We had another nice (free) breakfast at the GVH. I noticed the imprint on the back handle of my spoon: FLING EAGLE MACE IN CHINA There was a flying eagle picture in the middle of the words.
We relaxed in our room and then checked out at about 10:30 a.m. On the way into Belize City, we stopped at the best grocery we found, a big, modern store called Brodies. It was similar to a Fred Meyer, with all the grocery, non-food, clothing, hardware, etc. that you could want. Depending on the item, the price could be reasonable or high. It was the only large building we entered that was completely air conditioned. I saw one employee with her arms under her apron, trying to keep warm! There appeared to be nice apartments near the store, with a gated entrance. It's one of the few areas in the city that felt comfortable and safe to us.
We drove around Belize City a little, then found HL's Burger and stopped for lunch. Two cheeseburgers and one fry order came to $12.50 BZ. It was a slightly scary location and a small, run-down joint, but the food was awesome, much better than US fast food! The burgers had a rich, sausage-like flavor and the buns were fresh and made locally. The fries were crisp and slightly sweet. It was interesting – Dean saw the gal take the burgers out of the pop machine. I guess that serves as an all-purpose cooler! She also grabbed a couple plastic forks, rinsed them off, then handed them to us. We decided not to use them. Some adorable schoolgirls in uniform came in briefly. All schoolchildren seem to wear uniforms there, each school used unique colors.
Next we kept driving and found the Ford George Lighthouse area. We sat in the sun for a little bit. We're both very anxious to get home! The trip was over at this point and we wanted to see our kids right then! Dean was also a bit nervous to get checked in at the airport. We drove the scenic route to Ladyville and returned the Trooper. We nicknamed it the “Trooper in a Stupor” because it had no power, particularly when it came to passing on the highway. We got all checked in at the airport, choked at the $35.50 US we each had to pay as exit tax, and settled in the terminal to wait the 1½ hours until it would be time to board the plane. It was nice and cool at least!
Miscellaneous Memories: Several times we saw an adult riding a bicycle with a child sitting in front of them on the bar (perhaps with a special little seat?)
Many people riding motorcycles while doing other things (eating, dialing a cell phone, carrying things) and none wearing a helmet.
Truckloads full of people sitting or standing in the back, driving fast.
Crazy driving, passing, recklessness. Multiple cars passing at the same time, passing in all kids of conditions, etc. I don't think there is a driving test in Belize...
Those crazy speed bump and pedestrian ramps!
The coastal areas are far more humid-feeling than inland, but they also seem to have better, more consistent breezes.
Small restaurants and shops were everywhere. Many roadside fruit stands. Almost everyone is selling something to try to make a living or supplement their income.
Don't judge a business by its appearance.
Don't judge a road by the first few miles – you never know what is beyond. A rough, dirt road can lead to something very nice.
Don't take hotel amenities for granted. In Belize, we usually did without Kleenex, washcloths, white towels (old, gray ones are the usual), a separate hand towel, the ability to flush the toilet paper, lots of water pressure, bathroom fan, phone in the room, and drinkable water.
Smile, say hello, and strike up a conversation with people. They all have a story and interesting things to share.
We slept well last night, got ready, and ate breakfast at The Aguada again. Dean's American Breakfast was $7.50 BZ – toast with (garlic?) butter, jam, two eggs, meat. I had a Belizean Breakfast Burrito - $9 but big and delicious! We packed up and checked out. The resident rottweilers were chasing frogs in the pond. We got a great rate at The Aguada - $48 / night + 9% tax – 15% discount. The only downer was that we didn't realize we were being charged $2.50 each per day for drinking the coffee that sat out in the dining room!
We saw some horses playing under the palms on the way towards Spanish Lookout.
Back in Washington State, we're used to poplar trees lining orchard land. In Belize, you can use palm trees for that!
