Ahhh Blissful Belize

This summer had quite a few interesting and uplifting notes, among those and certainly not the least of which was my 10 year anniversary to the fabulous Tiffany. We always try to take a trip as a gift to each other rather than purchase another trinket that we may or may not truly appreciate. This year we went to Belize. Wow


Tiffany was somewhat worried about the scheduling since we sandwiched the week away in between the return from China one week and leaving for Kenya 2 weeks later. It worked out fine though.

I really did Love Belize. We rented a condo on Ambergris Caye, a 20 minute plane ride hop from Belize City on the mainland. It was great, from the plane ride down a mere 2 1/2 hours to the easy customs and the best part was, no crowds. That is one good thing about travel the first week in Sept. There are usually fewer crowds.

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The grounds where we stay ed were somewhat secluded yet an easy 5 minute walk to town or the grocery store, the humidity however was over the top a couple of days. We had a second floor condo facing the ocean (pictured left), the breezes from the ocean were nice in the evenings and walking up the beach to the various eateries was also a bonus. When we got there Friday, there were maybe 5 other people staying in the condos by mid week there was maybe 2, then a couple arrive before we left, that was it....now that's a vacation.

I'd have to say that Belize or more specifically Ambergris Caye and San Pedro is all about
The Water.
The water is magnificent, Belize works hard to keep it that way but you may have never seen water quite as clear as this. The water temperature was excellent and the visibility was amazing. Due in no small part to the presence of the second largest barrier reef in the world about 1 1/2 miles off shore, the waters were generally very calm.

So we did the expected tourist stuff, snorkeling with the sharks and mantas ( pretty cool), We did the fishing thing as well. Lets see, I caught Nada, zip zilch but Tiffany caught a decent sized Barracuda (pictured).

We also did the zip line thing through the rain forest on the mainland with tubing down the river inside the caves *also pretty cool if your not claustrophobic or afraid of bats (both on Tiffany's top ten don't likes) she was extremely brave throughout.

Luckily there were no crowds, we were told there could be waits of up to an hour on the zip lines and with the humidity that would have been brutal.

It was very laid back on the Caye, the locals were in a down mode and were not really expecting things to get going again for about two months, it was the beginning of their vacation time, many restaurants were closing for remodeling or just closing till the tourists started coming back sometime in mid November. It's not cheap in San Pedro, groceries are expensive, as you might expect on an island and restaurants are expensive for what they are. But we managed, cooked a few meals in the condo and all in all it was great time.

For our anniversary dinner we took a night-time water taxi ride of about 20/30 min. to a resort that is really only available by water taxi, it was very laid back, quite and the wait staff were nice enough so it was very relaxing evening. The Food? ok they tell me its not about the food, but who are we kidding, unfortunately I'm all about the food. Don't go to Belize for the food, its about average to below average and overpriced but we did have a couple of great burger joints that we frequented so that was good, still all and all go for the water not the "upscale" eateries.


Would I go back - you bet, but there is so much more of the world yet to be seen together it might take us a few years to get back there. The water alone makes it worth traveling back to, especially since we saw only a very small part of the reef. Thanks to the guys at Paradise, it is aptly named and they did a great job in making life easy for us.

Thanks Tiffany for 10 years of wonderful marriage and I can't wait to see what the next 10 bring and the 10 after that and the 10 after that and the 10 after that and the 10 after that.........

As for Belize, common guys ya know it by now.......

It is what it is

What I learned in China

What did I learn?

About the City

• I learned the New (less than a month old) Beijing International airport was amazing.
• I learned the New (some less than 2 weeks old) Subways are pretty easy to navigate.
• I learned the city is really vibrant and modern, not what I was expecting.
• I learned that its hot in Beijing in August, go figure.
• I learned traffic might be one traffic cop short of crazy with about 2 million more cars on the road.
  

About the People

• I learned they are proud of their city, as they should be.
• I learned they love to interact with each other in their community.
• I learned they go about their daily lives just like us in normal non-Olympic times.
• I learned they go to work in the morning, home in the evening and hang out with family on the weekends.

• I learned that some don't like their jobs, others love their jobs.
• I learned that its a pretty laid back schedule for professionals.
  
  
  About Society
  

• I learned that the retired folks stay very busy and active for the most part.
  I learned they love to exercise and interact with each other almost every day.
  
• I learned that some of the older folks don't like the hustle and bustle that Beijing has become, others thrive on it.
• I learned the subways can be cramped but pretty quiet and we Americans are loud and stand out in a crowd (as usual).
• I learned that Chinese society is pretty homogeneous, yeah there are many people groups in China but they don't mix.
• I learned that they care deeply about their families and are very family oriented.
  
  About Pre-Set Impressions
  
  
• I learned they care very much what we in the west think of them, them personally for sure but about "them" as a nation as well.
• I learned they have AMWAY salesmen.
  
