We have been here a week and a half and are settling into a routine. Even in Paradise, there are still chores.  Here are a few of ours:

• Work –  I am working remotely from here.   I have my office set up in the guest bedroom, where I have my most-used regs (HIPAA, wellness, claims) with me.  I do have to move to the bedroom for conference calls because the reception is better.  I have already had 10 calls since we’ve come, so things seem to be working out.  You never know when you set up shop in a foreign country, so I’m greatly relieved.

• Water – We have been warned that the water may contain parasites. We had to get all kinds of vaccines and were told to only drink bottled water (no ice cubes even).  We have these huge 5 gallon containers set up, so one of our chores is to keep up with them and periodically switch them out – which sounds easier than it is!  This involves taking the top off and turning it over as quickly as you can to go on top of the base before water spills out – definitely a two-man job.

• Vegetables – And since the water is unreliable, we have the quandary of how to wash vegetables. The guidebook warns to not eat any salads or vegetables with skins because they have been washed in tainted water.  We do have a purification system at the house, so should be ok, but we still want to be careful.  So Frank – ever the rocket scientist – has developed a system.  We thoroughly wash vegetables in sink water (purified so should be ok) – then we soak them in a mixture of water and iodine, which is supposed to further cleanse them.  We have two drawers in the refrigerator – one for “dirty” vegetables and one for “clean.”  Pretty ingenious!

So you might be wondering where we eat here – given that it is a little rustic. Well, we stocked up big time at the Chinese market (really – it is run by the Chinese and that’s what they call it).  So we cook at home some nights, especially when I am working.  And we always have breakfast at home (usually cereal).

But we have ventured out, too.

Here’s the best spot in town for aperitivo – right on the main drag watching the world go by. You see everyone here, so it’s a fun place to catch up with folks.  It’s run by Janette, who is our property manager.  She’s British, came to Belize for volunteer work 25 years ago, and has been here ever since.

We had probably the best hamburger I’ve ever had at Loggerhead’s. They open-air grill it to order, and it’s huge and delicious.  It is owned by a former restauranteur from New Orleans, who has another place down on the beach – both with a bit of Louisiana flair.

We also loved Barracuda’s – right on the water with a more upscale vibe (run by a couple from Alaska). We both had fresh snapper.

But our favorite so far is the Curve Bar at the Sittee Point Marina. It’s at the other end of our road (away from town) on the Sittee River.

We were heading out there and saw two guys walking along the road.  They asked for a ride on the back of our golf cart.  We weren’t sure what to do (they warn you about bandits in Belize), but said ok.  It was a good call because one turned out to be the bartender at Curve – the other does yardwork at the marina.

Anyway – the restaurant sits on the river and serves very good homemade tortilla chips, guacamole, and fish tacos.  And since we have the bartender a ride – they greet us as “Hello Mr. Frank and Miss Christy!” when we go there.

We are starting to feel right at home.

.

As I’ve said, our little village is definitely off the beaten path – and our house even more so. We had read that many people rent golf carts to get around.

While that sounded like a fun outing, the price for a month was a little pricey, so we said, “No thanks.” The nearest restaurants are about a quarter mile (equivalent of a few blocks) away, and the town is a mile.  We have sturdy legs – after all, I just did the Avon 39 walk – and our house came with bikes.  We might rent a cart when we got groceries, but other than that, we were self-reliant.

Well . . . that didn’t last very long.  I’ve posted before, but here is what our street looks like:

It’s not paved and those potholes are like Olympic skiing moguls.

Plus there have been freak rains here- fairly unusual for this time of year. They come upon you fast and hard and leave everything a big puddle of mud.  Riding a bike is next to impossible – you bob up and down constantly and then splash yourself with mud (don’t ask how we know this!).  And walking is not much better – ok in the daytime, but really hard to miss those holes and puddles at night when it is pitch black – even with a flashlight.

We thought – no problem – we can just walk along the beach instead. But – one afternoon we walked to the end of our beach, which is very private and a little marshy and think we saw a crocodile!  Yikes!  He didn’t move (and could have been a log) but we definitely wouldn’t want to encounter that in the dark.

So – all of a sudden, the price didn’t seem quite so bad. And we are now the proud (monthly) renters of a golf cart – we even opted for the fancy kind with a windshield, headlights, and sturdy wheels.

The world is once again our oyster!

