February 6, 2008,
We arrive in Belize City’s Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport at approximately 4 pm Central Time which is also Local Time. American Airlines flies daily to and from Belize City and the trip can be as short as 2 hours and forty minutes with wind at your tail. We cleared Immigration and Customs easily, gathered our bags and proceeded to the Tropic Air counter where we obtained boarding passes for our flight to San Pedro. It was a smooth process and Tropic Air does a very good job, or at least they have the two times we flew to Belize. Immigration and Customs were easy too; we always smile and say sir a lot which is the way to go.
At about 5 pm Local Time, we arrived in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize, Central America, after a short 17 minute flight on a small Cessna 15 person aircraft. It is a tiny little thing, difficult to get and out of, but Tropic Air flies to San Pedro every day light hour of just about every day. We expected to be met my Miguel or Caesar, or one of the other guys from VH and after cooling our heels for 30 minutes, we took a cab to Victoria House. (I was more than a little miffed by this, btw. We were told by Houston we would take a boat to VH because the road was impassable due to construction, but we obviously did just that.) After a bumpy ride on a hard seat in a hot, dilapidated cab, we finally, praise Mother of God and the Saints, arrived at Victoria House or VH going forward.
We were met by the usual crew, at the front desk Greg, Tico and Abi. The entire front desk crew is efficient and more than competent. We were quickly checked in and shown to our Plantation Room, Room 25. It was adequate, but not a Suite and there is only but so much room. We unpacked and washed a little of the trip off in a bathroom that can be hot and humid at times and the plumbing is soon going to need an upgrade. It needs a vent fan as well, but the window does open and it has a screen and when open can be quite nice. Outside the room is a riot of palms, jasmine, ficus, pine, mimosa, and every other known tropical plant.
After cleaning up, we head to Palmilla where we see the same crew as before: Oscar, Francisco, Miguel, Hilbert, Sherry, Angie, Leo, Carlos and other names I am forgetting, but not the faces or service. The bar crew of Lelo, Ruth, Rudy (and again names I am forgetting, but not the faces or service) are put to work on drink orders. Our first dinner was the grouper special for me and Pecan Crusted Chicken breast for Laura. We did not have an appetizer, but did have some of their rich, thick bread with oil and balsamic vinegar with spices.
I need to say right here that Palmilla has, for years, had an outstanding reputation as a top class restraint in not just San Pedro, but Central America or at least Belize. Former Chef Amy Knox now owns and operates Wild Mangos in downtown San Pedro and Palmilla lost another Executive Chef in the fall when XX left to open his own restraint in Mexico. I compare Palmilla to Chamberlains Fish Market Grill for Dallas residents and Trulucks as well, at least in terms of food quality. The least expensive entrée is $23.95 (Pecan Crusted Chicken Breast), so you can see that it certainly is a match to those seafood restraints in terms of prices. I like the new menu and I understand the new EC, name here, has introduced more Mexican influences than his predecessor. Whatever, I like the food and will spend about US$150.00 per day, on average, at Palmilla during our trip, so clearly they are doing something right.
One of the reasons I like VH is that well, I have a cool life in Dallas, and I eat well. Why can’t I eat well in Belize, just like I can in D? Well I can! So we had a nice first supper and then walked down to the water’s edge and took in a beautiful Belizean night, full of more stars than back in Dallas. The only other place I have seen more stars is in the Saudi Arabian/Kuwaiti desert and that was not nearly the pleasant experience that star gazing can be on Ambergris Caye. After a few more minutes of being truly glad to be alive and lucky enough to live a cool life in Belize too, we hit the hay hard. Travel can be a grind and little did we know we were under assault by cold viruses and bacteria we picked up on the aluminum tube AA calls a 737 aircraft.
A word here now at the end of day one about Ambergris Caye, Belize, Central America. Note that ‘caye’ is pronounced ‘key’. I write it out that way because that is how the Belizeans do it: they write out a full name of a place, not just town and state. They write out town, region or state or Caye, Belize and follow it up with ‘Central America’. It shows me they most definitely have strong identification as Belizeans, yes, but also as members of a larger Central American region. I think the fact that the Mayans stretched their culture and race across parts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Nicaragua helps in this of course, but it is also the fact that Belize is a small country, very dependent on its neighbors for food, trade, government and NGO cooperation, etc.
