San Juan and Boca del Rio Area
Can you close your eyes and try to imagine all that area from Paradise Hotel all the way to the Boca del Rio and all the area at the back known today as San Juan? In short, there was nothing but trees and mangroves and swamps along that entire area. There were no dwellings, not […]
The Very First Dive Shop
There are so many amenities for the avid divers today. They can get pool instruction from qualified PADI personnel at the hotels. They can get all their diving gear at several different professional scuba diving shops. Divers have all measures of safety that a diver’s safety is highly guaranteed. If there is an unfortunate accident, […]
The Very First Gift Shops
Credit must be given to these first two gift shops, which opened doors almost simultaneously in San Pedro to open the doors to this now thriving business. Today there must be close to some 25 gift shops and souvenir places combined with boutique, children’s gifts, and other accessories. The pioneers in gift shop business are […]
Oh, Those Miserable Calm Days
Oh yes, I know what you can do with a beautiful calm day. You can enjoy the outdoor life, the beach, the picnics, the reef, the sun and all that mother nature has to offer. You can swim, sunbathe, go fishing, diving, enjoy a perfect day. A sunny calm day is a tourist’s delight, but […]
A Healthier Past?
I had a lot of fun and laughter with my uncle Cruz Nunez this past Sunday as I usually have every Sunday. In our conversation came the topic or rather question: “Why did people in the past live much longer than people today?” It was observed that a lot of people of the past lived […]
Ah, Those Windy Days!
How do you see windy days today? Some people like them. Others hate them. Johnny Grief can enjoy wind surfing. But the food vendors by Central Park get sand all over their place. If you are a tourist guide and have a group of enthusiastic tourists to take out to sea, you might not be […]
The First Banking Services
It is a booming economy. Soon there will be three banks in San Pedro, three of the most powerful banks in Belize- Atlantic Bank, Belize Bank and Alliance Bank. You would think that banking has been on this island from the time the community was founded in 1948. But no, our history in banking does […]
Roasting Hot Peppers
Why would you want to roast hot peppers? I’ll tell you why. Today you cannot burn a small pile of weeds in your yard without someone calling the fire department. Well, that is understandable for we would all do it to our neighbors. We cannot seem to be able to tolerate any inconvenience. Today we […]
The Very First Ones Part 11
During the next few weeks “Twenty Five Years Ago” will be taking you through a list of “Firsts” in San Pedro and Ambergris Caye which have set the pace for a good start and have led to the development of San Pedro as we know it today. So who and what and when and why […]
The Very First Ones Part 10
During the next few weeks “Twenty Five Years Ago” will be taking you through a list of “Firsts” in San Pedro and Ambergris Caye which have set the pace for a good start and have led to the development of San Pedro as we know it today. So who and what and when and why […]
The Very First Ones Part 9
We interrupted our list of “firsts” to bring in stories of the Holiday Season, and now pick up from where we have left. We have covered the first airstrip, airplane, speed boat, vehicle, doctor, cinema, bar, telephone, generator, water system, hotel, mayor, village council, and first residents of San Juan and San Pablo. First Graduation: […]
Celebrating New Year's Day
Today for New Year’s Day festivities, there is such a wide choice of places to go that all the friends will be split up. Chances are that you will be able to greet and hug only a few of your friends for some will be at Jaguar’s, or Iguana’s, Fido’s, Ramon’s, Holiday Hotel, Big Daddy’s, […]
It's Christmas Day 25 Years Ago!
It is December 25, 1960, one year before Hurricane Hattie. That day there are no boats sailing to the fish traps because it is Christmas and the fishermen are tired. Yes, tired but not of fishing but of dancing. San Pedro wakes up that morning to the sound of pop shots. There are many children […]
Christmas 25 Years Ago
Twenty-five years ago Christmas was celebrated in quite a different manner than today- not better nor worse, just different. One knew that Christmas season was approaching when one saw those huge salted hams in crocus bags hanging from the ceilings of the stores around the village. The shopkeeper made it his duty to call on […]
The Very First Ones Part 8
During the next few weeks “Twenty Five Years Ago” will be taking you through a list of “Firsts” in San Pedro and Ambergris Caye which have set the pace for a good start and have led to the development of San Pedro as we know it today. This is the third week with the continuation […]
The Very First Ones Part 7
During the next few weeks “Twenty Five Years Ago” will be taking you through a list of “Firsts” in San Pedro and Ambergris Caye which have set the pace for a good start and have led to the development of San Pedro as we know it today. This is the third week with the continuation […]
The Very First Ones Part 6
During the next few weeks “Twenty Five Years Ago” will be taking you through a list of “Firsts” in San Pedro and Ambergris Caye which have set the pace for a good start and have led to the development of San Pedro as we know it today. This is the third week with the continuation […]
The Very First Ones Part 5
During the next few weeks “Twenty Five Years Ago” will be taking you through a list of “Firsts” in San Pedro and Ambergris Caye which have set the pace for a good start and have led to the development of San Pedro as we know it today. This is the third week with the continuation […]
The Very First Ones Part 4
During the next few weeks “Twenty Five Years Ago” will be taking you through a list of “Firsts” in San Pedro and Ambergris Caye which have set the pace for a good start and have led to the development of San Pedro as we know it today. This is the third week with the continuation […]
The Very First Ones Part 3
During the next few weeks “Twenty Five Years Ago” will be taking you through a list of “Firsts” in San Pedro and Ambergris Caye which have set the pace for a good start and have led to the development of San Pedro as we know it today. This is the third week with the continuation […]
The Very First Ones Part 2
This is the second week with the continuation of “FIRSTS” in San Pedro. It is in acknowledgement and appreciation to those who set the pace for the development of our beautiful Isla Bonita. First Doctor: The first doctor to offer his services to the people of San Pedro was Dr. Manuel Lizama of Belize City. […]
The Very First Ones
Being first is quite a fete. It is nice to know that you were first in your class, first to set a record, first to build something, first to achieve something, or even first to have the honors like kissing the queen’s hands or stealing the first kiss from a young lady. It is not […]
Candies of the Past
Will soon be updated!
Roasting Peppers
The other day I was roasting some peppers and onions to make a delicious salsa, which goes well in tacos, burritos, fried beans or even over fish. Just when the peppers were almost done, my wife started to cough as it seems she is allergic to something in the peppers. Roasting peppers was a very […]
Cooking with a "Fogon"
The other day I had to laugh when a friend of mine told her husband to put his pants into the laundry basket because it looked like dona Tina’s dress after she finished cooking with the fire hearth. Indeed my mind immediately went to those good old days when the hearth was the sole mode […]