Although our trip to Belize is not from 2012, I am hoping the story of our visit there will help others in their impending trips to Belize.  I actually have a lot of other trips to report on, but they are further back in time and I thought it would be beneficial to keep as current as possible.

Our first evening in Belize was very nice; especially after the concerns we experienced getting to Corozal.  We had a very nice and affordable light dinner, at the motel restaurant, which was outdoors and in a very comfortable and mild seventy degree weather.  While eating, we overheard a gentleman, at the bar, talking on his cell phone.  He was arranging for a tour of Mayan ruins for the following day.  We heard him mention Orchid Bay, which was a development we had read about before visiting Belize.  After he got off the phone, I took the initiative to confront him.  A short talk with him revealed he was preparing for the monthly visitors to Orchid Bay, which includes a guided tour of the ruins, a sales presentation, and an evening party at the motel we happened to be in.  We quickly found out we could accompany him on the Mayan ruins tour, for a nominal cost of $50 per person, which included a lunch.  We were to meet with him and his group around noon, the next day.

A typical "Supermarket" in Belize

We were off to a good start.  We had a very nice night's sleep and a simple but adequate breakfast and decided to drive into Corozal for the morning.  It turned out to be not much of a drive.  The motel was virtually on the city limits.  Nor did it take long to take the scenic drive through the small city.  The streets were in poor condition, the buildings were in poor condition, and the people were in poor condition.  At first, that sounds like it was not a pleasant place.  Quite the opposite was true.  The people were very friendly and the level of poverty they were living in, it turns out, is simply because they choose to live that way.  The restaurants we saw were generally small and not too attractive.  The motels (and there were a few) were run down and somewhat intimidating.  The grocery stores were graced with signs that claimed "Supermarket" status, but they were primarily oriental ownership, very small, cluttered, and dark.  Nevertheless, they seemed to meet the requirements of both, the natives and the expats who lived there.  We ran into a few expats who were very warm and inviting.  They said it took a while to get used to the living standards in Belize, but they were very content to have developed the laid-back life style that was necessary to be at home, there.

Orchid Bay rep, climbing in the boat

We didn't bother getting a meal, while on the go, because we knew we would be having lunch with the tour.  Arriving back at the motel in time to meet up with the guy we had spoken with the night before, we found out some of the tour group, who were flying in that day, were going to be late.  Since we knew it would be about a two hour drive for the new arrivals, the idea that the plane had not even landed yet, was not encouraging.  We ended up leaving in two minivans at 1:30, because the plane had still not landed and it was clear we couldn't wait, anymore.  The drive took us back the way we had come, except this time the vans drove us right through Orange Walk.  In broad daylight, it was far less threatening; particularly after seeing that Corozal was not much different (although perhaps smaller).  We drove several miles past Orange Walk and ended up at a dock on the "New River."  They had several pick nick tables set up with palm frond roofs and had lunch in a rough buffet fashion set up on one of the tables.  This was our first real experience with truly Belizean food.  It consisted of papayas (which tasted over ripe), rice and beans (a fairly dry version), chicken in a sauce, fried plantains, some salad, beer, soft drinks, and some kind of dessert that would take some getting used to.  All-in-all, it was good and satisfying. 

After eating our fill, we were invited to the dock to board a twin engine, canopy covered boat with bench seating all along the sides.  There were about twenty-five of us and that didn't quite fill up all the seating. 

One of the boats built by Mennonites

The driver of the boat was also the tour guide.  He was a native Belizean and a woman (also a native) who was an assistant stood near him.   The guide explained we would be traveling, for the most part, south on the New River at about twenty-five miles per hour and that the trip would, depending on the wildlife we would see along the way, take about an hour.  He was very good at being able to see and point out the wildlife, along the river, which included small crocodiles, a variety of tropical birds, bats, and termite nests.  We also stopped, briefly, at a Mennonite settlement called Shipyard.  The local Mennonite population had resettled in Belize after they became overburdened and persecuted, to some degree, in Mexico, where they had originally settled.  The had requested and received land grants from the Belizean government in return for a promise to cultivate and produce crops and meat for the Belizean population.  Many Mennonites still did and do not use cars, electricity, or any modern conveniences.  Shipyard was one of those communities.  There were no utilities and the people still traveled by horse drawn carriages.  The dichotomy was that they built ships (thus the name of the community) out of steel, which required electrical welding.  I guess making a living can provide justification for not adhering exactly to their customs or beliefs.

The trip lasted right around an hour and fifteen minutes.  We pulled into the New River Lagoon and soon pulled up to a dock that marked the beginning of the trail we would be hiking around a loop of Mayan temples.  We spend about two and a half hours walking through a jungle area that was filled with Palms, Teak, Mahogany, All Spice, and several exotic plants like Bird of Paradise, Hibiscus,  and other flowering plants.  This particular preserve was called Lamanai, which is simply a gringo distortion of "submerged Crocodile."  The temples were within easy walking distance and were all impressive.  The steps leading to the tops of these pyramids were uncomfortably high (about 16 to 18 inches tall), which our guide explained was to keep the people climbing them in a submissive posture while approaching the top.  We got to see an army of large ants moving in an indirect line through the foliage, emerging from some underbrush and disappearing into some more underbrush a hundred yards away.  They were so large and so numerous, we could hear them marching.  We saw and heard howler monkeys moving through the tree tops while making loud almost barking like noises.  They were reminiscence of the Gibbons of Southeast Asia, except their "howling" was more guttural and like barking growls. 

