Caye Caulker Chronicles

University of Belize comes to San Pedro Town

For those students in Caye Caulker interested in furthering their education, here comes a much needed opportunity for educational growth and development:

Source: Ambergris Today Newspaper

http://www.ambergristoday.com/content/stories/2012/january/24/university-belize-comes-san-pedro

- Press Release - What is education some people may ask? Among the varied definitions it is the systematic imparting and acquisition of knowledge, skills, attitudes and aptitudes aimed at improving the quality of life of individuals. And this is exactly what San Pedro High set out to accomplish when it opened its doors in 1971. To further its mission in education San Pedro High became the sister organization to San Pedro Junior College which was founded in 2000.

Now in its eleventh year of operation, San Pedro Junior College has accomplished another milestone by bringing University education to San Pedro. This is so by the implementation of a Bachelor’s program that will offer a degree in tourism administration. On Friday, January 20, 2012, The University of Belize (U.B) opened its doors to 25 students who proudly enrolled for this historic program in education.

President of San Pedro Junior College, Mr. Angel Nunez, expressed great satisfaction in this milestone for the junior college. He also expressed much appreciation for the Honorable Manuel Heredia, Area Representative who is patronizing the program with a $40,000 contribution which has helped to minimize costs of the program to about $7,000 and also directly impacted some students in affording to take the course. Honorable Heredia presented the first check of $10,000 in December 2011, and followed up with a second check on January 18, 2012. President of San Pedro Junior College urges all participants to take full advantage of the program and to make all the necessary sacrifices to make the program a success.

Click Here for More News on Ambergris Today Online

Socials: Superheroes’ party on Caye Caulker

This is definitely a first of its kind for Caye Caulker but I do find it an awesome idea for a birthday party theme.

Source: http://raggamuffintours.com/2012/01/superheros-party-on-caye-caulker/

By: Charlie Jones, Raggamuffin Tours

My son ‘Mummy, do you know that Superman and Iron Man are down at the Split??’ … Mummy ‘Son, you have been watching too much television, time for you to go to bed!!’

The past few days, 33 young revelers came from Houston and Calgary to Caye Caulker to celebrate Tammy Weir’s 40th birthday party. David Tong’s brother got married last year over New Years Eve and Tammy was one of the guests … it was during this time that the bright idea was born to host her birthday here on the island.

David, now a firm friend of Raggamuffin, then put together a sweet itinerary for the guests including hiring out the whole of Seaside Cabanas for the guests, island BBQ’s, snorkeling, diving and of course the whole group got together on one of Raggamuffin’s famous sunset cruises!!

However, the highlight of their stay for the islanders was their Superhero Party. All the guest dressed up as their favorite superhero, walking down front street shortly after sunset and turning heads!! For many, we felt blessed to be allowed to somehow participate in their celebrations as their costumes were for everybody, not just the party goers themselves, including children!

Thank you David, Tammy and all of OUR Superheros!!!

More photos are available on Raggamuffin’s link provided above

Chinese New Year – The year of the dragon

This just in: The Caye Caulker Chinese Community brightened up this Wednesday morning (January 25th) with their highlighted traditional dragon dance down the main streets of Caye Caulker in celebration of the Chinese New Year, the year of the dragon.

The Chinese culture has been considered one of the many cultural diversities of our beloved Belize and Caye Caulker is definitely not short of having the Chinese people a part of our community.

Photos were provided respectively by my fellow Hicaquen@s: Kimberly Badillo, Sayonara Pasos, Manuel Lopez and Shary Trejo:

Photo provided by Kimberly Badillo of the Caye Caulker Village Council Office

Photo provided by Sayonara Pasos of Step by Step Tutoring Center

Photo provided by Manuel Lopez

up close and personal – photo by Shary Trejo of Island Link Internet Cafe and Ice Cream shop

Caye Caulker excluded from Belize Water Services’ reduction rate

Source: http://www.amandala.com.bz/index.php?id=12165

Just over a week ago, we reported to you that although the Belize Water Services (BWS), a government-owned utility, had submitted its rate application asking for water tariffs to remain the same, Prime Minister Dean Barrow had signaled to our newspaper that he has indicated that he believes there is room to give consumers an ease on their water bills.

