When we moved into the camper a little over a month ago, we were still relying on the house at least for backup for things like hot showers, cooking in a pinch, laundry, and anything else that was difficult or even inconvenient in the camper. Our plan was to get a few last things done, and then take some two- or three-night jaunts to places we want to visit in Belize before we hit the road. Alas, like so many other things with this project, it wasn’t meant to be.
Instead, our first boondocking adventure in the camper was to the Pentagram parking lot on Forest Drive in Belmopan. We didn’t get any quiet or scenic beach or river views; instead, we got lots of 24 hour traffic over the speed bump right by the driveway, noise from the local watering holes, smoke from burning garbage, and what’s probably a pretty typical urban camping experience in Belize. However, we did discover that we can get comfortable hot showers in the camper bathroom, and the composting toilet works like a dream with no odors, and the kitchen is actually quite nicely designed and outfitted and is just fine for three meals a day for two people. We also found that Belmopan has some really nice neighborhoods, and a lot of attractive green space around the government buildings inside the Ring Road. The best part was that we had time to hang out with Belmopan friends that we frequently don’t see because they’re in Belmopan, and we’re normally allllll the way at the other side of Cayo closer to San Ignacio. So, while we were initially disappointed when Pentagram wanted the camper at their shop and we had to toss the dream of camping by the sea or a mountain waterfall, we really have no choice but to give our initial outing a pretty high rating.
Instead, our first boondocking adventure in the camper was to the Pentagram parking lot on Forest Drive in Belmopan. We didn’t get any quiet or scenic beach or river views; instead, we got lots of 24 hour traffic over the speed bump right by the driveway, noise from the local watering holes, smoke from burning garbage, and what’s probably a pretty typical urban camping experience in Belize. However, we did discover that we can get comfortable hot showers in the camper bathroom, and the composting toilet works like a dream with no odors, and the kitchen is actually quite nicely designed and outfitted and is just fine for three meals a day for two people. We also found that Belmopan has some really nice neighborhoods, and a lot of attractive green space around the government buildings inside the Ring Road. The best part was that we had time to hang out with Belmopan friends that we frequently don’t see because they’re in Belmopan, and we’re normally allllll the way at the other side of Cayo closer to San Ignacio. So, while we were initially disappointed when Pentagram wanted the camper at their shop and we had to toss the dream of camping by the sea or a mountain waterfall, we really have no choice but to give our initial outing a pretty high rating.
The heart of Belmopan has a lot of green space! We decided that since one of our trip goals is to visit the capitals of US states, it was only far to start with the capital of Belize.
This building houses the Belize Prime Minister’s office. It is one of many buildings in the Government Complex.
This is the Central Plaza of the Government Complex, with the National Assembly Building towards the back.
Our second unplugged boondocking adventure unexpectedly occurred immediately after leaving Belmopan. The morning of the day when Pentagram expected to finish, Tom woke up with a fever and flu-like symptoms. Because we had spent the previous six days working closely with the Pentagram crew and visiting friends, he decided the responsible thing to do was to get a covid test. The techs said he turned up the quickest positive result they’d seen in a while, lending new meaning to the “rapid” in rapid test. Even though I had no symptoms, I was tested too. After my rapid test was negative, I sprung for the PCR test as well, which was also negative. If nothing else, that was convenient because I was able to shop in good conscience and outfit the camper for a week of isolation.
After telling the Pentagram crew of Tom’s test results, and contacting everybody we’d been in contact with for the previous few days, we packed up and headed back to the farm, where Jon said we could park in the yard and isolate in the Plague Mobile. That’s what we’ve been doing since Tuesday, and so far I’m asymptomatic, and nobody Tom was in contact with has become ill. And, Tom is back to feeling pretty much normal, so we’re just waiting out the week.
During this stint, we’ve added laundry to our boondocking resume, which was the last thing we’ve been doing with house support. The effort wasn’t entirely smooth since the washer wouldn’t initially run from the camper’s inverter, but after doing some trial and elimination tests, Tom determined that the problem was in the electric line to the outlet, not in the inverter. We also discovered that for full loads the washer uses approximately 35 gallons of water, which means that two loads is the max we can do with full water tanks. So, we won’t be doing laundry unless we’re near a good water supply, although we were super happy with how the solar kept up with both the washer and the water pump. The batteries never dipped below 100%, even with fans and the refrigerator running at the same time.
After telling the Pentagram crew of Tom’s test results, and contacting everybody we’d been in contact with for the previous few days, we packed up and headed back to the farm, where Jon said we could park in the yard and isolate in the Plague Mobile. That’s what we’ve been doing since Tuesday, and so far I’m asymptomatic, and nobody Tom was in contact with has become ill. And, Tom is back to feeling pretty much normal, so we’re just waiting out the week.
During this stint, we’ve added laundry to our boondocking resume, which was the last thing we’ve been doing with house support. The effort wasn’t entirely smooth since the washer wouldn’t initially run from the camper’s inverter, but after doing some trial and elimination tests, Tom determined that the problem was in the electric line to the outlet, not in the inverter. We also discovered that for full loads the washer uses approximately 35 gallons of water, which means that two loads is the max we can do with full water tanks. So, we won’t be doing laundry unless we’re near a good water supply, although we were super happy with how the solar kept up with both the washer and the water pump. The batteries never dipped below 100%, even with fans and the refrigerator running at the same time.
Since saying what our plans are seems to do nothing but dare the gods to defy us, I hate to say this…but right now our plans are to use the next few days to get ourselves packed and ready to go, and as soon as Tom’s week is up and I’m sure I’m okay, we will probably take care of the last few administrative things we need to get done here in Belize, and head for Mexico. But stay tuned; everything could change in the next five minutes.