So, there were a few things I did in between the time from my last blog and my time in Belize, but I´m just too far behind and that´s far too much work, so I´ll just say it was fun and leave it at that. Now on to Belize!
After 7-some weeks in México, I decided it was time for a change of scenery, Belizean style. Even though I was still quite far from the border, and hadn´t even yet touched the Yucatán, I had some relatives staying at a classy Belizean resort and just couldn´t pass up the opportunity to see some familiar faces and cash in on a bit of luxury. So I set sail from the ruins of Palenque on a 20 hour journey to meet them.
I arrived at the border town of Chetumal at 5am, after taking a wonderfully over air-conditioned nightbus. I had heard through the travellers´ grapevine that the first bus heading into Belize left at 5:30am, so I thought my timing was perfect. What I hadn´t heard was that bus service was practically non-existent or at best, highly erratic, on Sundays (which it just happened to be). My intention was to cross the border early enough to make the 7am boat from Corozal, the town just on the other side of the border, to the island my relatives were on. This way I could get there early in the day, with minimal hassle, and most importantly, avoid spending time in Belize City, notoriously dangerous and sketchy. However, this didn´t work out, as usually happens when trying to follow any sort of ´plan´ (I hate plans). After waiting on the side of the road for 2 hours, the bus finally did show up, at 7am, meaning I clearly missed the boat - speaking both figuratively and literally. Therefore, this left me with no other choice but to travel all the way into Belize City and catch a boat from there, while trying not to get robbed or assaulted. Okay.
Crossing the border was astonishingly easy - the only question the guard asked of me was how long I planned to stay in the country. After I answered that I wasn´t sure, I was met with the response, ¨have a great vacation, mon¨ and he stamped me into the country. I decided right then that I already liked this country.
It took about 4 hours to reach Belize City (BC), and on the way there I was amazed at the difference something as intangible as a border can make. It was clear from the first footstep I took into Belize that this was a much different place than México. I could distinguish marked differences in the style of houses and architecture, the ethnic make-up of the people and the cuisine, among other cultural indicators. As it quickly became evident to me, Belize is first and foremost Caribbean, not Latin American.
When I made it to BC it was everything I expected it to be: an extremely sketchy, run down shithole of a city. Walking from the bus terminal to the marina was one of the edgiest moments of my life, and I was on full guard the whole time, constantly scanning my surroundings and watching out for potential muggers. While it only took 15 minutes, it felt like an hour and I´ve never felt so much relief to arrive somewhere as I did when I got to the marina. Once there, I made the mistake of trying to venture out to find some food and came across two guys in the midst of a vicious fight. I had just turned around to head back to the marina when one of them pulled out a knife. I made it back in less than a minute. I stayed put there until my boat left, and happily said a big ´peace out´ to BC for the time being. Up next: some much needed R´n´R, beach resort-style!
Although I was well past the 1pm time set to meet my relatives, luckily they were still there, waiting patiently for me at the docks. After having been on the road alone for 2 months, it was so welcoming to see some friendly faces. My guard suddently dropped and I immediately felt at ease. When we got to the resort (after traveling in style in a rented golf cart) and they showed me where I would stay for the next five days, I broke out into a huge smile and couldn´t contain my pleasure. A clean bed! A private kitchen! Hot water! Luxuries that already seemed so foreign. Plus a private deck with a Caribbean view. It was all so worth rushing to get there.
The time I spent with them was pretty incredible - lots of snorkling, visiting and above all, tons of relaxing. My favourite part came on my second day there - we off-roaded it in the golf cart to the far north tip of the caye, through some pretty rough terrain to a beautiful beach surrounded by immaculate coral. (After that journey, I have a newfound respect for golf carts and what they can endure). We spent the day there, alternating between snorkling and drinking beer. It was great.
When the time came for them to go back home and for me to continue on with my journey, I was really sad - not just that my fling with comfort was over, but to say goodbye to them. A few days with family (or friends) can mean a lot when you´re alone for long periods. But, despite the pangs of sadness, I was just so happy to have had the opportunity and I kept that thought in my mind as I bid them farewell and left for the next leg of my trip.
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