Around the world by bike
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Belize (303km - 13days) |
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19 - 20 August - Melchor de Mencos, Gautemala – San Ignacio, Belize - 18km
It was time to head for the Belize border.
The border was just on the outskirts of town and we crossed
into Belize without any problems.
We cycled
a
short distance to San Ignacio and found a campsite right in the
centre of town, which suited us just fine. Ernest seriously
needed some spares for his bike and
In the meantime, we met the local bush doctor who recommended some Noni juice for Ernest’s ailments. That night he returned with some foul smelling stuff in a jar!!! Ernest bravely drank it and lo and behold, would he not feel a lot better after that!! He is now a converted Noni juice drinker!!
I normally sleep very well in my tent but this night was different. Red ants somehow got into my tent and I awoke in the middle of the night to ants slowly and systematically devouring me. Needless to say there was a lot of jumping around.
21 August - San Ignacio – Belmopan - 40km
Belize is a rather small country and
nothing is very far. So far I have found the Belizeans very
friendly. Not
only did a lady stop next to
We cycled the short distance to Belmopan, the capital, and found a very small village. Belmopan is a “built” city and was established in 1961 after hurricane Hattie wiped out much of Belize City. The city therefore appears rather dead and the huge parks and gardens around the government buildings, deserted. We thought we had to apply for a Mexican visa in Belmopan, but after enquiring at the embassy they told us we had to do it in Belize City.
22 August - Belmopan - Belize City - 83km We headed off in the direction of Belize City and at last we seemed to have found flat land again. But as the case with flat areas, one always seems to be cycling into the wind. Ernest nursed his bike along; as soon as he applied pressure to the peddles, the chain snapped. I must admit that I really enjoy the Belizeans: they are kind and friendly and without any airs about them. Here we are not referred to as Gringos anymore, but plain and simply as white boy or white woman!
We slowly moved along and still reached
Belize City in good time. A much livelier city than Belmopan
and it
gave us hope that we would find a bike
shop. On our way in we spotted two shops but none had the parts
we were
The following day we headed for the Mexican embassy and were surprised to find the process quick and easy. We were issued with a 6 month visa on the spot and all that for free!!! I like that!!! Then it was off to look for a bike shop. We found most of the things we were looking for but not everything, so we will just have to make do.
It was rather interesting walking around town as there always seems to be music of some kind around. The Garifuna are master percussionists and I´m convinced that by the time I leave here I will know each and every Bob Marley song off by hart.
24 - 27 August - Belize City – Caye Caulker - By water taxi (45min)
The place to go to in Belize is definitely
the islands. Water taxis ply the water between the mainland and
the Cayes, and we jumped on
Caye Caulker is a tiny island, at most
800m long and no more that 300m wide. Friendly, dreadlocked and
laidback locals eagerly await you as you step off the ferry,
ready to point you in the right direction (or sell you some of
the good stuff). We were looking for a place to camp and were
pointed in the direction of a nearby campsite. The friendly man
told us that if he had a bike he could have shown us the way
there – ha-ha
(keep in mind that we were about in the
middle of the 800m long island). The ¨Go Slow¨ motto of the
island is being taken quite literally. Everyone seems to know
everyone and there is no rushing from place to place, as each
one you pass will strike up a conversation. Going to the little
supermarket to pick up milk can be a long process as by now just
about everyone knows we’re cycling and that we are from South
Africa. Both these two
facts seem to amuse them tremendously! They will chuckle at the
fact that we are white and from Africa and they are black and
from Central America. More amusing to them is the fact that we
cycled to Belize, as the
We lazed the days away, dipping in the warm, crystal clear water of the Caribbean, listening to reggae music and sipping a beer at the Lazy Lizard Bar. Finally I gave in and took a boat out to the nearby reef for a three hour snorkel. What an experience it was!! I snorkeled to my heart's content and swam with nurse sharks, sting rays, moray eels, and schools of fish. LOL! I event touched the grainy skin of a nurse shark and live to tell the tale!! I felt the friendly sting rays bump against my legs. This is truly an amazing trip. I so wish I had a camera to capture the experience, as no one at home will believe me.
28 September - Caye Caulker – Belize City (by ferry) and onto Crooked Tree - 62km
It
was finally time to leave the island and head back to the
mainland. We were
rather slow in packing up but still managed to
get the
29 August - Crooked Tree – Orange Walk - 47km
Orange Walk is a small but lively town, where one can still find old-fashioned tortilla factories. Orange Walk is situated on the New River, once a major waterway for the ancient Maya. We found ourselves a cabana next to the river; a beautiful spot, where the river is covered in water lilies and little tables under thatch roofs are standing right in the water.
30 August - Orange Walk
Once in Orange Walk I took a boat ride up
the New River
to Lamanai, the nearby
Lamanai is simply magical. It is one of the largest Mayan sites in Belize, and holds over 800 structures. The site is situated deep in the Tropical Forest. Lamanai (Submerged Crocodile in Mayan) was occupied as early as 1500 B.C. and was occupied continuously for over 3,000 years. Its remoteness most likely contributed to its continuous occupation, well beyond most other Mayan sites, until at least 1650 A.D.
After a quick lunch we hopped back onto the boat and headed back to Orange Walk. What a fantastic day it was.
31 August - Orange Walk – Corozal - 53km
Later we walked to the square and the supermarket. Not a lot happened in that little town. I thought of going to see the ruins but it involved a boat ride and the sea was far too rough for that. |