Belize, the Jewel

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Hi Everybody!
From Panama City, we flew to Flores, Guatemala, a town on an island surrounded by the waters of Lake Peten Itza. It once had huge Mayan pyramids, but they were destroyed by the Spaniards in the 1600's. Today, the town has many buildings painted in bright colors. The town only has one paved roads. The other one lane roads may have once been paved, but today they are only dirt and sand. The town was extremely dusty. All of the merchandise in shops was completely covered with dust. Our hotel sat on the lake and we enjoyed watching the Vietnamese types boats on it. We enjoyed a fish dinner with our catch coming from the lake. That is one special thing about this trip. We have had great fish - from whole baked fish, grilled fish, fish fingers and cerviche for appetizers!
We left Flores by bus and traveled to Belize on one of the country's two highways. The other highway goes north to Mexico. People in Belize refer to their country as "the Jewel." Our bus let us out in the downtown area. One of the first things that we saw was the swing bridge. It is the last one of its kind left in the world. Every morning at 5:30 and every afternoon at 6:30, four men hand winch the bridge a quarter revolution so waiting boats can go upstream. Belize City is not a friendly city. It is one where you constantly have to watch your back. It is the kind of place that does not make a good impression. We chose a hotel based on our guide book's recommendation--Hotel Mopan. It is in a convenient location and has nice, large, clean rooms with a view of the Caribbean.
Belize has over four hundred islands in the Caribbean, but only a handful are set up for tourists. Today we took a water taxi 18 miles to Caye Caulker, just a few hundred feet inside the Belize Barrier Reef. It was a laid back, small island where life is easy going. Many people come to the Cayes (Keys) to dive.
While we were waiting for the water taxi, we saw two Mennonite couples. The Mennonites have a community in Belize. Walt and I decided that these blonde haired, blue eyed people with their suspenders and long dresses look even more out of place than us. Actually, they produce much of the milk and eggs for this area.
By the time we get home, we will have ridden in 7 airplanes, 2 chicken buses, 7 Greyhound type buses, 4 vans, 4 tuk tuks, 13 taxis, and 2 water taxis.
Walt has really enjoyed Cuban cigars on this trip. I think he regrets that he can't bring any home.
I think we need a rest before we plan another trip! I am looking forward to lots of hot water and plenty of air conditioning!
Take care,
Everette

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Photos

Hotel Santana in Flores
This is where we stayed in Flores. We were lucky to have AC.

Transportation in Islands
People ride bikes or golf carts to get around.