Ho fihla Belize u le mong ho kenyelletsa le phetiso ea libese ^^ (letsatsi la 180 la leeto la lefatše)

03/02/2020

This morning we had a last breakfast overlooking the playground <3 It's almost nostalgic to leave the apartment ;-) We really can't decide, can we? :D :D

We wanted to leave at 8:00 a.m. and we made it on time, even though the time didn't really matter. We walked towards the bus station on the street (this time we had four backpacks and a separate food bag with our leftovers ^^) to hail a taxi.

In Merida we weren't particularly successful, but here in Chetumal the taxis honk at all pedestrians to offer their services, so we didn't have to wait long to find one :)

Our hostess had told us that the ride should cost about 25 pesos and when we arrived at our destination and the driver wanted 50 pesos, we weren't surprised at all. Always these Gringos :p

So we paid double the price, which is only an additional 1.25 €, so we can't complain now ^^

At the bus stop for the collectives that go to the border, there was a bus that was leaving as we arrived. But that was not a problem, as these buses leave every 15-20 minutes! So they are really BUSES (a bit creaky, old ones, without air conditioning) and not just collectives (vans), which was great for us because we had enough storage space ^^

The bus only had four people when it started, but we picked up some more along the way - including two Turks who had even more difficulties with communication than we did. They spoke to the driver in English, but luckily the driver could speak English exceptionally well, so it worked out ;-)

The ride was quite bumpy, even though the road was actually flat, but the bus was quite old, so we got our free massage :D

After about 45 minutes we finally arrived in Santa Elena and the final stop is right at the border, so we could walk from there. Yay!

Together with the two Turks and a Mexican woman who works as a tour guide and volunteered to help the Turks, we walked the 50 meters to the Mexican border booth.

We had already heard a lot about what to expect there. There is a so-called exit fee, which amounts to about 500 pesos (about 25 €) depending on the passport/nationality.

Normally, this fee is automatically paid with your plane ticket if you arrive by plane, so you don't have to pay it again when you LEAVE.

In many blogs, we read that travelers have to pay the exit fee at this Mexican border booth in Santa Elena even if they have already paid it when entering as described above :O To avoid paying it, you have to show a paper receipt of your entry flight ticket. Having it on your phone is not enough.

Jonas and I had booked the flight through a third party and didn't receive an invoice that shows this exit fee as a separate item. So we expected to be among the unlucky ones who would have to pay 500 pesos each, which the border officials would then pocket. That's how things are in Central and South America...

This morning, the two Turks approached the counter first. One of them didn't have an entry stamp in his passport, so the discussion started right there... The Mexican tour guide stood by to help and translated partially, but at some point the officer seemed to be tired and called Jonas and me over instead.

We handed over our passports, the officer looked at them, stamped them, and then returned them to us. And that was it!!! :O We weren't even ASKED about the fee and didn't have to come up with an explanation to avoid it. We could simply go through :D

Maybe it's because we walked to the border and didn't take a tourist bus like all the bloggers we read about. There's definitely good money to be made there ^^ And we also had the tour companion with us, so maybe the officer didn't want to do anything illegal in her presence :D

Whatever it was, we saved 50 €!!! Yay!

We then crossed the river that marks the border between the two countries at this point and "over there" we took a van together with the Turks and a family with two children to the Belizean border booth (walking would have been too far ^^).

This border was a whole building with toilets and a tourist "helper" who explained how to fill out the immigration form <3

After about 15 minutes, we were done and officially arrived in Belize!!! Yipi! Next country!

My family and even some of my friends had never heard of this country before and well. It's quite small, but we were excited to be here :)

Outside the border building, there were again many vans that wanted to take us to the next town, Corozal, where there is a bus station from which you can travel further through the country. Since we had booked accommodation in Belize City about 3 hours away for tonight, we wanted to go to this bus station.

But first, we needed cash - in Belize it's Belizean Dollars. As the tour guide had told us, there are men with waist bags in the parking lot who exchange money, so we used our saved pesos ;-)

Equipped with the right currency, we returned to the vans and drove for 15-20 minutes to the city, where we were dropped off right at the bus station and met the two Turks again ^^

They wanted to continue to Guatemala today and we also found a German (who we initially mistook for an American because he spoke English so flawlessly ^^) alongside the locals there.

But guessing who the "locals" are :p Most of them just look like the Mexicans across the border in Chetumal, although there are also many black people living here, whose ancestors were slaves on the nearby Caribbean islands and who eventually settled in present-day Belize. The official language here is English, but at the bus station and on the bus itself we only heard Spanish and a local language ^^

The (loud) music played on the bus was a kind of "Jamaican reggae", as I would call it, and it was really fun and made me feel like dancing :D

The bus started to fill up, but after we started driving, we picked up more people and it quickly got cozy ;-)

It would take about an hour to the first stop in Orange Walk Town and then another two hours to Belize City.

The first half hour went well, but then we suddenly stopped and the bus driver and the bus assistant looked at the engine hood of the 1977 school bus. By the way, all the public buses here are retired school buses, which actually looks quite funny :)

After the two men had checked something, one of them got some insulating tape and used it to fix something.

Then we continued, but not for long^^ In the next village, we stopped at a mom-and-pop shop where the bus assistant bought a canister (I suspect oil?). There was another involuntary stop, and then, yes, it was suddenly the end.

We entered the enticingly named village "Buena Vista", the bus driver stopped and turned off the engine. "We are not going any further. We will refund the remaining ticket price to you," they explained to us in Spanish (which I understood only because someone kindly translated it into English for us ^^).

So about 50 people left the bus and after we got our money back, we joined the other stranded people on the side of the road. I cautiously asked if a replacement bus would come. No, it won't. We would have to take the next passing bus. That sounds logical, but the buses are always crowded and I couldn't imagine that all 50 of us would fit on the next bus if all the seats are already occupied :O

Some people waved down trucks or private vehicles, others went to the opposite side to go back.

