Creole

     English is the official language of Belize; but, in truth, for 95% of all Belizeans, English is their second language.  Many speak Spanish or Garifuna or one of 5 Maya languages or German or Chinese or, my favorite  - Creole. 

     Here, in no special order, are three of my favorite sayings in Creole.  First, imagine the sun beating down, the salty smell of the sea, the lazy island time we all appreciate and a group of good friends gathered under the shade of a few palm trees.

"Da how?"

"Don't study her."

"From ever since."

             Said in greeting, given as advice, and placed in history, these, to me, need no translation.

Nightlife in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye

I took a small water taxi north about three miles to a restaurant which sits alone on a narrow stretch of beach in northern Ambergris Caye. In the day, it’s a non-descript wooden building with stairs leading directly from the beach. But at night, white Christmas tree string lights wrap around the railings beckoning the traveler. It would star in any tropical dream.

My friends were waiting for me in a tiny bar off an equally small dining room – six tables with white table cloths and crystal wine glasses. There was something very F. Scott Fitzgerald in the scene. Light warm breeze. Quiet jazz. Palm trees swaying. Moon river dancing on the sea.

While we were eating, the restaurant filled with five or six other people – normal contented tourists. After dinner, we moved to a small wicker table on the veranda to drink local rum. Then magic happened as it does in San Pedro.

One of the new arrivals whispered to one of the owners who said, "absolutely" and turned off the soft background jazz. Then another suntanned woman dressed in an oversized t-shirt, shorts, and a backwards baseball cap stood with her back to the mahogany bar and began to sing - a cappella. No words. At first she became a saxophone. Then she was a clarinet - then an oboe. Two songs later she sat down to her dinner.

Speechless and in awe, I took the water taxi home. Not a bad way to spend an evening on the beach in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye.

Batten down the thatches

Hurricane Season starts here in Belize on June 1^st; but, no one really worries about a storm until the unusual day when the winds stop, the tide drops, there are no waves breaking on the Barrier Reef, and the water is the temperature of a hot bath. Then a strange calm descends on the island and combines with an intense concentration of energy – usually realized by the sound of hammers – and all radios are tuned for the latest weather forecast. No one talks of anything else.

We all make lists of things to do before the storm: closing storm shutters; nailing pieces of plywood over windows and doors; moving boats to a safe harbor; testing the generator; stocking the larder; bringing in the potted plants and the lawn furniture; and, one of my favorites, getting someone very agile to climb the coconut trees to remove the coconuts. In a storm, they become missiles.

Fortunately for us, we usually have time to get ready. I say usually because Hurricane Keith took most everyone on Ambergris Caye by surprise. It went from a tropical depression to a full fledged hurricane overnight. If residents hadn't evacuated the island by noon, they were stuck here. They looked for the highest and strongest building for shelter. There was no getting off the island. That was an exceptional storm. Usually we have a day or two to prepare.

Once the hammering sound dies down, a walk down the beach is ominous. The houses and hotels are boarded. The beaches are empty. There are no boats moored on the piers or anywhere in sight. And strangest of all, even the dogs disappear.

Today the winds are from the east, there are waves breaking on the reef, the tides are normal but the water by my pier is almost as warm as a hot tub. It's early in the season. The coconuts are still on the trees at Caye Casa (see photo). I won't really start worrying until September or until I hear a lot of hammering.