We found our Belize home on Vacation Rental By Owner (VRBO) – similar to AirBnB. We have had good luck with these types of sites and have used them all over the world.  You can usually find more unique homes than through a resort – and at much better prices.  And feel like you are a local.  We love going to the market, cooking meals, and “living” in a new town or city.

I have a routine I follow when I book. I scour the homes and only look at those with reviews.  I like a place that has at least a handful of reviews and make sure they include at least some negative feedback – so I know they are real.  Then I email the owners a few times to get a sense of who they are.  If I feel funny, I don’t move forward.  Kind of like online dating.  : )

Anyway – I have been emailing with the owners of our Belize home, who live in Kansas, and had a great feeling because they were super nice and so helpful. We worked out a monthly deal and here we are!

We were astounded. They have a beautiful home – much nicer than I even dreamed.

And right on a gorgeous beach.

The village is about a mile away, then there are a few resorts, and then a little enclave of houses, including ours.  The houses share a security guard who patrols at night, “yard guys” who clean the beach once a week, and a man who sprays for mosquitoes and sand flies.  Most of the owners we’ve met are either Canadian or American – a very friendly bunch.

We have our own little section of beach with chairs, hammock, grill, and kayak (the dock belongs to our neighbors, and Frank is desperate to fish from it – he’s buttering them up hoping to get an invite – but there’s a public dock down the way).

We could spend all day just sitting out watching the world go by. We think we’re going to like it here!

Today we head to our new home for the month. We got a good deal on VRBO so decided to jump right in.  I will work from here, and we can escape the cold back home.

But first we have to get there. Our little village, Hopkins, is a bit off the beaten path.  It is down south and not one of the more touristy spots.  But it is on the water and sounds perfect for us (and a much better deal than the more populated areas).

We have hired someone to pick us up and drive us the 3 hours to get there – and to take us to a larger grocery store on the way, as we have read that the village only has a smaller market.

Adam is our guide. He is South African and moved to Belize to start a new business doing transfers for tourists.

He explains to us that all grocery stores in Belize are run by the Chinese. Who knew?  So he takes us to the what they call the “Chinese Mall” – which sure enough, has just about anything you would want, all in one place.  We load up, and are on our way.  Those are BOTH of our buggies in the picture!

We continue on to Hopkins to see our new abode.

Stay tuned – as a teaser, this is our street:

Like I said, a bit off the beaten path.   : )

We made it! We are on the ground in Belize.

Our goal was simply make it to the airport hotel We will re-group to head to our little village tomorrow.

And what an airport hotel it is! We’re staying at the Black Orchid Resort, about 15 minutes from the Belize City Airport.  They sent a shuttle to pick us up and showed us to our beautiful room, with flowers strewn about everywhere – even in the bathroom!

We settled right in with drinks in the screened-in bar.

And then were welcomed by a family of monkeys – I caught one in mid-flight (this is not zoomed in – that’s how close we were!).

We feasted on grilled lobster for dinner and got a very good night’s sleep – seeing as how we got up at 3:45 am to catch our flight.

The Black Orchid Resort is on the Old Belize River, which is very fast-flowing and filled with crocodiles!

We had a little porch and just whiled away our time sitting out watching the river.

We know tomorrow will be a little tough with getting to our new place and getting all the provisions. So we are just going to sit here and watch the world go by.  We are already getting on Belize time!

When we started our trip planning, our main goal was to go somewhere warm. We had heard good things about Belize so started browsing VRBO rentals.  I fell in love with a house in a little village called Hopkins – right on the water.  It was a good deal for a monthly rental, so we jumped right in.  We have been dreaming of walks on the beach, interesting village life, fresh grilled fish, and snorkeling the clear waters.

But . . . a couple of weeks ago, we finally sat down to read the guidebook’s  “Survival Tips.”  Well – it turns out we needed 5(!) vaccines, malaria pills, and a pretty robust first aid kit, since apparently supplies down there are hard to get.  Plus we heard dire warnings of not drinking the water, eating the vegetables (unless thoroughly cooked), and disease-carrying mosquitoes.

What did we get ourselves into?

After much consulting with doctors, our rental homeowners, and fellow travelers, we feel like we are well-prepared with a duffel bag full of meds and bug spray, a cautious outlook, and good travel (and evacuation!) insurance.

