It’s a Saturday night so I am sure you are all out having fun!! A few days ago, I mentioned that we visited a friend at Cotton Tree Lodge. Here are a few pictures.
It has been wet wet wet from the rains so the roads are very muddy:
Mud Everywhere.
Oh look…a Gnome was spotted at Cotton Tree Lodge. A tall specimen…I think the latin name is Gnomo gigantius.
This was the Maya Mountain Cacao house where chocolate beans were fermented and processed. They have recently moved their operation to “the dump” which is a place commonly so-called with no sign of a dump. It is just about 10 miles down the highway from the Barranco turn off.
The neem leaves are dried in the shade and then infused in coconut oil which is used in the making of the soap.
Neem is known for its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-helminthic and anti-viral properties. In Aryuvedic medicine, neem has been used to treat skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis.
Neem Tree.
The jackass bitters plant is a well-known herb of Belize which is used in treating ulcers and cold-sores.
Jackass Bitters Leaves.
A perfect combination for a gentle soap with soothing properties for problem skin. It is also a wonderful “everyday” anti-bacterial coconut oil soap.
If you live in Punta Gorda or in the Toledo region of Belize, you can buy this soap at Vance Vernon Pharmacy on Front Street.
This is what the packaged soap looks like:
Neem and Jackass Bitters Soap.
If you look at the packaging closely, you will notice that it only states “Neem Face and Body Soap.” This is because we are still using our old labels…we are being eco-friendly and do not want to throw out perfectly good labels!! So, I would like to assure you, despite the use of these labels, the soap is made from neem and jackass bitters!
Yay…It is a craboo season! Gnome and I relish this time when we can sit together and polish off a huge bowl of this delightful fruit together…day after day until the season finishes.
We have some of these craboo trees (Byrosonima crassifolia) growing voluntarily on our land. The fruits are not mature yet, still at a small green stage. We have to keep a keen eye on them because the blackbirds (Carib Grackles) are scoffing off all our fruit (both unripe and ripe) as if there is no tomorrow. The cheeky buggers!!
Green Craboo on Tree.
Anyway, the taste of craboo fruit is like no other. They are red or yellow in colour, round and soft. The flesh is white and has a distinct unctuous cheese-like fragrance with a background of mild sweetness. They are truly umami and it is a wonderful taste experience.
To get the most of the craboo fruit, they require fermentation in plastic bags for a few days (1 to 3 days depending on the degree of fragrant cheesy flavour you would prefer).
Dallah Bags of Craboo from Market.
A few years ago, we were given a handy tip by a Belizean who recommended that we placed our craboo fruit inside the car to allow maximal ripening of the fruit. So, you can recognise a true craboo connoisseur if they have bags of craboo sweating away in their car and they are totally non-plussed by the cheesy odour emitting from inside the vehicle.
Fermenting Craboo in Car.
So far, we have not found any fellow ex-pats who share our love for this unusual tasting fruit. The locals all seem to have the same feverish enthusiasm as us…I have seen Mayans buy ten bags at a time at the market. I have seen the way their eyes ogle at the fruit as they labouriously go through the bags of fruit, looking for the ripest ones. The job of finding the best tasting bags of fruit, becomes an obsessive task. I know this because I stand side by side with all these Mayans man-handling the bags of fruit as we vocalise our anticipation with “ooohs” and “aaahhs” and smile knowingly at each other. I feel that I have been initiated into an esoteric, sacred custom of Belize! Gnome says that liking craboo should mean that you have graduated successfully into a fellow local Belizean. It is a well-known fact that it is extremely difficult to get Belizean residency in this country…and there is apparently no logical system to follow in order to gain this status. Gnome has suggested that a bowl of craboo should be placed in front of applicants; if they are seen to be eating craboo fruit with great gusto like a local person, then they should be granted the Belizean status! Knowing all the expats down here in Toledo, I would say that, given this test, they would all be leaving en masse!
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.
When we drive out of our farm, we usually turn right towards the Southern Highway to Punta Gorda. The road to the left is “the road less travelled” which is called Barranco Road. Here are some pictures as we drive down this road.
Roberts’ Ranch Gate.
