San Pedro’s First Blood Bank, A Fun Flea Market, Wind & Sargassum and Cayo Rosario: My Five

The first week of April has been BLUSTERY. Winds blowing steadily at 20+mph gusting over 35 mphs as the week went on. They are called the “Easter Winds” – a few days at a time or a week, generally in late March, April. Impossible to predict the exact dates. But they hit last week (and are still BLOWING today); it made it very tough for fly fishermen and scuba divers alike.

It also blew in a bunch of sargassum – our worst of the year.

Thankfully this wind is expected to die down tonight/tomorrow and a nice, mild northerly wind will take over…potentially clearing our beaches a bit. This upcoming week looks like some FANTASTIC spring weather.

Know that it is worse in some spots than others…and that resorts and the Town Council are working feverishly to remove it. Many from dawn until dusk. And also know that much of the Caribbean and the southern-SE coast of the US is affected as well. You can find some monitoring sites online but…everyone is doing their best.

I get asked, often, to predict if it will be bad at the end of April or the first week of June and…it’s impossible to say. My best guess is that “Sargassum season” is about February to August-ish. Sometimes it’s very minimal, sometimes it’s not.

Also remember that the West side of our island – the “Secret Beach side” – is unaffected by this influx.

Next Topic: Yesterday I attended the opening of the first blood storage facility on Ambergris Caye at our island’s busy private hospital, Ambergris Hope.

I didn’t really know too much about the topic. Was this just a blood bank…a spot to gather donations? I found that it was much more exciting (and important) than that. Until now, San Pedro – our entire island – had no blood storage. No way to keep blood in case it was needed in an emergency but also, for relatively common surgeries like C-sections. Any C-section, in fact any surgery that needed additional blood, could only be done on the mainland. Until now.

I also got a free Health Check under the most GORGEOUS frangipani tree from the LOVELY students at Washington University on the island.

Happy to get this all tested while I was here. I’ve talked about “expat amnesia” or “expat denial” before…

Sun, flip-flops, that almost I’m-on-vacation or It’s-summer, I-can-worry-about going to-the-dentist or doctor later feel.

Thank you to the team who brought this to the island – especially the Island Donors Squad. Thank you to Nurse Cora for inviting me. And to the cutest medical students from India who were excited to find out that I write SanPedroScoop. 🙂

They made me start planning/plotting to get back to India…someday. (See my blogging trip to GORGEOUS unexpected Kerala)

I also got some de-worming pills – apparently many folks on the island use these yearly (New Years Day some told me)

I’m going to read a bit about it…but I’ve had skin issues here from the warm, humid climate. I can imagine things might be residing in me too. I’ll get back to you on this one.

How to make the transition from intestinal worms to Easter? I guess you just do it.

There was also a super cute easter egg hunt in the back of the hospital. About 20 kids in their Easter finery is the best.

Next Up: I headed over to The Hut Barge and Grill – a super cute spot run by fantastic women who can COOK that I MUST VISIT PROPERLY SOON. For now, I will just show you pictures of the monthly Flea Market.

Get your butt to The Hut. (Just scrolling thru their photos on the Facebook page are making me hungry)

Ok…lastly, let’s talk about an IMPORTANT town meeting.

A week or so ago, the flyfishing guides and tour guides protested AGAIN against a ridiculous project at Cayo Rosario (the 6 acre island directly across from Secret Beach) It’s not a protest focused on the developer but on those who permitted this (with very little-no transparency or explanation).

It’s call Rosary Caye because the island (or was) a mangrove ring around a lagoon – like a rosary. That was a TOP bird nesting spot and has always been one of the TOP spots for flyfishermen and permit and bonefish fishing. (You can read the history of how this island went from public to private here from 2016)

The island was sold and sold again and a plan proposed for 90+ over-the-water structures IN THE HOL CHAN MARINE RESERVE.

Over 40 over the water structures were approved with the government touting this as a big concession and a more reasonable plan. (Can I propose that I am going to build a 50 story building on the island and then settle on 12 stories claiming it’s a huge concession and a testiment to how responsive I am being to the islanders’ feedback?) 1/2 of preposterous still equals ridiculous.

There is a meeting this week that is important to attend. To show solidarity with our flyfishing guides and with all who think that building over-the-water structures in our marine reserve is just…a no-go.

Build on your island but do not mess with our reserve.

Two more events that you might want to attend….

A smaller meeting with our local DOE (Dept of the Environment) representative to learn about illegal dumping, mangrove laws and how we can help each other keep this island healthy and beautiful. (Not about Cayo Rosario)

And lastly! Join the SPTC and North Ambergris Alliance.