OFF TO NEW ZEALAND

During the last twelve months we have eased into the slow pace of village life in the highlands of Mexico. Apart from the occasional trip back to the States to visit with our girls, travel to far aways lands has taken a back seat until recently, when we decided to visit New Zealand.

We arrived in Auckland after a 13 hour flight from LAX, and hopped a commuter flight for an hour to the small town of Gisborne where Lindy's long-time friend Rosi lives. Gisborne is the first place in the entire world to see the sunrise each day.

Once we recovered from our jet lag, we jumped aboard the Magic Bus with a bunch of twenty something backpackers to begin a "magical mystery tour" of the North and South Islands.

New Zealand is a vast country of incredible beauty and contrast. Thousands of years ago glaciers carved out valleys and rivers.

Mt Ngauruhoe (7,442 feet), one of three active snow capped volcanoes located in the Tongariro National Park, was chosen as Mt Doom in the movie "Lord of the Rings".



Who knew New Zealand offered world class skiing? The Whakapapa and Turoa ski areas are pictured above and are overrun with skiers from June-October.

The Franz Josef Glacier is located roughly three miles from the town of the same name and four miles from the coast, a situation found nowhere else in the world. Due to large amounts of rain and snow, the glacier advances down the valley at a speed of three feet a day. The glacier can be accessed via a strenuos half day hike. However, we decided to admire only from afar.

The town of Ohakune, near the Tongariro National Park, is the self-proclaimed "carrot capitol of the country" and hosts an annual Carrot Carnival each October.

On the western coast we visited the Pancake Rocks.......

These rocks are heavily eroded limestone formations formed 30 million years ago. The "pancake'-layering of the limestone was created from fragments of dead marine creatures and plants landing on the seabed just over a mile below the surface.

There are no highways in New Zealand, except a few in the major cities. The roads wind through the mountains and valleys, and most of the bridges are single lane, often sharing the bridge with a railway line. This, together with the fact that New Zealanders drive on the "wrong" side of the road, makes for exciting travel.

The town of Ross was the site of a gold rush in the late 1860's, and in 1907 New Zealand's largest gold nugget was discovered weighing over 4 pounds. It was a rowdy town and the stockades were regularly put to use.

The Truman Track, a 30 minute walk from the road to the beach, takes you through three distinctive eco-climates; lush tropical native forest, a vast area of massive flax bushes and onto the Truman beach located on the Tasman Sea.

Next stop Queenstown.

Ben & Lindy

Back to Ajijic, Mexico

Eleven months on the road, 28 individual plane rides, 5 countries, 40 villages, towns and cities, 30 lumpy mattresses, and 693 restaurants later, we decided to return Ajijic, Mexico to settle-in for a few months.

The village has about 8,000 year-round residents and swells to 15,000 when the snow-birds return. Ajijic is located in the highlands of Mexico (elevation approx. 5,000 feet), about 20 minutes south of Guadalajura on Lake Chapala, the largest inland body of water in Mexico.

The village is ablaze with color. We walk everywhere, although the cobbled streets and sidewalks can be challenging!

We have rented a cute little house, three blocks from the lake and six blocks from the center of the village. We awake to the sound of birds and the inevitable Mexican roosters, who have absolutely no sense of time!

Lunch on the back patio and ....

dinner on the front patio.

We have joined the Lake Chapala Society (LCS), a club for retired ex-pats, established some 5o years ago. There are over 2,700 members, mainly from the US and Canada, with some 27 countries represented. There are well-stocked book and DVD libraries and an endless list of activities.

We joined the LCS exercise group which meets three mornings a week in the gazebo. Some of the exercises are seated and performed to the gentle rhythms of Frank Sinatra. Although Lindy has broken a sweat once or twice, Ben has ditched the class in favor of a more rigorous work-out at the local gym!


One of our favorite activities is the weekly market held just a block from our house. The farmers bring in their fresh produce and our weekly fruit and veg bill generally amounts to a whopping $12!


Ben has become a consummate "selector of strawberries".

The fish we buy at the weekly market is brought in from the coast (about 3 hours away) and is quite delicious!

No King Soopers or Safeway here, although there is the inevitable Walmart, which we avoid at all cost. We try to support the local tiendas (small family run shops) which are often less expensive.

Yum, freshly squeezed orange juice - our favorite treat at the market.

We have met some extraordinary people and made some wonderful friends. Ben is golfing and we are both taking intensive Spanish lessons. We exercise nearly every day and volunteer in the community. All and all life in Ajijic (aaa-hee-hick) is pretty darned good! Come visit - you are always welcome, although we must warn you, you may not want to go home!

We'll be taking some side-trips, so will keep you posted.

Ben & Lindy

Family Vacation in San Pedro, Belize

Mid March found us in the town of San Pedro located on Ambergris Caye, the largest and most northern of Belize's islands. We were anxiously awaiting the arrival of Sarah, Brydie and our granddaughter Lyla, who were joining us for a family vacation.

This picture was taken early in the morning before the locals, tourists, golf carts, taxis and bicycles jockeyed for position along the three main streets running parallel to the beach.

Along the beach there were a dozen or more piers, where vendors arranged diving and snorkeling trips, as well as water taxis to nearby islands and the main land.

Here at last! What could be nicer than breakfast on the pier?


Lyla couldn't wait to change into her swim suit to experience the ocean for the first time.

Properly attired, and accessorized, Sarah, Lyla and Brydie head off to "our spot" along the beach.

What more could a girl want than to splash around in the ocean?

Hudut, yum Ben's favorite!

Glad we spotted this sign. We were on the lookout for these little guys from then on.

Sarah, Brydie and Ben are all smiles as they set off for an afternoon of snorkeling.

Belize is well known for diving and snorkeling.

The three snorkeled at Hol Chen, a five square mile underwater park...

home to a large variety of fish, in particular...

magnificent stingrays.

Each afternoon fisherman gutted their catch and the pelicans lined up for tidbits.

All good things must end. The girls returned to Denver and we left at the same time to meet up with friends on Isla Mujeres, Mexico.

Ben & Lindy

Placencia, Belize

Farewell to Panama and hello to Belize. Formerly British Honduras, Belize gained independence in 1981, but remains a member of the British Commonwealth. Odd seeing a young Queen Elizabeth on Belizean currency.

To the north of Belize is Mexico, to the west and south Guatemala, and to the east, the blue, blue Caribbean.

From Belize City we hopped a puddle jumper for 40 minutes and flew tree top level to the small, sleepy fishing village of Placencia, located in the south of Belize.

Baggage was off-loaded in no time.

This picture postcard scene was however, quite deceptive. "Nice from far, but far from nice" - e-mail us for specifics.

No argument there!

The easy life indeed. Reading, relaxing and...

a dip in the ocean. What more could a man ask for?

Each morning we joined the ladies for yoga in this delightful meditation center.

The beach stretched for miles. Running parallel to the beach was the acclaimed longest and narrowest boardwalk in Central America....

with a hodge podge of wooden homes on either side. Many of the houses looked as if a puff of wind could knock them flat.

Placencia was home to a number of Rastafarians, who had their own store selling "Rasta Gears"

One-room school house right on the beach.

What could be nicer - a hammock, a sea breeze and a good book?

Next stop, the Belizean island of Ambergris Caye, where Sarah, Brydie and Lyla will be joining us for a week.

Ben & Lindy