This is a picture of me leaving San Pedro behind... LOL!
So we get comfy on the water taxi, and we sit on the WRONG side this time, because we were getting sprayed like crazy! Gordon tried to use his hat to keep dry...ummm don't think it worked!
Oh no! I saw my first pair of sagging jeans today!!!!!!!! Too much US TV! LOL
While we were waiting to board the water taxi, we noticed a woman with a little boy that was sick. Something was going on with his leg. One of the taxi employees carried him on board. Gordon sat close by, and wanted to cheer the little guy up so he gave him some Starbursts! LOL He was so happy eating his candy. So when were leaving the boat, Gordon rubbed his head, and the little boy waved good-bye to him. It was precious!
So we're getting close to Caye Caulker....yea!!!!!! This is a picture of The Split. The part of the island that was torn in two by a hurricane, so there is the South Side of Caye Caulker where we are staying and the North Side. On the North Side they just received electricity. They also have crocodiles. You may wonder crocodiles in the ocean...yes, they are salt water American crocodiles. If you look in the background of the picture, you will see how the island was split in two.
We pulled up to the Caye Caulker port and Gordon noticed this sign! LOL
So we're back! We are soooo happy! We could of kissed the sandy ground. I just felt a calm come over me, and I think that Gordon did too! Caye Caulker...we're home!!!!! LOL
As we walked down the street to our hotel we ran into Marley! Yea!!!! Marley was telling us about her job, she works for a company that does paddle boards. We asked if you had to know how to swim because Gordon couldn't float. She said, "You can't float, but you are big man. Not skinny, fat but not fat." Gordon said, "You called me fat!" We laughed! Then complete stranger were walking down the street and he stopped and asked them, "Do you think I'm fat?!??!" It was crazy! I really like Marley...she so reminds me of my Jenean!!!
So as we're walking with run into Jackie who works for a little shop, we ask how she is doing and she calls us over and says not well, her eyes are so swollen, she thinks from the sand and dust. We talk to her for a while and were able to share Isaiah with her about how Jehovah gives to the tired one power (that seems to be my go to scripture here LOL). We were able to pick her brain about island living. She said that minimum wage in Belize $3.50 Belize Dollar per hour, she earns only $3.00 Belize Dollar per hour...now, you do realize that that is only $1.50 US per hour!!!! She said that she works 10 hours a day so that she will have enough money for her daughter to be able to afford the water taxi each day to attend school in Belize City. She earns $15 A DAY!!!! That is so crazy! We offered to buy her some saline solution to rinse her eyes out...and she said, "No, I can't afford it!" We told her that we would take care of it. So we finally found some solution, it was $20 Belize Dollar...that's more than she earns in a day!!! Crazy and sad! She is a sweetheart! She goes toe to toe with Gordon it's funny! She wanted me to wait to take a picture of her until tomorrow so that she can look cute.
So we continued down to our hotel, we ran into Rick, Donna, Marley's mom and a brother named Dennis and his two young children that relocated to Caye Caulker from Mississippi (yea he sounds like Harry Connick Jr.!!!!) I was speaking to Marley's mom about Marley and how I have been thinking of her and plan to exchange information with her and write her a letter before I leave. Her mom just started to cry because she's so worried about her daughter's spiritual welfare. I started crying right with her!
I'm tired of crying so it was time to move on! LOL We settled in and then it was time to eat. I hand washed some laundry and hung it out to dry.
So we headed to Liz's restaurant that we checked out earlier in the week that Gordon has been wanting to try.
Everything looked clean so we went for it, or should I said I went for it! Gordon was going to eat there no matter what! LOL. Gordon order pork and stewed beans and rice. I ordered the fish and red beans and rice. When they brought my fish out it still had the head on it! I screamed! "Ugh!" LOL The waitress, Tiffany, grabbed the plate and said, "I forgot! I forgot!" I guess she forgot that us prissy Americans don't want to see no head of no dead fish on their plate. Gordon's pork was good, but my fish, which was red snapper, well, let me just say this is what was left of it...
That was the best fish that I have ever had in my entire LIFEEEEEEEEEE!!!! I told Tiffany that Liz put her foot in it! She didn't quite understand the saying, but she knew what it meant!
Gordon even found some things that he wanted to adopt! He always feeding some animals!!!!
Once we left Liz's, we headed to Gary's to get a fruit smoothie! Yummy!!!! We also ran into Richard and Phillip (Richard pops up from every where! LOL) Gordon asked Phillip if he could ride his little itty bitty bike. I told him to tell him no! It was cute!
So by this time my hair is looking a little wicked! Braids are starting to come loose and what not...it's time to do something with my head! I didn't bring a blow dryer or flat iron...even comb for that matter (what was I thinking!!!!) so Gordon noticed a woman braiding hair in the village, her name was Anita and so we stopped by to see if she would re-do my braids. Only $25 Belizian Dollars??? I'm down for that! (I have a photo of her, but it's stuck in my camera...sorry, didn't bring my cord!!)
