So, by week 14 we had made it as far as Belize. We feel pretty proud of ourselves whenever we look a map and see how far we've travelled. We checked out of our dingy little hotel room in San Ignacio and hopped on a bus destined for the capital, Belmopan. After a short wait there we got another bus to Dangriga, a town on the coast. It was pretty warm when we got there and we weren't sure how far we had to walk to get to the hotel we had in mind so indulged in a very expensive taxi (won't be doing that again!). After a much needed shower we took a walk into town and had lunch at the Riverside which the guide book quite rightly says is nicer inside than you would think from the outside. We were slightly apprehensive upon approaching but since we’re hardened travellers ready for anything these days we ventured forth. Glad we did too as Bracey had the best fried fish going dosed with liberal helpings of Marie Sharp's famous Belizean hot sauce. After eating we took a walk along the beach and listened to the gospel choir singing on a church porch for a while and then chilled out back at the hotel. Louise, the owner told us that we would need to eat at a Chinese restaurant that night as local people cost too much to employ on Sundays so all their restaurants shut on Sundays! It was a bit strange but the food was pretty good and we ate a LOT. Ironically it the most familiar food we'd had in ages.
We had a relaxing lie-in on Mon 22nd before checking emails and having brunch back at the Riverside Cafe. We spent the afternoon on the beach at the Pelican Resort Hotel at the far end of town. They have the cleanest beach in town so we soaked up the sun for a couple of hours and enjoyed some beers. Walking out to the beach gave us quite an interesting insight into the town which is really 'local' and not touristy at all. The houses were all wooden clapboard designs and looked quite ramshackle although were all painted in cheery colours and with music blasting out from all sides it had quite a nice feel to it. Dinner was at the Chinese again as everywhere else was a bit heavy on the meat for us veggie types.
While we were checking our emails on Tues morning we got chatting to a lovely English couple form Norfolk who were heading down to Placencia that day, as we were planning to do. They had bought a car in the USA and had driven down to Belize through Mexico. They very generously offered us a lift which we readily accepted as we had planned to take the bus. It was a fairly long and bumpy ride as most of the roads were unsurfaced but we had an enjoyable journey chatting and getting to know each other. Once in Placencia Dave and Carol went to book into a room and then took us to our gorgeous pre-booked apartment. We had decided to treat ourselves to a nice place over Christmas and were staying in the Decked Out House for 5 nights. We had the ground floor apartment of the huge house which had a deck out the back right on the water. The apartment also came with kayaks and bikes for our enjoyment which was really the clincher in our decision making process. We were stoked to discover that the apartment was actually bigger than the website had suggested and felt luxurious. Once Linda, the owner, had got us all settled in we took a ride into town to explore. Having the bikes was a real bonus as our place was a fair way out and we would have been far too lazy to walk in and out all the time. Placencia is, apparently, in the Guinness Book of Records for having the narrowest main street in the world. That may well be the case but we were sorely disappointed by said ‘main street’. It was simply a concrete walkway running parallel to the beach with buildings alongside. Some of the buildings still showed signs of damage from Hurricane Iris in 2001 but those that had been renovated were typical in their cheery Caribbean style. We checked out the beach and decided it would be our destination for some Christmas Day relaxing. Back at the apartment James went out in one of the kayaks and did some croc-spotting in the surrounding mangroves. Managed to scare himself without actually spotting any. We met up with Dave and Carol for dinner and drinks in the Pickled Parrot restaurant-bar and had a slightly wobbly ride back after cocktails and eggnog. I was hoping for a great nights sleep since our apartment was in a lovely quiet spot but ironically it was too quiet. I have obviously become so used to the noises of Central America that I’m now unable to sleep without them!
Wednesday was Christmas Eve and despite the heat and general lack of anything familiarly Christmassy I still felt an inexplicable tingle of childish excitement. We paddled out in the kayaks in the morning and could hardly believe it was Christmas as we basked in the sunshine. Still didn’t see any crocs though. On checking our emails we discovered that Bec and Kate, 2 lassies we had met in Guatemala, had also arrived in Placencia for Chrimbo and had suggested we met for a drink that night. Carol and Dave popped over for a cuppa (oh, the joys of being able to make your own tea!) and Carol and James went out in the kayaks for a bit while Dave and I relaxed in the sunshine. After some seriously good seafood scram, with Bec and Kate at the Pickled Parrot, we went to the Barefoot Beach Bar for cocktails and live music. Dave and Carol joined us there and despite a spot of tropical rain we all had a jolly old time.
Thursday was, of course, Christmas Day and it was set to be a Christmas Day unlike any other. For a start it was hot, plus we had no presents to unwrap and no prospect of a traditional Christmas dinner with family. However, we had arranged to see Bec and Kate at our place for drinks and board games so not entirely unconventional. We phoned and spoke to our folks back home in the morning which was very important to both of us. Bracey made Bec, Kate and myself beans on toast for lunch (I know – for Christmas lunch – mad, aren’t we?!) after which we played Uno, Yahtzee, Sorry and cards all afternoon. A touch of afternoon rain made it feel more like Christmas back home. The four of us went to meet Dave and Carol at the Secret Garden restaurant for dinner that evening where we had a lovely meal in great company. No-one really felt up to a big night (after the relative excesses of Christmas Eve) so after eating we said our goodnights.
Boxing Day was spent in traditional fashion eating, loafing around on the sofa and watching films. We rode down to Bec and Kate’s cabaña after lunch, the plan being to go snorkelling and sit and bask in the sun. However, that plan fell flat as the sun failed to materialise and the weather was generally a bit pants. To the great amusement of the local kids we flew Bec’s kite, broke Bec’s kite, fixed it and then flew it again in an endless cycle of repairs and fleeting moments of aviatic glory. The others taught me how to play poker that afternoon, hustle baby, hustle. We all went for dinner at DeTatch restaurant which was chosen because of the presence of lobster on the menu. Bec was hankering after her traditional Aussie Christmas meal of fresh lobster so we obliged - just to make her feel at home of course. The things you do for friends eh?
We did a bit of souvenir and postcard shopping on Sat 27th and were kept entertained by the two little girls whose mum cleaned the Decked Out House. They found James’ jumping into the water antics highly amusing and demanded we take photos of them jumping around in the sand. Proper cuties. We had dinner that night with Carol and Dave at Wendy’s seafood restaurant and bade them a fond farewell as we had to head on the next morning.
