and it was possibly going to happen at our bar.  Mom and I were very excited about this because it would bring new people in and hopefully we would make a good first impression.  Saturday rolled around and we still weren’t 100% sure that the tournament was going to be taking place at our bar so we started to get a little nervous about what was going to happen and what we would possibly need such as extra tables and chairs.  Also, one of our newest waitresses had stopped showing up to work so we were down one employee.  There were two girls who we could possibly try out but that would mean that Sunday would be their first day.  Finally late Saturday we got a phone call that the tournament was on for the next day.  It was scheduled to start at 10am and our friend Adam – who was going to be in charge of the tournament – said he’d be at our place at 10 the next day.  So right away my mom called one of the girls to come in and try the job out – we planned on having all three employees there for the entire day since we didn’t really know what to expect. 

The next day no one had shown up by 10am and we were starting to wonder if this was really going to happen.  Adam called a little after 10 and asked if anyone was there yet and we told him no.  He said that he would be over in about a half hour.  At 11am still no one.  I was beginning to think that maybe it was being held somewhere else.  Our new employee had shown up on time and seemed to be doing fine but with no one to actually wait tables for it seemed sort of pointless.  Around 11 Adam showed up and told us that no one really knew that the tournament was on so he would start making some calls to get teams to our place.  We had been told that this kind of tournament can go late even if it starts around 9 or 10 in the morning so I was starting to get nervous now that we would be up all night hosting this tournament. 

12pm came around and still no start, but now we actually had some people in the bar waiting around for it to start so that was a good sign.  There was just one problem now, the new girl stopped doing any work suddenly and just started sitting behind the bar.  We asked her to do things here and there and she would say, “right now” and then nothing.  Finally she told my mom that she had to leave because some of her ex-husband’s friends were here and she wasn’t comfortable waiting on them.  About 10 minutes earlier our other waitress Sherie told us that she was sick and needed to go home.  So here we stood with no waitresses at all, only Vanessa was left and we knew we would be getting busy soon.  So we called up the second girl who had asked about a job and luckily she was immediately available so she showed up right as the other two had left.  Vanessa started right in on training her for the day and she picked everything up right away. 

Finally around 2pm the tournament started.  There were only three teams for Corozal so we knew it wouldn’t run too late.  The bar was packed – there were three tables set up for the first two teams to start, each team had 6 players actually playing at a time.  Then another couple tables were occupied on the other side of the bar where people not in play were practicing.  I’ve never witnessed a domino tournament so this was pretty cool to see, not to mention the sight of our bar being full.  I was designated official scorekeeper so I was occupied the entire time and it was cool being part of the action.  The first game went to 50 wins and took about 2 hours.  As the game grew closer to the end the excitement level in the bar rose.  Scores were being yelled out, cheers escaped with every win that brought the leader closer to the finish and dominos were being slammed on to the table.  You would never know that one of the official rules was no talking amongst the players because the spectators surrounding each table made up for any lack of sound coming from the actual players. 

As that game ended they all took about a 20 minute break and then the final game started up.  This time the game went to the first team to 100 wins.  Everyone had been drinking and it was getting later so the excitement level rose along with the noise.  I expected dominos to start breaking based on the force of those pieces being slammed down on the table.  The winner was to receive 20 cases of Belikin beer and the second place team would get 5 cases.  The winner would also get a spot in the final tournament happening October 11^th for cash prizes.  As the tournament was happening my mom and I were introduced to the men in charge and they had told us that they were going to try and push for the final to happen at Scotty’s on the 11^th.  As the head of the tournament left the bar he told us that it was a 99% chance that we would host the finals but he would call later to confirm.  We didn’t want to get our hopes up too high because this was a big deal.  It would include radio and television coverage across Belize as well as introduce our bar to people coming from all over the country to watch or participate in the tournament.  As the final game ended and the winners were celebrating we got the call that it was official – the final tournament would be held at Scotty’s!  So at this point everyone was celebrating – this could be the break we’ve been waiting for.  We snapped a few pictures – the whole thing was over around 7:30pm and as everyone left we sat back and relaxed.  It had been a very successful day. 

This past weekend in Belize was full of celebration and excitement.  As you walked, drove or biked through the streets of Corozal you saw a splash of blue, red and white on businesses, houses and blowing in the wind.  The Belizeans are flying their flag proudly this month in order to celebrate the 28^th anniversary of their country’s independence.  Yesterday, September 21^st, was their actual independence day but there were festivities happening all weekend. 

