9-14-2020 Hurricane Nana & Covid-19 Update for Belize

In the wee hours of the morning on September 3rd a hurricane hit Belize. In fact, it hit just a few miles south of where we live. We had been watching Tropical Storm Nana make its way here, and thankfully, it turned into a hurricane with 75 mph winds just before hitting land, so it just barely made the grade to be classified as a hurricane. That means it was pretty weak by hurricane standards. If you look at this chart below you can see how much difference in strength just a few miles per hour wind speed makes. For example, if the winds had been just 10 miles an hour more, then the hurricane would have been nearly 3 times as strong! And we certainly would have sustained a lot more damage than we did.

Even this weakest of hurricanes blew the roof off 10 homes in the village, and caused 3 homes to
fall down off their posts. This is one of the fallen homes. (Photo credit to Hopkins UnCut)

Another fallen home - this one made the news. Fortunately, the home didn't fall until the morning
after the hurricane, just after the residents had stepped outside. (Photo credit to Hopkins UnCut)

Our friend's fallen house - thankfully nobody had been living there, but it was uninsured.

There were LOTS of trees down, which is apparently what caused the damage to this truck. We were
super fortunate to not have any people injured or killed. (Photo credit to Hopkins UnCut)

I think everyone who had a palapa like this lost it. This used to be a restaurant we liked called
Laruni Hati.  (Photo credit to Hopkins UnCut)

There was also damage to several docks. This resort lost the end of their dock that had been covered
by a palapa. Thankfully, their boat was not damaged.

Bread and Butter Cayes is a favorite island to visit, and it was not spared. Where these guys are
standing in the water at what appears to be a fence - that used to be land. It will have to be refilled
with conch shells and sand.

This cabana lost part of its roof, and more damage was done to the big
cabana there. We were supposed to be out there right now for a couple of
nights with friends, but that is being rescheduled.

On a positive note, the hurricane did deposit a lot of new sand on the beaches. 

Here you can see well how high the waves came up during the hurricane. To the far right you can
see the usual line of sargassum along the beach - that's where the waves normally hit. But, to the
left you see another line of sargassum - that's where the waves were crashing during the storm.

As you can see, the virus is now a real issue in Belize. There are 1480 confirmed
cases, with 969 of those currently active. There is now 1 confirmed case in our
village. So, the government lock down/quarantine orders have been extended
indefinitely. The curfew was lifted, but with nothing going on and nowhere to go,
it doesn't much matter. No sports, and basically no gatherings of any kind are
allowed. I mean, technically, you can have a wedding or funeral, but with no more
than 10 people, so realistically that's not going to happen. Also, the opening of the
airport was pushed back until October 1st.

My (Cara's) first attempt at made from scratch falafel patties. These were baked instead of fried so
they would be healthier. They turned out okay, but they are definitely harder to make using a blender
(instead of a food processor, which we don't have). Everyone says to use dried chickpeas that are
soaked because the canned chickpeas have too much moisture. However, I think they turned out a
little too dry for my taste, so next time I am going to buck the recommendations and try canned.

Granola peanut butter balls - the recipe made lots more, but this was all that was left by the time
I remembered to take a photo. Apparently they were a hit.

I (Cara) am missing in person Yelp events, although the virtual events that
Yelp has been offering via Zoom are pretty nice. And, you can join Yelp
events from across the US this way. This is from a yoga event.

This was from a Zumba Yelp event that I enjoyed during the evening before the hurricane hit.
So, the event was hosted out of Indianapolis, Indiana (USA), although I was enjoying it from
Belize, and this instructor here was Zooming live from Mexico! You gotta love that!

7-29-2020 Yes, More of Cara's Cooking and an Update on Belize

One beautiful Sunday we drove down to Mango's Beachfront Bar so Eric could have their Sunday
special of a $6 burger.

We ran into several friends who had arrived by boat - smart and fun!

It's not unusual to see a horse in the village, but on this day we saw four! Three adult horses and a
foal, all hanging out at the playground in front of the school.

I, Cara, attended a virtual Yelp event via Zoom and learned how to make a sugar body scrub from
simple household ingredients. Easy to make and nice - even Eric likes and uses it.

Black bean burgers - my first attempt, and they were pretty good. The recipe made a decent amount,
so I froze some for later. They were easy and tasty, so I will make these again.