We had a very nice lunch with John & Judy Banman. We were served a typical Belizean meal with some delicious sides: chicken, rice and beans, cucumbers in a nice dressing, homemade cottage cheese. They have a very nice house with many modern pieces of furniture, lights, fixtures, etc. The woodwork in their house and deck was beautiful. The home isn't completely finished, but it already looks great! Their two daughters are adorable; they only speak German, though, because they won't learn English until they attend school. John repairs car A/C systems and is also a photographer. Dean drooled over his Canon 50D (and 30D). He makes money taking passport photos. They have modern computer equipment and A/C in the photo studio. John showed us some of his family and nature photos – very nice. While chatting after lunch, John received a text message on his cell from an employee and sent back an answer before we realized it. As Dean and John talked about challenging A/C repairs, a VW bug was brought up as an example, and Judy confessed she'd like to have one. We told both the Banmans and the Reimers about Leavenworth.
Here's a picture of that beautiful type of tree again. It's called a Flamboyant or Royal Poinciana.
After lunch, we stopped briefly at Camp Camalote to say goodbye to Nathan, Ginger, and kids. I had been wearing a skirt and blouse whenever we were with the Mennonites, so I took the opportunity to change while there. Nathan joked that I was changing out of my “Christian clothes” and getting into my “sinner clothes”, a tank top and capris, in this case.
A sign in Belmopan that we chuckled at:
We stopped at the Art Box gift shop and finished our list (and then some)! Next we headed down Hummingbird Highway, which was stunning. Dense foliage borders the road. Here and there are For Sale signs, meaning you can buy your own little piece of jungle, I guess! We had hoped to see the Blue Hole, but the attendant said it was more green that day. It was getting late in the afternoon and Dean was tired and anxious to get to our hotel back near the airport, so we just turned around and headed back. There were probably more beautiful views up ahead on the highway, but alas... The picture shows a bus with its back door wide open!
We stopped outside Belmopan and got ice cream bars and a bag of fried plantains for a total of $5.75 BZ. The plantains tasted a lot like potato chips. Dean said they tasted “amazingly not like bananas”!
Here is a picture of a dump. As usual, the philosophy for unwanted things is to burn them!
We made good time to the Global Village Hotel. The staff were the sweetest! We discovered our room already had an occupant – a cute little lizard. I heard they are good to have around to eat bugs...
Dinner was scrumptious! For $31 BZ, they cooked up sweet & sour chicken with salad, fries, and a Coke for Dean. The sauce was vinegary, and each item was separate on his plate. Ginger had noted that sweet & sour is always with fries in Belize, many times on the top! I had fabulous pork chow mein and a Sprite. We chatted a little with the wife who helps run things around the hotel. They are from Taiwan.
Here is a tribute to all that the two of us drank in a day:
When flipping through the channels, we came across one playing “Little Women”. We saw a flicker, then the word “Play” came on screen. They were broadcasting a VHS or DVD! Another channel shows movies that are still in the theater...
We started the day with an American-style breakfast at the Aguada: about $15 BZ total. It was very good!
The service at the Spanish Lookout Mennonite Church began at 9:00 a.m. and we made it just in time. Women sat on the right, men on the left. We found the computer monitors so we could follow along hear and there as the translation was typed. A few hymns were in English, some familiar, from their “Christian Hymnal” They also had a German hymnal; I recognized the tune to one of the German hymns! All the singing was acapella. The devotional and messages from the two guest speakers were mostly in German, but they occasionally read a story in English. The first guest speaker, from Nova Scotia, was one of the Mennonite people we saw at DFW and on our flight into Belize! There was a clock right above the pulpit on the back wall, and many Mennonites wore watches. Up until that point, I had seen very few clocks in Belize! There was no A/C in the church, but lots of fans (which they turned off whenever they opened up the service for sharing from the congregation), a nice sound system, and hearing devices available. At a specific time after the devotional, when the teachers got up to head back to Sunday School, then sections of children left in groups. If we could have understood German, we would have heard the cues, but how they knew when to get up seemed a bit mysterious to us at the time! They all came back later in the service. Once the service was over, everyone exited quietly but lingered on the patio for fellowship. We received two offers for lunch that day, and one for lunch the next day! We accepted Peter & Esther Reimer's invitation that day. They have four children who are very nice and quiet. Esther's sister was also there, she was finishing teaching a semester in Spanish Lookout, then returned to Nova Scotia where she teaches in a deaf school. We had a delicious meal of rice and beans, gravy, salad (coleslaw), chicken, and rolls, with homemade cookies for dessert. We had a nice talk. After lunch, Dean helped Peter with his computer internet problems. (Having BTL for an ISP seems to create frequent problems, getting to certain sites can be challenging at least.) I helped dry dishes with the ladies. In addition to Peter's pastorate, bookstore, and tours, the Reimers also have milk cows, butcher hens, laying hens, and a garden. They have a nice house, full with all six of them. They have electricity, two chest freezers, a refrigerator, a small oven/gas range, a nice bathroom, no A/C, no dishwasher.
