September 26, 2014

...Unfortunately, I have to say, I didn't quite feel the Aloha Spirit in this part of the world. When I crossed the border in to Belize, I had the impression, locals here are very friendly toward travelers. However, I found quite the contrary to be true. Rather than smiles and waves like in neighboring Mexico, people for the most part gave me dirty looks.

I enjoyed my short stay at Hoskins Beach with Trisha and Doug (thank you for doing my laundry!), who were very accommodating and made me feel at home. However, the beaches here are by no means what I'd consider "World Class". Maybe, because it's rainy season? I don't know. The ocean was not crystal clear and the beaches were not the "Carribean white" that you find in the tourist brochures.

As far as riding is concerned, the only real fun I had was, when I accidentally ended up on a dirt road. Maybe, because of it's geographical make-up, if you are looking for long adventure rides through sweeping valleys and twisty mountains, you will be disappointed. Hummingbird Hwy was ok, but not the greatest. That's probably one of the reasons, you won't see many "Big Bikes" around. My first day, I had to ride in to Belize City in the dark. Neither were there street lights, center lines nor road side markers. That combined with rain, potholes and the headlights of oncoming traffic made it a real challenge to arrive at the Belize capitol in one piece.

There are plenty of gas stations, though. Refueling is never an issue.

And no, I still have not gotten used to the "Speed bumps". Senseless waste of material, in my humble opinion. There is no escaping those things, neither on the sides nor through the middle. You have no choice, but to slow down to a speed, a 3 year old would pass you on his mini bicycle. Somewhat ridiculous. I just hope, they won't following me all the way down to the South Pole. I may have just jinxed myself...

The food, I wasn't impressed with at all. Not sure, if there's even such a thing as "Belizean cuisine". To find a seafood restaurant in a coastal town such as Corozal was like finding a needle in a haystack. Let alone with outside seating, which I prefer. Regardless, I ended up cooking my own pasta on my camping stove in the sand both nights at Hopkins Beach. There are Chinese restaurants and supermarkets o' plenty, but they all have iron bars in front of doors and windows. Wonder why...

If you are looking for bargain prices, you will be disappointed. I found the prices for food and accommodations to be at least twice as high, as say, Thailand, for example. And that was the low season. Somewhat surprising to me...

Next stop...Guatemala.