As for me, I'd have to say freedom. Not that I'm not free, I am, but it's truly a gift, in my opinion, to be in a place (at least for a few days) where you have no expectations placed on you by other people or by circumstances. Maybe that's what I love so much about AC?

Well, to me it seems or appears to be a much simpler way of life on the island. However, what may seem simpler to me is probably just as hectic to the islanders. Everything always looks greener on the other side of the fence until you get there.... shrug

I'd have to say freedom too. To do whatever you want whenever you want during your vacation. Lobster or shrimp? Pantyripper or Belikin? Lie on the beach of go on a tour? I also enjoy meeting other travelers from all over the world. It's great!

...Sitting on the end of the dock at night, watching the heavens, breeze blowing.
...The boat ride to/from town.
...The serenity/peace of mind.
...The pool
...The snorkeling.
...Sleeping with windows open, curtains flapping, breeze blowing.
...Going barefoot to the nicest restaurant in town!

"Less Is MORE"

Falling off the bar stool at BC's and then waking up with a wicked hangover and walk to Estel's for breakfast. Life is good!

it is a vacation thing. it is nearly the only time, since being kids in the summertime, you can truely say you have no where to go and no particular time to get there.

it is adulthood that has condemned us to a life of responsibilities. however, without those things, we would not be able to afford our trips to "no where".

For me,

When I'm home again.....Da little kid that I have deep down inside me dies, the one with no worries for the day of tomorrow. A.C. showes me how life should be lived!!
Viva La A.C!!

B.M.

There is a lot to miss about A.C. when I have to go Stateside to work. The closeness of the people, we are one big disfuntional family. It's kind of a jerk of the week club. Who's the next one to make a fool of him or herself. You are very free there....free to win...or fail with no safety net. There are no guard rails to protect you from your own stupidity. I miss the sea, and the BS that flies everywhere. Gossip is a cottage industry for people with no cinema, or mall to go to. I miss the comradre that the expats that have actually made it there have. We know what it takes to survive there. It's a lot more than meets the eye. I miss the friendliness that permeates the island. The melting pot of kindred souls. The daily battle for a simple thing. We may move slowly, but that's the way it works. You are really going uphill if you try to speed things up. And of course there is always that edge. You stand close to it there. Living is day to day. No big uncle Sam to show you the way. You figure that out for yourself or......A.C. is special. A place for free men to be free.

yeah, but dallas dave, don't you wish you could buy buds there????
miss you friend, hope to see you again soon!
vicki and butch

Everything!

LOL..jerk of the week huh?

That's why they call it..."The island of misfits". Remember the christmas movie that comes on every year?...I think it's the Rudolph one...not sure though. I know it has the abominal snow monster in it and Burl Ives is narrating....LOL

Anyway....there is an island of misfit toys....and Santa rescues them.
Those misfit toys remind me of the island...LOL I better shud-up now...LOL...I could be diggin a big ole hole for myself here

If you make..."Don't sweat the small stuff" your motto...you will do pretty well there.

Miss you Dave...and Lacy
Say hello to Deb, Robin, Carol and Don for me.

I miss fishin for Snapper with Garcia, yellin "Cold Tamales" at Ricky Lopez, Lunch at Caliente's, late breakfast at Estelles', wheelin and dealin with Piasano, Beans with stewed chicken at Shirley's with the smilin eyes, BBQ at the Lions Den, entertainin visitors from the states, lookin for stuff at Castillo's, chicken fried steak with mash potatoes and gravy at the Hideaway, cruisin about on my Purple Golf Cart, walkin about the beach, tropical storms, sunsets, and newspaper day (Thursday).

I would have to agree with the freedom and friendliness.You could be yourself no worries or expectations. I would not agree with the island of misfits, that could me inturpted wrong. Misfits as far as I have never met such easying going people. Things that we would think would be the end of the world they take with a grain of salt and keep going. I miss everything about the island and have been home three weeks and I realize more and more how much I dislike the states. I just do not think it was the vacation thing either(hotel, lobster,tours etc.),because I have been to many places on vacation and have never came home and not been able to shake it. I have the AC blues pretty bad and like it was mentioned on the board before, the only thing you can do is plan your next visit. I ws a pretty magical experience for me a good place to do soul searching and realize that the things in life that mattered so much before I left, do not phase me at all now. It is a weird feeling. I see a move in my not so distant future and so does family and friends, because the island is the only converstion that I have anymore.

