This is breakfast and we are staying in the building behind on the top floor.
Golf carts are everywhere.For those who may not know Belize is a former British Colony hence the signs and language being in English, the distances measured in miles and yards, and parking meters are required even in paradise. Although they drive/ride on the right hand side of the road.Time to move on and we have help carrying the bikes down from our room.This very helpful chap is from Bangla Desh. Preparing to board another water taxi with our bikes.This is our taxi arriving which will take us from Ambergris Caye to Belize City.Thankfully we have a large enough taxi so that the bikes can be rolled on and rolled off without the need for unpacking and repacking.It seems that we’re spending more time on boats than dry land these days?We rode from the dock straight through the capital of Belize city and saw very little to keep us there; this being the only photo taken – they don’t revere their dead like the Mexicans do if this cemetery is anything to go by?
The newer houses are built on stilts because they have 168 inches of rain per year (300 centimetres).The standards in bus shelters has dropped since we cross the border – one of many indicators that this is a much poorer country than Mexico. Also there are only 400,000 inhabitants compared to Mexico’s 128 million.One of our first observations is that as friendly as the people are here off the road, on the road the drivers are not as considerate as their counterparts over the border. The roads being narrower and often lacking a shoulder we have to have our wits about us more so than previously.This is an airboat for hire and indicative of us now approaching the mangroves/swamp area with the jungle not too far away.This is a police checkpoint although they have no interest in us other than to wish us a good journey.Our first stop where we had to ask where we were because they don’t go in for road/village signs; Hattieville is its name and this was the coconut man we met who gave David his first English lesson. David thought he was talking about Harry Kane the footballer and he was explaining to us about the hurricane that wiped out this village in 1961.This was the first accommodation available since leaving Belize City 30 miles (50+ kilometres) earlier. It is in the jungle and its where people go to study insects, reptiles, flora fauna etcFortunately the walkways around the site have already been cleared because either side its very dense with bush and sounds of movement as pass.
There are camping areas, family rooms and cabanas like we stayed in for accommodation with a communal shower/toilet block.The dining area which we shared with around two dozen post graduate students.
The Tapir is one of the national emblems of Belize.
Mexico and Belize 