The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) announced this evening, Monday, that it has conducted an initial review of the BWS application made December 23, 2011, and the PUC’s initial decision calls for a 7.2% reduction in water rates from April 1, 2012, to March 31, 2015, for all branches, except for Caye Caulker.

Barrow had told us almost two weeks ago that he had said to the chairman of BWS, Herman Longsworth, that if the PUC were to summon him, “I would tell the PUC to carry down the rates.”

The Prime Minister told us that he is hopeful that the PUC will shave something off the water rates for consumers.

Meanwhile, the PUC says that if “BWS and/or qualified interested parties representing users of at least 10% of the annual amount of water supplied by BWS in the preceding year” have any comments on the initial decision, they can submit them in writing by February 7, 2012.

If no one objects, the initial decision becomes final.

The PUC has also ruled that light bills should go down an average of 6.14%. This can take effect as early as February 1, due to a recent statutory instrument passed by the Government.

BEL, another nationalized utility, has signaled, though, that it does not entirely agree with the PUC’s decision to drop rates to that level. The company had initially proposed a 3.4% decrease in average rates.

Source: http://www.lovefm.com/ndisplay.php?nid=15450

PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION APPROVES DECREASE IN WATER RATES

January 23, 2012

The Public Utilities Commission has approved an average seven point two percent reduction in water rates. On December 23, 2011 Belize Water Services Limited applied to the PUC for an annual review proceeding. In its application BWS submitted that it was not seeking any changes in the existing tariffs. However in its initial decision issued today the PUC approved a decrease of seven point two percent for the remainder of the full tariff period which is from April 1 of this year to March 31, 2015. This is applicable to all consumers except for Caye Caulker. The PUC is inviting BWSL or qualified interested parties to submit written comments on the decision by February 7. If no objections are submitted the PUC will deliver a final decision adopting its initial decision. You can find the PUC’s initial decision can be found at the PUC office or on the website at www.puc.bz.

PUC CHAIRMAN EXPLAINS DECREASE IN WATER RATES

January 24, 2012

The Public Utilities Commission, PUC, today presented its decision on water rates for the Belize Water Services Limited, BWSL. The PUC’s Chairman, John Avery, said at a press conference this afternoon that the decision was based on a number of factors, including the Approved Regulated Asset Value, or RAV for short.

John Avery – Chairman, PUC
“The investments that we had approved in the full tariff proceeding and which accommodations was made in the RAF to include those adjustments, BWS has not quite kept up to the investment schedule and so we had to recalculate the RAV because of that and because of that and for the next four years the RAV was actually reduced. Having set a new rate of return, having recalculated the RAV and having recalculated corrections to be applied in the next three years, we then had to recalculate the total revenues that would be deserving to BWS and based on those revenues that we determined and the forecast consumption for the period, we used those to determine what the average tariff would be for the next three years.”

BWSL has not performed as well as forecasts had projected in certain areas, as Avery outlined.

John Avery – Chairman, PUC
“The sales forecast we had to again scale back somewhat. BWS has not quite matched the sales forecast that was approved. A big part of that we believe being because they did not make the investments that we had approved. The majority of the investments that we had approved were intended to increase storage in the various branches of BWS or to increase their production capacity. We believe these two things would make more water available particularly during peak periods where you tend to get slightly lower pressure. Those would serve to increase the pressure in those times and should ultimately have resulted in increased sales to BWS. The thing is the more water BWS sells, the lower the per unit cost and customers would have benefited because BWS would have sold more water then perhaps going forward we could have even lower rates. Unfortunately BWS did not meet all the investments that we had approved. For the first two years of the full tariff period we expect them to achieve about 50% of the investments we had approved.”

While the rates for the rest of the country will be reduced, Caye Caulker residents will continue to pay the same rates, while a new formula will be worked out for those living on San Pedro, according to Avery. Like the process with the Belize Electricity Limited, Avery said that BWSL has a fifteen-day period within which they can respond. Meanwhile, with respect to the PUC’s decision about the 6.14 percent reduction in electricity rates, Avery says that BEL still has time to object to that decision. In any of the two utility companies, if they or any interested party that consumes ten percent of more of their product objects to the PUC’s decision, then an independent expert must be commissioned to review the figures and make recommendations, which the PUC would then have to consider before it makes its final decision.

