Belize

Well we've just spent the last 10 days or so travelling down the east coast of Mexico, area called Quintana Roo. Stunning green sea, plam trees and blistering heat. Was really cool. I even went to see some ruins in a place called Coba! God Im so proud of myself. Itwas nearly 100 degrees in the forest as we were looking at them!

We travelled by bus all the way down the coast and the journeys were pretty comfortable actually. Nice air con buses, happy days. Got to the Mexican border, and then arrived into Belize. What can I say about it...I wasnt expecting it!

Now before I am a little critical, I DO appreciate it was terrible weather. Lashing rain in the heat and nobody being able to do anything as a result. We overnighted in a place called Corozal and it was a shanty town! Everyone kept lookin at the 2 white people walking throiugh the town. I said to Mal it was like a very old movie set that they used in a wild western movie in about 1950.

The place had been devasated by hurricanes in the past and they just didnt have the coin to replace buildings or improve roads etc. As a result, we were jumping over holes in the roads, footpaths and as you glance at the buildings, you cant help but feel the desperation these folk have for a better life. We stayed in a 'hotel'. A nice word for The Palm Springs Motel along with a flashing light run by Charlie the american dude who was about 70 and had dyed his hair black. We couldnt work out why her kept hapring on about what a great place Corozal was. Erm, yep ok! The plan was to get the regular daily boat from Corozal to the islands the following day - to a plce called Caye Caulker to dive and chill and really enjoy the carribean vibe.

We woke up to LASHING rain (I had just posted home from rain jacket, nice work sue) and no boats were going anywhere......

So we got a bus to Belize City, we thought feck it we might as well see if the boats are going from there. We got to the bus station with ruck sacks in tow and yer man tells us we're in luck, a bus is due any minute....

You know those yellow american school buses....? Yep, one of those came ricketing around the corner with ´BELIZE CITY' written on it.  This bus was probably 20 years older and painted brown. I looked at Mal, he started laughing and we asked the dude when the next bus 'premier class' was going (premier class was like the 44A at home much better)
Next Premier Bus was in 5 hours time. nah, we can do this.

ok so 5 hours later we get to Belize City. I literally cant feel my buttocks at this stage. We have  felt every bump on the road and with no air con and it being oh about 90 degrees, we drove with the door open to get some air!! An experience.

Belize City wasnt what I expected at all. Dont know why I thought it was gonna be a heaving metropolis, I guess coz it had the word City in its name. I can only describe it as a chaotic town that looked like one of those chaotic East African villages you see on TV. That are at war!  

The local folk love to chat to the tourists coz they just see us as one big american dollar!  
One dude kept trying to talk to us, they speak english by the way as their first language which was very interesting and Queen elizabeth is on their currency notes!

Anyway we found lodgings which was fine, clean and spacious, and went to explore. God I couldnt get my head around it. We were walking over poor poor beggars on the footpath, diving for cover on the footpath as motorbikes roared past and I've never felt so white in all my life!! Dont get us wrong, we realised the people were in fact really nice. They just were so so differernt and looked ill or out of it or just a bit pushy, it just wasnt the kind of vibe I had been hoping for. Plus the rain didnt help. All we wanted to do was get on a boat and head to the islands which Ive read about, they are meant to be out of this world and so chilled out.

So that evening,  we had some food (in the Radisson Hotel, all the other food places were in back alleys, no bloody way) and back in the hostel, watched Americas Next Top Model (random distraction).

First thing next morning, we packed up and headed to the bus station and got a Premier (yahoo) bus back into Mexico. We figured there was no point waiting for the rain to stop as it could be a few days. The bus took 7 hours and you know what, neither of us minded.....i had picked up 'The girl with the dragon tatoo book, excellent stuff'.

That evening, we were back in Mexico and even though the rain was on and off, we were happy to be back in clean and happy places, now if only the sun would come out.....