AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums About Belize History San Pedro 1978 1988

WOW, i hate the word envy, but i envy you. i am in houston just like you were. i need to be in san pedro!!!

Marty,

Love your web-site. Someone should have done this years ago, But I think people were trying to keep S.P. a secret. Well, now that the cats out of the bag, there are a few things I can tell you about how San Pedro was. At least from my perspective.
(More to come.)

SP-1978

I had splash-landed into SP in the summer of 77. I was a 16 YO much too big for San Pedro. I knew I would take a little getting used to.
Dad hadn't planned on us staying there. But he was looking for a place for us to settle after retiring from the State Dept of Corrections. Originally we were going to Costa Rica, but when we hit SP, well you know...

We put in at what at that time was the Paridise Hotel. It was on the north end of SP next to Milo Paz's spot. I stayed with the boat and Dad and my brother Ben went into town to get the keys to the house he had rented. As I was enjoing the nice cool ocean breeze and keeping the boat from bumping the dock, I saw this big Golden Lab bouncing up the pier my way. Behind him was John.

John was dark for a Sanpedreano, He told me he was the Maintance man for the hotel and asked me if this was my boat. I explaind to him Who we were and why we had docked there. He welcomed me and told me of a better place to tie up after we had some things unloaded. That's when I asked him about the dog. He said he was't really his dog, but Hefe' followed John pretty much wherever John went.

Hefe' also loved to wade in the shallows along the beach hunting crabs. I don't think he ever caught one but every once on a while he would come up with one pinching his lower lip. It was pure entertainment to watch Hefe' hunt crab and listen to the warm water lapp against the dock.

He was my first friend on Ambergris Caye.

Anyway, What does a transplanted Ca. boy DO in paradise???
I had about 3 months before school started, so I figured I would try to find a little work.
Milo Paz took pity on me and gave me a job tending his bar for a while, but when school started I had to quit. Milo was always cool with me. I think we had something in common..

keep it up bro. you tickle my heart.

Milo was a big man. More than just on the outside. What respected the most was that he was always trying to improve his s
spot. He was 6'5" and about 250 lbs. Build like a football player. I was about 6'6 so we did have something in common. We never had any problems. The real mind-blower was a Gringo running a local bar. The brits got a kick out of it. As did the locals. I't may also seem hard to believe, so I guess when you get down there just ask Milo for a referance. He'll remember me...

It wasn't unusual to see Fido sitting in his window just watching the world go by. "Stumbo, Why do you pack that guitar,
and I never here you play it" He asked. I told him I had to practice sometime, and do my home work. "But why do you call me "Stumbo". He went on to explain that Stumbo was a comic book character that all the children loved. I took it a a compliment and from then on every one forgot my name and just called me Stumbo the friendly giant.

Milo's was a local's hang-out for the most part. Alot of the brits stayed there, as at that time it was one of the only dinning room open. The food was good and the drinks were cheap. I liked the regulars and didn't have any problem opening bottles of Belikin and mixing Rum & Coke...What was the real mind-blower was a 16 (or was it 15 ?) yr.old tending bar. Well we're not in Kasas anymore Toto...

Was Belikin around then? When did it first appear?

Keep going Alan...intersting