Paget's Belize Journal

The Preliminary Trip - It Begins - First days - A tourist trip - Flying, sand crabs - San Pedro 1 - San Pedro 2 - Braids, snakes, dogs - Leaving Dangriga The Actual Stay - Help for library - Books; departure - Arrival; weather - Sensations, housing - Security, more housing - Security, snorkeling - Dock activities - Day-to-day life 1 - Day-to-day life 2 - The Quadrille - The apartment! - Cleaning and culture - Hurricane Irene - Too much reality - Hopkins Village 1 - Hopkins Village 2 - Weather - Minimum wage - Transportation - Food Experiments - The Brits; furniture - Meeting and greeting - Night noise, Settlement Day - Dragonflies! - More noise - A good 19th - Wrapping up the 19th - Traveling to Mexico - Thanksgiving in Mexico - Cockscomb Basin - A Belizean week-end - Tobacco Caye - Is it really Christmas? - This is the life - Christmas wishes - Headwear - Christmas Experiences - Lottery - Caye Caulker haircut - Caye Caulker 2 - Geckos - Red Bank - The last few days		Jun 19, 1999 Saturday in San Pedro Gradually sorting out what I'm here to do. Last night I went to the annual banquet of the Belize Tourism Industry Association at the grand opening of a convention center facility -- banquet, awards, speeches, dance. Only a few differences between this and the run-of-the-mill event those of you in association or hotel management have experienced in your sleep. Food was buffet and reasonable -- mysterious beef bits, stuffed potatoes, tossed and macaroni salad, cooked squash and carrots -- where do these chefs go to school? Ah, but the dancing!! A very loud, very sexy band, Santino's Messengers, that played full out for two hours (that I know of) for people who also danced full out for two hours--even the fat ones, even the pregnant ones, even the 90 year-old ones. Then I got tired and went home. The meeting starts at 10:00 today, we'll see who shows up. Thanks for all the responses. And particular thanks to Rebecka for the hint about mosquitos and tonic water. I can learn to drink my rum that way. Next