Dean talked a lot about America and technical advances, both in the present and future. Everyone says we are very wise to be visiting Belize as we consider a possible move. We took our leave at about 2:00 p.m. There was a wedding at the church at 2:30 that we were invited to attend, but we opted not to.
I really wanted to visit Xunantunich, but the hand cranked ferry to cross the Mopan River closed at 4:00 p.m. So we drove through San Ignacio, Benque Viejo, to the Guatemala border (pictured at right), and back. The river was a place to play, do the laundry, and wash the car. We saw a man walking his bike and leading a horse along the side of the road (we had seen a boy doing this before). We stopped at Benny's for dinner and it was nice. If we hadn't heard that it was a good place, we never would have made a point of finding it! We had to wind our way through tiny side streets, following little signs. At one point, we had to stop and wait for some police action to be resolved ahead of us. The hauled a man off in the back of the police pickup. (At least these cops had a ride; apparently many are on foot and have to hitchhike just to get back home.) Dean told me to take a picture, and just as I did, the cop glared back at us. For a split second we thought we might get in trouble, but he turned back to get into the truck.
Loose chicks and dogs wandered in and out of Benny's. They had a trampoline in the back as part of a play area. I can only imagine the fuss that would raise back here in the states! A band was practicing nearby, so we had nice music to eat by. It cost about $24 BZ for good food and Cokes. As a side note, the waiters didn't hold plates until all the orders were ready – so far most restaurants brought out whichever one was ready first.
Many stores close on Sundays.
We began to think that our next step should be participating in a mission team to Belize. January or February would be great! : ) Because we avoided the cayes and other big tourist spots, we never got a romanticized, tropical paradise impression of Belize. Don't get me wrong, it is beautiful, in a suffocatingly hot and humid way! But to move there? We would need God's specific leading and a source of income – support as missionaries or ?? It seemed challenging to make a living in Belize. We would miss family terribly, have to give up a lot, and endure the heat.
After relaxing in our room (and watching “Get Smart”), we had some chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream at the Aguada's restaurant. ($4 BZ each) Yum! We soaked our feet in the pool afterwards and watched the frogs nearby (and a local cat). Geckos hung our near our room each night.
Dean though he felt a quake around 11:15 p.m. that night. I though I heard something about it on the news on the radio the next morning – a 5.3?
Dean (and consequently I) didn't sleep as well last night. The air conditioner in the room was very noisy. We had seen nearly constant lightning in the distance the evening before and during the middle of the night it dumped rain, and Dean heard some thunder. We awoke to a beautiful, sunny morning though! There was a pond outside our room where we watched iguanas, frogs, and birds. The Aguada had coffee sitting out in the restaurant – yay! I took a picture of their hibiscus hedge to remind me how well they do in their native environment. I have a scraggly little one at home that would have been thrilled if we could have dropped it off in Belize!
We planned to meet Nathan and Ginger at about 11 a.m. at the Golden Corral German buffet in Spanish Lookout. We drove into San Ignacio first since we had time. We discovered the one-way bridge by coming at it the wrong way, so we turned around and headed east. We stopped at the Orange gift shop...we were still searching for a few gifts.