I love Ambergris Caye, ‘La Isla Bonita’ made famous by Madonna’s 80s hit. It is a beautiful island from the ground, the air, the sea and it is surrounded by some of the most spectacularly blue water in the world. But I like the people and culture more than the natural beauty, believe it or not. I can see myself living in and among the denizens of Ambergris Caye and that is very significant for me and L. Belizeans tend to be very friendly and unpretentious, many are devout Christians and most are generally good eggs. I like the fact that they can be so full of good humor and so down to earth. I live in a world of some pretty high powered people, my clients being Fortune 20 corporations, so the chance to be around people without pretension is a welcome change of pace.
They physically can be a light as me, a los ojo verde blanco (green eyed blonde), to dark black, but most on Ambergris Caye can trace some of their family tree back to a Mayan at some point. Many are very attractive, having thick black hair, big brown eyes and big wide smiles, often with multiple dimples. The children are almost always incredibly cute and adorable, all with big wide smiles and big, round brown eyes. I interacted with the children of two VH employees and they ranged from a little brown skinned boy with a big smile and delight at seeing his father, Caesar, to the children of Sherry, little girls with dark skin, more African features, but with the same big brown eyes and smiles. Adorable children all and just like the children I see at TELOS in many ways, but clearly different in others. The children on Ambergris Caye do not have the sheer amount of ‘stuff’ American kids have, but they have nature and the Caribbean Sea to entertain them. While American boys would use their half day off from school to play some moronic video game, Belizean boys are obliged to hang out with the verde ojo blanco and jump into the Caribbean from the end of the VH pier. I am sure those same boys would love the stuff kids here have, and they asked me if I would buy give them “snacks and chips from your room”, but that is just not the way most kids are raised on Ambergris Caye.
But that is precisely why I love Belize: it is far and away from the American rat race and the materialism and commercialism of our 21st Century lives. I clearly have a cool life in Dallas, but do I need a house, two cars, six rooms full of stuff, a pool, memberships, catalogs, malls, political come-ons, war without end and impending economic hard times? The best thing in my life are the people, not all the stuff and my time in Belize makes me realize I want less, not more stuff. So know here now that part of our trip to Belize is so much more than a vacation and birthday event for L. It is to scout a place to live, with the goal being to live there 1-3 months per year, with the possibility to live the year round in the back of my mind. My biggest challenge is TELOS, as they are such a big part of my life in so many ways. But, life is dynamic, we shall see.
I also like the fact that Belize is a tax haven and has great international banking and expatriate services. They have outstanding telecom and internet connectivity, there being a main internet cable off the coast (they have Vonage in Belize!) and I could easily work as an Executive Recruiter in Belize with no problems. And they have programs for Americans to gain residency and take full advantage of the financial benefits accorded to a smart expatriate. Belize has a stable, two party democracy and they had an election on February 7 and the government changed hands in a hotly contested, emotionally charged election and they did it peacefully. Any way I slice it, Belize is a very compelling place to hang the hat.
So, we arrive at the end of day one and a short note on Belize. Stay tuned.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008
Belize!
Belize! I first heard about Belize from something written by Hunter Thompson. I think it was Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, but regardelsss, it was his work. And boy did he seem to love the Yucatan Peninsula.
We leave soon for Victoria House south of San Pedro on Ambergris Caye (pronounced key). This will be our second stay, for ten days and nine nights. We are of course in a suite, but unfortunatley, we need to move to a different suite for the final three nights. It is high season in San Pedro, so VH sometimes is booked for every night long in advance. In fact, I waited 24 hours, and the availability changed radically and now we have to move for the last three nights. Note to self: book early, book often.
