Day 34- San Ignacio Market

Everyone was getting up early and I thought I was missing something.  Worried that I was already supposed to be up- we were moving and we were going to town after all, I still continued to snooze until the very late hour of 7:30.  I finally got up when other people started coming into my room other than the ones who stayed there.  I did the sit on the edge of my bed and look spacey until Elle asked what was up and then I managed to convince my body to try to look awake.  I packed up what I could into my luggages and then the rest in bags and plant presses and my plant drier stuff in a bucket.  So, I was set to go- only about 10 items to drag downstairs and to Dr. L's car.  I didn't manage to load it all and I carried some over to one of the new huts while the other 2 we would be moving into later were cleaned along with our old rooms.

Dr. L drove us to the gas station up the road from Banana Bank and then we waited at the bus stop for about 1/2 hour until it came by.  Then, we traveled about an hour to San Ignacio.  The first stop was the market and I ended up staying with Steve and Hannah and we convinced one of the vendors to make us a cheese and beans fried patty instead of including meat.  It was delicious.  I found an Asian booth and bought tofu- except it is frozen fried so I am not sure what I will do with it, but, we will see.  We wandered around town and ran into Bob again (recall Guatemala) at his shop and I managed to find some instant dinners (canned and ramen) for the times I refused to order meals from Banana Bank.  Hannah and I had frozen lattes in a little cafe overlooking part of the city.  It is run by a guy who is from Boston originally but hated the snow so he moved to Belize.  We met up with the rest of the group and proceeded to talk to Bob some more.  I also ended up having food at a random Italian restaurant owned by a European couple with a little girl about 7 or so.  It was good and I finished it up as supper.  Steve and I bought 5 mangoes for a dollar ($.50 USD) and we had one over supper.  It wasn't exactly all the way ripe, but, it was still very good.  Steve and I walked home from the banana bank turnoff on the road (a little over an hour) and it went well- no nasty mosquitoes to speak of.

I moved into our new hut- and it is really neat.  I get a whole area to myself, complete with another full-size bed and area to put all my stuff in.  Unfortunately, there was no outlet except for in the bathroom.  So, my plant press moved, but, no worries- it is all totally safe!  My bed has a boxed mosquito net around it instead of the hanging one of before that was easy to get tangled in.  So, I can't wait for the freedom to move and not create a gape in my netting.  There is no Internet over there though.  So, I am currently sitting in the office using the Internet while Steve attempts the desk computer.  Hopefully, the Internet holds for a bit!  Another relaxing day tomorrow and then lab day on Monday.  I am hoping everything I have dries correctly so I can take it in to the ag office and have it approved mid-week.  Cross your fingers that none of my diagnostic specimen have mold, mildew or pests!!!