Journal Entry 35

February 2, 1977 / Belize City, Belize:

Yesterday I took a "busman's holiday" and spent the day on Goff's Caye on the barrier reef. A group of students from Belize Technical College wanted to charter a boat for a trip to the caye but needed a few more paying customers to keep the price per person down to BZ$5.00. They approached their former teacher to see if she would go and if she knew of anyone else who might like to come along. So, the whole family along with six Peace Corps Volunteers went on the trip.

The boat was a large power yacht that must have been magnificent in the 1920s. It was still in good shape, but somewhat under-powered. It rained on us on the way out and we got some nice rainbows to look at out over the Caribbean. The day cleared up beautifully, and even became quite warm. Goff's Caye is a favorite day trip for locals and tourists alike. It has white sand, palm trees, a thatched shelter and a good bridge for docking. It is also right on the reef, so the marine life is abundant.

We packed a picnic lunch of baked chicken, potato salad, bread, pineapple upside down cake, potato chips and soft drinks. I helped Roger collect small, colorful fish for the salt-water aquarium he has set up. We were fairly successful and got a few beau gregories (brilliant blue and yellow), sergeant majors (yellow, white, and black vertical stripes), 3-spot damsels, and blennies. Roger's aquarium is set up mostly with stuff I bring back from my trips to the reef, but now has some fish that Roger, himself, has caught. The girls really enjoy the aquarium and can identify the fish in the tank by looking at their pictures in a book.

Next weekend we have been invited by archeologist Claude Belanger to go to Lamanai, a Mayan excavation site near Indian Church in the Orange Walk District. Claude is site manager and is setting up camp for Dr. Pendergast and thought we would enjoy getting a "behind the scenes" tour of this Mayan site. The entire country seems to be dotted with Mayan mounds. We'll also have time to stop in to see Peace Corps Volunteer nurse Bev who has been transferred to San Felipe, a remote village in the Orange Walk District.

As of March 1st, all Peace Corps Volunteers in Belize will receive a pay raise from BZ$300 to $330/month. Also, those who are paying over $75 per month for rent will be given up to $30 a month on top of the raise. So, I'll get my $30 raise plus $25/month (my rent is $100 room and $100 board.) Now I'll be paying $225/month for room and board, and I'll still be getting $30/month extra "spending money" over my old salary. This Caribbean vacation is working out nicely.

It is now tourist season and there are a lot of Gringos on the streets. The weather is very pleasant, and the humidity should decrease as we enter the dry season.

[Photo: Fish trap located near Gallows Point, Belize, 1977. The trap is a straight length of mesh fence that ends in a circular enclosure.]

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[Photo: Goff's Caye, 1976. Photo credit: Einar Kvaran.]

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