Land Sick

I've been wanting to write about Belize since we got back last week. I've been not wanting to write about Belize because doing so would be sort of the last step back towards reality. Since I've finished my first week at the summer job, and am still feeling somewhat land sick, I figured it is time. But, I'm having a hard time because it was so beautiful and moving and FUN and... at the same time.

The basics: we stayed on Ambergris Caye, an island off the north coast of Belize (which is in Central America, bordered by Honduras, Mexico, and Guatemala). To get there from SF, we had to fly from SF to Houston, Houston to Belize, take a tin can air plan to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, then a cab through the city, then a boat to the resort. The entire vacation cost less than our trip to Maui or Kauai and I felt like we did more and definitely drank more. I guess the fact that we cooked quite a bit helped offset the meal costs.

Some highlights: snorkeling with rays and nurse sharks, diving for conch, having too many margaritas and thus, getting talked into zip lining, zip lining, cave tubing (this is going down a river through cave formations on an inner tube with an adult sippy cup of rum punch in hand), seeing (and hearing!) Howler monkeys, taking a renegade bike ride on the "express way" (one lane sandy path that was flanked by palm leaves and littered with coconuts. I managed to hit a coconut, spin out, skid through the sand and land in the water), drinks with names like Panty Rippa and Chi Chi Mama made with fresh fruit while listening to reggae, playing dice with honeymooners and our new friends, reading novels under the palapa by the pool, riding boats. We road so many boats, in the daytime, in the dark, stars all close and huge. I now LOVE boats.

Two things that require more space: 1) The chicken drop. In the town of San Pedro, there is a Wed night tradition. You buy a square (1 - 100). Then, well, some lucky person gets to pull a chicken out of the basket and drop it in the pen. Wherever the chicken shits = winner of the pot. 2) Dinner at Rojo Lounge. Now on my top five meals ever list. On the beach in swanky recliner style chairs. Conch pizza, a bottle of wine and sand between our toes.

The waters were an amazing turquoise. Schools of fish spent days under the deck in front of our hotel. We drank iced coffee on the deck while looking at the ocean stretching fifteen steps in front of us.

And, there were no Walmarts!

There were some bugs, and some power outages due to the government not paying the electricity bill. There were fires burning across the mainland because the soil gets hot and sap or a little waste will start a fire and it will just burn and burn. There were so many very skinny dogs. Belizians don't belive in feeding their dogs dog food. The dogs are called pot lickers becuase they are fed only by being given the pot to lick after dinner. On the way home from the chicken drop night, the last image I saw in San Pedro town, is a dog knocking over a garbage can and licking a tin can that fell out. As I was bumping along in the back of the golf cart (the only motorized transportation that can cross the bridge from town to the north) I thought - this place has made my heart grow a lot and break a little at the same time.

When can we go back?