I know what you all are saying. My husband took me to AC to find some peace after the death of my son. And I did find that-- not total peace, but some. I miss the wonderful people (friends) on the island, great food, the stars, the quiet (except when the trash trucks went by), the beautiful water, and did I mention great people???
We have travelled extensively, and no place has ever had this effect on me. But I continue to be one of those materialistic, dirty Americans on the fast lane right now. Maybe one day...
But, my friends here all say that I need to go ahead and move down... it's all I ever talk about. Just yesterday when I was dressing for dinner, I asked my Mother if she thought I could go in barefoot. She told me I was crazy. Now how many of you understand that question completely??? I thought it was a legit question!!
Happy Labour Day ya'll.

Jackieo -- I'm smilin' right now. You've caught it. I haven't come up with a name for what you've caught yet, but I know it when I hear it! I have to constantly check what I want to say, because it always has to do with Belize. People get pretty sick of it. Someone can say to me, "Beautiful day, isn't it?" My first reaction is, "Yes. Now the weather on Ambergris...." sheesh. I've been back two months, and am not planning my next trip yet, so I'm in pain here!!

The bad (or good??) news, Jackie, is that this "thing" you've caught cannot be cured. Ever. Sorry. For symptomatic relief only, you will have to return to Belize, but it's not a cure, just relieves the symptoms.

I have a picture in my head. I was headed out for a dive and I was up on the bow of the boat. It was afternoon and the sun was behind us, giving everything a clear, white, shadowless light. The sea was up a bit, making a few whitecaps.

It was so beautiful, the way the sea was breaking against the reef from one horizon to the other. You don't see that just anywhere.

There are other things I miss. I mean there are so many cool places in the world.

Sunset cocktails on the porch at Rick's Cafe in Negril, Jamaica is pretty memorable. Somehow that was like some signal from nature or God that it was time to put the worries of the day away. A changing of the guard. Night making it's grand entrance. And grand nights they were.

I miss being on the DMZ in Korea and feeling like I was walking in the pages of history. That something big was happening around me and that for better or worse I was a part of it. And I miss going to northeastern Korea, where time had tread lightly and one could imagine that little had changed in a hundred generations.

I miss the food of Italy. The north, the Po valley. Milan. Words fail me. It's really good. If you haven't been, go.

And I miss the people of all these places. They were, are, all special to me. As differenct as they are, they were all good hosts.

The people of AC are a wonderfull blend of island 'laid-back' and mainland 'industry'. Warm and friendly, they can be depended on, being well educated and responsible people.

The island ladies, well, they are delightfull. Young or old, there is just something special. A smile here, a song there. No power suits or angry shoes.

[This message has been edited by Florian (edited 09-03-2001).]

Florian, I have also been to the DMZ in Korea (visiting, or course -- not in service). That was very memorable. The bridge where the men of the Pueblo "came home". I remember seeing that on T.V. You are probably too young to remember seeing it on T.V. Anyway, this isn't the Korea chat board, so I'll stop there.

Never been to any of the other places you mentioned, though would love to see them all. Going on a Nile cruise, the pyramids, Valley of The Kings, and Jerusalem (especially Old City and garden of Gethsemane)are some traveling highlights of my life. OK, now I really WILL stop...

Kathy

I was stationed at Pan Mun Jom, that is to say the USASG, JSA, also known as the Joint Security Area, in '74 and '75.

I got there after Pueblo.

I was there on March 3rd, '74.

I left before the 'tree incident'.

I've worked The Bridge. The checkpoint then was called "The Loneliest Outpost In The World", because at that time there was no way to get back to UN forces without passing two North Korean checkpoints. That proved to be a bit of a problem while I was there. They later put in a road to fix that.

It was, to say the very least, an interesting place. With some very interesting people coming and going.

One of the things that was just absolutly cool, and very strange, is that because I was a member of JSA, as we called it, I carried a pass at all times. This was true of few up on the Z. 2nd Division had it soooooo bad.

The really kinda strange part, was I could just walk out the gate and go for a stroll. Now, keep in mind that the north fence of the JSA Advance Camp, our actual base, was the south fence of the DMZ. I mean you arn't getting a whole lot closer to the Z.

So I got to take strolls along the DMZ. Sometimes by myself. Sometimes with someone else. I could just like, walk along it. The fence. Go up and share a few words with the Koreans manning the guns along the wire.

I always told them at the front gate where I was going. I always walked softly, stoped and offered a smoke to the ROKs, asked them to pass it along the line I was coming. I never risked taking a camera. I only did this about once a month. No one ever seemed to mind.

