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. 

This really wasn’t a big deal until a few weeks in because the problem isn’t just the restaurant’s menu selection, but combined with the fact that that all the grocery stores sell the same items it becomes a bit boring.  My meals all start to look and taste the same.  I suppose this could be a good thing if I was a person who didn’t care much about food, but that is not me – I LOVE food.  Even my cats miss the various treats I used to give them from the take-out food I brought home, so their diet has been dramatically changed as well. 

For the first few weeks of being in Belize we did not have a stove or a grill and no propane to power either so even if we did have them we could not use them.  So we ate out for every meal.  Our first pick was a cute little place called RD’s – a family restaurant on one of the main roads in town.  It was close to our house and easy to walk to which was essential if we wanted to cut down on the blisters that were showing up on our feet from the miles and miles of walking we were getting in due to the lack of a vehicle.  Dinner was the first meal that we had at RD’s when we headed over there it was dark and rainy, on the walk over our legs were being speckled with mud but by now we were getting used to this look so it didn’t bother us too much.  We finally got there, ducked under the overhang to get out of the rain and sat down; it is a very nice, clean and inviting establishment so we were looking forward to dinner.  The owner, Rick came out to greet us and hand us our menus.  We put our umbrellas down and introduced ourselves.  He was very friendly and very willing to give us advice about where to go to get certain supplies, who to call for propane and just gave us some general advice about doing business in the area.  He is a Belizean but not originally from Corozal, he moved to Corozal from Belize City.  As we looked at the menu little did we know that these would be the same 12 food items on every menu so for that particular dining experience we weren’t yet jaded and we enthusiastically picked something off the menu to enjoy. 

I chose the chicken quesadilla, which was absolutely delicious.  Unfortunately another truth about food in Corozal is that you will never get the same taste as the last time you ordered that particular item.  People told me this and I didn’t really believe them at first but it was soon evident when that delicious chicken quesadilla was never ever quite as good again.  So from that moment on I typically don’t even try to find something unique; I take a quick look at the menu just in case, but then go for rice and beans, the dish of Belize.  There are some stars out there in town, but when there’s only two or three even they get old after awhile.  One of the nice places right on the bay, Vamp’s, has a fantastic pan fried fish and chicken fajitas.  If you ever find yourself in Corozal, Belize make sure you stop in there.  So because of the fact that there is no real selection of food in this town we were slightly optimistic that our restaurant would do well – we would be serving something totally different and without the main staples of the typical Belizean diet.  We chose to be optimistic, but in reality this could mean we do really well or completely sink.  This was still to be seen.  We had two main reactions from people when we told them what we planned on serving.  The first was, “You’re not going to serve rice and beans?!?  You have to serve rice and beans!”  The second went something like, “Oh!  That’s fantastic!  We need a good burger place in Corozal.  Something new!”

On the bright side of this whole situation is that the food supplies we need to get for the construction of our hamburgers is all organic, hormone free and totally green.  The produce is all local and pesticide free and the meat is also local beef that is grass fed and hormone free.  It is a little sad that it costs so much more to eat like this at home but here it’s pretty much the only option.  So I have found a bright side to the state of food in Corozal.  In fact, I’ve noticed that due to lack of infrastructure here, green living is a common side effect.  Many people grow their own produce, all coke/beer bottles are glass and recycled, alternate energy in the form of solar and wind are commonly used and buses/bicycles are the main mode of transportation. 

So as we struggle to appreciate a more simple way of eating we also continue to work on getting our restaurant set up.  The walls are freshly painted, the sign is completed, the tables and chairs are polished, the grill is in and it almost resembles an actual restaurant.  Scotty’s Bar and Grill would be up and running in a couple of weeks. 

The Bar - Before Cleaning

The Bar After Cleaning

The Sign is up