I’m not sure what day this was, but I do remember going there.

Spanish Lookout is a big Mennonite community not too far from us. The whole area looks like what I picture the midwest looking like, rolling green hills and farm fields. The Mennonites supply most of the country with dairy, poultry and some crops. Most of them have taken on the modern ways with trucks and machinery, but there is still a good percentage that stick to the old ways using horse and buggy.

Our first stop in Spanish lookout was Western Dairy. We stopped in for some ice cream that we had heard so much about. It was early, but who says you can’t have ice cream for breakfast? They had all your basic flavors plus some from local fruits such as Soursop, Craboo, Passion fruit and sweet corn.  I’m pretty sure we all opted for a flavor we knew, but next time we’re there I’m sure we’ll go for something a little different. Another item on their menu that intrigued us was deep fried cottage cheese cookies.  I think the general consensus was that they were good and could possibly use some type of dipping sauce, but nothing I think any of us would rush right back for.

After our breakfast we took a drive by one of the home builders that we had been to a few times before. From there it was off to the hardware store so that Jim could check it out.  Spanish Lookout has big hardware stores with just about anything you would need for any type of construction. The problem was that we got there right at noon, and most of them close their doors at noon for an hour so all the employees can have lunch.

There are a couple ways to get in and out of Spanish Lookout and most involve a river crossing. The most fun and interesting one I think is to take the hand crank ferry across the river. After all we drive across bridges all the time, how often do you get the chance to take your car on a ferry across the river? We pull up to the crossing and wait our turn then load the Jeep onto the ferry. Kelley and Mary Ann were required to get out of the back seat of the vehicle.  I guess that way if we just happened to roll off the edge someone would still be around to tell what had happened to us.

Now there were a couple of people on this ferry that are selling stuff to this very captive audience, after all we are on a very slow ride across the river. I think they just ride the ferry back and forth all day selling their stuff to anyone who isn’t a local. So Mary Ann ended up buying 3 ears of hot corn in a baggie and Kelley bought a slice of watermelon, what better souvenirs could you ask for.

Along the way we did stop at a wood carver that we had been meaning to stop at for some time now. There was a big carved toucan out front that caught our eye. It was over six feet tall and carved out of a single piece of mahogany. We were thinking this would be a great addition to our property once we got everything else in place. So then the big question, how much was it? The lady told us that they wanted $1,200 BZ ($600 US) for it, we didn’t think it was that bad considering it was one solid piece of mahogany. Maybe once we are all set up we will consider having him do a big carving for us.

After a day of of driving around it was time to head back towards San Ignacio then back into Bullet Tree where we were staying. Just across the low bridge going into San Ignacio is the open air market. A few months back when we were here they had just completed the new murals on the walls. This time they had put up a big new colorful sign welcoming you to San Ignacio.

Once we got to Bullet Tree we thought we should make a stop at Remo’s Roadhouse for a couple cold beers before heading back to our base camp for the evening. Remo’s always has the coldest beer around and serves it up in a zippered bottle coozie. I recommend stopping there if you are ever out that way.