Aerial view of Caye Caulker, 1977
Tia Cloti house still there where park/ basketball court now is. Jim Nealy's house, Bobadilla's house, Tia Cloti's house, police station, the house where Sport's Bar is now, which used to belong to Tatito Alamina, after that is the other house belonging to Tat, which is where Miss Claudette used to sell burritos from ... across from Tia Cloti's house is Juni Zaldivar, to the right of him is Chi Chi Marina's house… Heading South from Mr. Nealy's house is the old fishing cooperative building that used to be on the corner there, that was our Hotel California, we use to hang there, that's where we practiced our dances for carnaval with Toy Toy. Back in the days of innocence and a simple but very honest, hardworking & beautiful life
No TV, phones, vehicles, lights went off at midnight, we had so much fun, sleep w windows open, in sea all day long on holidays, till we skin shribble up, had our white hole spots out there, natural pools, played on floating logs, when we granny go holler Fu we out deh, already getting dark, we go by Wells to bathe, took turns pouring water on one another with CUBO to rinse shampoo out, can go on and on. Tied our hammocks on beach on coconut trees, couldn't be bothered, ate lots coconuts. Growing up the island was somewhat like that just a bit more modern I remember playing on the palapa beach while my mom was at work in the evening she would pass for me and we'd cycle the white Sandy streets together I could go swim off any dock and everything was wide and open I'm glad I grew up in the time I did because I got to experience a little of what you just said I feel bad for the children of today who live here because they're routine are more strict because of the change and crime happening they will never experience the joy of this island thoroughly.
Split area to Matinez was all mangroves, we used a trail to get there, to about Rainbow, not Martinez.
I remember the days when we used to walk around barefoot and "burr burr" used to "juk" our feet. Nowadays you don't even see burr burr trees. I also remember walking down that main street on my way to school and finding swarms of "tulish" along the way
I remember playing on the palapa beach while my mom was at work in the evening she would pass for me and we'd cycle the white Sandy streets together I could go swim off any dock and everything was wide and open I'm glad I grew up in the time I did because I got to experience a little of what you just said I feel bad for the children of today who live here because they're routine are more strict because of the change and crime happening they will never experience the joy of this island thoroughly
Photograph by Mike Roberge
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