Saying Goodbye, Part I: The Sea

We love so many things about Seattle and the Pacific Northwest--the Cascade and Olympic mountains, Puget Sound, and our wonderful community of friends and neighbors. We are trying to say goodbye (at least for a short while) to these facets of our lives here before heading south, and our first opportunity presented itself the weekend before last in the form of a sailing trip on board Tula, our friends' sailboat.

Brent, Heidi and Griffin are the former owners of our boat Raven, and they invited us to sail with them from Seattle to Friday Harbor on their new boat. We jumped at the chance. The weather was wonderful (even if the winds were not) and we had a sunny, relaxing passage from Seattle to Port Townsend. We spent the night at the Point Hudson Marina, where the three boys had a great time prowling the docks for sea life. We spent some of our time ashore exploring the town, and the next morning hauled the three crab pots we'd set on the way in to the marina. They were FULL of Dungeness crabs! We caught a total of 27, 12 of which were keepers. We had a smooth, but at times foggy, passage across the Straits of Juan de Fuca, but after transiting Cattle Pass, the skies cleared and we had a beautiful evening at anchor in Griffin Bay (which is, as you can imagine, a traditional anchoring spot for the crew of Tula).

The boys had a great time tidepooling during the extremely low tide we experienced. After a leisurely morning and afternoon, we sailed out of the bay and motored the rest of the way into Friday Harbor, my favorite town in the San Juans. We had a great time exploring the town, eating ice cream, and soaking in the sights of the harbor.

We had a great time with Brent, Heidi and Griffin, and hope to do it again next year!

Amy and Heidi, waiting to be seated for dinner in Port Townsend

Liam with the red rock crab he caught *with a net*

Amy releasing a sea star that found its way into one of the crab pots

The crabbing crew

A very happy Brent with an enormous Dungy

The boys hamming it up in the cockpit

At anchor in Griffin Bay

Yours truly piloting the dinghy to shore in Griffin Bay

One of the many interesting creatures the boys found on shore (I believe this one is a juvenile black prickleback)

The young naturalists

Griffin and Lochlan hoisting the mainsail

Liam and Lochlan on the bow

Brent and Heidi en route to Friday Harbor

Sorting out the Mail Situation

Today I signed up for mail forwarding at Dockside Solutions. This relatively new business provides PO Boxes, scans the front and back of your mail, makes the scans available online, then scans and/or forwards the mail at your discretion. They can also deposit checks at your bank!

Angela in front of the wall map. Each flag represents a customer--ours will be the first flag in Belize!

Angela, the owner, is very friendly and helpful. I highly recommend Dockside Solutions to anyone embarking on extended travels, a cruise, or temporarily moving abroad.

On the name of this blog

I chose the name of this blog primarily because it has a nice alliterative ring to it, and describes three features of Belize that succinctly encapsulate its appeal:  there are three species of toucans that live in the jungles of Belize (keel-billed, emerald toucanet, and the collared aracari); tarpons are a type of large fish that inhabit the flats and reefs of the Caribbean, and the temples refer to the numerous amazing structures built by the Mayans.

Emerald Toucanet peeking out of his nest cavity

Tarpons in the flats near Caye Caulker

The boys in front of Templo II (OK technically this is in Guatemala but there are similar temples throughout Belize)

We are Moving to Belize! Now, for the FAQs

We are a family of four from Seattle Washington and are moving to Belize in August 2013. This is where we will write about our experiences and post photos and videos for our friends, families, and anyone else interested in following along. 

We've told many people about our impending departure and expatriate status, and after an initial burst of excitement, the questions begin! Here are answers to some of the most commonly encountered questions. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

Why are you doing this? Why did you choose Belize in particular?
We are seeking adventure! We want to experience a different culture, live on an island in a tropical climate, see amazing wildlife, snorkel and sail in azure waters, and meet new people and make new friends. We are going to Belize in particular because it possesses all of these wonderful attributes, the people are friendly, it is a stable democratic country, it is relatively safe, and the time zone is only 1-2 hours ahead of Pacific time. 

Where exactly is Belize?
Belize is in Central America, south of Mexico and east of Guatemala, on the Caribbean Sea. 


How long will you be there?
We will be there about 10 months.

Where will you live?
We rented a house in the town of San Pedro on an island called Ambergris Caye. The island is located at the northern end of the barrier reef that runs the length of the country.

What will you DO there?
Matt will relocate his mapping business there and work with clients remotely. Amy will most likely volunteer at the Red Cross in San Pedro. 

Do you speak Spanish?
Not really, but we hope to learn! Fortunately, the official language of Belize is English (until 1981 Belize was known as British Honduras and was a British colony). However, Spanish is commonly spoken, as is creole and Garifuna in certain areas. 

Where will your kids go to school?
Our boys will be attending the Island Academy, a private secular school in San Pedro.

What will happen to your house?
We have rented our house for the duration of our stay to a wonderful couple relocating to Seattle. 

What will happen to your pets?
Fortunately, the renters are interested in getting chickens themselves (eventually), and agreed to look after ours as a sort of 'try before you buy.' Our cat will be staying with some extremely generous friends.

What will happen to your car? 
Gonna sell it!

What about health insurance?
We will carry catastrophic health insurance that (theoretically) will pay for medivac to the U.S. in the event of any serious medical issues, but otherwise, we will be participating in the Belizean health care system.