October 1st: Conch and Construction North

Again, two topics with pretty much NO link between the two.  I’m throwing caution to the wind – and saying that this could be a new trend.

COULD be…it’s already making me uncomfortable.  I did GOOGLE “conch and construction” to see if I could find a way to tie them together.  I came up with a company called “Conch Construction Ltd” in Key West.  And an interesting Wikipedia entry about a style of home in Key West at the turn of the 20th century called the “conch house”.  Apparently people immigrating from the Bahamas were called “conchs”.

Interesting but not at all relevant.

So let’s continue.

A few pictures from town.  You can see how the sargasso influx has darkened the water.  Here’s yesterday…

Earlier this year in March.

Photo on Backa Back Street – beautiful new paint job at the sunset basketball court.  (You can see the old look and the court in action in this wicked video)

And just south.

Today is October 1st.  Shocking to be sure.  To feel year end approaching.  But here in Belize it heralds the opening of CONCH SEASON.

The Queen Conch – a large snail in her beautiful beautiful shell – is delicious.  My favorite seafood in Belize.  But she is also increasingly rare and endangered.

I wrote a post about my favorite spots to eat it a few years ago…(not knowing at the time that the chef that made the sushi would later be my boyfriend) but my new favorite is at Aba Isieni Restaurant.  Just a small wooden deli that does some REALLY food in the Boca del Rio area.

Oh…and the conch pizza at Truck Stop.  I NEED TO WAIT UNTIL THEY RE-OPEN on October 17th.

They do a fried conch “steak” with rice and beans and it is heaven.

I’ll report back.

On to construction.  This island is exploding with it.  I wrote about the HUGE construction projects south of town just a few weeks ago.  Here are some photos of smaller projects north of town.

The new trend in town seems to be rental retail space.  It seems like every empty yard in town…someone is squeezing in a small store or shack to rent out.  Even on the shore line…people with beachfront properties are putting in docks to rent.

I definitely get the idea…but how much rental space will we really need in San Pedro?

This project is about 2 miles north – across the street from Ak’Bol Eco-Resort.

Moving south…

This beach front house is getting gutted and expanded…it’s JUST north of the police hut.

And then a bit south again.  But just north of  the abandoned building called THE HOTEL.  (Remember how impressed I was by it in 2012?  Nah…me neither)

And then across from Stella’s Sunset…not on the beach or the lagoon.

That’s all for now…

I’m headed to town.