Day 4
Another restless night…I stayed up reading Lord of the Flies..I am ashamed to admit that I had never finished it before…so this seemed like a good opportunity to do that. It is a sweaty, sandy, self-awareness kind of story, which matched nicely with the twisted sheets and low buzzing in my hut. Sometime during the night I felt something wet across the top of my foot…kicking frantically I discovered a salamander had joined my bed. I am sure I spooked him as much as he did me.
The next morning Bill had coffee ready and made me breakfast. I finished off my new Sun magazine and decided to take one of the kayaks east around the peninsula. I grabbed one of the open topped Ducky’s (yes the kind I turned over in France to the pleasure of the cameraman), and headed out. The water was calm but I forgot to bring drinking water (idiot) so I knew I couldn’t go as far as I had originally intended. I paralleled the shoreline …amazed at the variety of birds. A giant Gray Pelican buzzed my head. The jungle was thick. The further I got from my hut the more I thought about getting stranded in that jungle. I would be able to find my way back by following the shore…but it would be a tough go. Being here also makes me think of those that lived and canoed here in the past...when you look into the jungle you can almost feel things looking back at you…it is full of life and movement. I didn’t make it completely around the peninsula before turning back. Forgetting drinking water was starting to become an obvious mistake so I turned around and paddled back to the hut. I dropped the kayak and went for a swim…the water was perfect. Looking around I didn’t see a single soul within my vision…listening I didn’t hear any man-made sounds…no traffic horns, no airplanes…it was a rare moment…even in the woods back home you can hear traffic in the distance…something….yet there was nothing.
That evening I had a couple of Belikins at the bar. Ramon was there but he was drinking an orange Fanta. It seems that after a hard day of drinking he takes a couple of days to dry himself out a bit…smart. We sat in silence..I read a little and started working on a drawing of a neat root structure I had seen and photographed earlier in the day. Bill made me a piece of grilled Snook with rice and I eventually got tired and headed back to the hut. Approaching the hut in the dark I saw two yellow eyes staring at me….okay…no idea what that could be...I turned on my flashlight and shined it straight at a really large bullfrog sitting erect near my front door…really large…not the kind of frog I was interested in trying to pick-up. I excused myself and left him alone.
The silence and the alone time were good…but I slowly realized that I could not live by myself. As crazy as my home life gets (honestly…it is nuts sometimes)…I would really get bored in this environment. I drifted to sleep about midnight to the sounds of countless bugs.
Day 5
2:30 a.m. I awaken to my entire bed shaking …I initially assumed that there was a big thunderstorm that was blowing the flexible hut, but then I noticed that there was no wind. My mind strangely went to Mayan ghosts. I had been told during the week that the area was sacred to the Mayans and many were buried there. Bill and Jenny had told me tales of hearing voices outside only to find no one. I just lay there trying to clear my head and figure out what was happening when the shaking simply stopped. I drifted back to sleep without giving it another thought.
The next morning I woke up at 4:30…grabbed my camera and headed out to catch the sunrise and do some yoga. Immediately when I exited the hut a massive swarm of mosquito’s attacked and covered my body…it was the worst I have ever experienced. I ran to the water ripped off my suit and dove in as soon as I could get deep enough. I swam underwater as far as I could…trying to lose them. It was still dark out but I could hear them buzzing when I surfaced. I repeatedly dunked myself swimming out ears deep…The mosquito’s were relentless and followed me over a hundred yards out….landing on my bald head like it was a busy airport…NO’Hare International (sorry)…I eventually surrendered…slipped on my trunks and ran to my hut. I shot myself with spray…wrapped myself in a sheet and lay on the wood floor drifting off to sleep when the itching stopped.
At breakfast Bill asked me if I had felt the Earthquake. Apparently there was a 7.4 sized quake in Southern Belize/Honduras. It was exciting to know the source of my midnight shaking wasn’t Mayan ghosts…and I had lived through my first Quake. …and that also explained the frantic mosquitos.
After breakfast I grabbed a different kayak. This one was a sea kayak and handled much better. I headed west this time toward the Mayan Ruins and enjoyed a good half-day riding the surf. The mosquito’s seemed to leave me alone for a while and the day was enjoyable. Upon returning I packed my backpack and had planned to explore the trails beyond the Ruins…but about 30 minutes down the trail I couldn’t take the massive swarm of mosquito’s that surrounded me. I had covered myself in 100% Deet (which really isn’t healthy) and that seemed to hold them at bay…except when I would breathe out my mouth I would inhale them…not good. I gave up and headed back to the hut…defeated…later hitting the beach I lay down in the surf and floated there for a long time until my massage.
Nancy rocked as usual and afterward I was completely spent. I crashed hard on the bed only to be awaked by Bill who was dropping off a sandwich that would serve as my dinner for the night…and a piece of chocolate cake…yeah…I ate it too. The night was incredibly quiet as Bill and Jenny went across Corozal Bay to a birthday party. I was completely alone at that point. The night was really humid…I read a little…reflected on my week…and drifted in and out of a fitful sleep to the sound of a bazillion mosquito’s.
Day 6
Travel day… we made our way across Corozal Bay. Once at the dock I lugged my bag a mile through the streets to the bus stop. The next bus to Belize City left in 15 minutes…but it wasn’t the Express…which meant it was going to be a 4-hour trip. I parked myself in the rear of the bus hoping to get some air. The bus was stifling…lots of locals and a couple of Mennonite Ranchers. Mennonites had a village near there…they were invited in by the Belize government to teach Belizeans how to farm cattle. The Belizeans were never interested so the Mennonites now own lots of land and all of the cattle in Belize.
The bus became an adventure in itself…stopping in every little town…locals getting on and off, coming to and from work or the market. Occasionally more vendors would get on selling chips and foreign packaged junk food…usually accompanied by beggars. Often there would be kids selling bags of fruit…They just stand there looking sheepishly at me…not saying anything just holding up their goods…I simply cannot resist a kid trying to make a living…so I bought more fruit than I could possibly eat (or should eat)…knowing I would have to toss it at the airport. Another strange characteristic of the bus…Thumping music…it was like a disco in there. The driver had rigged a loud stereo complete with a small strobe light. The whole bus vibrated with loud Latin music and many people danced and sang in their seats. It was quite surreal as we rolled down the rough patched road. Looking out the window I could see real material poverty. People living in shacks made of tarps and plywood scraps…hundreds of half-finished concrete rooms and dilapidated buildings that were makeshift homes. Nothing like you would ever see in the worst neighborhoods in the US. I could peek into their houses and see flickering televisions…or moms braiding hair. With all of that however, the people seem to be happy and almost satisfied.
About 5 miles outside of Belize City, military personnel waved us over to the side of the road. The locals looked puzzled…which made me a little concerned. Two soldiers in camo and carrying M-16’s were standing in the woods across the road. We waited there for about thirty minutes…not knowing what was happening. Eventually a long caravan of military personnel followed by 6 white vans sped down the road. Apparently Belizean dignitaries…we were allowed to continue the trip.
We arrived in Belize City around 12:30. I caught a quick taxi to the airport, checked in and had a great meal at the Sunshine Café…the slogan “We have nice food”…and they did…They also had wireless Internet…so….its back to the lab….hope I can remember all of my passwords.
Thanks for reading