So she started cutting my braids so that I could unbraid them, and she was going crazy with the scissors!!! I was like Anita...you gonna cut my hair!!!!!! She said, I can tell where your real hair starts! Gordon noticed that she started being more careful after I was spazzing out! LOL
So we headed back to the room and me and my man...yes, Gordon helped me take my braids out! Now that's true love ladies!!!!
Ta Da!!!!
Okay, so now I have to wash it without a blow dryer or comb. Fortunately, we brought some shampoo and conditions for the friends so I used some of that, and because it's so warm and breezy, I let it air dry!
It was also pretty cool, because as I was letting my hair air dry, I was able to do some travel agent business. Hmmm...I can work as a travel agent from Belize...this just might work out! LOL
So I head down to the beach, Gordon's taking a nap, and I find Anita and she starts to braiding! She is fast as all get up! We chat a little, she asked if I was a "Jehovah's" (boy do I hate that! LOL) I asked her how did she know that. She said, "It's a very small island, everybody knows everybody and everybody's business!"
Meanwhile, guess who popped up again?!?!? Richard! LOL! I offered him so Skittles...he said, "You have a lot of Skittles, where did you get them?!?!" It was funny!
We were also laughing about how she was popping her gum as she was braiding my hair, it kind of kept her rhythm going, and she was telling me that one time she was braiding a boy's hair, and she was popping her gum, and then next thing she knew, she was popping his hair. She said she pulled his hair out of her mouth and kept braiding. I asked, "did he have gum in his hair?!??!" "Yes!" We was screaming laughing! She said that she didn't even tell him, until one day when he cut all of his hair off she told him what happened. It was hilarious!!!!
She finished my hair, and Gordon came to meet me, but I had to go back to the room to grab something for Anita! We took a pic together, and then I gave her three packs of gum! We were cracking up! I told Gordon that it was part of a story!
So I took some Tylenol, cuz my head is on fire from the braids, and we headed down to Rick and Donna's house. They invited us over for crab claws....now you know you don't turn down crab! Rick and Donna are the pioneer couple that is in the congregation. Their company Dave and Lori were still visiting, so they took us on a tour around the "real Caye Caulker" and then we had dinner! Rick, Donna, Dave and Lori rode in the golf cart, and Gordon and I rode bikes. Let's see, the last time I rode a bike was......I only fell about 2..3....4 times! Here's some of what we got to see....
I never ever thought that I would make the following statement, but here it goes...there is actually a place on this earth that has more potholes than Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania!!!!
This is the house that Rick and Donna lived in when they first arrived. They said they had a few problems. Someone broke in while they were sleeping because the house is in a secluded area, and the man that owns the house ummmm kind of decided to live there with them....Rut Roh!!!!!
This is the island's fire house. The put the end of the hose into the ocean and it suctions up water....
Here's the island's police department...
There really are some beautiful houses back in the cut, like Rick and Donna's current house that sits on the beach...it's beautiful and really homey and cozy. But that said, here's more that we got to see during our island tour....We even saw a young man carrying a cake...on his bike...with one hand...and uncovered I might add!
Gordon talking about like this house! Jehovah please help me! Ya'll keep me in your prayers...please! Where is my husband going to have me living!!!!!!
Hey! This is one of the spots that I fell off the bike! The fence caught me! And I didn't even use a stunt double! (No Erika's were harmed taking this bike ride!!!!)
Check out the awesome and spectacular Caye Caulker airport!!!!
Everything is so simple here!!!!!!
We then head back to the house and sit around and talk a little. Rick and Donna were trying so hard to sell us on Caye Caulker and telling us about all of jaguars and howler monkeys that we will find in Big Falls!!!! It was funny!
I appreciated the fact that Rick and Donna said that they will respect whatever decision we made about our where we decide to move. I know that I felt good hearing Donna say that she has noticed how we have already made relationships with the locals and call them by name when we see them, she said that we have fit nicely not only into the congregation but also the community. She said that we just fit in and not everyone does. Her saying that meant a lot!!!!
Got of lot of thinking and praying to do as I say every day. We are looking forward to enjoying our day in the ministry tomorrow, and finally getting into the water after Gordon works on his talk for Sunday!
We want to make it a point to invite Dayani to the meeting on Sunday, because Gordon is giving a talk on choose your associates wisely. It was so cute, we saw her today and told her that we just came back from San Pedro and that we are leaving to go check out Big Falls. "Don't go," she said, "stay here." You're heart has to melt... and mine and Gordon's did.
So I'm off to bed, because it's late, but I wanted to make sure that I finished my blog for the day. Once again, I didn't proofread, so sorry for the more than normal typos!
Love you all and thanks for readying and showing an interest in our journey...Gordon and I were even scouting out neighborhoods that we thought we would like to live....hmmmm, could Caye Caulker be our new home?!??! We ask Jehovah's holy spirit guide and direct our decision!
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