Belize
I got the bus from Tulum to chetumal and decided to keep going to Corazell because the ferry to caye caulker isn't till
3pm tomorrow.
The taxi took me to the market bus station where a giant green chicken bus awaited me!
The conductor tried to talk me into going to Belize city but there's no way in hell I'm staying there the night.
The border crossing is about 10 minutes out of chetumal and surprisingly easy.
Everyone just jumps off the bus and walks to the booth while the bus slowly makes its way through.
The officer said the exit fee was 250 pesos but I only had 200 pesos and $2 US dollars he said that will do! Nice welcome to Belize.
I thought that was it but about 2 minutes down the road we all had to get off the bus again and walk through immigration to get the passport stamped and luggage check. A lovely man gave me a free map to help me out.
You can totally see the culture change already. Everyone speaks like a rasta, they are speaking english but way cooler, I love it! I'm the only gringo on the bus by the way so not knowing how this border crossing works, I just followed them. All good so far.
I get to Corazel and managed to find a hotel that was in the guide book called the sea breeze. I walked past about 50 Chinese restaurants and Asians which is wierd.
I checked in after seeing 3 older crew on the balcony upstairs having a beer.
Gwynne the owner is a Welshman and a pretty good bloke. I asked about the ferry to caye caulker and he suggested for $20 more I could fly instead........hell yes! So he booked me on the $30, 12 seater 18 minute plane ride to San Pedro
at 10.30am where I get the ferry to the caye! It's a very wierd little community of expats here from all over the world and all they talk about is how they almost shot a burglar or thief and how many vicious dogs they have and I'm thinking, why the hell would you want to live here??! They all admit it's dangerous all over Belize.
I asked where I should go have dinner after having a few beers with the locals at the hotel (average age = 60) they suggested the blue toucan. One of the locals, a kiwi, drove me the 200 meters and joined me for dinner at this strange little restuarant down an alley!
There were 2 american ladies eating and clearly everyone knows everyone in town. I had the most amazing fish stuffed with veggies. They also have a drink in Belize called 'goodbye mother fucker', it's on a lot of menu boards. Apparently it's strong as fark hence the name!
Gwynn, the owner of the hotel rocked up and had a drink with us and also informed us the lady we were talking to had ringworm!! Random. Anyway he drove me the 200 meters in his old clapped out Mercedes and I'm back at the hotel now watching mob wives on tv ready for some caye caulker action tomorrow.
Day 2
Gwynn drove me to the 'airport' and we arrived about 5 mins before the flight was taking off. I paid my $30 and asked where the plane was. Well I was looking at it, the tiny toy was right in front of my eyeballs! Are you farking kidding me??
Luckily there was a couple from the US taking the plunge too because I was shitting my pants.
There was 5 seats and a pilot, so I climbed aboard, kissing my ass goodbye on the way in!
The runway was a driveway really and off we went with me wondering how the fark this thing flies??!
Hit a bit of turbulence in the low clouds but other than that it was pretty smooth. Once again I shit my pants as I saw the runway at San Pedro approaching and bang, we were on terra firma.
The three of us walked to the dock and got a ticket on the ferry to caye caulker with only a 20 minute wait. The ferry has about 40 people on it and it's fast and smooth. So I've done car, plane, boat in the last hour and kept my brekky down!
San Pedro was such a cool little town I kind of wish I could have looked around a bit. Little streets on the beach, hardly any cars just golf buggies, pretty cool.
Got to caye caulker and it's magic!
Yumas hostel was right in front of the dock on the beach and luckily she had one dorm bed left. I'm standing out the front and I hear "hey bee"........it's the Dutch girls I met in monte alban and palenque a couple of weeks ago!
I dumped my shit in the room (top bunk so should be interesting!) and went for a walk around the island. It is tiny and so full of life. Everyone rides bikes or golf carts and says hi, it's a little paradise with not a car in sight.
I stopped at a bar to get something to eat and had delicious fish. There were three girls eating at the table next to me and no shit they did not speak a word to each other for 45 minutes until they got the bill. Didnt even crack a smile. WTF?? Look around ladies, you are not at work, you are in paradise! Theres a rasta that keeps following me around asking me "to keep a place for him in my heart". If he had at least 3 teeth I just might!
The water taxi heads to Belize city
tomorrow at 9am right out the front of my hostel so I'm going to jump that and apparently a bus connects from the dock in Belize city to Flores in Guatemala..........another border crossing.
There's this funny man in a chefs hat who wheels around a cart with fresh banana bread and pineapple cake. I went the pineapple and was not disappointed, there was a party in my mouth and everyone was invited!
There's a rule on the caye that if you walk too fast they give you a ticket, classic! Everything is slow and relaxed in a good way.
Heaps of Aussies here and I've got half of them coming to our hostel in Nicaragua!
There's a few crew doing night dives
tonight...........fark that.
The Dutch girls have just asked me out for a drink and a party they are having at midnight for one of the girls birthdays.
I am truly in love with the carribbean accent, I could literally listen to it for hours.
I'm at barrier reef bar now having a local rum and coke for $2 and it's damn good. Tastes pirate-y!
Belize is beautiful.
