When I first crossed the border into Belize, I immediately longed for Guatemala again. These two countries, right next to one another, are immensely different and it took me a while to truly warm up to Belize. Belize seemed less cultural and more Americanized, more touristy. And it is... yet it is a very diverse place as well, with Mayans, Garifunas, West Indians, and Chinese. With how beautiful the country is and its access to some of the world's most amazing coral reefs, it is no wonder the country is a big tourist attraction. And your experience here will only be what you let it. If you only snorkel or dive and sit on the beach with other tourists, then you'll never fall in love with the native people. Every country has it's hardships and you can't blame the locals for how their government has sold out on their own country's resources. Belize's coastline is mostly owned by rich American, British, and Canadian expats; most of their produce is shipped to first-world countries; their taxes go towards building more over-the-top resorts instead of education and health care. The people speak of corruption and poor education systems, while they serve this visiting little white girl a breakfast of eggs, beans, fryjacks, and plantains. And such is life here.
Last Tuesday, the girls and I embarked on a three day sailing trip from Caye Caulker to Placencia on the southern coast. This was one of our most expensive excursions, but well worth it! I got to raise the sail and steer the sailboat a couple of times, so that makes me a pirate now, right? :) My first time fishing, I caught a mutton snapper on the first day and a barracuda on the second. Sure, I'm vegetarian, but I will eat what I've caught and gutted for myself. Maybe I'm a pescatarian for this trip, lol. We snorkeled among the corals and brightly colored fish about three times a day, and then camped on little islands each night.
The end of the trip was a happy and sad one, since it was my last day with the chicas. Sasha and Elisa returned to Caye Caulker on the boat in order to get to Belize City and then to Mexico. Sasha has a flight to catch back to the states on the 20th and Elisa will be meeting her friend up there before she flies to Honduras for her new teaching job. Honestly, the past 6-7 weeks were so wonderful traveling with them! I haven't been that close with girls in a long while. We shared everything! I wouldn't have wanted our trip to be any different than it was, and I felt so comfortable traveling with such strong (and silly) women. And so las tres colochas have gone their separate ways... for now. I will miss you guy! <3 <3 <3
My first night alone was okay. I'm not a huge fan of Placencia-- too touristy. I'm so happy I traveled to Hopkins on the next day. Hopkins is a small coastal town home to a community of Garifuna people, the descendants of African slaves mixed with indiginous Caribs from the islands. I spent three days there, at a drumming center, with some of the warmest people I have ever met. If you ever go to Hopkins, stay at Lebeha! The place was cute and cozy and I don't think I could ever complain about the noise, some of the best drumming I've ever heard. Jabar teaches traditional Garifuna percussion while his Canadian wife blends smoothies and greets the guests. Jabar's drumming group consist of several young drummers from the village, who have competed nation-wide and are said to be the best. They performed for us on Friday night, and everyone danced until their feet swelled.
The next day, I traveled to Cockscomb Wildlife Sanctuary with KB, a traveler from Austin who was staying at the drumming center too. We hiked to the top of a ridge and then down to a double waterfall, with crystal blue water perfect for swimming. That night, the center arranged a traditional Garifuna dinner with us and invited the townspeople. Coconut barracuda soup with mashed plantains, yum yum! The group was excited that we happened to be there in time to experience a traditional celebration that occurs after the wake of a village member. The village played drums, drank, danced, and handed out traditional foods until 6 in the morning. This tradition is to send the spirit off properly after recognizing their life. If this wasn't enough, the drummers brought us to another party in a thatch roof hut on the edge of town, with a DJ that blasted reggae and punta all night. From the hiking and the dancing, my legs were done!
It was hard to say goodbye, but I knew I had to make my journey to Punta Gorda (PG) and here I am. Tomorrow, I will take a boat to Livingston, Guatemala and continue my travels through the eastern part of the country till my flight to Costa Rica on the 25th. On the way, I'll visit some thermal waterfalls and caves. In CR, I'll meet up with family and try to learn how to surf, visit more sea turtles and volcanoes before heading back to the states.
Until my next internet encounter, love
Ari
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