72 hour quarantine... i mean exile

Day 3: Friday still (Danriga)
On the bus to Dangriga I met a couple from just north of Seattle. They were 19 and 20, and real hippies. They were planning on going to Caye Caulker as well, until I said oh I dont think you can catch a ferry after 5, and the bus wouldn't get into Belize City until 630ish. So they decided to go to Dangriga as well. They set up camp on the beach, and I joined them for gourmet grilled cheese sandwhiches over a beach fire... spectacular sandwiches, with cheddar cheese, rosemary, tomatoes, basil, garlic. Best grilled cheese ever!
Wasn´t much to do in Dangriga, but that was ok because I had planned to get up early to go visit Mayflower park, which had Mayan ruins and a spectacular waterfall.
However, I was amazed at the number of Chinese who lived in Dangriga. All the grocery stores and convenience stores were owned by Chinese. The hotel were i stayed was above a Chinese grocery store. But the beach was beautiful, much better than at Livingston.

Day 4: Saturday (Dangriga)
So my friends headed out to Caye Caulker on Saturday, and we figured we´d see each other on Sunday when I got there. Slept in a bit (I got up at 430 in La Ceiba and 6 the day before, so I thought i deserved a rest) Got up about quarter to 9, and went down to the bus station to catch the bus out to Silk Grass Village, which was where my book had told me to go. Of course I get off at Silk Grass village and find out that the park is about 2 miles behind us, id passed it. So Im walking along, and a big rig stopped, who I asked for directions. The guy offered me a lift, and I figured since I still had three miles in the park and needed to be done by 3 to catch a bus home, I would take it! So it was him and his buddy and his brother in law and his nephew in the cab of the truck... the three guys were all drinking Guinness. Im like awesome, this is real safe. So they drop me off at the turnoff, and warn me its a bit of a hike in. Im thinking yep sure 3 miles, thats what the book said.

Im walking along the road when I come up to a car with two guys. They had stopped cause one was rummaging around in the backseat for something. The driver offers me a ride and im like nah its good... hes says its 4 miles in at least, and im thinking my guidebook said 3! So i wave them off and walk down a bit. About 15 minutes later, it starts to rain, and they come driving by. So I waved them down and said hey can I change my mind? The driver, Irvin, was from Belize, and the other guy, Jason, was from South Carolina. He was doing his divemaster on one of the small cayes about an hour outside of Dangriga, and had come in for the day to sort out his visa. Of course when I get to the park i realize that the 3 miles is actually the trail into the jungle to find the waterfall... stupid book never mentioned how I was supposed to get from Silk Grass Village to the entrance of the park!

So the three of us have a great day hiking into the waterfalls, we did both trails in, and went swimming at the base pool of the second waterfall.... well they did i stuck in my feet and decided it was just too cold! The only Maya ruins I saw though were a stone wall, like something you might see in England. Irvin kept telling us stories thouogh about how he and his friends would come in to go swim at the waterfall. However, supposedly the site is under excavation. So when we got back to the main park before going to the second waterfall, a car pulled up. The people got out and the man started getting suited up. And I mean suited. He had khaki pants and a button shirt, and his panama hat. He pulled out his mosquito spray, and pulled out his machete. And he asked the other two with him, an older woman (about 40s) and a younger woman (20s) if they had their walkie talkies. And then he pulled out his towel and put it around his neck. When they first got out and he mentioned the walkie talkies, i thought ok maybe they are a couple of archeaologists. Then as he was putting together his getup, it became quite obvious he was a tourist. But the classic line was him telling the older woman ¨good thing I dont look like a tourist.¨ I think Irvin Jason and I just about died we wanted to laugh so much.

By the time we got back to the main road, it was already 5. They were going down the road to Sittee River, because Jason needed to go back and get some money and then were planning on going to Hopkins, a small little village off the sea. So I decided what the heck, I´d go with them and check out the river. We get to the hostel for his company but his boss wasnt there, so we went down the road to a small little pool hall.... i do mean small, there was one table! So the three of played pool with some of the locals who were there, and it was just a great night!

Then we dropped Jason back off at the hostel, and Irvin, so very nice of him, drove me back to Dangriga because it was already after 8 and chances of my hitching back were getting very slim. I had meant to meet up with him that night then at one of the bars in Dangriga, and went walking around to find dinner, but in the end decided I really wanted cheese and crackers and to just sit and read my book. So had a fantastic dinner of cheddar cheese wheatins and pepperoni, with a gatorade to wash it down. It doesnt take much to please me now a days :)

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