So we are going to take a look at Placencia and Corazol while on this trips with several golas and objectives. I think just visiting smaller Belizeian towns will offer a contrast to San Pedro, or at least that is what we are often told. Placencia and Corozal Town are small, but less touristy and less developed. Placencia also has a much different ethnic and cultural mix than San Pedro and the North, including Corozal, with its heavy Mayan and Mexican influences. I also would like to look at both as possible 'nesting' spots and need to get a feel for the real estate and general lay of the land. I very much would like to find a place in Belize where we can live in the winters or at least visit more often. But San Pedro has the very good telecom and internet connectivity. They also have ready access to Corozal and Chetumal via plane or water taxi and Belize City is a 20 minute plane ride away.
So, San Pedro is the easy go to nesting site for now, but I am open to that changing. I am convinced that in the future, as the US economy takes hit after hit, the San Pedro scene will change and I think that will be a good thing. While there are not many cars on Ambergris Caye, the golf carts and four wheeler traffic is over the top. If the US economy really does get sick and San Pedro catches a cold, I might be able to score some nice real estate. It seemed that on our first trip in July, there was a plethora of 'villas' and houses available. Who will be buying those in 1 year?
So, we are off! I will at some point report here on our trip, including a Sunday trip to Xcalak, which is only accessable by boat from San Pedro and the road in Mexico is quite poor, so our trip could be quite an adventure.
We leave soon for Victoria House south of San Pedro on Ambergris Caye (pronounced key). This will be our second stay, for ten days and nine nights. We are of course in a suite, but unfortunatley, we need to move to a different suite for the final three nights. It is high season in San Pedro, so VH sometimes is booked for every night long in advance. In fact, I waited 24 hours, and the availability changed radically and now we have to move for the last three nights. Note to self: book early, book often.
So we are going to take a look at Placencia and Corazol while on this trips with several golas and objectives. I think just visiting smaller Belizeian towns will offer a contrast to San Pedro, or at least that is what we are often told. Placencia and Corozal Town are small, but less touristy and less developed. Placencia also has a much different ethnic and cultural mix than San Pedro and the North, including Corozal, with its heavy Mayan and Mexican influences. I also would like to look at both as possible 'nesting' spots and need to get a feel for the real estate and general lay of the land. I very much would like to find a place in Belize where we can live in the winters or at least visit more often. But San Pedro has the very good telecom and internet connectivity. They also have ready access to Corozal and Chetumal via plane or water taxi and Belize City is a 20 minute plane ride away.
So, San Pedro is the easy go to nesting site for now, but I am open to that changing. I am convinced that in the future, as the US economy takes hit after hit, the San Pedro scene will change and I think that will be a good thing. While there are not many cars on Ambergris Caye, the golf carts and four wheeler traffic is over the top. If the US economy really does get sick and San Pedro catches a cold, I might be able to score some nice real estate. It seemed that on our first trip in July, there was a plethora of 'villas' and houses available. Who will be buying those in 1 year?
So, we are off! I will at some point report here on our trip, including a Sunday trip to Xcalak, which is only accessable by boat from San Pedro and the road in Mexico is quite poor, so our trip could be quite an adventure.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Fearing's!
I suppose a good place to start is with last night. L and I had the great fortune to dine at Fearing's on Saturday night. You may not know, but Dean Fearing, formerly with The Mansion, opened his new place in August, 2007 within the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Uptown. We dine out quite a bit and I have had Fearing's and the Ritz on my culinary radar screen for a few months now.
I have to say that the Rattlesnake Bar was a great place to start a night. Drinks (Crown and Coke) were the usual $10.00 cocktail one expects at an upscale Dallas restaurant, and beefy as they should be for that price. The bar area is a very attractive space with comfortable chairs and tables. It is an easy place to relax and enjoy a nice cocktail.
Our table was situated close to the open air cooking area. I sat facing the front of the establishment while L had a nice view of the actual cooking areas. I was quite taken with the room and furnishings. The table had benches that could move and extremely comfortable cushions and the table itself was spacious and roomy. The decor in the room itself was subtle and understated. It is hard to describe, but one wall appeared as if it was a mosaic of art one might expect from Michelangelo or DaVinci. Check it out, you'll see.
