25 Years Ago

share

By Angel Nuñez

share

By Angel Nuñez At this time of the year San Pedro and indeed all of Ambergris Caye is preparing for American Thanksgiving. With Thanksgiving comes the beginning of the Tourism Season so everyone is waiting anxiously in anticipation of good business.

share

By Angel Nuñez So now Ambergris Today has gone full time online and is a daily electronic news source not only for San Pedro and Belize but also for the World.  Communication has indeed come a long way in San Pedro.

share

By Angel Nuñez This week we heard some arguments over the Reef Radio Morning Show about the vendors that go to the Roman Catholic School to offer goodies to the children. It was very interesting to hear views in favor of the vendors who are giving the children a service. However some persons think that a lot of junk like candy and corn chips are being offered for recess and lunch breaks. I know you have your own views, depending on what side of the fence you find yourself.

share

By Angel Nuñez

share

By Angel Nuñez

share

Last week I started on this story which I am sure is absolutely unique in style, simplicity and also the warmth of the San Pedro folks twenty five years ago. You may read the entire adventure by purchasing your book at Ambergris Today. Special price for students at Designing Solutions or Jose Luis Zapata Photography.

share

Travelling to and from this paradisiacal Island had indeed undergone quite a metamorphosis. Just think of moving to the city in 15 minutes by air or one hour by sea. Enjoy this excerpt from my book “Twenty Five years Ago” to get an idea of travelling twenty five years ago. (The following is an EXERPT from page 13 with permission of the author)

share

Windy days and calm days have special significance to any island but especially to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, where fishing was the way of life and where there was not an inch of asphalt, only sandy streets. Windy days meant first of all that there was going to be good sailing and that fishermen did not have to use the pole nor paddle. With a good breeze fishermen got to their fishing grounds in record time. The Elsa P. could get to Belize City in four hours and the return was only ten hours, a whooping fast trip by all standards 25 years ago.

share

Ever Since the first column with this topic, friends have been commenting and giving me suggestions on signs of a True Sanpedrano. There seems to be a lot of pride in considering oneself a Sanpedrano or Sanpedrana. And there is very good reason for this because in the 1950’s or thereabout, there were those Belizeans who tried to lower our self esteem by giving an air of superiority over the humble fishermen and coconut farmers. But it is these same humble people who bought San Pedro to where it is today and thus the pride of being a Sanpedrano.

share

So do you consider yourself a true Sanpedrano? From our last two issues you gather that a true Sanpedrano eats fish and even sucks the head, does not care much about combing his hair, likes going without shoes, eats "sudado", wears is shirt open, and likes to wear a hat. Here a few more signs for you to consider.

share

Last week I wrote about the signs of a true Sanpedrano as they were typified twenty five years ago. The first ones were no shoes, rolled up pants, and sucking on a fish head. I imagine that at this point many people are saying, “Well, I must not be a true Sanpedrano or I don’t want to be one.” But there again I also feel that there are still a few true young Sanpedranos walking around as we had them twenty five years ago.

share

I recently posted a photo of myself about to devour a whole lobster in its shell and Perlita, my daughter, posted a comment that her dad eats lobster like a true Sanpedrano. Oh yes, that sparked up my imagination with the topic “Signs of a true Sanpedrano”. Indeed there are many signs of a Sanpedrano.

share

By Angel Nuñez It has been suggested that the name of our Island, Ambergris Caye is derived from the fact that amber grease was very visible on the shores of this Island a long time ago. Ambergris is a waxy or oily substance found in the intestines of the sperm whales which often passed in front of our island while migrating.

share

In this short story I will reveal why as a teacher I understand little pranks played by students in the classroom. I don’t mean naughty behavior, but rather simple little pranks like flying a paper airplane across the classroom. I don’t mean placing a frog or a lizard on the teacher’s chair. I mean a prank that causes fun without embarrassing or hurting anyone. I am going to talk about the August Cricket which we used to call Tsy Kin. The August Cricket is an insect, a bug, a cricket.

share

Twenty five years ago the community of San Pedro was more Mexican in style and custom. This, of course, is understandable. The history books tell us that the first inhabitants of San Pedro were runaway Mestizos from the "Guerra de las Castas". (The Caste War in Mexico)

share

The legendary musical icon, Mr. Peters, sang this Belizean “brukdown” that goes like this: Captain Foote money gan, me no know wheh e gan. Captain Foote money gan, Lawd me no know wheh e gan”. In this article you’ll appreciate the reason for this song.

share

This is a popular saying, “Crayfish to stone dogs.” It is a saying meaning that there is an abundance of something. And there was a time when the spiny lobster or the crayfish existed in abundance around the waters of Ambergris Caye.

share

There are many things children get away with today that we didn't twenty five years ago. No, I'm not talking about the popular whippings, which were dispersed very freely by parents, relatives and teachers. Well, yes, that too, but there are so many other things.

share

Today it can be safely said that it is expensize to play. If a child wants to play a playstation game it costs several hundred dollars just to purchase the apparatus and then a few more bucks to purchase the games. But not so twenty five years ago when it can be said that playing games and having a lot of fun was cheap. Most of the time ‘nada’ (nothing).

Pages