Belize, however, is one of the very few countries where holding a Japanese passport is a disadvantage:
1. I needed to pay $50 (yes, that's in USD!!!) to get a visa at the border. Damn expensive.
2. I've heard stories about the bus (there's a tourist shuttle bus on the Flores – Belize City route as well) not waiting for visa-needers at the border.
Luckily, there was another Japanese guy on the bus with me, as well as the German couple I've been hanging out with for the past couple of days, to prevent the bus from leaving without me!
I did think about skipping the country and directly entering Mexico from Guatemala. But there was something I HAD to see in Belize...that's to come later.
Belize is a tiny, tiny country situated between Mexico and Guatemala. You'd think the country would be quite Latin American. Wrong. It's completely Caribbean.
I was amazed by the contrast as we drove into the country. First thing I noticed were the signs - English everywhere! Made me very happy : ) I wouldn't feel as lost as I was in all-Spanish Guatemala. It took me a while to figure out that these people were speaking English, though, because of their strong Caribbean accents. Second thing were the people – predominantly Caribbean, laid-back, and loud. Third thing were the roads – nicely paved most of the way. Indicative of the richness compared to Guatemala.
Before we arrived in Belize City, I had to say my farewells to the Germans. Really nice people. They were getting off at an earlier stop to head to a beach town in southern Belize before heading north. Maybe we'd run into each other again in Caye Caulker or somewhere in Mexico, since we were going the same general direction.
Belize City is quite dumpy. I had a couple of hours there before catching the ferry to Caye Caulker. I went to the bank to get some Belize dollars, walked around the city, and had a quick bite to eat.
That was enough of Belize City for me. I had initially planned to spend a night there before heading up into Mexico, but no need. I will spend the extra night in Caye Caulker instead.
The ferry ride from Belize City to Caye Caulker (BZ$25 roundtrip) is about 45 minutes across beautiful, clear waters. Lovely.
For some unknown reason, I was excited to be at the ocean. Weird.
Caye Caulker is total backpacker heaven. Endless supply of cheap accommodations, good food, and water activities.
I proceeded to find accommodation with the Japanese guy I met on the bus, Nao. The one that interested us in the guidebook was closed for renovations during the low seasons, so we ended up at a place recommended by a girl I met back in Antigua. It had the best shower (in terms of water pressure and hotness) I've had in while...
For the rest of the day, we took a walk around the tiny island. If you don't stop, I'm sure that you can walk around the entire circumference in about half an hour.
Cute squid sighting:
At one of the docks, I lost my camera lens cap. It just fell right between the cracks...sad. Good thing I still had the lens filter on to protect the lens itself. I don't think I'd be able to find a replacement cap anywhere around here.
I ran into one of my roommates from Antigua, Yoshiko. She was spending the remaining 4 days of her 6-month Latin America trip in Caye Caulker before returning to Japan. She was staying at a cheaper place, nearer the ocean, and highly recommended. I think I'm going to move over there tomorrow.
For dinner, we had a yummy lobster dinner for BZ$35. Not cheap, but we both wanted good seafood! And we weren't disappointed.
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