You better Belize it!

Jantjes (Man) it's hot! Leaving Mexico was quick and easy. The border employees at the north border already told us to hold on to our proof of payment for our FHM, and indeed this was important, since they tried and asked us to pay the fees again. But, hehe the Dutch guy was prepared for that question and I handed the guy my credit card transaction receipt. With that being settled we drove to the lady who was going to export our car out of mexico. She was very friendly and it took her just under 2 minutes to finish the process, which meant we were getting our 400 USD deposit back! And quickly after that we went across the bridge driving into a new adventure; Belize.

First stop: Fermentation of the car. They pull out all the toxics they have and spray it over your car. It’s supposed to kill the bugs that we are bringing from Mexico, but I wonder if it really helps. Consider yourself being a bug, would you just stop when you noticed you were crossing the border between Belize and Mexico? No of course not. But, long story short it’s a good way to earn some money as a country since you as a visitor have to pay for it. The guy who fixed it was very friendly. It was also the moment I was happy that we took some USD, since as we learned very soon, payment of border fees in central america typically goes in USD. The handling speed in Belize goes down by 4 or 5 gears. Everyone is very friendly, but you need to take your time to get something done. Crossing the border was a walk in the park, but everything they had to do had to be handwritten on papers, and to be honest I was not a 100% sure about the reading and writing capabilities of the officer helping us with the paperwork. Also strange is that we had to fill out all these papers, while there were actually a ton of people just walking across the border without really showing any papers or so. Anyway, 1,5 hours later we made it through. Since on paper I’m the owner of the car, Hester crossed the border on foot and I had to drive over the border with the car. Hester her process was about 45 minutes quicker than mine. This was partly caused by the fact that the second agent didn't quit giving me advice on which Belizean beer to drink and which food to eat in his country. Paying him 15,- USD finally did the trick and he kept his mouth, and I was finally allowed to cross. I did get a receipt of all the transactions when entering Belize, so I don’t expect a lot of corruption here. On the other side of the border our first stop was the insurance agency. Fixing our car insurance was actually quite fast and cheap! We continued our travel to Belize City. Just 10km into the country, Google guides us to unpaved roads. Well that got our hopes up, as far as the quality of the roads concerned. 30 minutes later we realized that Google just guided us on some kind of shortcut which really wasn't one, since offroad typically does not improve the travel speed. In Belize City we didn't do a lot, everyone we met recommended us to stay inside during the night and there isn't really a tourist area. We met a couple of local fisherman who were drinking rum on the beach. We spoke with them for a little while and they offered us a glass of the local rum. That was I guess the highlight of our stay in the capital city!

We planned to stay some of our time in Belize on Caye Caulker. An island just 45 minutes with the boat from Belize City. Our AirBnB host had offered us to leave the car behind her house, out of sight from everyone. Really an amazing offer, and one that we took on with both hands. A taxi brought us to the boat that morning. The car was from 1992 and had no windows or a door handle to open and or close the door, but the taxi driver was very proud of it. Again, the taxi driver told us how nice Belize is except for Belize City. He told us that the big problem with the criminality in Belize City lies mostly with the younger people, who don’t attend school and are bored. They want to earn money quickly, and the high unemployment rates are not helping. He told us he is kind of sad about that, because Belize City used to be very safe and wealthy. Entering the harbor with that conclusion left me with something to think about during the boat ride. Speaking about the ride, that was really amazing. We saw multiple islands, some of them with houses, some with really nothing on them. The water was very blue and the sun was shining! For the first time during our trip we stayed in a hostel. I’ve learned that I’m not a great fan of hostels, but it’s nice to meet some new people and Hester considers it to be an ultimate part of our backpacking experience. We sleep in the tower of the hostel where the wind cools us off during the night. The hostel we’re staying offers us to use their canoes for free. We decide to make use of it and paddle our way through the famous split. The split is the canal between the north and south part of the island. The current is fairly strong there so we had to give it our best, but we made it! We celebrated our achievement with a Belikin beer on the beach. The weather is amazing and the vibe on the island is very relaxed. That night we settled for a restaurant that was selling jerk chicken, made on the bbq in front of us. Half way in the cooking process it started to rain. But our determined chef tells us not to worry, it will only take a little longer. After dinner the rain was gone, but later that night we found out that our tower wasn’t waterproof. The water was leaking through the roof when another thunderstorm hit the island, but on the flip side it brings down the temperature.

The next morning on Caye Caulker was October 11. It’s the day I’m joining the club of the people who are in their thirties. No problem with it at all to be honest! We start the day with some breakfast on the beach. Great view and the thunderstorms from last night are gone. Hester has arranged a snorkeling tour through the barrier reef in front of the island. The reef is the second largest in the world and contains a lot of wildlife. Still having some troubles with my ears, the snorkel trip was the better choice. You can also dive here, but it isn’t that deep anyway so you will see about as much during a snorkel tour. At one snorkel spot we actually had 3 divers beneath us the whole time.. Must have been frustrating for them. Around 9 the tour was supposed to leave. Our initial tour operators had to cancel the tour due to limited amount of interest that day, though they were friendly enough to book us on a trip with one of their competitors. So that being arranged we left the docks a 9:30 for a whole day of snorkeling. We made 5 stops in total, and we spotted sea turtles, manatees, nurse sharks, barracudas and many more. We also dove near a shipwreck and had a guided snorkel tour through the national park. That morning when we left, we took lunch from one of the local restaurants. The lunch was very welcome since the snorkeling costed us a ton of energy. Overall it was an amazing day trip and triple worth the money. We would highly recommend this if you stay here to go on a snorkel trip and spent a full day. Half a day is just too short and you will be rushed from one place to another without having the opportunity to really explore the diving spots! That night we had dinner with a Danish and Portuguese traveler. We shared our stories so far and enjoyed a good night at the beach.