Lazy Lizard’s Bar weekend of activities

Wish I would be able to be here for this but for those who are looking for somewhere to go this weekend, Caye Caulker as well as San Pedro (Island Invasion) will be the key places to be:

Caye Caulker Resident alleges being “roughed-up” by Caye Caulker Police

Source: http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=21559

Caye Caulker Resident Rough-Up Police
posted (January 20, 2012)

Kennedy Flores – a resident of Caye Caulker – is alleging police brutality. He claims that he was manhandled by 2 off duty police officers. The incident happened on Wednesday night on the street in front of Flores’s home. Flores told 7news that he got into an argument with a female island resident, who, he says, came to his residence looking for trouble. But before he could carry on to the police station to make a report, the woman’s boyfriend – who is a police officer and was off duty – showed up and began dragging him around. He told Monica Bodden what happened.

Kennedy Flores
“He came from behind me and dragged me off my bike. I landed on the street, and I got all these marks. My face is all messed up, and they gave me like 5 charges for what I don’t know. For obscene language and threatening words. Anybody can threaten anybody, which in they don’t mean what they are saying because they are being violated. So you could say anything to please yourself, which in I had already drank a couple of beers and so did they.”

Monica Bodden
“So this woman came to your house. You guys had an exchange of words. She was hitting you?”

Kennedy Flores
“She hit me but I didn’t hit her back, I just tried to hold her hands of avoiding her hitting me because I am not a fighter. If I had hit her she would have been knocked-out. I don’t like to fight. I lived in Caye Caulker for years; I don’t get in fights. I get into talks, my mouth is my weapon because I don’t talk about what I don’t see; I talk about what I know.”

Monica Bodden
“After she began hitting you like you said, you tried to get on your bike and ride off to the police station?”

Kennedy Flores
“I walked out of the house and jumped on the bike, tried to give a report, and there they came behind me without me knowing.”

Monica Bodden
“Two off-duty police officers?”

Kennedy Flores
“Yes.”

Monice Bodden
“One who is her boyfriend?”

Kennedy Flores
“Yes, they slammed me off my bike – and I landed on my shoulder and my face – trying to handcuff me.”

Monice Bodden
“Were you trying to resist arrest?”

Kennedy Flores
“How can I resist arrest when they had me on the ground? I can’t do anything; both of them were on me. My wrists are all bruised up because they put the handcuff really tight on my hands, and they wanted to lock me up in the cell with the cuffs on my hands. They still locked me up until the next morning.”

Kennedy Flores was charged with using insulting words, boisterous behavior, harm, use of threatening words and resisting lawful arrest. He was granted bail of 3 hundred dollars and is to appear back in court on the 24th of January. Meanwhile, he told us he has made an official complaint to police. The Police Press Officer told us he doesn’t know about the incident.

Island Invasion “The Aftermath”

For our interested Caye Caulker people attending Island Invasion, a San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi will be departing their pier in Caye Caulker enroute to San Pedro at 10:00 pm sharp and will be leaving San Pedro back to Caye Caulker at 3:00 am.  Tickets for the boat is BZ$25.00 round-trip.  To purchase your tickets for the boat, you can do so at Blue Wave’s Office or Julian Pacheco.  Tickets for the event can be purchased at Jaguar’s Temple Night Club at the door.

The Budgetman offering delicious food on Caye Caulker

Source: http://www.gocayecaulker.com/blog/best-local-food-in-caye-caulker-belize-the-budget-man

Best Local Food in Caye Caulker Belize. The Budget Man.

