I woke up early yesterday to take a bus to Belize City. "I'll see the sights," I thought. I didn't have any illusions about it being a gleaming, beautiful city or anything, but as soon as I disembarked from the bus, I wished I'd stayed in San Ignacio for those extra hours. The 10 blocks from the bus station to the swing bridge were long and sketchy, with me enduring random bike-by commments from lascivious teenage boys. "I'm twice your age," I wanted to tell them.) A soused old man tried to hit on me at the library; maybe he was intrigued by my choice of Pale Fire? I relay these things not because I think I'm hot stuff, but because the culture was so different in the city than it was in Cayo.
I'd hoped to go to the Museum of Belize, but it's closed on the weekends, so I wound up sitting by the sea and writing instead. And it's actually a good thing that I didn't go to Ambergris Caye after all; the more I read about it, and after seeing the awful tourist tchotchkes for sale in Belize City (beer cozies, etc.), I realized that I would probably be happier at the relatively low-key and unspoilde Caye Caulker. Next time.
Now I am back home, surrounded by laundry and sporting the closest thing to a tan that I've had in 15 years. Truthfully, I would rather be back in Central America, even with the mosquitoes and flooding and terrifying SNAKES that lurked unseen.
I'd hoped to go to the Museum of Belize, but it's closed on the weekends, so I wound up sitting by the sea and writing instead. And it's actually a good thing that I didn't go to Ambergris Caye after all; the more I read about it, and after seeing the awful tourist tchotchkes for sale in Belize City (beer cozies, etc.), I realized that I would probably be happier at the relatively low-key and unspoilde Caye Caulker. Next time.
Now I am back home, surrounded by laundry and sporting the closest thing to a tan that I've had in 15 years. Truthfully, I would rather be back in Central America, even with the mosquitoes and flooding and terrifying SNAKES that lurked unseen.
The border crossing between Belize and Guatemala is simple and unimposing: The road ends, you park your car, then you walk into the Belize building, get stamped, then do the same in Guatemala. (Surprisingly, the Guatemalan facilities are more modern and upscale than those in Belize.) After crossing, we stopped at a food stand to exchange money and to grab a simple breakfast. I had beans and cheese and Gatorade; the mixture didn't sit well, but it didn't exactly upset me, either.
Today I was supposed to go to Ambergris Caye, a resort-y, touristy island. That plan changed thanks to a tropical storm that's forming, so I'm staying in San Ignacio instead. The odd thing is, I'm not disappointed at all. Part of that contentment is due to being able to spend more time with someone I've grown terribly fond of, but the remainder is just a genuine appreciation for the people here. They are uniformly friendly. This is the first trip I've taken that hasn't made me homesick for the cats. That seems silly, but it's progress.
Today I was supposed to go to Ambergris Caye, a resort-y, touristy island. That plan changed thanks to a tropical storm that's forming, so I'm staying in San Ignacio instead. The odd thing is, I'm not disappointed at all. Part of that contentment is due to being able to spend more time with someone I've grown terribly fond of, but the remainder is just a genuine appreciation for the people here. They are uniformly friendly. This is the first trip I've taken that hasn't made me homesick for the cats. That seems silly, but it's progress.
...in San Ignacio, Cayo, Belize. It's taped to the wall and it says GLOBAL "CRISIS" NEWS UPDATE SEPT/OCT 08 . Here's the last graf:
Crazy type treatments + 2012 mention = wryly amusing to me.
"Watch the alternative news folks. Move fast & prepare. Rumor has it space brothers are coming 10/14/08? as many predict (see trendsresearch.com, worldnetdaily.com). In 2009 the USA will collapse & the world will go into a worse great depression. We must not depend on a system that is quickly failing. We must learn commual living with a new bartering system & become more self-sufficient in growing food, alternative energy, recycling & in making & trading our own products to survive! From my new book "New Earth Survival #2, Revelation for 2012." -- Rev. Joshua
Crazy type treatments + 2012 mention = wryly amusing to me.