Our waiter was Michael, a nice lad with quite a bit of enthusiasm for the menu and Fearing's. We ordered another cocktail and for starters, L ordered the sampler of Griddled Lump Crabcakes, Barbecued Duck Tamale and Roasted Chili-Wild Empanada with Fiesta Salad and I had to go with the Barbecued Blue Point Oysters with Creamed Spinach, Artichokes, Apple Smoked Bacon and Gulf Crab. Michael seemed pleased, so we felt like we were off to a good start. (I usually do pay attention to staff reactions and thoughts in a restaurant such as Fearing's.)
So I love oysters, and will eat them pretty much any way they come prepared, I truly do not discriminate. The presentation was three half shells filled with the spinach,bacon, crab and artichoke mix topped with one or two lightly fried oysters and a small amount of barbecue sauce was placed in front of each half shell. To say they were good is not at all accurate. They were delicious. I felt like I had a nice combination of Oysters Rockefeller and fried oysters. A very nice way to start my meal.
L really went for the crab cakes. They were two small crab cakes that were truly delicious and made me think of the Chesapeake Bay style crab cakes I know from my youth. The duck tamale and mushroom empanada were good, but the crab cakes were the belle of the ball. Hard to even really remember the other items the crab cakes were so good. L has always been a crab cake connoisseur and she gave them an enthusiastic grunt and chortle while she dined.
I need to take a moment to say that their bread basket was worthy of mention, at least the corm muffins. They were small, smaller than a gold ball, but warm to the touch and filled with thin slices of taste heaven. Whether it was the spices, peppers or general rich corn bread taste, they were delicious and I used no butter!
For our main course we both chose the Pan Roasted 'BBQ spiced' Filet and Chicken Fried Maine Lobster on Queso Fresco Corn Potatoes and Cynthia's Spinach Enchilada. I think I can safely say that we both thought this was an interesting combination and delicious! The filets were small, so tender as to not need a knife hardly ( I could kind of saw the meat with my fork, but used a knife of course), nicely blackened. The Lobster was just plain special. The batter used was almost like a beer batter/tempura batter mix or what those two want to be when they grow up. Cynthia should get a medal for her Spinach Enchiladas, they were that good. I think if I say too much more, it might smack of hyperbole, but this was a truly world class meal folks.
Ok, so now to dessert: I had the Cookie Plate, which consisted of a mix of small cookies, peanut butter, chocolate chocolate chip, oatmeal. But truly spectacular was L's choice of Butterscotch Custard with Apple Fritters and Caramel Ice Cream. The fritters were massive, with a crunchy covering and warm apple goodness inside. The custard was just so good it made me less than interested in my cookies. Luckily, L is a size 2, so she simply cannot finish large desserts! The coffee was rich and strong and made in a French press at our table. The taste contrasts between the coffee, the various dessert flavors was almost too much to process. Simply divine. No kidding.
I need to know say that I interacted with Dean Fearing no less than four different times in the course of our 2.5 hours within the restaurant. The first three were table side visits and the fourth was a brief exchange as Dean circulated from one part of the dining area to another. I usually DO NOT go for 'celebrity chefs" (and told Dean so), but this guy is the real deal. A truly nice guy and very enthusiastic about our visit and experience. You can tell Dean really gets the art of fine dining.
A few other items:
The bathrooms were exactly as I expected: spotless and lush. I very much judge restaurants by not just their food and presentation, but by their bathrooms. Why? Because if you don't care about the restrooms, you most likely don't care about some other aspect of the dining experience.
The crowd itself at Fearing's was of course good looking, with a nice mix of age, gender, race, couples and groups. A nice crowd, a polite crowd, a well mannered and dressed crowd.
Total cost with tip: $275.00 and worth every penny. I have a new favorite restaurant, and its name is Fearing's.
I have to say that the Rattlesnake Bar was a great place to start a night. Drinks (Crown and Coke) were the usual $10.00 cocktail one expects at an upscale Dallas restaurant, and beefy as they should be for that price. The bar area is a very attractive space with comfortable chairs and tables. It is an easy place to relax and enjoy a nice cocktail.
