DANGRIGA COMMERCIAL INVESTMENT IS UP ! - WHY?

DANGRIGA AROUSES DEVELOPMENT OPPTIMISM.

( I have no idea why?)

  My first overnight visit to Dangriga on the coast for decades, since my daughter and her kids were raised there.  My impression over 40 years, is that Dangriga is now DOUBLE the size it used to be in forty years.  That said, there is a tremendous amount of speculative investment going on.  The town is spreading Westward about a half a mile.  Lot of new merchandizing emporiums going up.  There is big investment by Chinese in super stores, restaurants and hotels. Two or three hostels, the prices seemed high to me, at $25 bz a night per person.  Hardware stores about three.  Caribbean Tire also.  A Cancer Clinic offering chemo therapy here and radiation in Guatemala City.  The population is still Carib dominated, but a growing variety of ethnic populations. Guatemalan, Chinese, Caucasian,   Smaller than the twin towns area where I live.  But a beautiful atmosphere with rural scents, activities and smells.
  I can only conclude they are investing for future expansion, but am at a loss to see where any industry is going to come from?  Fishing and citrus are the major contributors to the economy.  Minor tourism.  Nice place to settle on a retirement income.  I don't see any growth in any of those established industries.  More hotel choices; though I stayed in the, center at Riverside Hotel, where I last stayed maybe 50 years ago.  I finally found a Chinese restaurant open on a Sunday, everybody else was closed.  We had a delicious Vegetable Chow Mein.  For breakfast, nobody opened up early enough, seems like to serve breakfasts, but we passed a dingy hole in the wall Guatemala restaurant we first passed by and rejected. that was open, and desperate at 7 a.m. for an early breakfast.  Took a chance later and it worked out perfect. Across from First
Caribbean Bank.  Highly recommend it. Jueves Rancheros, with sour cream and cheese and beans, lots of thick flour tortillas, eggs, etc.  The lady said she was from the Peten, San Bernito.  We chatted and when she found out I was going for cancer treatment, she took 10 % off the bill and gave me change.  I was touched and we left her money and OUR tip when we left, on the table.  People were generally friendly.  You know the street drunks, and hustler types.  But most people were polite and anywhere we walked, we had to nod and smile, and say good morning to each person.  It was that kind of rural setting.
  The wife got interested in prices of houses.  For the sea breeze.  I'm not in the mood for that sort of thing right now.  Though my feelings after the first chemo treatment have raised my estimate of being alive in three months at 40% a month ago, to 50 % in five months now.  There was one point in the chemo, where the stuff they were giving me, hit the back of the mouth where a lot of pain has come from.  That went off like a bomb.  Have no idea what happened, it was inside the neck, but I sure felt it happen. Not having trouble swallowing today.  Got through the night with no pain pills, though the tumor seems as large as ever.