At the International Airport in Belize City (a two-room building!) I met two German Guys. We decided to hop a flight right out to Ambergris Caye right away.  We took the first hop, an old Russian plane that skimmed the water surface, and provided great views! We got a place together that evening right on the water; a first-class, two bedroom bungalow, with nice sitting room, deck, FREE Breakfast, and, best of all, FREE 24 hour open Rum Bar!!  Fifty bucks a night, split three ways ($17 pp/pd, my most expensive lodging for the whole 4 month trip, but well worth it!)  Everyday the maids put several different fresh local fruit juices in the fridge, and they had a couple cases of rum by the fridge, and a couple coolers of ice cubes.  Every morning after breakfast,  we would fix a tall one for the walk along the beach into town!

That first night we were at an outdoor TikiBar, and two ladies changed into bathing suits and jumped into the pool.  The German guys were too shy, so I started talking to them, and found out they were staying at the same place as us!  They were twins, and for the next several weeks Lisa and Jane and the rest of us had a blast together!  I eventually went with them over to the other island, Caye Caulker, and then on to Guatemala.  I consider it pure luck and fate to have met such great folks my first day of a long international journey.  Since that day, I've traveled to many more countries, and met lots more great folks!  But they were the first, and will always be very special friends. Lisa and Jane, Cheers to you both!

Everywhere in Belize, the slogan is "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem!"  The banks and most everything else close for siesta from about noon till two (or three, or four...).  I needed to cash a travelers  check, and at ten minutes past noon I looked through the glass door of a fancy air-conditioned bank.  I had a beer in my hand, and no shirt, no shoes, and no ID. The manager waved me in, and said "Don't worry, bring your beer, forget your ID, we'll take care of you!"  It was like this all over Central America, even in Nicaragua and Honduras!

We always ended up at the end of the night at a TikiBar two hundred meters from our place. The owner got to know us, and said "come by some morning and I'll take you all out fishing". One day after lunch we stopped by for a drink and joked "let's go fishing".

Sure enough, he asked one of his local customers to watch the bar for a few hours, and took us out in his boat.  Lisa caught a big six foot shark!  We all had a great day!

 
 

Mexico (magic-Bus)

Page created and updated by Tim Driskell; January, 1999    (page me here; ICQ# 20756120)