Our trip back to the dock was partially in near dark.  The guide made a point of letting us know he would have to go back as quickly as possible because of the difficulty of navigating in the dark.  We made it back in a little less than an hour.  Our drive back to the motel was uneventful and it took about forty minutes.  By the time we got back, had some dinner in the motel restaurant, and got back to our room, we were more than ready for a good night's sleep.  For our first full day in Belize, we felt we had done very well.  Our spontaneous and un-choreographed visit was proving to be as adventurous and exciting as we had originally expected.

One might think, after the comedy of occurrences in getting a rental car, everything else would go quite well.  We had been warned the roads in Belize might not be the greatest.  In fact, they were not bad, at all.  The main highway from Belize City to Corozal, located in the southernmost coastal area of Belize.  It was like driving on a country road in most any state in the U. S., except that it was not quite as smooth.  The speed limit was alternately posted in MPH and in KPH (kilometers per hour).  Our car had a speedometer that showed kilometers. 

We had inquired, at the car rental office, about the availability of restaurants and motels.  It was already a little after 5:00 p.m. and we were hoping to find a place to eat and a place to sleep, before we went too far.  "Oh, there are motels and restaurants all along the way," the lady had replied.  Armed with that information, we kept an eye out for the first restaurant.  It soon became apparent, there were no restaurants along the road.  Rather, there were little food stands located at distant intervals, which served up the native fare, but in driving by offered little appeal to newcomers.  Nor did we see any motels.  We managed to make it to Orange Walk, before it got dark.  As we drove into town, we saw places I would (at least from the perspective from the car) call flea bags.  Not interested in staying in a not at all attractive or inviting motel, we continued into town. 

Our first visual experience of a "city," in Belize, was not good and getting worse.  We have seen villages and towns in Mexico, which were filthy, poverty stricken, and undesirable, and that was the impression we were getting from Orange walk.  We didn't see the cardboard dwellings occupying vacant lots, but the people seemed to be homeless, or at least transients, just sitting on sidewalks, or leaning against the shops, which themselves were run down, unpainted, and had hand painted signs indicating what type of establishment was in that particular building.  It was intimidating enough that we decided to turn around and take the by-pass road around Orange Walk to head on toward Corozal. 

As mentioned, earlier, the road was their highway, but it was a simple and narrow two lane road.  It was getting darker and darker.  The people who lived there were either riding bicycles, walking, or just leading a cow or steer, along the road.  As it got darker, it got more difficult to see the people at the side of the road.  We marveled at their courage or lack of caution in putting themselves in danger of being hit by a passing car.  Since it had also become apparent there were few, if any, rules of conduct on the road (limited to aggressive speed bumps placed at various intervals along the highway to reduce the speed of the traffic), we were amazed at their lack of fear.  We were, naturally, becoming apprehensive about our prospects of finding a decent place to spend the night, much less finding a place to get a meal.  It was now dark.  We were wondering if we had been to cocky to have made this trip without having to find a place to reserve ahead of time, on line.  Just as we were thinking we would have to find a safe place to park and get some sleep in the car, we drove around a bend and saw a large sign that said "Tony's Inn at the Sea."  It came up so abruptly, I was past the road before I could stop.  I found a place to turn around and we went back.  Although the access road, to the Inn, was in poor condition, with deep pot holes, we found the driveway and pulled into the motel.  It was not only attractive, it was an answer to prayer.  We checked in, finding we were still in the "off season" and there was a special price of $60.00 per night, which would last for another two weeks.  The motel also had a nice restaurant and very good food.  Our room was large and comfortable and, although perhaps not as well appointed as we were accustomed to in America and some of the other countries we had visited, we were very comfortable in it.  We were, at long last (although the drive had only taken about two and a half hours, it seemed like an eternity), in Corozal.

Since this Blogging thing is all new to me, and since we are not continuously traveling, I will, from time-to-time, create a "flash-back" to recap some of the details of our recent travels.  Today, I have chosen to recap some of the things we experienced in Belize.

As I mentioned, this trip was a completely independent trip.  That means we did not have a tour guide or an itemized agenda that was created either by us or for us.  Once we landed in Belize City, we were on our own.  Evelyn had reserved a rental car with a budget type rental company, the idea being we would get a better price by having the reservation.  In the real world, we found it to be a little more restrictive than we expected.  We walked into the cubical (this office was barely 100 square feet in size) and proceeded to confirm our reservation.  We don't like traveling with too many credit cards, because losing them creates  more work to cancel.  In this case, we had chosen two cards to take with us and both of them were Visa cards.  The advantage of paying with our Visa card was that the supplemental insurance is covered by the card provider.  The nice lady was filling out the necessary paperwork and got to the part where she wanted us to pay for the insurance.  I informed her of the automatic insurance coverage provided by the card.  She promptly informed us of their company's policy of not accepting that as the insurance coverage, unless we were to use a Master Card (I am convinced they would have told us the opposite, if we had said we only had a Master Card).  The additional cost for the insurance would have been significant, for the twelve days we were there, so I told the lady we would like to consider it for a few minutes and left the office. 