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Then it was time to leave the island again. It’s a nice atmosphere, but to be honest slightly overpriced due to the high amount of tourists. We decided to take the first boat so that we could visit the Belize Zoo in the afternoon. Arriving at the docks at 8am we found out that the boat ride we were planning to take has been cancelled! Slightly angry, since there wasn’t really a reason for it, I’m demanding my money back :-). I’m 30 now, so I look a little older and with that I might have gained some convincing power?! It works. We get our money back and we make our way to the competitor. Just 2 min before the boat is leaving we step on board. 45 minutes later we are back in Belize City. Straight from the boat I try my 30 years power again in a negotiation with the cab driver, on the rate for the ride back to our car. Surprisingly enough it works again! Instead of paying 10 we pay 8 Belizean Dollars. Saved us a whole USD there :-D! Yes, I realize what you are all thinking, it’s just a dollar and I agree with you. But, still.. It’s a dollar. We found our car in great condition at the host where we left it, which was a relief since the car is basically our house these days. A quick 45 min drive brings us to the Belize Zoo. The roads are in amazing condition and most of them are paid for by the European Union, specific European countries or Japan. About the Belize Zoo. I’m not the greatest fan of zoos, but in the we should underestimate the breeding programs they support or like this zoo does offering shelter to animals who got involved in a car accident for example. The zoo is very nice and worth a visit. Bring bug spray, since the mosquitos tend to escape from the exhibit all the time :-) (had to laugh at my own joke, sorry for that). That night we stay in the smallest capital city of Central America; Belmopan. It’s often skipped by travelers, which makes sense since there isn’t much to do. But, it’s a great location to travel from when you want to visit the Belize Zoo or the Hummingbird Highway. That night I try the boss burger in a local restaurant. It’s a huge burger with way too much meat, but a great taste! The town is completely safe and we make an evening hike through the center, back to our place (5 min :-)).

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So off we go to the Hummingbird Highway, our first stop are the caves. Cool thing about the caves is that you are allowed to enter them without a guide. We brought our own headlights, which is an essential if you want to enter the cave. You are allowed to enter the cave for about 300 yards and then you’re kindly asked not to go any further. Well 300 yards or 400 yards, who knows the difference anyway, I did try to go further but it was very slippery and the route was unclear. If you want to try, I’ve been told that there is an exit on the other side of the tunnel. Let me know if you tried! From the caves we continue to the blue hole, it’s a pool with fresh mountain water where you can swim. Since it was 35 degrees, this was a great place to cool off a little. We drive the road all the way to Durango, but that wasn’t really worth the gas, you will see many coffee, bananas and pineapple farms, but you see them at other places as well. The part of the highway closest to Belmopan is the most interesting. That night, to change things up, I cook a chicken mango curry with ingredients bought at the local market, since in Belize we haven’t really seen a normal supermarket.

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On Sunday really nothing happens in Belize, bakeries are closed and the streets are empty. In the early afternoon we make our way to San Ignacio, the bordertown between Belize and Guatemala. On roads sponsored by the EU we are there in a little under 45 minutes. Despite the fact that it’s close to 3pm, the hotel doesn’t have our room ready. I guess it’s Sunday here as well. Anyway, the ladies behind the reception send us to a place called “Something Sweet”. It’s a bakery where the housewife loves to bake pies. With the choice of almost 30 different pieces this is heaven for Hester! The wife is baking, the husband is selling. He tells us that the waterfalls in the park behind San Ignacio are nice to visit. Local tips are always good. The afternoon brings us nothing more then rain. I decide to do the laundry by hand, which isn’t a smart move at all since nothing’s drying around here due to the humidity! That night we have dinner in a fancy restaurant in the town, it’s definitely one of the best meals so far during the trip, but also one against New York City prices.

The next day we make our way to the waterfalls, recommend by our baker. Or atleast the guy who sold the pie. The route to the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest is a tough one. We put our 4x4 skills to the test again. Big surprise, when we arrive at the entrance of the actual park the guard tells us that the road is going to be smooth sailing from here. And he is right. It’s a smooth off-road path. I like it, it’s just fun to play on these dirt roads. Sometimes we slide a little, but the road is wide enough so I would summarize it as great fun! We enjoy ourselves at the waterfalls for about an hour and a half, then we go back. On the way back it starts to rain which makes it even more fun ;-)! Leaving the park, we are faced with the bad stretch of road again and now it’s slippery which makes it a lot less fun. That night we drink our last Belikin beer and toast on an amazing stay in Belize!

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The next morning we leave for Guatemala. Pouring rain and wet laundry spread around through the car. We are just 10 minutes from the border, so that’s good. Recommended by other travelers, this is the place where we change our US Dollars into Quetzales. We have been told the other side of the border is a little more dangerous to do larger money transactions. You know what’s crazy, you need to pay 20 USD per person to leave the county. Don’t forget to bring it, otherwise it’s going to be a challenge to find the money somewhere in the surrounding of the border crossing!

Belize is fairly expensive, but it’s not often that you have the chance to visit such a beautiful country. The country is so different compared to Mexico, something that really surprised us. The country has great similarities with a Caribbean island! It’s easy to travel in Belize and it’s great that they speak English after two months of just Spanish speaking Mexico. We skipped a visit to the actual Blue Hole in the Pacific Ocean. It’s high on the list of many travelers, but since we don’t really have the right diving skills yet, it wasn’t really worth the money to go there. Overall, we had an amazing time in Belize, but Guatemala is waiting for us and we are curious….