The main events happened Sunday all day and went right into Monday to bring in the morning.  A parade was scheduled for 1pm on Sunday and we really didn’t know what to expect since this would be our first experience with this holiday.  Around 2pm my friend and I took some bikes out to ride over to the bay front and catch the parade.  It was really hot riding around on those bikes since we have had very little rain to cool anything off so I brought some water along and we had our swimsuits on to take a dip in the bay.  We got over to the water in no time and ran in to some friends who had already staked out a place under the shade of a large tree – with Belikin beer in hand they were waiting patiently for the parade to pass by.  We couldn’t hear any music at all so we guessed that they still must be quite a ways off.  It was a long parade route so our new plan was to swim for a bit in the bay and then ride to the beginning instead of waiting.  So we hopped off our bikes and jumped in the water – despite the water being warm it was a cool contrast to the sticky heat that day.  We played in the water along with everyone else who had the same idea, bobbing up and down with the waves that were coming in.  I had my bikini on but I chose to jump in with my shorts Corozal style because I thought it would keep me a little cooler after I was out too.  After the swim break we grabbed our bikes and kept on moving. 

The parade must have started a little later than planned because they weren’t very far off the starting point by the time we arrived around 3pm.  The streets were jam packed along the main road in town – the entire town must have been out there lining the roads.  The music was blaring and the colors were brilliant.  The main focus of this parade was to showcase the various dance groups who had been practicing for the last month to compete for the 1^st place honor.  There were also a few floats decorated by various businesses around town (next year we’ll decorate a Scotty’s float) and each float had a massive stereo system as their main focus so there was absolutely no shortage of music to dance along to.  The overall vibe of the day was exuberance and it was hard not to have a big smile on your face.  The parade lasted for about an hour and once we got to the end we were hot, sweaty and dehydrated so we headed back to the house to get some nourishment and a cold shower. 

Later that day after the parade the festivities would move to the Civic Center which is located about a block from our house and bar so we planned on making our way over there to watch the judging and join in on the celebrations there.  We ended up over there around 6pm and it was in full swing.  Everyone in town had moved to the Civic and the dance groups were just about to start competitions to be judged.  We got to see the first couple of groups before we had to get back to the bar to close up and do payroll for the end of the week.  The fun wasn’t over though, after we closed up the bar we headed back to the Civic where activities would be taking place all night long culminating with a grand fireworks display at midnight and dance to bring in Monday. 

There was a carnival set up on the Civic Center grounds that held about 7 rides – some for the kids and some for the adults.  I ended up on one of the rides which was far less scarier than the Ferris wheel a couple weeks ago – a quick side note on that Ferris wheel though, the rumor is that it was taken down because a man had been rocking back and forth in the bucket and his safety latch gave out and he fell to his death!  I have not been able to confirm this but it’s a little disturbing to say the least.  In any case, there were no problems with the rides Sunday night.  One thing about a carnival in Belize; safety measures are not as important as in the states.  One of the spinning rides brought the ride goers’ shoes flying about 10 feet from the overhanging power lines.  Next the wait for midnight began – I wanted to see the fireworks but there was still about three hours to kill before they would begin.  There was entertainment happening outside the Civic Center so I ended up watching that to pass time. 

Around 11:30 there was an official ceremony that included speeches from various political figures in town, followed by a 21 gun salute by the Belize Defense Force and then the show started.  They had really gone all out with this display of fireworks – it was about a 30 minute show and it was brilliant.  Again, safety not the main concern as the fireworks were shot off in a small field next to houses, parked cars and another field full of people.  I have never been so close to the lighting point of a major fireworks show like that.  The show ended with an uninterrupted onslaught of colorful explosions that overwhelmed the senses and left the audience agape.

After the show I opted out of the dance that would follow and continue in to the morning.  I headed back to the house in a mass of traffic (probably the closest thing to a traffic jam that Corozal will see).  It was definitely time for my bed. 

When I woke up later that morning on Monday there were still events happening around town.  An official parade would take place that afternoon but the day began with rain and grey skies so I stayed in the house and planned on going out later if the rain cleared up.  I was still pretty exhausted from the night before (next year I’ll have to train for this nonstop weekend).  Later that night there was another dance in one of the public parks along the bay.  The rain had seemed to let up so we headed out around 8:30 to check it out.  It was the place to be, the music was loud, and vendors were out on the street, people were dancing, laughing and drinking – it was a party.  We stayed out there enjoying the people for a few hours and then headed back to the house with one quick stop at the Cactus Plaza for some late night tacos.  It was a fun couple of days and really a fantastic experience to get to celebrate with the people of Belize. 

