Saturday San Pedro Round-Up: Photos & Wondering What’s Ahead…

It’s a warm Saturday morning on Ambergris Caye, the sun is shining and the international airport (and the borders) have been closed since the end of March.  About 3 months now.

**Kids playing yesterday at Boca Del Rio park and a kite surfing lesson in motion.

This past week has been RAINY – so rainy in fact that the mainland saw perilously high rivers and even some major highway collapses.  

After over 50 days without an active CoVid case, we’ve seen four new diagnoses of Covid-19 in the country.  Two from Belizean citizens who have been repatriated back to Belize – one from a cruise ship (#19) and one from a repatriation flight out of Houston (#21).  And then another from a Guatemalan citizen illegally crossing to Southern Belize.  And most recently #22, a Guatamalan coming across our western border into the Cayo district.  All are reported contained/quarantined.

Update on the chart from the Government of Belize Press Office:

There is plenty of discussion around the opening of Belize – since so much of our economy hinges on tourism.  So many open questions and issues…and I’ve heard rumors that August 1st or August 15th re-opening is going to be announced.

The Prime Minister said in his past announcement that we would wait until there was a RELIABLE fast test that we could give at the border.  This does not seem to be available right now.   Here are the other pros and cons to re-opening that I can see:

PROS:

• The big one – the ECONOMY:  we are an economy driven by tourism and in need of US dollars.  There is talk of defaulting/missing a payment/renegotiating our external debt soon.  Management of Tropic Air has pleaded for a quick announced re-opening for many reasons.  I can only imagine that many many businesses are barely holding on right now.  Any money coming in would be much-needed money coming in!

CONS:

• The virus is not “dying out” – in fact, rates are climbing in the US and Mexico.  Countries around us like Guatemala, Honduras (where the president was recently diagnosed) and El Salvador – other Latin American countries are seeing some serious issues.  An outbreak can quickly expose a troubled health care system.  By re-opening is the government committing to staying open?  The expense of re-opening and then having to close again could be the death knell for many businesses.  We could be taking on a substantial risk for what is likely to be minimal gains – slow season, people very hesitant to travel internationally.  Is the juice worth the squeeze?  The two main airports that feed Belize – Miami and Houston – are both gaining CoVid Hotspot status – how can we weigh this?

We shall see…it is not entirely clear when there will be an announcement.

The week ahead is going to be WINDY with a Saharan dust plume in the air!  (How cool is it that some of our beaches are Saharan sand that has arrived from the atmosphere?)

The Sahara was actually a shallow sea millions of years ago!  (Sorry…please pause while I head down that rabbit hole…  Home to the largest sea creatures!  The modern-day wild sand cat who lives in underground dens!)

Ok, I’m back.  Here are some pictures from yesterday – as the cloudy weather moved away at around noon, leaving a bright shiny afternoon.

The graduation season is here.  There is a large sign in the Central Park and decorated golf carts riding all over town.  CONGRATULATIONS MEN AND WOMEN!

Clouds clearing…and a smattering of Sargasso coming in.  We’ve been LUCKY so far this year when it comes to that floating menace.  (That being said…Caribbean islands like Jamaica and the Cayman Islands are being told to brace for a large influx…)

I headed into a lunch meeting and when I emerged…the sun was shining again.

We stopped at The Truck Stop on the way home…business is slow, as you can imagine, everywhere.  They are doing take-out and delivery and I was dying for ICE CREAM!  I haven’t had a scoop in months and months…

What kind did I get you ask?  A DOUBLE SCOOP SUNDAE with hot fudge AND peanuts.  One scoop of Oreo and one of the DREAMY Nutella Cheesecake.

I walked over to watch San Pedro’s most famous artist in action.  “Papo” Alamilla.  He is a quiet man…and makes some of the most beautiful paintings of San Pedro town.  He told me that he did this original mural at Truck Stop 5 years ago! and is refreshing it.

What is used to look like…

(Take a look at my photos from pre-opening 2015 of Truck Stop!  How it’s grown and become SUCH a part of the community and a MUST do on every visitors’ list)

Yesterday’s photos. I’ll stop back in tomorrow for an update!

I would hang up this palette.

Home to walk the dogs.  More like me following Jeff and the dogs with my camera.

The cocoplum bushes on either side of this easement are so pretty with fruit.

The water has cleared beautifully…

Have a great weekend everyone!