Belize
While crossing the border with Belize, we were soaked to the skin, and covered in white mud from head to toes (Yucatan mostly consists of a limestone shelf). Near the border we saw a lake, and used the opportunity not only to wash ourselves, but also to clean our bikes. A hand brush came in very handy – mud had squeezed into every possible corner.
The roads in Belize turned out to be very good. The surrounding landscape changed: there were more citrus trees, sugarcane fields, fenced properties. What we missed were "roadside meals". In Corozal, we treated ourselves to a huge serving of rice with shrimps. The town had plenty of Chinese diners. Taking the main road, we headed for Orange Walk. Suddenly, a unique booth appeared ahead of us, seemingly out of nowhere! It wasn't exactly a stall. Even today we don't exactly know what it was: amidst hectares of wasteland, far away from any town or village, there stood a blue booth. Inside it we saw heaps of books. A library? A bookstore? Anyway, there was a bench in the shade, hungry dogs, and… a host - a black man who invited us to take a rest on the bench, who had heard about Europe, about Gdansk, about Walesa. If it wasn't for the photo of that place, I could swear I was dreaming!
Luckily, there was a small hotel in Orange Walk, being gradually renovated, but already offering a few rooms that were ready for guests. When the owner heard we had come from Poland, he gave us another room – with a TV set. It was then that we found out from the news that the Pope had died. It is difficult to describe that feeling of depression and sorrow. It appears that being so far away from home, we experienced the situation with even stronger emotions. Next day we reached Crooked Tree – birds' sanctuary. The place was unbelievable – not just because of its fauna and flora, but also because of the inhabitants. I felt like staying in a heritage park museum, a place where time stood still. However, the locals did stay in touch with the rest of the world, watching the coverage of the funeral on that day. We were amazed how popular our Pope was even in such small, distant and unknown countries.
Belize City welcomed us with big city traffic and noise. Stretching as far as 300 km, the coral reef of Belize is the second biggest in the world. As soon as we got there, we went to the harbour to reach Caulker Caye island. At the hotel, we paid for two nights to take a good rest. What a wonderful place! Nobody was in a hurry, nobody was angry. So what it was Easter? The Christmas tree standing on the balcony would be of use in to time! Relax… After dinner we decided to stay for one more night – whatever! Eager to dive near the reef, we went to a travel agency that was closest to our hotel. Bingo! While other boats were overcrowded, ours took just 6 people – what a luxury! It cost us ca. PLN 120 per person.
Diving in Belize eventually made Igor cry and open his heart. On one occasion, after coming out of water, he dropped a tear and mumbled: "Wifey, I am so happy". Underwater gardens, a splendid variety of fish, and so much more. There were sharks too, but mostly species presenting no danger to people. They enjoyed splashing about and playing with divers. For the next two days Igor would repeat every now and then: "You get it, Lusi? I touched it! I swam with a shark!" Such an experience cannot be described in words and cannot be valued in terms of money. On that very island I had the best Pinacolada and the best ice cream in my life. Hmm… how about moving there?
The roads in Belize turned out to be very good. The surrounding landscape changed: there were more citrus trees, sugarcane fields, fenced properties. What we missed were "roadside meals". In Corozal, we treated ourselves to a huge serving of rice with shrimps. The town had plenty of Chinese diners. Taking the main road, we headed for Orange Walk. Suddenly, a unique booth appeared ahead of us, seemingly out of nowhere! It wasn't exactly a stall. Even today we don't exactly know what it was: amidst hectares of wasteland, far away from any town or village, there stood a blue booth. Inside it we saw heaps of books. A library? A bookstore? Anyway, there was a bench in the shade, hungry dogs, and… a host - a black man who invited us to take a rest on the bench, who had heard about Europe, about Gdansk, about Walesa. If it wasn't for the photo of that place, I could swear I was dreaming!
Luckily, there was a small hotel in Orange Walk, being gradually renovated, but already offering a few rooms that were ready for guests. When the owner heard we had come from Poland, he gave us another room – with a TV set. It was then that we found out from the news that the Pope had died. It is difficult to describe that feeling of depression and sorrow. It appears that being so far away from home, we experienced the situation with even stronger emotions. Next day we reached Crooked Tree – birds' sanctuary. The place was unbelievable – not just because of its fauna and flora, but also because of the inhabitants. I felt like staying in a heritage park museum, a place where time stood still. However, the locals did stay in touch with the rest of the world, watching the coverage of the funeral on that day. We were amazed how popular our Pope was even in such small, distant and unknown countries.
Belize City welcomed us with big city traffic and noise. Stretching as far as 300 km, the coral reef of Belize is the second biggest in the world. As soon as we got there, we went to the harbour to reach Caulker Caye island. At the hotel, we paid for two nights to take a good rest. What a wonderful place! Nobody was in a hurry, nobody was angry. So what it was Easter? The Christmas tree standing on the balcony would be of use in to time! Relax… After dinner we decided to stay for one more night – whatever! Eager to dive near the reef, we went to a travel agency that was closest to our hotel. Bingo! While other boats were overcrowded, ours took just 6 people – what a luxury! It cost us ca. PLN 120 per person.
Diving in Belize eventually made Igor cry and open his heart. On one occasion, after coming out of water, he dropped a tear and mumbled: "Wifey, I am so happy". Underwater gardens, a splendid variety of fish, and so much more. There were sharks too, but mostly species presenting no danger to people. They enjoyed splashing about and playing with divers. For the next two days Igor would repeat every now and then: "You get it, Lusi? I touched it! I swam with a shark!" Such an experience cannot be described in words and cannot be valued in terms of money. On that very island I had the best Pinacolada and the best ice cream in my life. Hmm… how about moving there?