We headed to Spanish Lookout early to look around. We easily found the Golden Corral. We kept driving and stopped at a bookstore. God had led us to the lead pastor of the Mennonite Church, who also runs the bookstore and is a tour guide. We spoke with Pastor Peter Reimer for some time. Many Mennonites have several things going to diversify their income. He acknowledged that it would be difficult to just up and move to Belize and somehow make a living. His bookstore is impressive – textbooks, a large variety of Christian books, toys, stickers, clothing, etc. We found out the time and location of the Sunday service, and he said we would be welcome to attend.
Motorcycles were definitely the vehicle of choice! Our friends were running late, so we stopped at the Farmer's Trading Center, which turned out to be the most modern grocery store we had seen yet in Belize. It had computerized checkout registers, a cooler room for veggies, bread, chocolate, etc., and a better selection of gift items that said “Belize” that we had found yet in our price range. They had many familiar products: Skippy PB, Cheerios, you name it. Like always, imported stuff cost more, local things were reasonably priced. The Mennonite clerks were very friendly. I hadn't had much milk lately, so I bought a single-serve bottle. Ginger had mentioned that some Belizean stores turn off their coolers at night, but I hoped this was a safe place to get some milk from!
Spanish Lookout is a beautiful area with cows and horses grazing under palm trees, lots of poultry farms and agriculture. It felt a lot like rural America, bit it was distinctly Belizean, too. The farms we're used to in rural Washington state don't usually have the heat, tropical vegetation, or houses up on stilts. Some things were a bit rundown, but there is an obvious difference from the other towns we had seen. A Biblical work ethic makes a noticeable difference!
There is an Amish community in the area as well.
We had a nice lunch with Nathan, Ginger, and kids. Two buffets and two drinks came to about $38 BZ (I use the term “buffet” rather loosely. The food was very good, but it wasn't a huge selection.) We decided to tag along with them again and help with their prep for the mission team. We went back to the Farmer's Trading Center for the groceries, then took them to Camp Camalote. It is an awesome camp with beautiful grounds, A/C in all the inside rooms, a screened in meeting room, dorm-style bunks beds (4/room), a kitchen, washing machines, hammocks, ping-pong tables...
Next we went to Belmopan to meet NT and Joy, Baptist missionaries who have been in Belize for over 40 years. They spoke to the mission team the next night and were helping with the prep work. They've taught, planted churches, have their own little camp on Hummingbird Hwy., and have a little tent church in Belmopan. They are a thoroughly delightful couple.
As much as we enjoyed Nathan and Ginger's children, it sure made us miss our two all the more! I missed them more each day, and couldn't wait to hug them when we returned!
We picked up sub sandwiches at Pasquele's – a popular, American-style pizza joint in Belmopan. ($14 BZ each) It was like a taste of home!
We slept well again and awoke to another sunny day. Wasn't this supposed to be the rainy season? I brought up two cups of coffee and set them on the nightstand. By the time Dean got his just a couple minutes later, there were four little bugs in it! Speaking of bugs, thanks to our evening jaunt to Cerros, we were each sporting five bites or so. We had sprayed 100% DEET on, but didn't cover every spot of exposed skin. Clerks and attendants had a much different work ethic – but there's probably a distinction, albeit small – between family-run businesses and hired help. However, most staff/owners sat around relaxing, watching TV, or surfing the net until something needed to be done. There wasn't the “if you have time to lean, you have time to clean” mentality. We're used to staff tidying or working almost their whole shift. It's a different mindset here, and I'm sure the heat contributes to it.
Driving around, we certainly got more big smiles and waves than in the U.S. Everyone (except some grumpy Asian shop owners) was friendly and polite, although many were very shy around us. They acted as if they didn't speak much English, but then did just fine when they tried. Were we intimidating? I tried to be very friendly and sweet wherever we went, taking the initiative to say “good morning”, etc. Maybe I needed to go further to get a little conversation going?