Tostadas - Homemade corn tortillas topped with caramelized corn and black beans, pepperjack cheese
and fresh, homemade guacamole. Yippee, it's avocado season!!!  While I normally make guacamole
with avocados, a friend introduced me to the way they eat avocados in Guam, and it's eye-and taste
bud-opening! Halve the avocado and remove the pit. Fill the center of the avocado (where the pit was)
with a mixture of soy sauce and black pepper. Spoon out bites of avocado, making sure to get some
sauce with it and eat. Wow, is it good!

Zucchini fritters - these are yummy, and I make them fairly regularly.

My second attempt at gluten free banana bread. The first one turned out gooey, but this one, while
slightly overcooked, turned out the right texture. Yay, I'm improving! And I had several leftover
overripe bananas, so I mashed them and froze them to make another loaf at a later time.

I processed my first breadfruit (messy) and made it two ways: pan fried (on top) and spicy baked
breadfruit fries (on bottom). Eric is not a fan of breadfruit, but I like it. Both ways were good.
I don't know if I would make it again, though, since it would just be for me, and it was fairly labor
intensive. It's worth it to get it when we go out and someone else makes it.

Hash browns

A new friend, Dwayne, recently moved to Hopkins from Corozal (in the north of Belize). This is
his dog, Blue, who was huge but super sweet. Sadly, he recently passed from tick fever.

Every new repatriation flight brings in at least a couple new people infected with the virus.
Plus, illegal border jumpers who visit Mexico or Guatemala then return to Belize keep
bringing in the virus as well. So, we are now up to 48 total cases (only 19 active, as most
recover, thankfully).  

The State of Emergency ended at the end of June, though we still have to wear masks in public and social distance.  Now every businesses can open if they want to. Many have not, though, because there are no tourists here to sustain them. People in the country are traveling around some, but it's not enough. 

The land borders will remain closed for a good while since Mexico and Guatemala have a ton of coronavirus cases. However, for several reasons, the government decided to open the international airport on August 15th.  (The wisdom of this is a matter of great debate in the country right now.)  In any case, tourists that do come have several requirements.  They must provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test from within 72 hours of travel, or they must submit to a rapid test at the airport (at their own expense).  They must also download an app to their phone that tracks their movement and allows the government to check in with them on any symptoms.  Plus, they are only allowed to stay at approved "gold star" all-inclusive resorts that have their own restaurants and tour operations.  These tourists are not supposed to leave the resorts and wander around the villages, but we'll see how many actually adhere to the rules. 

6-15-2020 Surprise! More Cooking and an Update on Belize

My (Cara's) first attempt at gluten free English muffins. They turned out dark because I only had regular buckwheat flour,
not "light" buckwheat flour like the recipe indicated. I also didn't have the circular rings to give them the proper round shape,
but I don't much care about that.

As you can see, though, the texture was just right. They also taste delicious with a little butter, so I will make these again.

It's mango season here, so I bought a couple of golden mangoes from a friend's family farm. I put a measuring tape there so
you can see the size - at about 8 inches long, these mangoes are huge! I cut up the first one and got over a pound of fruit!
Yummy - perfect for eating fresh or in smoothies! Now that it's hot, we've been consuming a lot more fresh fruit smoothies.

At the store the other day I got a super deal on a big bag of fresh basil, so I decided to try my hand at making some basil
pesto (my favorite kind of pasta sauce). I don't have a food processor, so I used my blender, which worked fine. And, I didn't
have pine nuts (expensive here), so I used the hemp seed hearts I had got at a great discount a while ago. Simply divine! It
made a lot, enough to refill three jars that previously held store bought pesto (that I had rinsed and kept since I hate to throw
away anything that can be reused).

Homemade pizza using made-from-scratch gluten-free pizza dough, topped with my homemade basil pesto, some tomato
sauce, Italian herbs, red onion, yellow peppers, zucchini, and mozzarella. So satisfying! And made in the toaster oven so as
not to heat up the house with the big oven.

As of very recently, we now have three new cases of Covid-19. One is a Belizean man returning from the US
(repatriation of Belizean citizens is allowed) who came via cruise ship. One is a female who crossed the border from
Guatemala illegally (with an older woman and a child). The third is a Belizean man returning on a repatriation flight
from Houston, Texas in the US. All three people were asymptomatic and are in quarantine. The government is also
conducting contacting tracing.

