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For the last two nights, we’ve been telling you about Santa Cruz, Orange Walk, a small village that sits on the border with Mexico. Santa Cruz is also at the edge of what is known as Albion Island – a 12 mile strip of land in Northwestern Orange Walk District that is encircled by the Hondo River. It is literally an island – which is properly called an “eyot” because this island is in the middle of a river, not the sea. And while Santa Cruz is at the western edge of the island formation – the village of San Antonio sits at the eastern edge – which is the entrance to the Albion Island. Our news team was passing through on Saturday, when we saw the strangest thing on the river: a boat that’s actually, a house. You’ll have to see it to understand.

Jules Vasquez Reporting,
If you see something that looks like an ark coming down the Belize River – be not alarmed – it is not the second coming of the great flood and this strange boat house is not Noah’s latest digs. The strange looking boathouse is the idea of retired peace core volunteer and Texan Rod Rylander and it’s called the Ark of Albion.

Rod Rylander,
“I wanted to have a place to live and I wanted to start an educational center for tourists so I built this boat as an educational center and downstairs you have to have a caretaker. Of course I would be the caretaker and I would have a place to live.”

And this is where he lives, Spartan accommodations but reasonably comfortable and spacious. But this is not just a house, the designer says it is a multi purpose space and Rylander explained the big idea.

Rod Rylander,
“People here want a tourist destination. To have a tourist destination you need a catalyst, you need something that will get everybody together and this is one reason why I decided to get this boat built. It is the only place I know of in Belize that has a navigable river, has a nice river park, and has a regular bus service and is smaller than 500 people.

We’ll have dining down the river, it is the only place in Belize I know where you can take a slow quiet movement down the river while enjoying a three course meal.”

I didn’t get any three course meal on my short spin but it was surely enjoyable. Propelled by nothing more than two slight solar powered electric trawling motors that make no noise at all – we moved at a leisurely pace along this wide branch of the Hondo. It was a pleasant experience, with the cool, clear weather and the river, as the song says, “deep and wide, taking us on its back for a ride.” It is a place and a pace for dreamers – and from what we saw Rod Rylander is surely one of them. He admits his plans amount to a river-boat reverie.

Rod Rylander,
“All my life has been harebrained. I have had 12 careers, very successful careers in my life, and I have gone either published stuff in it or being recognized in it or somehow I have made money in it, somewhere I have gone to the top. So my family is very used to me going jumping off in deep water and learning how to swim. They weren’t too amazed, they said he has gone on to one of his wild schemes again.”

And that’s pretty much what the villagers of San Antonio said when he came with the project.

Jules Vasquez,
“How did the villagers here in San Antonio react when you told them I want to build a house boat and I will live on the river? How did the villagers react?”

Rod Rylander,
“They thought I was crazy and there was a lot of resistance here but now it has changed because they can see wow it is floating and they see the potential. We can do it.”

And they did – the river-boat-house was designed built in a village not known for its sea or river faring ways. And that’s the kind of serendipity or dumb luck this developer hopes he can use to transform this village he’s fallen in love with.

Rod Rylander,
“There’s no place like this in Belize where I know of, where a person can come and find something they are going to enjoy.”

Rylander says what he calls the first Market and action day will happen on March 6th. He says there will be canoe rides, dominoes, volleyball, and other activities including of course, rides on the Albion Ark.