We wanted to try Café Kela for breakfast, a French restaurant serving crepes and such, but we never found it. We set out on foot at first and even got directions, but no go. Dean was very hot and grumpy at that point and it seemed like a very long walk back to the hotel. We tried to find it in the Trooper, but still couldn't so we stopped at Patty's again. Two plates of rice, beans, chicken, potato salad, and fried plantains plus two bottles of water: about $18 BZ. We almost forgot to get gas, but I remembered before we really got out of town. Whew! We headed towards the Belize Zoo, finding our way pretty easily. A few raindrops here and there turned into a downpour. It didn't last long; we drove through it quickly. We passed the prison at Hattieville, it is supposed to be one of the worst prisons in the world (or something like that). It was very hot at the zoo, partly because there was less breeze than on the coast. $20 BZ each for admission (locals get everything cheaper, by the way) It is a small, but nice zoo – very impressive for a country with the size and resources that Belize has. It's worth reading about how it all began. The peccaries (hogs) really liked us (maybe we smell like pigs?). The wild cats were impressive, and you can get fairly close. All the monkeys were sleeping (we arrived at midday). We saw our first and only croc in Belize...behind bars. There were several huge birds – a toucan, harpy eagle, jabiru stork, and macaw parrots. The signs all throughout the zoo were handpainted and very creative! Our daughter had asked for a shirt that said Belize and had a monkey on it, but the gift shop was all out of children's shirts, so Dean picked out a cute magnet - $5 US!
We headed on to Belmopan and found the Caladium Restaurant for lunch. It had good food at decent prices. Water, Coke, fish'n'chips with salad, chicken fingers and fries: $38 BZ. Belmopan has a large market that we briefly looked through.
We had learned about a family from Indiana who were to be in Belize at the same time as us, and made plans to meet up. They were preparing to lead a mission team to work on a local church. We tried to call them, but didn't get though. When we asked for directions to their hotel, we didn't understand, so we drove around a bit. Belmopan feels cleaner and more modern than other places we've visited so far. There are some amazing, huge, fancy homes. The American embassy is ridiculously huge. We found the hotel we were looking for “on accident” (thank You, God!) The clerk rang the room and soon we were chatting with Nathan, Ginger and their two youngest children. They had a realistic view of life in Belize, having spent a couple months down there last year. Nathan does contract work at U.S. Embassies for computer systems. One of them would not want to move to Belize permanently, but the other would be up for it. :) There can be days without water. They had a bad experience at the Belmopan hospital. There can be times where imports of bread flour or rice are cut off temporarily while taxes are hashed out. Nathan said that few people in Belize grow wheat or corn. There are high taxes on businesses, making it hard to thrive.
After lots of good discussion, we tagged along when they went to give some $ to Emily, who will be the cook at the mission camp next week. She and her husband came to Belize from El Salvador during a civil war 20+ years ago. They have a nice house outside San Ignacio, up on a hill in the jungle. Her daughter interpreted for us. They are a very nice, hard working, Christian family. They had a beautiful yard, even though we only got to see it in the dark.
We found the Aguada Hotel and after moving our bags in and kicking the cockroach out, we hopped in the pool! We've seen more “wildlife” here in Cayo: frogs, geckos, and iguanas. I wondered if the iguanas were kept as pets at the hotel. Emily said she was given and iguana for food once, but she didn't know what to do with it! That was encouraging – she grows a lot of their own food and can cook from scratch, but didn't know everything!
We were pleased with our room at the Mirador. It has a king bed and good A/C for $50 US a night. Apparently, washcloths are just not provided in Belize. We only had 2 towels in the bathroom, and when I asked the young man who works the front desk about it, he said they only have “really long ones” - hand towel size. It works!
No free breakfast, but the coffee pot in the lobby is a big bonus. (I don't think we saw any coffee shops...) So is having Kleenex in the room! I walked across the street to buy a couple bananas – $0.25 BZ. A man pulled up to get some, too, and I said hi. He responded and I asked if he lived there. He's from Ontario and we chatted a bit about the area. He and his wife are building a house in Consejo Shores and will live there about six months a year as retired persons. They like to take a boat to Chetumal for the day for shopping and other activities in a larger town. It sounds like there are three developments in Consejo Shores – probably all above our budget!