Frank is even pre-spraying all of our clothes before we leave with some type of special bug spray that stays on through six washes.

But we do have to be careful of the water and vegetables. Our house has a purification system, so we should be ok washing dishes and taking a shower, and we will drink and cook with bottled water – not that much different than the boat!

So we are ready for adventure- bring it on!

(And stay tuned!)

Buckle your seat belts – the Two Fools are heading back on the road!  We’ve been in a bit of recovery mode the last few months following Frank’s back surgery.  He is scheduled for hip replacement in March, so we figured, what better time than to jump on a plane and get out of town?!

We will be living in Belize for the month of February. We’ve rented a house there and will soak up village life.  I will continue to work from the road.  We have WIFI at the house, and my firm’s IT group has checked it all out.

So come along with us on our new adventure to Central America!

– The Two Fools in Love

I asked each team member to send their lessons learned and favorite moments – they haven’t seen each other’s responses until now.

Lessons Learned

Amanda – My lesson learned is a reminder of the truth in the adage that you mentally give up before you physically have to.  I had to repeatedly remind myself of this during the final stretch of Day 1.

Christa – Umm I could say several, like just say no!  Haha but also anything is possible if you put your mind to it!

Christy – Trust your instincts on pace and training – it’s ok not to follow the crowd. Mental prep is just as important as physical prep (maybe more so!). A good team and encouraging support group makes all the difference. If you dig way down and believe you can do it, nothing is impossible.

Heather – Avon miles are longer than real miles. [This is true! Heather and Amanda wore FitBits, which recorded our TOTAL miles, including the long walks to and from the start and finish. We actually walked 30.24 on Day 1 and 15.5 miles on Day 2 – TOTAL OF 45.74 MILES!]

Hilary – Set a backup alarm! Don’t pack so much to carry on the walk.

Favorite Moments

Amanda – Crossing the finish line with all four of my teammates on Day 1 (and again on Day 2).

Christa – Watching Christy and Hillary do the survivor walk at the end, your strength is amazing!! And that moment was so touching!!

Christy – Each Rest Stop when our team would rally and encourage whichever one of us needed it the most at that stop (usually me). Survivor’s Walk – it was the first time I have openly called myself a “survivor,” scared I would jinx myself somehow. But with that last march into the Closing Ceremonies – after 39 miles – I felt like the last 3 years of treatment is finally behind me, and I’m back.

Heather – Watching Hilary & Christy march in with other survivors during the closing ceremony.

Hilary – Hearing New York local survivors tell us how the money raised personally impacted them (the girl that was diagnosed at 25 with no health insurance) and the closing ceremony the survivors walk-that I almost didn’t participate in. My favorite stretch of the walk was the last part of the trail leading to Base Camp with the sun going down.

We thank you for following along with us and for everyone’s support. Until next time . . . we will keep on walking.

Team Carolina Girls!

Christy

Amanda

Christa

Heather

Hilary

We have made it – our Team of 5 walked 39 miles in support of the Avon Breast Cancer Foundation to help fund services for low-income women. Now we get to bask in the moment of celebration.

The music swells, and they announce the march-in:

First – the wonderful crew that has helped us the last 2 days (and we admit that even The Butterfly Lady played her part in getting us to the finish line – maybe tough love is what we needed). We cheer for her, too.

Then come the walkers.

And then – they announce the survivors. Hilary and I are in the survivor group in our pink t-shirts.  We march in all together.  Everyone is crying.  It is hugely emotional – it is why we are here.

The Avon CEO – who walked all 39 miles(!) – announces that we have raised $6.4 million dollars and introduces different groups that will receive grants from the money we have raised. Representatives of these groups tell us what they do:

• Funds to help underserved women navigate a breast cancer diagnosis
• Funds to pay for mammograms for low-income women
• Funds to pay for translation services for non-English-speaking women who are newly diagnosed
• Funds to pay for meals for breast cancer patients and their families
• Seed money for research

And the grants go on and on. We realize that we are having a direct impact on breast cancer patients and that our sore feet and aching backs are worth it.  We have made a difference.

Statistics from the Walk

Team Carolina Girls

5 walkers

Funds raised: $11,856

Number of Donations: 120

The Walk

1800 walkers

337 survivors

Ages 16 to 82

Funds Raised: $6.4 million

Thanks for everyone’s support!

We ALL made a difference.