It's pretty hilly, and the views up the valley into North Korea were memorable. On a clear day, you could see all the way to the city of Kaesong. They had this huge flag up there. It must have been 100' tall and 200' wide. Up on this huge tower. Bright red.

At night it was real spooky. I never moved around at night along the Z. One time I went up to the nearest gun emplacement to the Advance Camp and spent the night.

The actual Joint Security Area is north of the Advance Camp, which I think got named Camp Bonifas after I left. So "JSA" is the group of guards, the unit, but first it is a place. This place is half in North Korea and half in South Korea. Split by the actual border line between the two.

They had lines drawn down the pavement there, and a row of Quanset huts. This line ran down the pavement, then inside the buildings then up the tables and across and back out that building and across to the next.

This was so the two sides could sit and talk, without either leaving their own country. These are some real stuborn people, man.

I understand there are no more US guards there now. That it is all Koreans, North and South. When I was there it was very UN, very international. There were US, South Koreans, Swiss and Swedes, and a US Navy communications crew. On the other side were mostly North Koreans with just a few Checzs, Poles and Soviets.

One time when I was there, there was some trouble, but that is another story.

[This message has been edited by Florian (edited 09-04-2001).]

Gosh, this is such a good question. I have to say all in all, I liked who "I" was when I was there. I was comfortable with me. I was relaxed, and felt such a joy and peacefulness. I smiled at everyone. I literally took the time to "smell the roses". I would sit and watch a cat chasing lizards and insects with total fascination. I would watch dogs playing in the shallow water in the morning while I was having my coffee, and daydream about what it would be like to be them, and then bust up laughing when one got sand in his nose. I would sit and watch the wind play with the palm fronds. Toss them back and forth, and be delighted when I saw a coconut hit the earth with a dull thud and narrowly miss my golf cart. I hung my head off the end of the dock and watched a sting ray glide through the water looking for goodies. I liked sitting on my porch and watching the local kids play soccer in the afternoons. The taste of a ripe mango or pineapple was like ecstacy. I REALLY tasted it. The simple things seemed so fascinating. I was truly alive. In the best sense of the word. I took the time to notice. Here, you get caught up in the rat race, and so much of life just passes you by. I "allow" myself to get caught up in the myriad of details and responsibilities, and let them consume the best part of me. At the end of the day, when you think of anything significant that you saw that day, I usually come up short. I simply didn't notice. I enjoy being hyperaware, and finding beauty in the smallest thing. AC did that for me. Magic? Who knows. I just know I felt it, and miss it terribly.
Debbie

[This message has been edited by Debbie (edited 09-03-2001).]

Man Debbie after reading that I feel like such a loser telling you I miss Beliken the most!

Debbie, that was what I was trying to say little things mean the most.

So many good responses.... ya'll have said what I feel with such eloquence. I miss the sunrises (nowhere else in the world I've been has ever inspired me to wake for one), sleeping with the windows open so you can hear the wind rustling through the palm trees, the kids playing on the beach, laying in a hammock daydreaming about nothing, having all the people you meet seem to be as happy and carefree as you are, riding in a boat looking out onto the horizon and smiling at nothing - or at everything - just because I'm happy and completely at peace.

One of my favorite memories was at the house we stayed at. There was a family that lived in the apartment on the ground floor. They had a little boy about 10 years old or so and he came up one night with his English book in hand and needed help with his homework. One of my friends who was with us sat with him at our table and went over everything with him so patiently. It was hilarious when they got to a question that none of us really understood, LOL!! But we gave it a good guess and hopefully he got it right. Darn that British English, anyway! :-)

I miss the people I met there, the warmth and friendliness. I miss the fresh mangoes -I'm tired of buying them and having to wait four days or so for them to actually ripen on my counter top. My toes miss playing in the sand.

Gosh, I'm glad to know that there are so many others that feel the same way that I do. Everytime I come back to the states, I really miss Ambergris Caye. I miss the quietness. When we take the main road to & from San Pedro, it is just peaceful. Even the construction work is somehow relaxing there. I miss the friends that I have made there. I miss dressing in cut-off shorts, sandals, no makeup, and feeling quite comfortable that way. Everytime I hear a small plane overhead, I think of the island.

I think we can all describe A.C. in one sentence: You go there once, you'll be there twice!

Tha's fer sure! And if you're there twice, you're there a third time and if... well, you get the picture! LOL, dreaming of paradise!

Belize fever..... is what you all suffer from!!!!!

[This message has been edited by ZULU (edited 09-08-2001).]

Don't it fell great to be fortunate enough to try and describe AC to someone who's never been there????Myself, I get caught-up
in the "magic" everytime I try .....