Dean and I sat on the roof and ate the bananas and drank coffee. It seemed hotter, partly because the breeze was less. Dean is usually pretty sedentary, and he was having trouble getting motivated in the heat. I drug him towards the town center, and we found the market. There were a couple rows of tents, and a long, two-story building. I was surprised to spot an apple box from Washington State. Wow! A little bit of home. After looking around a bit, we went upstairs and picked a small restaurant for breakfast. We had six small tacos and a salbute for $2.75 BZ. A salbute is like a small, fried taco with meat, lettuce, and tomato on top.
So far there are very few bugs. Last night after sunset we saw some mosquitoes...just a bite or two each! Besides the little bugs all over everything in our room (you know, the ones that got the fig bars because I didn't think to put them in a ziploc bag), we only saw one spider and one other bug in our room. The Canadian said the breeze keeps most bugs away and you learn to throw things away ASAP or put them in bags to keep out the little bugs.
We were hoping to look at the Cultural Center after visiting the market, but it was closed. (The beautiful mural nearby is pictured to the left.) We asked the hotel clerk about getting to the cayes, but it was too expensive for us. By boat – the three-engine Thunderbolt – would be $75 US for both of us, round trip, two hours each way. Any snorkeling, etc. would cost, too. By airplane it was around $90 US per person, round trip.
So we decided to drive around! We passed the dump – garbage on fire. I think that's how they deal with anything unwanted: garbage, brush, etc. Everywhere we drive we see little fires from the road. We headed north to Consejo Shores – some very fancy homes, probably retired expats. Nearby was the crossing to Chetumal and two other developments with more modest homes. We then headed back to get some food before more excursions.
On our way through town, we saw some shops we wanted to check out. I found some nice beaded bracelets and got three for $5 US. We saw a health food-type place and went in. It's called Golden Harvest, run by Brian and his wife. They are 7th Day Adventists. His wife makes healthy/vegetarian bread and pastries. Brian paints houses for a living. They met in California, where he is from. He is black and she appears Indian (from India). They've lived in Belize for six years and have two children. The store says it is a ministry; they sell SDA books and have a heart to minister. They have a larger location in the works and a website coming soon. It took Brian around five years to get enough painting business. Advertising didn't work, only word of mouth. He seemed eager for another painter, but is also taking courses to be a tour guide. He commented on the Taiwanese “invasion” in the last four years. Previously, stores in Corozal were Belizean-owned, now Chinese/Taiwanese. They also buy land/homes to tear down and build their own. Brian gave us some of his wife's homemade pizza – very good! They also served us an iced orange drink and a watermelon one. Brian mentioned that they bike or walk everywhere. In the six years they have lived in Belize, they've never been back to the US and Brian's parents have never seen their two children in person! They only make phone calls and keep in touch on Facebook. BTL does it's best to block Skype.
After a brief stop at our hotel, we headed out to find the Santa Rita Mayan ruins. We sped past the first time, only looking for signs – there were none! We got up to the border crossing and briefly drove by. The duty-free zone is huge and surrounded by a tall, menacing fence. I don't think they want Belizeans shopping there – you can only get into it by crossing from Mexico. I think the whole purpose is to get the Mexican and American money. I believe I heard that they let the Belizeans in once a year...
On our way back, I dug out some of the guide books and we found our way to the ruins, just outside Corozal. They aren't huge, but it was interesting to look around. The ruins are nestled in a neighborhood, almost like a city park. Some locals were hanging out on the steps. It was strange to our minds to think about having a structure that is thousands of years old practically in your backyard!
Next we explored south of town, hotels we'd heard about like Tony's and Copa Banana. We saw signs for the Cerros ruins and thought it would be fun to see where the ferry comes and goes across that part of the bay. Because our maps didn't show any roads to Cerros, we didn't expect that we were actually following signs to DRIVE there! We came to a ferry alright, but a hand-cranked one across the Nueva River. I'd hoped to see one of those! After a brief wait, our turn came. It's a slow crossing, but a nice experience.
