SHOE REPAIRING IN BELIZE DIES OUT!

SHOE REPAIR A DYING BUSINESS IN BELIZE

Francisco Margoe is 73 years old. He has been in the main section of San Ignacio Town for the past twelve years carrying on his trade of repairing shoes. Before that he used to repair shoes for the previous 18 years in the port town of Belize City on the coast. With the advent of Chinese manufacturing, excess inventory of shoes and clothes, the one thing that the world does not need anymore, is individual sewing seamstress's or shoemakers/repairers. Far as I know in my memory and I am 71 years old, Francisco here must be the last of his breed. Most of the shoes he repairs come from visiting Guatemalans from across the border. Guatemala makes shoes, but reputedly of poor quality. I do not know of another shoe repairer working in Belize? In my youth there were at least a dozen, but they have died out.

FALCONVIEW HOSTEL REVIEW by travel writer.

We got a nice review sent to us from an overnight guest and photographer/writer. We mostly deal with overnighters between Guatemala and Belize and adventurers taking local tours and expeditions on a budget. We get mostly girls as they like the safety aspects of our place.

Santa Elena Town, Cayo District, Belize: Falcon View Hostel

Last night I stayed at the Falcon View Hostel in Santa Elena Town, Cayo District, Belize. Overall it was a pleasant stay with good conversation. The Falcon View Hostel is located a bit off the beaten path in a small community about 3/4 mile down a gravel road. It was quite and safe. I paid $11.000 USD plus tax. The total was just under $12.00 USD altogether.

This is a tiny little eight bed hostel has a community kitchen, dining, and living area, and community bath and showers. The kitchen is fully furnished with small separate dinner tables to accomodate separate parties, two burner stove, and refrigerator. The kitchen was kept very clean. I don’t think they serve any meals here on a regular basis so you are on your own. A cab ride into town can cure that problem.

The wash room has two sinks, four toilets, and four showers. The showers are small and there is no hot water. However, cold water is not cold here in Belize at least in my opinion. There is not much privacy in this room but once again very clean. I was given a clean bath towel, blanket, and wash cloth when checking in. Bring your own shampoo and soap.

The domitory is small and simple but once again clean. There are four bunkbeds each one having a mosquito net over it, very handy. The beds are small but firm covered with linens, sheets, and a pillow. I’m 5′8″ tall and I had enough room but if you’re over 6′ tall you might be a bit cramped. On a side note, I do remember seeing small keyed lockers for your valuables.

The living area had a couple of hammocks with a couple of chairs and a small table. It’s sparsely furnished but does have a TV with cable and DVD player. There are board games and plenty of interesting books available. Ray and Silva have authored several of the books. One book of particular interest to me was titled “An Early History of Belize” published in 1996 by the owners. Overall, this is a great place to stay with a very very comfortable atmosphere. Tours are available for the area on a daily basis.

Regards,

Benedict Kim

www.esotericvision.com

wibelize.com