Ak’Bol Yoga Retreat
Belize Q and A: And now, a few words with Moppit, the island wonderdog
Quite a few people have asked me recently about Moppit.
For example, when a crazy-ass San Pedro taxi driver with a “Pretty chicks only” decal on the back window of his dust-encrusted van knocked me off my bike and I was laid flat out in the street, a number of friends rushed up to me.
“How’s Moppit been?” one asked.
“Is Moppit adjusting to you OK? If not, I’d be glad to have her,” said another.
“Any time you want to go somewhere, I’ll babysit Moppit for you,” offered a third.
And so it goes. Read the rest of this entry »
Ak’Bol’s yoga temple of tranquility is back . . . and so is Moppit!
I took Moppit for a walk — sprint, actually — up the beach to Ak’Bol Yoga Retreat and Eco Resort this morning. And wow! The over-the-water studio looks magnificent! A temple of tranquility.
Two of my favorite places on the water were decimated by Hurricane Earl — the Palapa Bar and Ak’Bol.
Now both are back! Kirsten Miglio and her husband Dale have been patiently rebuilding and now Kirsten will teach her first yoga session under the new palapa on Sunday!
Here are some photos of our walk toward Ak’Bol on a glorious Saturday morning: Read the rest of this entry »
Having a magical moment while doing yoga at the end of a pier
During yoga on this past rainy Sunday morning, under the palapa at Ak ‘Bol, my gaze was drawn to an osprey cruising the shore, then diving into the water for breakfast. I was in downward dog, so the whole scene unfolded with my head upside down.
Later, as my head rested on the floor, I looked through the planking with one eye into my own private aquarium. Sargent fish and needle fish were swimming in and out of my view in the crystal clear green water.
Honestly, yoga just doesn’t get any better than that. Read the rest of this entry »
This is Belize: Watching the newest ‘Star Wars’ beneath the stars — and beside the lagoon
There is something just so incalculably joyful about watching the Millennium Falcon speed through the universe in “Star Wars The Force Awakens” then tilting your head ever so slightly upward to count the real stars in the heavens.
Yes, the stars — and “Star Wars” — really were out last night on Ambergris Caye in Belize.
Outside, that is. Read the rest of this entry »
Walking along the Ambergris shore: This gets me every time
Lately I’ve been spending the early morning hours walking north along the Ambergris Caye beach trai?.
Well, early mornings? Most days that might be 8 or 9 a.m. but recently after not sleeping at all, I headed up the coast at 5:30 a.m. And yes, in full sunrise. Sun rises pretty early here, although I’ve succeeded in ignoring it most days.
Anyway, about a mile up from my place, in the Tres Cocos neighborhood, there is a log.
And not just any log.
A crocolog.
You might not notice it as you walk north, just past the Palapa Bar and before Ak’Bol Yoga Retreat. In this direction, it is just another log in the water. They float in from time to time and eventually run aground in the shallows, forming a nice roosting spot for the aquatic birds.
I know it is there. I’ve seen it for many months.
But it almost never fails that, as I return home, deep in my meditations, I come upon this thing and it gives me a jolt.
“Mother of Spinach! That is one freaking big crocodile!” my mind says, in so many words. “Run, you fool!”
I quickly suppress the impulse to flee — the one all animals count on to survive as a species — and realize it is my old friend the log.
Just a log.
A log with two piercing eyes that probably glow red in the night, and scaly leather-like bark, and a snout. Who ever heard of a log with a snout?
Gets me every time.
Updated: Where were you when the lights went out?
Editor’s note: Updates on June 17 include new information on our electricity situation, the removal of some huge crocodiles and the launch of a new internet radio station in San Pedro, called “The Breeze.” How is that for newsy?
Now on to our story …..
Day three with no electricity.
I grow disoriented. Energy levels have dipped dangerously low. Isolation drops like a black curtain around me. There is no communication with the outside world. No stove, no microwave, no air conditioners, no WiFi, no TV — and as of today, no hot water.
I don’t know how much longer we can last. This may be the final message you receive from me, as it feels as if our oxygen supply has been cut off. Certainly the Internet has been cut off.
I … see … in the distance … a brilliant … white …. I …
No, wait. Never mind. Read the rest of this entry »
Bound for Belize 