Sailing is an experience I had yet to have in Belize.  Most of our friends around here have motor boats which has been outstanding, so it was after about 11 months of being in this country that Capt. J (yes the same guy I’ve been spending so much time fishing with) had fixed the rudder on his Hobie Cat and offered to take me out and try to learn how to sail.  Since my mission here in Belize is to avoid declining any interesting experience I said, “Of course!”

The outing was off to a great start.  It was early afternoon when we went out, the sun wasn’t too hot and the wind was blowing with just the right amount of force to provide us with an easy trip.  Capt. J brought down the sails from under the house so that we could start rigging it.  He asked his friend Lewis to help him out with that and I also helped as much as I could.  About 10 minutes in to the rigging process I became a little nervous – Capt. J hadn’t sailed for at least a year and was having a hard time remembering how to put the sails up.  He would give it an attempt and decide that was wrong, move to the next attempt and that wasn’t right either.  Finally he exclaimed that he would have to consult the manual and ran off to the house.  At this point I expected him to come back with a book explaining the whole process, so imagine my surprise when he emerges from the house with only his cell phone in hand.  I didn’t say anything and just observed what would come next.  He tells me that his son was the person who had actually bought this Hobie Cat and consequently should remember how it all should be put together.  I found it quite hilarious that he expected his son to remember this procedure three years after actually operating or rigging it – and over the phone no less.  As I had silently expected, the problem would not be solved as a result of this phone call, so it was back to trial and error. 

After a bit more effort the job was done and we were ready to get it in the water.  We all pushed the cat in from the grass, over the sea wall and in to the water.  The sails went up and the three of us were off.  During the struggle with the sails earlier the wind had picked up so the ride would be slightly more entertaining.  We headed across the bay first and it was marvelous – wind was whipping through our hair and the water we were gliding over was spraying all around us from the mesh bottom we all sat on.  Once we got to the opposite side of the bay Capt. J stopped the boat and gave me this funny look which I soon learned meant that he didn’t know exactly how to complete the next task, which happened to be turning around.  I laughed while he attempted to get the cat to turn around without flipping us on our side.  I was laughing, but I was also holding on firmly to the “oh shit!” straps – okay, I doubt they’re really called that but that’s what I dubbed them.  He was trying the gentle method of turning but after a few minutes it was clear that technique was not going to work.  So he told us both to hang on tight and stay clear of the sail changing directions.  As soon as he let out the last word of his sentence the sail rapidly shifted directions and nearly knocked Capt. J in to the water.  He recovered quickly and we were back on track to get home. 

The wind had really kicked up for the trip back so we were all holding on and enjoying the coolness of the water hitting us – it’s not a bumpy ride because of the mesh you sit on, but it is a little wet.  On the way back we lost a Croc clog (the unofficial shoe of Belize) in the water but we were moving fast so no one wanted to jump out and go after it.  It would be the price we would pay for the ride the wind gave us that day – if only that was the only price. 

As we got closer to shore Capt. J was going to attempt a second turn around so that we could have two rides across the bay.  This time he kept looking up at the top of the mast with concern.  I was still bracing for another sudden turn when Capt. J starting shouting, “Something’s not right!  What’s going on?  This isn’t right!”  I had no idea what he was talking about – I looked up at the mast a few times but nothing looked amiss so I turned my head back towards the front.  Suddenly I hear this shriek, a creaking sound and then, with a thundering crash, the mast came plummeting down.  Suddenly we went from a sailing vessel to a floating raft with a bunch of laundry on board.  I was so stunned I couldn’t stop laughing – this was my first Belizean sailing experience and it was so ironically perfect. 

Luckily we were still close to shore, but we were about a couple miles from Capt. J’s dock.  All we could do was drift.  I held the mast up to prevent it from hitting the rudders as Capt. J tried to maneuver us back to his dock.  The water was still a little too deep for anyone to jump out and guide the boat back.  I had made the very bad decision to wait until we were done sailing to eat so – as if my brain knew that it would be a slow ride back home – I immediately got very hungry.  I learned a very important lesson that day – eat before going anywhere that could potentially result in being stranded.  It would have been nice to have a bottle of water with us as well.  I knew this wasn’t a dangerous situation – we were close to shore and would make it eventually – so I could not stop laughing the entire time back.  We were all laughing – we’d laugh, become silent for a bit and then burst out laughing again.  It was really all we could do drifting up shore with our mast down and encountering a random audience every once in awhile who were on shore undoubtedly laughing along with us (they can’t be laughing at us if we’re laughing too). 

We did eventually make it back to the dock and had to get the boat up on to the grass.  We got it safely stored under Capt. J’s raised house and I got a ride back to my house.  Nothing ever seems to be boring around here and this was no different – we’ll just have to see how long it takes for me to get back on that boat.