Belize
Belize City
Caye Caulker Island retreat.
July 9, in Hell!
Belize City on 10th
Placencia (later news)
Placentia Village, 11th July
Placentia Village, 12th July
Punta Gorda
On to Guatemala
Back to Mexico
Road map
Saturday, 1/7/200, Belize City, Belize
Am not sure when we might get on again as there is only one Internet place that we can use in Belize (and it is in a office equipment/bookshop) we're sitting in the corner of the shop on a terminal. Took 40 minutes to get a connection, so more difficult than Cuba, and only one computer terminal!!!!
Don't know when we will be able to get back on to give you info on the photos or even our commentary. We're really pleased that those films turned up. We sent another 4 rolls before Cuba and 3 rolls post Cuba. I only have one more bag to use, will have to get some sent somewhere.
Tomorrow we're off to the border area of Guatemala to do our eco-tourism bit.
The tourist board here has told us that they are not recommending travel in Guatemala but we've just checked the DFAT site and there are no further warnings from Australia.
We might go from San Ignacio, Belize into Guatemala to visit the Mayan ruins at Tikal - will see what happens when we get close to the border.
From there we will come back into Belize and head down south, by boat.
Our express bus from Mexico actually took 3 hours to go 169 kilometres!!
English speaking (so much for our Spanish) with friendly; expensive; hot and humid; interesting racial mix of european, african, maya, creole and everyone else; full of americans living in lotus land; lots of Belizeans who have been living in the USA returning home for their retirement - hence the accents; lots of american missionaries confusing the Maya people with the latest contradicting brands of protestantism (previously having had the RCs).
We came into Belize from Mexico (Friday 30th June) thru the sugar cane growing areas; very flat and uninteresting. Belize city is about the same population as Darwin but living in a smaller area. The town is built around the river and lots of canals. The houses are mainly wooden, double storeyed, very ramshackled and some at incredibly dangerous angles (complete with inhabitants).I think it is described as Caribbean style, some of the houses are on stilts and otheres painted in bright colours.
It reminds me a little of one of those old river towns in northern NSW.
The population is largely african, with european, maya, chinese and Lebanese.
I was surprised at the number of chinese living here - I gather the Chinese and Lebanese run most of the restaurants and retail businesses.
The town is not supposed to be safe but everyone seemed very helpful and looked out for us, so we had no bad experiences and thought the people great! Obviously a problem tho as all the houses had grills over the windows and even some of the shops had grills at the front and you asked for what you wanted from the street!
Back to guns in the banks too.
We did manage to go through all the correct immigration procedures between Mexico and Belize - we're learning!
Country was flat, mainly sugar cane.
Belize City is quaint, about the same population as Darwin but in a much smaller area.
The houses are mainly wooden, in a great state of disrepair and many have a very dangerous looking lean to them and still inhabited!! Reminds Moira a little of Fiji.
The river runs through the centre and the houses are built along canals. Very close quarters.
There is an interesting mix of people, more variety of ethnic mixes here and the language, although primarily English, is Creole and unintelligible, to me - think it must be very similar to the West Indies.
Yet again we're having trouble finding places to eat.
Hopefully will get back on in about 5 days.
Index..
Fri 7/7, Caye Caulker
Made it into town in time to catch a boat out to Caye Caulker, an island about an hour from Belise City.
Roads are sandy, the houses wooden and on stilts, some of them over the water. We thought this might be the place but not quite. Pleasant, quiet but no sandy beaches and the accommodation was basic but expensive.
As part of our educational experience we have been testing the rum produced by each country - first experimented with this in Cuba where the rum was cheaper than bottled water!! As we were going to our tropical island thought that we'd try the Belizean version - well!!!!!!!!!! couldn't get the glass to our lips it was so strong!!!!!!!!! We have managed to finish the bottle with the help of much pineapple juice!!!!!!!!!!!! Firewater!!!!!!!!!!!
Still no crab despite all the mangroves so we resorted to the less favoured lobster but we did have it with a delicious coriander pesto while sitting out over the water.
The highlight for me was a boat trip we did out to the reef with the Belizean equivalent of Jean Pierre (the keyboard here is crazy, can’t find half the functions and when I hit a key something else comes on the screen!!!!!). He has lovingly restored a boat and now he sails tourists to the reef and takes them swimming with sharks and manta rays.
He originally saved a shark that had been speared. It had babies while he was swimming with it some time later and then the babies had more babies so that now when he gets in the water the whole family comes to him and allows him to hold them and play with them a bit like dolphins. Quite weird!
It was an interesting experience as they swam around and with all of us. Australians don’t normally swim and play with sharks!!
The coral here is very disappointing. Much was destroyed with hurricane Mitch, but there are not a lot of fish either.
Index..
Sunday 9th
We actually got to watch the men’s finals of Wimbledon while having breakfast. That was another novelty as Wimbledon is usually a Sunday evening affair at home. I was wondering if Meg, a friend from work, was sitting up watching it in the wee hours of the morning while we breakfasted on the waterfront watching the same event!