We kept following sign after sign down dirt roads and at last arrived at Cerros. It was nearly 5:00 p.m. by then; we were concerned about the time and the fact we had less than ¼ tank of gas left. We discovered that there was a fee ($10 BZ each), but got out of the Trooper to look around a bit. Dean was inclined to head back, but we were persuaded to stay... A man on a bicycle had caught my eye as we were driving on the road. He was wearing a camo jacket and had a rifle on his back. He had seen us on the road to Cerros and turned his bicycle around. While we were discussing our options with the attendant, he rode up! When Dean mentioned that we might just walk around the immediate grounds then head back, the man with the gun said something about how we were already there now... We felt a bit of pressure to stay and didn't want to argue with a man with a gun! Dean had nothing smaller than a $20 US, and so we needed $10 US back. The man unlocked the visitor center and suggested (told us) to wait while he got our change. Dean was concerned that we were in a bad situation – alone, far away from any town, they had seen our money belts, heard we were low on gas, etc., etc., etc. The man returned with our change and we set off. In just a few minutes of brisk walking we came to the first big ruin with restored faces on the side. There were many tall, pyramid-like hills all around as well. A second excavated ruin was even bigger. The area was beautiful – a small sandy beach, covered seating and tables, many places to explore. It was too bad we were so short on time! There was a lot of bugs that time of day, though. Wanting to get back to town before dark, we headed back after a very brief exploration. All turned out well, except for a large batch of insect bites!
On the way to and from Cerros, we went through a cute little town called Copper Bank. It seemed more clean than other towns, albeit remote and rustic. Waiting for the ferry on the way back, we saw a lizard or two run on top of the water! Despite looking intentionally in several canal areas, we never did spot a croc, though.
We'd read a good review of Tony's Y-Not Diner, and since they were on our way back into town, we stopped there for dinner. We “splurged” - for about $66 BZ Dean ate phenomenal Belikin-beer battered shrimp and I had awesome sirloin, each with garlic mashed potatoes, great sautéed veggies, garlic bread, and a shared bottle of water. This was our favorite restaurant so far! Right on the bay, this was a great spot for the evening. As we arrived, there was a beautiful sunset. From our table we saw the moon shining on the water, while a strong breeze kept us cool. The restaurant was beautiful and open-aired. This was our last time to eat by the ocean, so Tony's was the perfect choice. As has been our experience this whole trip, there were only a couple other customers during our time there. Sometimes, we have been the only customers at a restaurant! Shops are often nearly empty as well. (Although we are never alone, as it seems customary to follow the gringos through the store.)
We slept pretty well...heard lots of bird noises...the A/C kept the room very cool! GVH provides free continental breakfast: sandwich of toast and peppered egg plus coffee or OJ. I was impressed with the coffee, it was far better than the icky latte from the business at SeaTac that I won't name!
It was already warm and humid, of course, but there was a nice breeze. We only saw one small ant in our room. The hotel has at least three dogs tied up that serve as the early warning system, I guess. The windows are barred and the hotel grounds are fenced and gated. Being owned by Taiwanese, everything from the garbage cans, to the toilets, to the Winnie the Pooh fan in the lobby, is – you guessed it – made in China!
We saw a sign for Praying Pelican Ministries and asked the hotel staff. I had seen their website, and was curious about a sign being posted in the hotel. They facilitate missions trips to around 50 villages, picking an appropriate one for the team's abilities. We had a nice talk with Rachel, who was staying at GVH, getting ready for hosting the next team. We got gas at a full-service Shell station. Dean requested $60 worth, and got $60 BZ – about ¼ tank. Oh well! We also purchased two 1 L bottles of water and a pack of fig bars, all for less than $4 US. Change was given in $BZ, which came in handy later!
We headed north towards Corozal. There were lots of burn spots on the roadside, some still burning, but it's a sweet smell. I think that's how they deal with any unwanted brush or garbage – just burn it! There was even some fires burning near the road and right under power lines! We also saw what we thought was a sugar cane factory producing a very vinegar-like smell.
