10 Random Thoughts

I am at the halfway point of this adventure.  I arrived in Belize two weeks ago.  I leave in 14 days.

What follows are random thoughts that don't seem to merit a blog post on their own (some of them barely merit a random thought):

1. I've been laying low for the last day or two.  NOT because I'm a fugitive in the Stolen Strawberry Smoothie Incident - really.   I'm just pacing myself.  Don't want to blast through my limited funds and appetite for adventure too quickly, then have nothing left to do.
2.  There's a lot of noise here.  Not bad noise, but at any given time there are birds singing, dogs barking, cats meowing - sometimes screaming...right outside my window, babies crying - also sometimes screaming, kids playing, trees rustling, people talking, cars driving by, waves rolling in (can't hear those from my place...but still) and diners having a good time.
   The Secret Garden Restaurant is right outside my door.  I hear the folks chatting, laughing and generally having a good time.  It's nice.
   Music floats from nearly every open window or door in the village.  Did I mention the birds singing?  And if it rains, forget it.  Rain on the tin porch roof is something to behold!
   All of the noises add flavor to this whole experience.
3. Speaking of dogs barking.  Do you remember The Twilight Bark from 101 Dalmations?   I SWEAR this happens here!  LOL  I've been wakened several times, hearing dogs barking nearby, then more and more distant barks from other dogs until they drift off to dogs barking very far away.
    I only hope Pongo and Perdita find their puppies. 
4. So many dogs!  I've been taking a lot of pictures of the local dogs.  Stay tuned for a pictorial essay on the dogs of Placencia.  Or maybe a coffee table book!  This will probably be the cover girl:   

   5. I forgot to pack my glasses.  When the contact lenses are out - forget about it.  Fortunately it hasn't been much of a problem.  Other than that I did a pretty good job packing.

 6. I am quite bitten up by sand flies. I would take a picture to show, but I don't want to scare you.

I look something like this: 

 

Fortunately it is fairly limited to my hands and feet.

      7. I love having my bicycle.  Sadly, I don't think it is helping my low-back/tailbone issues. The worst part is driving over the speed bumps.  And there are MANY speed bumps.  I guess it's how they keep folks from flying through town, mowing down us pedestrians and bike riders. 

 I've seen the speed bumps referred to as 'sleeping policemen', which makes me laugh....and makes me feel a little uncomfortable driving over them.

Action shot riding my bike.  POV from my handlebars. - it's not easy getting pictures of yourself traveling solo!

    8.  There is a Wendy's here!  No...not THAT Wendy's.  A local restaurant down the main road.  Today's menu board advertised Cow Foot Stew.  I would have a nice picture of the menu board except that it's apparently quite important to remember to put that little memory card BACK in the camera.  At least it's just a couple of village pictures I've lost and not a days worth of sightseeing in the jungle or something.

And no....I didn't try the Cow Foot Stew.  I'm surprised you'd even ask!

    9. Preview of coming blog attractions - snorkeling, Scarlet Macaw Sanctuary, Cockscomb Jaguar Reserve (probably won't see Jaguars...can I hope for a Tapir??), more yoga and Zumba....and a Clogging class!   And anything else that happens my way.

    10. Since leaving home I've met and talked with many people.  The usual encounter involves asking where each other are from, then going on to talk a bit about our respective trips.  When I say I'm traveling alone, staying a month, know no one here and have never been here before (don't worry, I'm careful who I tell this stuff to.....the Rasta answer is that 'I'm meeting my boyfriend right up the road - gotta go!' LOL) by far, the most common response is, "You are REALLY brave!".  

Between people I meet here and correspondences from home (Facebook!), I must have been labeled as 'brave' 15 - 20 times in the last two weeks.  It kind of scares me a little!  LOL   Maybe I should be more worried.

I don't feel brave.  Any one could do this. All I did was push a button to book a flight.  10 Seconds of Insane Courage.  The rest just happens.  

YOU could do this...if I can.  

AND....here's a BONUS random thought!

                         Where I am staying....Secret Garden.       Bruce Springsteen....Secret Garden

                                       

Coincidence??   I THINK, NOT.  (seriously just realized this a week ago - sorry Bruce!)

DAY 15:  Random thoughts on random things