Our table was situated close to the open air cooking area. I sat facing the front of the establishment while L had a nice view of the actual cooking areas. I was quite taken with the room and furnishings. The table had benches that could move and extremely comfortable cushions and the table itself was spacious and roomy. The decor in the room itself was subtle and understated. It is hard to describe, but one wall appeared as if it was a mosaic of art one might expect from Michelangelo or DaVinci. Check it out, you'll see.
Our waiter was Michael, a nice lad with quite a bit of enthusiasm for the menu and Fearing's. We ordered another cocktail and for starters, L ordered the sampler of Griddled Lump Crabcakes, Barbecued Duck Tamale and Roasted Chili-Wild Empanada with Fiesta Salad and I had to go with the Barbecued Blue Point Oysters with Creamed Spinach, Artichokes, Apple Smoked Bacon and Gulf Crab. Michael seemed pleased, so we felt like we were off to a good start. (I usually do pay attention to staff reactions and thoughts in a restaurant such as Fearing's.)
So I love oysters, and will eat them pretty much any way they come prepared, I truly do not discriminate. The presentation was three half shells filled with the spinach,bacon, crab and artichoke mix topped with one or two lightly fried oysters and a small amount of barbecue sauce was placed in front of each half shell. To say they were good is not at all accurate. They were delicious. I felt like I had a nice combination of Oysters Rockefeller and fried oysters. A very nice way to start my meal.
L really went for the crab cakes. They were two small crab cakes that were truly delicious and made me think of the Chesapeake Bay style crab cakes I know from my youth. The duck tamale and mushroom empanada were good, but the crab cakes were the belle of the ball. Hard to even really remember the other items the crab cakes were so good. L has always been a crab cake connoisseur and she gave them an enthusiastic grunt and chortle while she dined.
I need to take a moment to say that their bread basket was worthy of mention, at least the corm muffins. They were small, smaller than a gold ball, but warm to the touch and filled with thin slices of taste heaven. Whether it was the spices, peppers or general rich corn bread taste, they were delicious and I used no butter!
For our main course we both chose the Pan Roasted 'BBQ spiced' Filet and Chicken Fried Maine Lobster on Queso Fresco Corn Potatoes and Cynthia's Spinach Enchilada. I think I can safely say that we both thought this was an interesting combination and delicious! The filets were small, so tender as to not need a knife hardly ( I could kind of saw the meat with my fork, but used a knife of course), nicely blackened. The Lobster was just plain special. The batter used was almost like a beer batter/tempura batter mix or what those two want to be when they grow up. Cynthia should get a medal for her Spinach Enchiladas, they were that good. I think if I say too much more, it might smack of hyperbole, but this was a truly world class meal folks.
Ok, so now to dessert: I had the Cookie Plate, which consisted of a mix of small cookies, peanut butter, chocolate chocolate chip, oatmeal. But truly spectacular was L's choice of Butterscotch Custard with Apple Fritters and Caramel Ice Cream. The fritters were massive, with a crunchy covering and warm apple goodness inside. The custard was just so good it made me less than interested in my cookies. Luckily, L is a size 2, so she simply cannot finish large desserts! The coffee was rich and strong and made in a French press at our table. The taste contrasts between the coffee, the various dessert flavors was almost too much to process. Simply divine. No kidding.
I need to know say that I interacted with Dean Fearing no less than four different times in the course of our 2.5 hours within the restaurant. The first three were table side visits and the fourth was a brief exchange as Dean circulated from one part of the dining area to another. I usually DO NOT go for 'celebrity chefs" (and told Dean so), but this guy is the real deal. A truly nice guy and very enthusiastic about our visit and experience. You can tell Dean really gets the art of fine dining.
A few other items:
The bathrooms were exactly as I expected: spotless and lush. I very much judge restaurants by not just their food and presentation, but by their bathrooms. Why? Because if you don't care about the restrooms, you most likely don't care about some other aspect of the dining experience.
The crowd itself at Fearing's was of course good looking, with a nice mix of age, gender, race, couples and groups. A nice crowd, a polite crowd, a well mannered and dressed crowd.
Total cost with tip: $275.00 and worth every penny. I have a new favorite restaurant, and its name is Fearing's.
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