• I learned they have no specific thoughts on religion but they do on spirituality, but it remains a somewhat vague notion for some.
• I learned they do have opinions on politics and will share them with you.
• I learned taxi cabs can indeed be bugged.
• I learned they have great great food in Beijing.
• They don't quite "get" us.
• There is a lot below their surface they don't say.
  
  
  
  About their Future
  

• I learned Beijing is a thriving metropolis but 40 miles outside of the city its a different picture.
• I learned that University students are the same all over the world, they have hope.
• I learned that the country needs God.
• I learned that the Buddhist temple was a very "dark" place spiritually.
• I learned that people are searching for something beyond their own lives.
  
  
  
  
  

  • I learned I haven't even scratched the surface.
    
    

  China is what it is
  

Paraguay Remix

Who doesn't love a baby pic?

We went to Paraguay in June - sounds so simple huh? "hey Norm" what did ya do in June?
"oh I went to Paraguay in June..."

Why is it that those things that sound so simple aren't quite that way. We had the usual issues before going, the worries the small issues that pop up with the Parguayans, they obviously have their own agenda and it doesn't always match ours which is a shame, just a little bit more of understanding and it would make things really easier on everyone, that having been said, they are great people, Mirtha the foundation director down there is amazing, she has so many issues I'm not sure how she gets by a regular week, much less planning for our team to arrive.

The purpose of the trip, supporting the Centro Medico Bautista in Asuncion, Paraguay. We take medical teams down to primarly raise awareness of the work of the Centro Medico. While in Paraguay this past time we conducted outpatient clinics in some very under-served areas outside of Asuncion that had been identified by the Centro Medico Bautista (see previous blogg about that trip in detail). The group was relatively small this year, 15 volunteers but as it turned out (on this as on the other trips) it was the perfect group. God has a way of picking people he wants to go, not necessarily people we would pick to go. If I told you I would prefer to go through resumes and pick the people that went I would be lying to you, we put out the request, these individuals that volunteer feel led to serve and God sends them. Weird that He would know more than we would about who needs to go on these trips.

One of our clinic's outside that day

We or maybe "I" had some concerns about this trip

• We had some concerns over the size of the team - it turned out to be the perfect amount
• We had some concerns about the money needed for medicines at the start of the trip - it turns out we had the perfect amount
• We had some concerns at the amount of money we would have available to donate for scholarships and some other needs the foundation in Paraguay had - it turns out we had the right amount needed
• We had some concerns over logistics - it turns out there were no problems with logistics everything went smoothly
  

Our concerns it turns out were within Gods reach, imagine that, we couldn't have concerns greater than those problems God could handle.

That is the lesson I learned from Paraguay. God doesn't have concerns - he has solutions, if we just shut up and listen.....

It is what It is

Paraguay, China, Belize and Kenya (what I did on my summer vacation?)

So this blogging thing is something you have to keep up on or it becomes somewhat a daunting task to update - especially after the past three months, they were somewhat full.

As I look back at the posts that I have already published and then contemplate all that has happened since it seems like forever since that first post at the beginning of summer, the one where I said I would post as things occurred, well best laid plans and all that...

This summer of travel started with the Paraguay medical mission trip which was great, I really do mean great, and at the time it seemed that it could not be topped. I now look at it this way, its not that it was topped, but it was certainly the beginning of a great sequence of unique trips and events.

Each trip - Paraguay, China, Belize (anniversary vacation) and Kenya were amazing. Each uniquely different, each an eye opener in its own way.

I was able to travel to four very unique and distinct parts of the world over a three month period, how cool is that? I got to not only travel there but to spend some time with the people of those countries, getting to know just a little bit about them, getting to learn just a little bit more about their culture and their lives. There were unique circumstances in each country that taught me a different lesson about their lives, their cultures and the way that we fit into the greater scheme of life. I learned a little more about who I am and more importantly about who God is. I'm going to do a different blog for each country. They are going to be long (sorry its my blog and I'll do it my way) but there is so much to say about each one. Thanks for indulging me....

Paraguay is already "on the books (on the blog?)" but I wanted to update that just a bit, not delete the one that's there but give it a new spin with a new perspective based on the rest of the summer events and then move through the rest of the trips. THANKS to TIFF
Let me say a couple of things about my wife, the fabulous Tiffany. I could not have done these trips without her support and sacrifice. I know people say things like that all the time when looking back and reminiscing however it is so true in this case. It is because of Her hard work that I was able to travel to all these places and experience so many things. She stayed behind and dog sat, house-sat, worried and worked hard. I could not have had the summer of experiences I did without her full support. Simply put It Could Not Have Happened, I owe her so much and there is no way I can thank her enough. Knowing she was praying for me and knowing she supported my decision to go allowed me to do the things I felt I had to do (period).
Thanks Tiff
There were many others out there that were praying for me while I was traveling and I want each of you to know that I truly appreciate your prayers and thoughts, knowing that each of you were there made all the difference in the world. Thanks

Well, check in later for the updates on each trip, if not have a happy life and all that and if ya didn't know it already..........

It is what It is