This is the car we got from Avis.  Not great, but adequate.

Now this office was only one of many, including Hertz, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, and several others.  We decided to try Avis, walked into the office (again a tiny space), and told them what we were interested in doing.  The lady in this office was very accommodating.  Not only did she agree to accept the insurance from the automatic credit card coverage, but she gave us a slightly better price than what the "inexpensive" company was going to give us. 

Evelyn getting our of car for small ferry ride.  More on this later.

The other thing we found out we had to watch out for was the principle of poverty.  There was a large, very dark skinned, gentleman, who was overly anxious to try to carry our luggage for us.  Now I wasn't borne, yesterday.  First of all, Evelyn is an expert packer for traveling.  We travel only with carry-ons, even if we spend a month, somewhere.  That means we don't need a porter to carry a huge pile of luggage.  Secondly, we know when someone is looking for a tip and, while I don't have a problem with providing a gratuity for service, I am not going to let the "service provider" dictate the value of that service.  Belize has a currency that is 50% of the US Dollar.  The inhabitants buy their wares and needs based on that Belizian currency.  If you give them a tip of $1.00 U.S., you are giving them two Belizian Dollars. 

This gentleman was intimidating to my wife, which I don't like, at all.  I drew him outside the building on the pretense of looking at the car we would be getting (this was with the original company we had booked with).  He threw the bags into the back of the car he was suggesting we would be getting.  I offered him a $2 tip, which I thought was generous, considering we only had two carry-on bags.  He got real close, to talk to me confidentially, and said "I get $5.00 for this."  I could tell he was trying to make sure no one else heard that, so I did not respond the way he expected.  I pulled the bags back out of the car, walked back to the office (he followed, but did not enter the office with me, again).  I asked the lady in the office if the man, outside, worked for her.  She said he did not.  Not only did I not feel obligated to give him a tip, but I no longer felt the need to let him provide a service.  One truly has to be aware of what is taking place.  Poverty increases the ideas and systems by which one gets taken advantage of, but you don't have to give in to those kinds of manipulations.  More on this adventure to follow.

Traveling in a recessionary world

Although my wife and I have been world travelers since our early years together, traveling in our current economy is more of a challenge.  I, personally, know a lot of people who thought they would retire and travel to all the places they had dreamed of when they were younger.  The current recession (read depression) has depleted far too many retirement funds and those people are not able to travel, now.  Many are doing well, just to keep their house out of foreclosure.  Although we, too, lost a lot of money in the stock market, the real estate market, and other investments, we haven't given up on our dream of continuing to travel in retirement.

It is true, we now have to find more affordable ways of traveling, what we have discovered, over the past few years is, we can still find deals and, if we are willing to be adventurous, creative, and independent, we can still experience the good traveling retirement life.  For instance, my wife found a cruise, in March of 2010, which was very affordable.  We booked a Carnival Cruise from Long Beach California to Puerto Vallarta, then Mazatlan, then Cabo San Lucas.  It cost just over $400 per person (double occupancy) for seven days.  Sure we had to drive from our home in Grass Valley, California, to Long Beach and back, but that only added a little under $75 and we booked two excursions while in the ports of call, which set us back a total of about $180.  For slightly over a thousand dollars, we were wined and dined with a luxury and leisure that is not easily found in other ways.  

The same year, in November, She booked flights from Sacramento to Belize City, Belize.  She was able to find flights for under $500 each and, because it was two weeks before the high season, there, we were able to rent a car (with some negotiating at the rental office at the airport) for about $600 for the full twelve days we stayed there.  Hotels were reasonable (again, because it was right before the high season), food was affordable, the sights were splendid (we saw several Mayan ruins) and because the whole country is small, we were able to experience Belize from Corozal to San Ignacio, to Placencia.  From Arid Caribbean coastal weather to Rain Forests, poverty stricken communities to four star hotels.  With food, lodging and travel, we managed to spend less than two thousand dollars for the full twelve day trip.  That encouraged us, greatly. 

My wife climbing the tallest pyramid

My wife and I in front of a Mayan Pyramid

A view from our table at a four star hotel

After a break of a full year, in which our daughter and two of our grand children moved into our area and we dedicated ourselves to helping them get settled in, we are again planning on doing some traveling.  My wife was born in Berlin, Germany, and her mother,brother, and other relatives still live there.  We are planning on traveling there this June (2012) for my mother-in-law's 90th birthday.  Since Berlin has so much to offer, from 1200 year old buildings and artifacts to modern/contemporary buildings; from lazy boat, sight seeing, cruises on one of the many rivers there, to dining in many diverse and international restaurants, we are looking forward to finding the best and most inexpensive ways of experiencing all the riches Berlin and the surrounding communities have to offer.