Despite these three new cases, the government feels things are safe enough here to relax restrictions even more.  The curfew was extended until 10pm during the week, and midnight on Friday and Saturday - woohoo!  We can also have private parties, social gatherings, weddings, funerals, etc. of up to 100 people.  Contact sports (though not competitions) are allowed - yay, jujitsu class is back on!  Basically, almost everything can be open except bars/nightclubs/rum shops and childcare facilities.  The State of Emergency is set to expire at the end of the month, so in July things should return to the way they were before the coronavirus.  However, it will likely be a while before the borders and airport open, so things will still not be back to normal since there will be no tourists to support the badly hurting economy.

6-2-2020 Overnight Getaway, Even More Cooking, and Belize Update

Another couple that are friends of ours have beach cabanas not too far away from us. We wanted to hang out with them past
8pm (curfew) so we booked a stay at their small cabana so we could legally do just that. We had a super fun evening and
really enjoyed our mini vacation in our village.

Veggie coconut curry soup - I totally winged this one and it turned out well.

Vegan "sausages" on homemade gluten free naan bread with cheese and sauerkraut (canned, unfortunately, but still not bad).

Second attempt at quinoa burgers. These look more like they're supposed to, and they're really good. The recipe make a
dozen, so I freeze most of them (thankfully, they reheat well and taste just as good).

Asian peanut noodle stirfry with rice noodles, bamboo shoots, baby corns, water chestnuts, carrots, zucchini, red peppers,
peanuts and homemade peanut sauce. We both really love this dish.

Our friends' cat, Boots, just hanging out in the boat. The cat looks kind of mean, right? Well, he is. Trust us, don't pet the cat!

The most recent one of these updates available - Belize is still Covid-19 free!!!  Because of that Belize has opened up even
more. We still have an 8pm to 5am curfew, but that was extended to start at 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Also, we can
now exercise whenever we want, not just in the mornings. We can have social gatherings up to 40 people (with social
distancing, of course) and play non-contact sports. Basically all businesses can open (except bars/nightclubs) if they want to.
Many have, but some decide to remain closed. Most resorts/cabanas/guest houses/tour operators are offering deep discounts
to get in some local tourism. We definitely plan to take advantage of this while it's still quiet in Belize (before the borders or
international airport open up - no idea when that will happen).

5-14-2020 More Cooking, A Vacation, and Virus Update

Vegan Asian Cabbage Wraps seasoned with homemade hoisin sauce - yummy!

Coconut curry vegetable soup - I totally winged this one, and it turned out well.

Three ingredient paleo naan bread (gluten free) - just almond flour, tapioca flour and coconut milk. They're not bad, but I
have other recipes for more traditional gluten free naan bread that I think will turn out better.

Falafel (baked, not fried) - one of my favorite dishes.

The falafel on naan bread with a little lettuce and carrot hummus (homemade, but not by me) was delightful.

Gluten free cornbread muffins made from scratch - super easy to make and delicious!

Gluten free naan bread using a more traditional recipe with yogurt, egg, yeast, etc. This bread turned out WAY better and
reminds me of the homemade pita bread I used to get at a little Middle Eastern grocery during my college days. This bread
made a much better sandwich with the falafel I made!

As of the beginning of May we still have no new confirmed Covid-19 cases in Belize, and the last of all that were infected
have now recovered. So, the government is starting to relax the regulations just a little. Resorts can now open back up (for
local business only) if they want to. So, we took advantage of that and enjoyed a brief "vacation" at our friends' vacation
rental property. Of course, we still practiced social distancing, but we were able to enjoy the beach, playing with their dogs,
and relaxing with a few drinks, grilled food, and good conversation at their private palapa bar. 

We don't have such a nice, shady spot to hang out in our yard, so that was nice. It was also great to see some friendly faces
we haven't seen in ages.

Vegetable Pancit - a yummy Filipino dish with rice noodles and lots of veggies. I will definitely make this again.

This is the latest graphic like this the government has put out, but the important numbers have not changed. As of
today, we are at 31 days with no new confirmed virus cases. Because of this the government has relaxed the
regulations even more. The curfew is still in effect.  However, starting tomorrow we can now swim in the sea, rivers
and swimming pools, as long as groups are no larger than 10 people, we practice social distancing, and we don't
linger after finishing swimming. Tour operators can open for diving and snorkeling (but not fishing) trips. Restaurants
will be allowed to open for dine-in customers (until 7pm), but only by reservation, only for outdoor seating, tables
must be 6 feet apart, and guests are limited to 10 people per table. Churches can open but are limited to 10 members
of the congregation plus the minister and essential assistants (no choirs). We can also now travel freely between
districts. Belizean citizens can return to the country if they apply, are approved, come through a designated checkpoint,
and quarantine for 14 days at their own expense.