We (Chef D, The Beard, and myself –The Birdman) took a recent trip to the remote island of Caye Caulker, Belize for some quick sun, Belikin, and new food finds. We never planned ahead for meals, or really anything for that matter, but the reoccurring question that always came up was “Where should we have lunch?”And every day we came back with the same answer. The Budgetman. So for the 6 days on Caye Caulker, we had lunch with the Budgetman for 5 of them. The one day we were out fishing so missed him. Everyone on Caye Caulker seems to have a self given nickname. Charles Coote is no exception. By day he is Budgetman and by night Charles (never Charlie, always Charles). His superhero costume is a floppy chef’s hat over the top of a baseball cap. He’s got himself a pretty nice life. He rocks up at about noon, sets his table on Front Street located right on the main beach, has a couple of the local lads put up a tent to keep himself in the shade. Yes, even the locals in Belize like the shade. He dishes food (15BZD for one protein, 25BZD for 2) into Styrofoam (made in China of course – like much that is sold on Caye Caulker) plates. There’s always rice, always some kind of seafood, always some kind of animal protein, vegetables and coleslaw. Sometimes its jerk pork or chicken, sometimes curry. Sometimes with coconut, sometimes not. What are consistent are the flavor and the quality. The vegetables were stewed every day – always some potato and garlic, sometimes plantain. Other occasional mysteries. Every day this simple food tastes wonderful. Belizean jerk meat is different from Jamaican. In Belize it always seemed to be stewed or braised with achote, while in Jamaica it is usually a dry rub and grilled. Either/any way is just fine by me. The bold hot flavors coating my mouth, staining my shirt as I greedily scarfed down the whole plateful. And the portions were huge. Didn’t seem to matter, I always finished mine. What’s his secret? I guess there are several. Tireless self promotion – and always in the 3rd person; really well prepared food that doesn’t have to be done at the last minute; little or no overhead other than the cost of ingredients. He arrives with the giant pots filled with goodness cooked at home, lays them out and he is open for business. The food is never hot, nor cold. It is sold at street temperature. Sometimes a little Marie Sharp habanero sauce, but on the better days he brings his own, home made, hot pickled onions. Oh yeah, on top of the coconut curry chicken, I am still tasting it. Please also read my article which I had written some time ago on the following link: Article on Charlie\’s Deals on Wheels

Caye Caulker’s Palapa Parade cleans up!

Source: http://raggamuffintours.com/2012/01/caye-caulkers-palapa-parade-cleans-up/

For those who do not get the time to have recently visited Caye Caulker, the news that the art and craft stalls on the beach are looking better than ever.

It is the long term goal of the Village Council here in Caye Caulker to renovate and improve this area. To many it has been considered an eye sore as well as the sometimes hustler vibe did not do the location any favors. The Ministry of Tourism originally was to assist the Village Council with some money to help them in their endeavors but this has been put on hold.   So for the past few months the Village Council has been seen encouraging those who have pride in their stall to invest into it and knocking down those stalls that remained empty and only gathered loiterers.

Thus as you can see from my pictures, this road – once not a particular scenic area – has now become one of the key attractions on the island. Albert’s Art stall, carrying beautiful paintings from local artists around Belize is a wonderful sight – full of color. Not forgetting the charming Andres Hand-to-mouth food stall, serving quality Belizean food at a local price and of course the hand carvers, the fruit sellers and the list goes on!!

My pictures do not do this area justice … you will just have to come back here soon to see it for yourself!!

Art and Craft stall at Palapa Gardens

Fruit stand at Palapa Gardens

Andre’s Hand 2 Mouth eatery at Palapa Gardens

Art Gallery located at Palapa Gardens

Tourists’ Ten Commandments

The Tourist’s 10 Commandments
1. Thou shalt not expect to find things as thou hast
them at home, for thou left home to find things
different.
2. Thou shalt not take anything TOO seriously, for a
care-free mind is the beginning of a fine holiday.
3. Thou shalt not let other tourists get on thy nerves,
for thou art paying out good money to enjoy thyself.
4. Remember to take only half the clothes thou thinks
thou needs and twice the money.
5. Know at all times where thy passport is, for a person
without a passport is a person without a country.
6. Thou shalt not forget thou are a representative of
your country at all times.
7. Thou shalt not worry, for he that worrieth hath no
pleasure – few things are ever fatal.
8. As a stranger in a strange land be prepared to do as
its people doeth.
9. Thou shalt not judge the people of a country by the
one person who hast given them trouble.
10. Remember thou art a guest in other lands, and
those who treat their hosts with respect shall be
respected.