There were lots of run-down houses. Some seem abandoned, but it's hard to tell. Many, many houses have a table or stand in front for selling things...I'd say nearly eveyone has something they are trying to sell! Dogs were everywhere. They had pretty good signs and our map is very helpful (thanks again, Darryl!). We figured as long as we stayed on the paved highway, we would be good! (Most all side roads are dirt, even busy ones.) The highway is a rather narrow, 2-lane road in decent shape – we did 50 mph, except through towns. We crossed a toll bridge, and thankfully had exact change: $0.75 BZ.
At one point, we saw some action on the road ahead of us. It turned out to be some cowboys herding cattle across the highway!
Here is a picture of one of the beautiful trees with bright orange blossoms that we saw many times in our travels. This one also sports some scary looking hives!
We made it to Corozal around 11:30 a.m., about a 2 hour drive. It is not as crazy as Belize City. Schools had just gotten out for lunch and little kids in uniforms are everywhere, walking. We found Patti's Bistro and stopped for lunch. A guy with a guitar came up and played a couple songs. Dean gave him $1 US and said he didn't know how much was appropriate. The guy asked for another dollar. Lunch was fajitas and OJ for me, fish 'n' chips and lime juice for Dean. With tip: $29 BZ. The juice was light and sweet!
I think this is a Belizean lawnmower.
Many people save the rainwater.
Next we went to a little park on the bay. The breeze was strong, but cooler. We though we were doing so good in the heat until I remembered it was just past morning! A young man came up with a bag of limes and a bucket of cut mango, trying to sell us some. He really wanted (and needed) a new bag to hold his limes. He talked us out of $1.25 BZ, and we took two limes.
I had a bit of a “what are we doing here?” feeling. I wanted to relax and have fun, but found myself concerned about the possibility of living in Belize and trying to be on the lookout for any connections God has lined up. I reminded myself to relax more!
We walked around town a bit. There are lots of Chinese/Taiwanese-owned shops and groceries, many with similar items. The shopkeepers didn't seem particularly friendly. It was very hot inside the stores!
Before dinner, we went up to the roof of our hotel, the Mirador. It's very nice, with a roof over part of it for shade, chairs, two hammocks, great views, and a nice breeze. We relaxed and talked for awhile.
We had dinner at the Romantic Chinese diner attached to the Mirador. It was delicious! Dean had the Curry Special (chicken, beef, seafood, veggies) with rice and a Coke; I had Pork Fried Rice and Coke. You can request a glass bottle or a plastic one – the glass bottles are less expensive to order, at this restaurant, at least. Grand total: $27.75 BZ. Great food and large portions.
When we were out walking earlier, we saw a Nazarene church with services that night, but when we made a point to return that evening, we saw no indication that anything was going on. That was very disappointing, as we wanted to see what the service would have been like! We hadn't met many people yet, either.
There were tiny, little, ant-like critters all over most surfaces in our room. There were a bunch crawling on the surface of the bedspread, but they didn't seem to be on the sheets so much. The last of our fig bars fell victim to the bugs.
We took doses of silver water most every morning and night to help us stay healthy. So far, so good!
We relaxed in our room and then checked out at about 10:30 a.m. On the way into Belize City, we stopped at the best grocery we found
, a big, modern store called Brodies. It was similar to a Fred Meyer, with all the grocery, non-food, clothing, hardware, etc. that you could want. Depending on the item, the price could be reasonable or high. It was the only large building we entered that was completely air conditioned. I saw one employee with her arms under her apron, trying to keep warm! There appeared to be nice apartments near the store, with a gated entrance. It's one of the few areas in the city that felt comfortable and safe to us.
We nicknamed it the “Trooper in a Stupor” because it had no power, particularly when it came to passing on the highway. We got all checked in at the airport, choked at the $35.50 US we each had to pay as exit tax, and settled in the terminal to wait the 1½ hours until it would be time to board the plane. It was nice and cool at least! 
We nicknamed it the “Trooper in a Stupor” because it had no power, particularly when it came to passing on the highway. We got all checked in at the airport, choked at the $35.50 US we each had to pay as exit tax, and settled in the terminal to wait the 1½ hours until it would be time to board the plane. It was nice and cool at least! 
