Paradise?

Soooo, I kinda forgot this blog existed. I've been on Placencia, a peninsula off Belize, for a few days now and apart from the fact that the 4-hour journey turned into 8 1/2 hours, it's been pretty nice here so far. It's one of those islands that are typically portrayed as a dream island in the backpacking business and I think I'm just too disillusioned to let myself fall for this 'oh everything's fantastic blah blah'. So, yes, the water is incredibly blue, the visibility is fantastic, and the pretty, colorful houses here add to the idyll. BUT, a lot of plastic is washed ashore with the current, the beaches feel like they have more microplastics than grains of sand, reef protection is (at best, if at all) underplayed and you can simply see the destruction in nature. Belize has the largest barrier reef in the Northern Hemisphere, second only to the GBR. Fish stocks here are also overfished thanks to tourism and exports. During my snorkeling trip to Laughing Bird Caye today, the corals here also showed signs of bleaching and even though there was a part of the intact reef, there was a cemetery right next door that stretched a long way. And honestly, there are few sadder things than a coral cemetery. However, if you let anyone into a nature reserve WITHOUT certified guides, they apparently don't even teach people the basics, such as how to properly hang over the reef with fins, and these guides then scare fish to show them to tourists or creatures like sea cucumbers are simply brought into the air, then you really shouldn't be surprised that it will be difficult to protect the area. I have no idea how you can't see that, but there seem to be enough people who are really good at ignoring it all. However, I also saw the two most beautiful things of all from the beach, a stingray and nurse sharks frolicking in the waves. Super great sharks, can do super cool things. Oh and I almost committed murder when that little b*stard threw sand in the direction of the sharks. Unfortunately, nurse sharks do not eat people. It is actually always best to book such tours with locals because they know the regions best and are actually the fittest and most interested in protecting the region. Also, even though a lot of things sound really cool (snorkeling with sharks/diving/blah), always make sure you know what you're dealing with. And especially in regions like here, you know what you're potentially getting into the water with. Most accidents occur due to the arrogance and ignorance of humans, not the aggressive 'misbehavior' of animals. And in large tourist regions, safety is also neglected in favor of mass tourism, for example no spotters on board or similar. Don't prepare to die. Otherwise, people, from tomorrow I'll be getting breakfast here again, real breakfast, no more chips in the morning! Hope my little tantrum is over tomorrow, I'm going to go watch my shark videos :)