A Belizean Welcome

Where did March go? I've stepped away from my blogging duties for what seemed to have been a few moments, but now I find myself a month and a half behind on recounting my latest adventures. Several momentous occasions have occurred between then and now, but I will keep my recount as brief as possible to get you all up-to-date on my experiences in Guatemala and beyond.

The Tecpán medical mission came and went, and soon enough, it was already 5:30a.m. on the morning of Saturday Feburary 18. As I climbed into Maricio's truck for the long ride back to Guatemala City, I mused over the daunting day of travel we had ahead of us. Our goal was to reach Puerto Barrios by nightfall.. and we still needed to retrieve our passports… from Cobán. 

We were all over the country in one day

In our rushed effort to arrive in Guatemala City for the 8:00a.m. medical team bus a week ago, Justin and I had forgotten probably our most important traveling item: our passports. We couldn't leave the country without them. It made for quite the long travel day the following Saturday…

-2 hour bus trip from Tecpán to Guatemala City

-5 hour bus trip from Guatemala City to Cobán

-3 hour microbus trip from Cobán to El Rancho

-4 hour bus trip from El Rancho to Morales

The last bus to Morales was twice as long as normal, as we got a flat tire which took an hour to fix. The bus was filled with people, standing in the isles, sitting in the seats. It was a sauna by the time we were on the road again. As soon as we arrived in Morales (about an hour outside Puerto Barrios), we checked into the only hotel in the area… $25/person. Even though this is a bit spend for our tastes, we didn't mind. Finally.. a place to lie down! Needless to say, we slept soundly.

Justin made a friend at Terrance's house

Our next travel day wasn't as bad, but we started out later that we had hoped. By 1pm, we found ourselves in a water taxi across to Belize from Puerto Barrios. We caught the first bus up the coast from Punta Gorda, our arrival port. We were rewarded with a truly Belizean experience upon just mounting the bus. A group of young Belizean fishermen sat next to us at the back of the bus and invited us to a taste of their Rum and Sprite. One thing led to another, and soon enough we were invited to their house in Dangriga, a small fishing village between Punta Gorda and Belize City, our ultimate destination. Since we weren't going to make the launch out to San Pedro Island that day, we accepted their offer. Free lodging is free lodging! Many may consider this decision dangerous, or downright foolhardy. I can't say that it wasn't a risk, but we spent several hours with these guys (who were accompanied by a girlfriend), and it was apparent they meant to ill-will. Traveling does sometimes involve taking risks, and this is a risk that paid off ten-fold. 

We spent our whole Sunday evening in a true Garifuna village (please see my "Livingston" blog for information about the Garifuni people). Glen, Terrance, and Willie were the names of these locals. They lived in structures that were reminiscent of Galveston beach houses from memories of my youth. Big, tall stilts held a 3-4 bedroom house with a big living room in the middle. We learned some words from their own Creole-like language ("Baka- tone" = "back of town"), ate a delicious homemade chicken meal, shot pool and drank Guinness at the local tavern, and slept on a less than cozy but "it's-the-thought-that-counts" mattress. Price tag? Free. 

Playing in the living room with the kids

Glen and Terrace refused to let us purchase anything, even though we did force them a few beers for them at the bar. We were treated so incredibly well, I can't thank them enough for the hospitality. In hanging out with them, we discovered that they own their own island about 30 miles off the coast, next to Tobacco Caye. Here, Terrance and Willie will bring tourist groups out for a night on the island, which is adorned with a full bar, a few beach houses, outhouse, and a fishing shack. We promised to make it back for a trip out to the island sometime, but I'm not sure when we will be able to make it. Someday!

The next day, Terrance walked us down to the bus station. Before leaving, we sat down for lunch and insisted that we buy Terrance a meal for all the hospitality he showed us. He picked the cheapest thing on the menu. We ate and enjoyed each other's company before departing. Another very special traveler's experience of pure hospitality.