Leaving the Cayes

Sunday, May 22, 2011--San Pedro, Ambergris Caye to Orange Walk, Belize

We set the alarm and were up early trying to have breakfast at 7:00 and catch the boat at 8:00.  Breakfast was great--French toast with rum-flavored syrup they make there at the B&B along with coffee, juice, and a bowl of mixed fruits.

The run involved doing the credit card transaction for our payment.  As we got to the boat, I looked at it and thought about it.  We had been charged about double what we should have been.  The woman at the boat office let me call to tell them.  They said they would reverse it and charge the correct amount.  Unfortunately, they still haven't done it.  Later in the afternoon I wrote an e-mail and got a response that they will look at it tomorrow.

There was a bit of a problem in Belize City.  Too many people were waiting for the same bus that we needed.  There is a law here that everyone must be seated.  Therefore, they can't squeeze people into the aisles.  When the seats are filled, the others must wait.  Wes and I decided that he should rush ahead to get on the bus while I dealt with the luggage.  Fortunately, one of the workers talked with us and said he would make sure we got one.  He was true to his word.  He encouraged Wes to get to the front by the gate.  And then he took our luggage from me as I went through the gate so I could rush and join Wes.  We got seats.  The rush wasn't as bad as it could have been, because the bus that arrived was an express bus making only 3 stops on the way to Mexico.  Orange Walk was one of the stops, so it worked for us.  Many of the people waiting needed a local bus that would let them off in smaller towns and villages.  Still, however, some people who did not get seats were forced to get off before we could depart.

The hotel where we had planned to stay was full.  However, I had backup choices.  We are at the Orchid Palm Inn with air conditioning, tv, etc.  Wes was disappointed, however, because the other hotel would have also had a refrigerator to hold his colas he can't live without.

We went searching for lunch while the staff prepared our room.  At the park in the center of town, we found a woman serving barbecued chicken with potato salad and cole slaw.  We each got one and sat at a picnic table to eat it.  UMMM.  It was such good value compared to what we had found on the cayes, and it was so tasty.

In the room to avoid the heat of the day, Wes watched TV.  I tried to connect to wifi and had problems.  I used the computer in the office and asked them to reboot their modem and their router.  Later, after they had done that, I had no problems connecting with my own computer.

We went exploring around 16:30.  The town was mostly closed for Sunday.  But there was a lot of activity at a football field--games, music, rum tasting, etc.  Eventually, we ate a torta for dinner from a roadside stand, drank a bottle of fresh muskmelon juice with it, and had bear claws from a bakery for dessert.  It was all great.

We were tired from traveling and watched a film in the room in the evening.  Our purpose for being here is to make an outing tomorrow that will last all day, unfortunately.  I add that latter word because it means we will be out in the heat of the day.  We're hoping it will be a nice experience, though.