We stayed with the waiting people and when a bus arrived maybe half an hour later, most of us, including Jonas and me, miraculously managed to fit in! :D We had to stand, but at least we had a bus!

We might have gotten the 23 km to Orange Walk Town by hitchhiking, but from there we would have had to take the bus again, so yeah^^

Fortunately, some people got off there too, so Jonas and I had a seat. Yippee! But of course, new people got on, including a woman with a baby, and Jonas gave up his hard-won seat and had to stand again :D

The next two hours were quite dull. It was hot, I smelled of sweat, and I needed to use the bathroom. It was crowded, and I couldn't even complain to Jonas :p ^^

In Belize, there seem to be many gangs, similar to Mexico, and Jonas also noticed men in the back of the bus with neck tattoos of weapons or one guy who had a knife on him. There was also a guy in front of me wearing a hoodie, which might indicate affiliation with a gang, and a bandana on his wrist.

We don't know for sure, but the bus assistant also stopped shortly after leaving the bus station to give a guy on a motorcycle a thick bundle of cash and in return received a small cloth bag. It was probably just our minds playing tricks on us and there may have been misunderstandings, but it shows how much we are influenced by other opinions and things we have read :p We pay much more attention to such things when we expect them.

After the two less comfortable hours, we arrived in Belize City. When we turned down a taxi driver there, he got immediately offended, but well. It's only a 5-10 minute walk to the hostel, so the taxi is not worth it at all ^^

At the hostel, a taxi with two girls arrived, who turned out to be Swedes, and we share the accommodation with them :)

Everyone has their own bedroom, but we share the kitchen, bathroom, and living room like a family in this wooden apartment built on stilts.

It's really beautiful from the outside, but especially from the inside, and so lovingly furnished <33

Unfortunately, the kitchen doesn't have a stove, but we're only here for one night and we'll just eat out once ;-)

After checking in, we took a little walk through the city, with the following goals: ATM, supermarket, and a vegetarian snack/restaurant that we found on HappyCow (thanks to vollwietweg ;-)) :)

All we had heard or read about Belize City was that it's ugly, that there is a lot of crime, and that you shouldn't leave the house after dark. Sounds inviting, doesn't it? :p

But since it was broad daylight and we give every city a chance (see Cebu City in the Philippines ^^), we went out anyway, and I found some really nice photo opportunities by the water, but also the town hall, the Finnish Embassy, or a few churches <3

ATM was no problem at all (apparently even without ATM fees!) and then there was a small promenade along the waterfront, which was deserted but quite nice :) There are also expensive hotel chains and casinos, so maybe it's "prettied up" for the tourists, but it's part of the city and we really liked it!

But when we reached "Vegan Bites", we were unfortunately disappointed to find that it was closed :( What a shame! According to the internet, they're open until 5:00 p.m. and it was only 3:30 p.m., but well. We just had bad luck and had to look for another alternative ;-)

Meanwhile, we walked parallel to the water through a quite fancy residential area with many security cameras, Jonas found an Indian restaurant on Maps.Me, but when we arrived there, we found out that it's closed on Mondays...

But the universe doesn't want to make it too easy for us :D :D

We stopped at a fruit and vegetable shop, where we bought bananas while the children had a makeshift booth made of old crates and cardboard under one of the tables and kept giggling. It was sooo cute <3 And it brings back nostalgia and makes me want to build a booth again! :O :D

Eventually, we happened to pass a restaurant that advertised rice and beans on its sign.

We entered the restaurant, which had four-person tables that looked like an Italian or Greek restaurant :) An older black lady sat at one of the tables on her phone, and when Jonas and I sat down, she called out "Wendy!" and then a young woman came out to take our order.

She came up to us with a notepad and pencil and asked what we wanted to order, and I cautiously asked if there was a menu. Without a menu, how can I know what I want to have, right? ^^

She looked a bit annoyed and got us the menu, and then she stood next to the table with her foot tapping on the floor, finally ready to receive our order.

On the menu, there was chicken, beef, cow feet, and fish. Hmm...

We asked about vegetarian options, and she somehow explained that there were none until Jonas explained to her that rice and beans were listed outside. "Okay. Then two rice and beans?" she asked.

We agreed, so as not to make it more difficult for her, and a few minutes later, we were served reheated food from the microwave ^^

Similar to Mexico, we didn't feel particularly welcome in Belize either :D

In the end, we were given toothpicks and a peppermint candy, which were brought to our table on a tea cup and then spilled onto the counter for us to pick up. It was almost funny :D

We took the candies and thanked them, but we were glad when we were outside again ;-)

The last stop was at a supermarket, which wasn't so easy here, as all the small shops are shielded with metal grilles and you can't see what they have to offer ^^ And since the first friendliness didn't come across, we were more in the mood for a market where you can go in and browse for yourself :D

Fortunately, we found one, but it was quite small and, of course, there was no plant-based milk :( But we still had plenty of oats, peanuts, and now also bananas, which actually speak for a cereal breakfast, so due to lack of options, it was the cow's milk.

I was a little "disappointed", but the effort we would have had to make to find plant-based milk somewhere here was really not worth it :p

So tonight (if we get hungry) or tomorrow morning, our vegan test phase will end, but hey.

Back at the hostel, I finally took a nice cool shower and really looked forward to this post, as there is finally something to tell :p :D :D

Tomorrow morning, we will probably take the bus at 7:00 a.m. to continue our journey because we have to transfer once, but that's okay. I think we've already seen some nice places in Belize City today, and allegedly the city doesn't have much more to offer anyway ;-)

But it's really nice to be "actively" traveling again <33