Come on Down!

Come on Down!

Four years and three days ago I left a little village in Belize having had a wonderful month-long vacation, but doubting I'd ever return. I'd taken that trip newly single, 50 years old and wanting to feel like I could still have adventure, even on my own.

Things happened on that trip, not the least of which were the Zumba, Yoga,Clog vs Eat, Pray, Love comparison, the epic adventure LOTR (no, not Lord Of The Rings....Lorry On The Road) and that time I stole a smoothie (which I paid for).

If you missed all that, you're welcome to go to the right side of this page and check it out. Start at the bottom-most post (January 10, 2012) and work your way up so there's no spoilers.

I met a few people during that 2012 trip – Nancy who adventured with me the first week, Bill my upstairs neighbor, Lee our landlady and local spa owner, Yoli the Zumba instructor, Amy the clogging teacher, and several others. Some of them are mentioned in the blog, others are not. And many of them, like Bill, I keep in touch via Facebook, even if that's sporadic at best.

Bill is a Food Scientist who runs his own business developing nutrition labels for food companies. If you are a carb counter or calorie watcher, chances are you've read his work. His is one of the largest companies in his field and he runs it off his laptop, which sits in places like Maine, Florida, the Caribbean Islands and for several months of the year, Belize. My guess is Bill read that book The4-Hour Work Week, and took notes.

When I met Bill in 2012, the conversation went something like this:

Bill - Hi, I'm Bill. I live in the apartment above you.

Lorry – Hi, I'm Lorry

B- How long are you staying in Placencia?

L – A month

B – Listen, I'm leaving tomorrow for Honduras for a couple of weeks, but I just bought this motorcycle. You're welcome to use it while I'm gone.

L – WOW, thanks! But... I've seen people drive here. It's probably not the best place to learn to ride a motorcycle, as much as I really appreciate the offer!

There may have been more to it than that, but that's the gist of the interaction.

After he got back from Honduras, I saw Bill and chatted a few more times, including my last morning in Belize where we exchanged email and wished each other safe travels.

I kept in touch with Bill about as much as I had with any of the others I'd met here - the occasional Facebook 'Like' or 'Comment'.

Two Decembers ago he sent a PM, saying, “I'll be in Belize January through March. Condo on the beach. You're welcome to the second bedroom, only have to pay to get yourself here and to eat. Let me know”.

Two Decembers ago the 'get yourself here' part was running $800-900 and as a struggling (martial) artist, I couldn't justify spending that much. So I regretfully declined. This year when I got the same PM from Bill, getting there was half the price.

So, I decided to do it. I'm not exactly fiscally fit, but a week in Belize for $500.... hard to turn down. I'll figure out the money part when I get back!

To get here cheaply, I had to fly out of LaGuardia. Snow and ice overnight on departure day made for an interesting start to the journey.

The ice on the sidewalk made getting to the car treacherous. Once in and on my way, the driving wasn't much better. As my car struggled to make it up the first icy hill and failed (had to turn around and go a different route just to get out of my development), the radio played Ship To Wreck by Florence and the Machine. Not exactly instilling confidence.

“To wreck, to wreck, to wreck,
Did I build this ship to wreck? “

She sang as I muddled through icy roads and a foggy 3am morning, trying my best to keep the car ON the road.   Florence, you're killing me. DID I build this ship to wreck??

As if the radio knew I needed encouragement the next song was the group Fun, singing Carry On.

“If you're lost and all alone

Or you're sinking like a stone,

Carry O-o-o-o-on”

That's more like it. Carry O-o-o-o-on!!

That song stuck with me all day. Carry O-o-o-o-on.....the car ride to the bus, bus to NYC, shuttle to the airport, plane to Dallas, plane to Belize City, itty bitty plane to Placencia, and a golf cart ride to the South Waters resort.

Every connection was tight, but I made it. And everything went smoothly, except they did make me check my Carry O-o-o-o-on bag at the gate at LaGuardia, which I was really happy to see show up at baggage claim in Belize City. I spent half my flights that day wondering what to do if the bag didn't make it. Maybe I should stop worrying about things before they don't happen any way...? Hmm.

So a long day's journey ends with Bill picking me up at Placencia Airport and bring me to South Waters by golf cart. And here I am – back in Belize.