When a great man dies, for years the light he leaves behind him, lies on the paths of men.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Six days has passed and it still does not seem real. On Saturday, May 5th, on the morning of the “super moon”, Raul’s wife, Luisa called to say that they were rushing him to the hospital, it appeared that he had a heart attack. After trying to revive Raul, the doctor’s could do no more and with a very sad heart, we have to say that Raul passed away on May 5, 2012.
Raul was one of the good guys! If you know him, fished with him or just heard about him, you will know that Raul was special – always upbeat, always a smile and always willing to learn and try anything. He has worked at Belize River Lodge for 22 years, with the last 20 as a guide. He was very young, only 40, so he started his carrier as a guide early in life. Raul was born and raised in Orange Walk, with little sea coast. He used to tell us that he would go down to the New River as a boy and catch fish to bring home to eat. When Raul started working at the Lodge at the age of 18, he was very interested in the how’s and why’s of guiding. He spoke with many of the older BRL guides and picked up as much as he could on the “when’s” to fish for which species, the flies or lures that are best and so on. With training on boating and marine life and currents, Raul quickly picked up the necessary tools of being a fishing guide and became one of the best in Belize.
Raul was well liked and respected by his family, his BRL family and by the many guest’s whose lives he has touched. Below are a few excerpts from e-mails sent to us by a few of Raul’s friends . . .
