Belize City
Not the Belize in the Travel Brochures
On Tuesday, November 5, we set out from Lubbock. Kirsten took Audrey and I to the airport. Andrew had a slightly earlier first leg and so beat us to DFW. Other than a gate change and Andrew having to drive to Amarillo to catch a different flight, all went smoothly and we arrived in Belize a little after three in the afternoon. The airport in Belize City is very small. There is only one runway, and there are no parallel taxiways, so the plane had to turn around on the runway and back-taxi to get to the terminal. We exited the plane and walked to the terminal outside.
The Belize entry procedure was not all that complicated. There was one customs form to fill out. It was not available on the plane, so we all had to fill one out as we stood in line. As happens most places, you get a stamp in your passport and are asked where you’re staying. No one really did much with the customs form and we were not asked to have any of our baggage scanned. That seems to have been reserved for those who checked bags.
We found no ATMs in the small airport, but most people in Belize are just as happy to take U.S. dollars. Like Costa Rica, Belize’s reputation as a safe tourist destination has made it somewhat more expensive than other Central American destinations. It is still cheap by American standards. We caught a cab to the motel where I had made our reservation. Our driver stopped for gas along the way, so I took the opportunity to withdraw some Belize dollars. Belize dollars are pegged to U.S. dollars at 2-1, so all conversion math is easy, and you don’t get shafted on the exchange rate when you pay in U.S. currency.
When the taxi dropped us off at our location, a sort of boutique hostel/health and wellness spa, they refused to honor the reservation even though I had confirmation through booking.com. There was nothing I could do, other than to start from scratch finding another room. This of course cost more. The taxi driver was willing to wait for us, and had plenty of recommendations for top of the line facilities. I wanted a few minutes to shop, and I wanted to find a budget location. Plus, I was not sure what the taxi fare would be after waiting and going to another place, so I cut him loose. I figured most motels would be within walking distance.
(Continued)
In relatively short order, I found a motel that cost more, but not ridiculously so. It was about a mile and a half away, and we decided to walk it in the heat and humidity. This wasn’t too bad for Andrew and I, but I don’t think Audrey liked it all that much. I found out later that she thought the city was “pretty sketch,” which added to her concerns. She made Andrew promise not to walk too far ahead of her. We grabbed some nearby Belizean cuisine and headed in for an early evening.
I got up in the morning to run, but not early enough. Although I started at about 7:00, it was already very hot in the sun. I was a bit dehydrated from walking around in the heat the previous afternoon and suffered a bit running my 5k. I got it done, though. We spent most of Wednesday just exploring the city. We hiked over to the main part of town, and along the beach. The beaches around Belize City are not really beaches, but more like brackish transitions to a brown water bay. They smelled bad and did not offer any swimming access. This was a bit disappointing after all of the advertisements showing beautiful Caribbean beaches. These are apparently all out on the cayes, and we were not up and about early enough to go to one of those.
Audrey and Andrew found a zoo we could go to that housed animals that had been rescued for one reason or another. We hopped on the chicken bus bound for Benque, and made our way out to the facility. We saw a jaguar, coatimundis (like a raccoon), peccaries (like a javelina), tropical vultures, river otters, collared aricaris, howler and spider monkeys, spectacled owls, barn owls, crocodiles, turtles, and agouties just running around everywhere.
A trip to a bar and grill on the river capped our evening. I ordered shrimp fajitas. The flavor was pretty good, but familiar Texas staples like guacamole and sour cream were missing. They also gave me one HUGE flour tortilla, so while there was plenty of food, it was technically incorrect to use the plural form of fajita. I also tried a margarita, which was tasty if less sweet than I was used to. I am pretty sure the alcohol content was very low as well. Not being much of a drinker, my tolerance is very low, and I could not even perceive the presence of any intoxicants.
(Continued)
I corrected my exercise timing error by departing on my run at twenty to six the following day. This was far more comfortable, though the warmth and humidity still drew a good sweat. I was back early enough to make some oatmeal before grabbing a cab to the bus station where we caught the nine o’clock bus for Benque. On my own, I probably would have walked the mile and a half over to the bus terminal, but Audrey was reluctant to walk that far, and it was nice to have a ride with the baggage. We rode the so-called “chicken bus” to a town about 3-4 kilometers from the Guatemalan border. This cost B$11 apiece. From there, a cab is just about necessary to get to the border. It certainly was for us, with large backpacks and a seven and a half month pregnant member of our party. A small boy who I thought was a girl shared my seat for much of the trip. He had a set of plastic handcuffs and arrested me several times. My wrists were too big for the cuffs, so he had to secure me with fingers and thumbs.
Belize has a B$40 exit fee. The process is pretty smooth getting across into Guatemala. From Melchor de Mencos, Guatemala, we took a colectivo on to El Cruce where it was necessary to walk another 2 km or so to our motel. We probably could have caught a tuk tuk, but by the time we saw any, we were well on our way walking and in that mind set. I think the chicken bus and colectivo rides had pushed Audrey toward going home early – that was kind of her plan all along. Of course, I would do whatever was necessary to convince her to stay for the duration of the trip with us. All things being equal, though, I kind of like riding them. They aren’t comfortable, but I meet interesting people on them. It gives a glimpse of life in another place and economy.
