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(sorry it's a bit of a long one)
Wandering around Belize City, it's surprisingly hard to find anything you want. For example, finding a tourist information place was an hour's quest that eventually failed, all the places having moved countless times in recent years so that not even locals know where they are. Nevertheless, although slightly irritating from a personal perspective, this is a prime example highlighting what a dynamic and vibrant place this small city is, and one that is constantly developing and changing.

Stupid white British tourist

Simon Wadsworth
2006-09-04 18:56:56

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this "...so..we saw people getting on buses. Are those actual buses? Like..can we get on them too, and go places?"

One of these 'actual buses' was thus my first mode of transport taking me to Crooked Tree reserve - the name of which has been imprinted on my brain ever since A-level geography with Mr Gough. It is a small community
of 800 situated on an island surrounded by freshwater lagoons. Well, I thought the bus was going to take me to Crooked Tree, until I got off and was told to walk down this track for 3miles in the rain. Great! But as soon as I put on my trusty waterproofs, I was able to hitch a lift on the back of a truck, pretending to look comfortable sitting on some old tyres and unopened beer bottles. I stayed here for a couple of days, exploring the lagoons, trying to spot rare species of birds, nodding at residents passing by, and eating peanut butter sandwiches. I also tried a small drop of 'Marie Sharp's' sauce, boasted to be the hottest manufactured sauce on the planet. It was the closest I was going to get to fireworks on November 5th.

Hitching my way back to Belize City, and saying "no thanks" to 30 different calls of "taxi?", I got on a boat to Caye Caulker where I am right now. Walking the street, I look like a sweaty, white, British guy with a floppy sunhat on, drinking lots of water. Not my greatest look, it must be said, but I'm sure I'll get over my embarrassment as I tan and aclimatise.

Caye Caulker is a small island with palm trees and the usual malake of tropical effects, except wide, sandy beaches are not really to be found. However, a hurricane in the 1960s split the island in 2, and swimming 'the split' (with artifacts in a plastic bag 'The Beach' style) leads to some more deserted spots on the north of the island, where I lazed around this afternoon. I was disappointed to discover it's a lot more developed than I was expecting, but getting to a more secluded island is difficult and expensive, although I am looking into treating myself to an overnight camp, especially as I've sadly decided not to dive the Blue Hole. I haven't gone diving for over a year, so today I decided to get my feet wet first and did an amazing local dive. Unfortunately, there were a few equalisation problems so I trusted my instincts and skipped the 2nd dive, and therefore unfortunately am not comfortable with myself to do the world-famous Blue Hole tomorrow - there's always another time. Ah well.

The one dive was still great though, swimming transverse
to a series of canyons about 70' down, seeing an array of fish, including parrot and trumpet fish, and coral. However, the best part of the trip was ironically the snorkling on the return in. I'm just glad I didn't cut myself on the coral, as about five 2-metre long Norse sharks swam round us, and countless rays, for about 15 minutes. It was a spectacular experience!

I will be staying here for another couple of days, so I may try some more things out, then hopefully go back inland to San Ignacio and The Cocksomb Wildlife Sanctuary (to those few who know Belize).

Finally, I was remembering today how when I was, I guess, 6, I was walking through the back of my neighbours' wooded garden. I remember stumbling upon the edge of a hay field completely ablaze in flames, and feeling the rush of heat on my face (that was before the law had changed about burning fields). And how I used to love cycling on a weekend to distant mudtracks a mile behind our house, wondering where they would lead. These are some of my earliest memories of my taste for adventure and discovery at the unknown. This taste is just as strong today as it was then. I am very lucky to be able to do what I am doing.