This is the nearest property…It is called “Roberts’ Ranch.” We believe that “Roberts” lives in the States because over the course of the ten years that we have been here, there have been a series of farm “managers”/ caretakers for the place. This farm is huge…a mile squared so they say and it has chain-link all around the property. This used to be a cattle ranch but as years went by, the cattle slowly disappeared one by one until there was nothing left. There were rumours of cattle rustlers and talk of caretakers trying to settle bills with cattle…who knows? There was a time when everyone was feverish over all the gossip at this ranch so it is difficult to say which stories are true. All we know now is that this place is empty with no cattle or people living on it. Also, the only bit of chain-link fence left is the strip at the front, so we have been told.
About 200 yards down the road, you will reach San Felipe Village. Population is between 200 to 300 and I think that this village was established sometime in the 1970’s. As you can see, most people live in the wooden houses with thatch roofing. There are significant signs of change with more cement house construction and cable satellite dishes in some of the yards.
San Felipe Village.Cement House in San Felipe Village.
This is the road as you drive out of San Felipe Village. It is really quite a view (we get so used to it that we don’t even think about it).
Dirt Road.
There are magnificent Mayan mountains all around as you trundle down the dirt road.
Hello Everyone, we are continuing with the mushroom theme since the rains are bringing a huge abundance of them onto our farm and the Toledo region of Belize. Interestingly enough, many of them fall into the category of the Lepiota sp…also commonly known as the parasol mushrooms.
Here are some pictures from the farm:
Parasol Mushrooms.Little Lepiota mushrooms.Lepiota in Grass.
Lepiota mushrooms are notoriously difficult to identify and many of them are poisonous, whilst others are edible and delectable. Although we are pretty adventurous with our eating, we have decided not to chance it with these mushrooms since it would be pretty embarrassing for two doctors, in the bush, to come to an early demise due to mushroom mis-adventure.
This particular Lepiota is more distinctive as it has green spores. This one is Chlorophyllummolybdites; unfortunately, inedible and can cause gastro-intestinal upset.
Chlorophyllum molybdites.Chlorophyllum molybdites.: distinctive green spores.
Even although we can’t eat any of these, we still have a passion for mushrooms and love to take pictures of them.
By the way, we know that we are back in the Toledo region of Belize (been out of town last few days) when we have to stop the car to let the little piggies cross:
We have been out and about, doing a bit of this and that, and socialising. Internet has been intermittently on and off hence the inconsistencies in writing up posts.
On Friday night, we ended up going out late at 7pm to see some patients. Also, we met friends at Belcampo (lodge in Toledo) for a soiree. Look at this place…this could be anywhere from California to Glasgow but it is actually in Toledo, Belize!
Belcampo of Belize.Picture this and Jazz Music in the Background.
Again on Saturday night, I couldn’t fulfil scheduled blogging time because we had another doctor call-out at 7pm. No rest for the wicked!
On the road today to Placencia which is a 2 hour drive from Toledo. Placencia is a strip of land nestled between two large bodies of water (Caribbean Sea and Placencia Lagoon). Real estate is booming right now and there are new resorts popping up everywhere. Check out the pictures.
Gnome suggested that a gaggle of geese would look picturesque on the moat.
Luxury Across the Moat.
Luxury in Placencia:
Houses in Placencia.
Anyway, we visited a friend who has recently moved to Placencia from Italy. Yes indeed, Munchkin and Gnome have been totally out of character and been socialising around the clock.
We were glad to get back home…back on familiar ground.
Luxury in Toledo:
Rustic Accommodation in Toledo with Garage.
Bungalow in Toledo, Belize:
Toledo Housing.
Back on the road. This is “Flo’s Bend,” a sharp turn onto Barranco Road which is a 5 minute drive back home. This sharp bend is a real bugger because we have known many personal acquaintances (five, actually) who have ended up in the ditch in the middle of the night. They are usually travelling back home from Flo’s Bar (sixty seconds away) and turn a tad too sharply round the curve.
It’s a Saturday night so I am sure you are all out having fun!! A few days ago, I mentioned that we visited a friend at Cotton Tree Lodge. Here are a few pictures.
This was the Maya Mountain Cacao house where chocolate beans were fermented and processed. They have recently moved their operation to “the dump” which is a place commonly so-called with no sign of a dump. It is just about 10 miles down the highway from the Barranco turn off.
