Leaving On A Jet Plane

Belize International Airport is about the size of my house. Maybe a little bigger, but certainly not by much. Customs there is no hassle. No visa charge, no baggage search, nothing. I didn't even have an address for where I was going to stay my first night, but they didn't care.

I was a little short on time when I flew in so rather than miss the last ferry to Caye Caulker I decided to see about the possibility of catching the last plane to the island. I really didn't want to spend the night in Belize City, so the extra expense seemed warranted to me. However I wasn't in full travel mode yet, and I allowed myself to get hustled by an independent "flight rep." I'm sure the markup on my ticket was only about $10US, or so but it's a pride thing. Aren't I supposed to know better by now? My Canadian friend Ruby would've been ashamed of me.

Long story short, I was able to catch the plane, a real honest to God puddle jumper. You know that scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indy is running away from the natives towards that tiny prop plane his friend Reggie is fishing from? The plane was about that size. If I didn't know better I'd say it was the same damn plane.

I arrived in one piece, and was offered a taxi ride into town on the preferred method of motorized transportation on the island... a golf cart. Now, I don't know about you but when I'm offered a taxi ride in a golf cart, the first thing I think is "Well, it can't be that far to get to the center of town." I asked the pilot how far it was and he told me it was about a ten minute walk. I threw my bag on my back and opted for the exercise.

This island is much smaller than I first expected. You could walk anywhere here quite easily. There's really only one main road in the tourist area, and it's lined with colorful, but well worn wooden houses that serve as restaurants, guest-houses, mini-marts, and internet cafes. The ocean is a beautiful crystal blue, but the beach is a far from white sands.

I wandered around as it quickly grew dark, and found myself a cheap, simple room for $12US a night. The mattress creaks, and there's no mosquito net of A/C. But it's clean, quiet, and has hot water. Hot water seems like a miracle on a trip like this. I suspect this will be the only time I will experience it for a long, long time.

I had a couple of rum punches at a bar near my hotel, and ate some stewed chicken with beans and rice, and called it a night around 9pm.

My second day in Caye Caulker I literally did nothing. I sat in the sun and read Catcher in the Rye in it's entirety. I ate some curry with chicken and carrots, and chick peas. It was pretty fantastic. It was so beautifully presented I had to take a picture. Food porn for my friends back home.

I hung out with some Canadian guys and a British girl last night who had all been traveling Central America for about 2 months. They offered me excellent advice, and it was nice to finally converse with some people.

Time's up! I'll post again soon...