Too hot to handle?
Thursday, November 24th, 2005
Well? I certainly am, thank you. I’ve just had a beautiful blissed-out four days in this little corner of paradise (San Jose Succotz, Cayo District of Belize). By day it’s been hot and sunny, the sounds of the birds and assorted wildlife filling the air, while by night the place buzzes, quite literally, with the sound of the bugs. I’ve seen butterflies, tarantulas (pets not wild ones), bats, trails of leafcutter ants, dragonflies, big dogs (Tai and Chi!) and of course mosquitoes, or little bastards as I like to call them.
It’s been pretty quiet around here in terms of people. Jim, the guy who told me about this place back in Hopkins was here for a day or two, as was Sarah, a photographer from the UK who won a fantastic competition prize of a round-the-world ticket taking photos for a charity and the Rough Guides. Sarah and myself spent Tuesday going up to the local Mayan ruins, followed by frisbee golf round the woods (like normal golf but with a frisbee and without the wankers).
Since then I’ve had the run of the place, as the last couple days have been quiet with only my hosts John, Judy, Flora etc. for company, but this has been good to give me time to recharge my batteries and prepare for heading into Guatemala. I realised today, whilst swinging lazily in a hammock, that since setting off almost six weeks ago I haven’t been alone at all – I’m not complaining as it’s been the most fun I’ve had in ages, but I have enjoyed having a couple of days to myself.
Now that I feel ready to move on, it’s time to jump back on the bus and head down to the border and face the music with my atrocious passport photo once again. My rough plan for Guatemala is to head to Flores first, an island town on lake Peten Itza, then head south to the Rio Dulce river before going west to Antigua, where I may go back to school to improve on my basic grasp of spanish.
Belize has been a breeze in terms of language because it’s largely english speaking, which is nice but doesn’t help improve my spanish, so it’s time to switch my brain back to learning mode. Belize is also relatively expensive compared to Mexico and Guatemala. It has very little manufacturing industry of its’ own, so most commodities are imported, that and the ever-expanding gringo population (and us tourists) keep pushing the prices up.
The only ‘made in Belize’ products of note are the beer (Belikin), the rum (Travellers’ 1Barrel being my favourite) and the ubiquitous Marie Sharp’s pepper sauce (every dinner table has it). As much as I like Tabasco, the habanero pepper sauces here are amazing, and hot! If they’re not exported already I suggest someone gets on the case before I get home, as I can’t carry anymore stuff. They come in many varieties and strengths, one of the hottest is called ‘No Wimps Allowed’ and it comes with the warning:
“Keep out of reach of children
Avoid contact with eyes or skin
Do not play triks[sic] on the weak or elderly whit[sic] this sauce”
Hmmm, now that just gives the mischievous amongst us ideas!
Right, enough rambling, I’d better go and pack my bag and head for a new land, with new beer and new currency. The Belizean dollars have the Queen’s head on them despite gaining independance in ’81; oh the grand old days of the British Empire. Thankfully Prince Philip hasn’t come over here recently and made one of his hilariously bigotted remarks about the locals, or I’d really be in the shit!
I've been in Caye Caulker for almost a week now, and think that it's time to make plans to move on. Life here is just too laid back and easy that I can see myself slipping ... 
Ed