We took the boat back to Belize City and decided that we would forgo a meal, save some money, and afford a more expensive hotel. That was fine for one night, but the second evening they were booked up except for a double bed room. I slept on the floor and didn’t sleep (!!!!), Moira froze with the airconditioning, and it was expensive too.
Index..
Monday 10th, Belize City
We took a tour out to a place north east of BC called Laminai where an American actress, Kelly Hogan, joined us. She was an interesting woman that was not the “usual” American.
We went by boat for an hour up through the jungle and plains and met some more spider monkeys, turtles, and a beautiful green iguana.
The Mennonites have a few farms up along the river. Apparently they are having problems due to inbreeding. There are so many Mennonite communities around the world that you’d reckon they might go out and find their spouses somewhere else!
I gather from the guide that most of the income in Belize is derived from their farms.
Laminai itself is another Mayan ruin. Chino our guide had some very interesting theories on the Mayas. Almost sounded like Von Danniken!! We also met a Mayan guide at the site who was very passionate about his people and is in the process of writing a book on Mayas.
It is interesting that there are so many ruins in Central America and still they don’t know a lot about the people and there’s lots of speculation it would seem.
Index..
Tuesday, 11th, Placencia
Bus south to yet another beach area, Placencia. It was a long hot and rough ride down through banana growing territory this time.
Placencia is an even smaller version of Caye Caulker. Only one road and otherwise a cement path which runs between the houses.
We found a place with rooms looking across the coconuts to the beach. There was a cabana with 6 hammocks on the beach and the place was very quiet.
It didn’t take us long to find the local shack producing bread and cinnamon buns, nor the laundry. Both houses were within a minute’s walk of our bedroom.
The owner, George, was a Belizean who had spent 25 years working in the USA. He then retired home and built his hotel. The rest of his family still live in the USA.
It’s interesting that half of Belize live in the USA and travel back and forwards to their little piece of paradise as often as they can.
They’re pretty laidback. I could see you here, George! No shoes George!! No bridges though, but plenty of fishing!
We were suffering so much we decided to stay a few days. The owner was quite sure that he would find us still there when he returned from the USA in a fortnight!!!
He was very relaxed, and we basically had the run of his living area and could use the kitchen whenever we wanted to make coffee, or heat up cinnamon buns.
We spent quite a bit of time in those hammocks drinking firewater and contemplating our navels.
The Internet cafe was where I last lost hours work. It was actually a large open sided cabana with thatched roof!!! We could write a story on the Internet cafes that we have used (and also their toilets).
Here we found a restaurant serving crabs claws!!! So guess what we ate for dinner.
Also tried another trip out to a coral island, Laughing Bird Caye. A little more coral and fish but nothing as spectacular as I have seen at home. The barbecue lunch was delicious tho; more lobster!!
We met another Aussie here. He was in the fishing business at Lizard Island, but now married to an American and living in Seattle. Randall was quite a character and he even knows someone that I know in Darwin; Ann Hirt. Anne’s husband runs Safaris out to Coburg. Small world!
Index..
Placentia Village, 11th July
We arrived here today after a 5 hour bone crushing ride by bus. It is a
quiet and remote seaside area just above the Guatemalan, Honduran, Belize borders. Funny little wooden houses, some brightly coloured, on stilts. I
gather one describes it as Caribbean style. We have a room and verandah overlooking the water, hammocks and cocnut trees. We might stay a few days.
The water is a little murky because of the weather, some rain and winds.
Saw Crabs claws on the menu at a local restuarant - guess what I'm having for dinner.
The photos George - I know one roll was taken from the train but have
also been aware of a little movement - maybe I'm just too old to have a
stedy hand these days - will try harder!!! Not taking nearly as many photos these days, running out of steam!
Index..
Placentia Village, 12th July
We have decided to extend our flight from Cosa Rica to Peru by one month and will need to do the same with the rest when we come to a town that has our airlines.
We are currently in Placencia and wishing for a capicinno and low and behold you can have one while you are on the net.
It's Moira's mum's birthday today.
Index..
Saturday 15th
Took a boat across the bay to Independence where we sat for a few hours waiting for a bus.
On to Punta Gorda, the furthest small town in the South of Belize. It’s another small town of wooden buildings in various states of disrepair. There is an odd collection of expat's there.
Organised a trip out to a Mayan village that entailed catching a bus out at 5am and then walking a few miles in at dawn. Even I, who hates getting out of bed early, have to admit it is a beautiful time of day.
More trips into the jungle for a cave visit and views.
More discussion on medicinal plants.
Each meal was taken with a different family so the money was spent around the village. Part of the cost is given to the village council for the school, health clinic etc.
I’m quite the oddity, as I don’t have children, don’t have long hair, not married etc. The kids thought that if I grew my hair I might have more luck!!!!!!
From Punta Gorda we took a boat across to Puerto Barrios.
Index..
