The Tao of Belize: Car Hailing was first introduced as a concept which encompassed the philosophy of symbolic communication on the roads of Belize. Last week we traveled on the mean roads of the country and opted to use the following hails:
Pointing Snake; Projection of Inner Knowledge.
Pointing Snake.
With intermittent Jaguar Paw; Respect To The Power of The Predator.
Jaguar Paw.
You could consider this as “Tai Chi On The Road”; powerful symbolism to soothe the souls of travellers. C’mon everyone…start with the Fundamental Five (Rabbit Ears, Double Gibnut, Pointing Snake, Jaguar Paw and Upward Facing Dog) and keep the Car Hailing Revolution going!
This is intended as an introduction to the unspoken customs of Belize. Car Hailing is a particular idiosyncrasy pertaining to the Toledo district, the southernmost part of Belize. If you ever go outside of the district, you will find that you can “car hail” amongst fellow Toledo people so it becomes even more esoteric and meaningful. Nevertheless, this is just a simple and friendly way of “saying Hello” to drivers on the road and it is of particular importance in such a small community where everybody knows each other.
Symbolism is a means of communication without words and so we have ascribed a name to each of the hailing types in order to give meaning to the gesture. Above all, it is just about having fun. So here are the Fundamental Five:
Rabbit Ears: Gentle but kind. Offers Protection to All on the Road.
Car Hailing in Belize: Rabbit Ears.
Double Gibnut: Double Luck. Gibnut are solitary creatures and are rarely found in pairs.
Car Hailing in Belize: Double Gibnut.
Pointing Snake: Projection of Inner Knowledge.
Car Hailing in Belize: Pointing Snake.
Jaguar Paw: Respect to the Power of the Predator.
Car Hailing in Belize: Jaguar Paw.
Upward Facing Dog: Companionship.
Car Hailing in Belize: Upward Facing Dog.
Ok, everybody, let’s start the car hailing revolution. Actions speak louder than words.
Today we were in Punta Gorda doing our delivering, “hailing” and the usual town stuff. In Punta Gorda, everyone knows you so you have to go through the custom of “hailing.” Ignore this at your peril! Basically, you need to say “Hello, how are you?” to everyone that you know…who happens to be crossing the street, sitting in their shop, driving in their car or standing in the queue in front of you. If you can handle a bit of small talk then that is an added bonus because every-one loves to stop and chat. If you ignore anyone who knows you, you are considered an “ignorant outsider” or just plain rude. These are the unspoken rules of a small community.
We delivered our Pet Products to The Farm Store in Punta Gorda. This particular shop is owned by Mennonites (Anabaptist Christian Group who emigrated originally from Germany and now settled in Belize) and run by local Mayans who have converted into this particular faith. The Farm Store sells anything to do with farming, hardware and pet supplies, basically, anything that is useful to man or beast! We delivered the following:
Jackass Bitters and Neem Pet Soap.
This is not the same as our same-name soap for people. This one has a higher percentage of active ingredients so that it is extra strong for the treatment of fleas, ticks and mites in pets (usually dogs and cats). Gentle but effective, without the use of strong chemicals.
We also took this opportunity to launch our new pet product: Lime Sulphur Pet Dip for Mange, Fleas, Ticks and Ringworm.
Lime Sulphur Pet Dip Label.
This is the label with the instructions. We used recycled beer bottles for this product because they are the cheapest thing to use so that we could sell the product at a rock-bottom price. Gnome created a tag to go with the product with regards to the philosophy of recycling; unfortunately, the network connection to the printer wouldn’t work so we didn’t get this part printed in time. So, this tag will be on the next order:
Lime Sulphur Pet Dip Wrap.
…Gnome Philosophy stuff in small writing for anyone who cares to read Gnome humour.
We use all our stuff on our own pets; they are very healthy and have the reassuring smell of sulphur to them:
Washing Dog with Sulphur Dip.Clean Cat.
This is a picture of the very friendly bossie of the Farm Store. He is a lovely young man:
Mr. Brian Cho at The Farm Store.
So, you can now get our pet stuff at the Farm Store in Punta Gorda. The products will be posted up in the Apothecary soon for those of you living outside Toledo or outside of Belize.
