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(Mexico - Belice City - Caye Calker - Belice Reef - Guatemala)

Close to paradise

[October 24, 2004] The paradise must be close, I thought instantly after feeling the flair of Belice for the first time. But it was a long way to go I had to learn.

The bordercrossing was easy and pleasant, no bribes needed and well organized. A good first impression. So let´s hit the waterfront. As the whole Yukatan Peninsula seems to be one swamp, the people put their houses traditionally on poles



and use the little canals as dump, trash and sewage. You can imagine the smell...

The first stop for a hotel lead me to a trashy hostel full with drug addicts, a nightmare that would continue in the City. Finally I found a save spot for the bike and myself, probably the most important investment in Belice City. Any walk through the city after sunset was extremely dangerous as the streets filled with the sort of people that only show up when its night! The hurricane Mitch has not only destroyed buildings but left a lot of locals in poverty.

My fellow travelers from Switzerland, Nadine and Cello, arrived on the nest day and we quickly concluded to leave the town for the islands and the fantastic reef. It did not need a lot of work to convince us to escape the heat, the dirt and the moskitos. And after now 13.000 miles I definitely was ready to exchange my KTM seat with some sandy beaches.

And after a fast 45 Minute ride via speedboat we were very close to paradise. The sky being a mixture of all different tones of blue, that sometimes merge with the colors of the water, fascination Caribic! The islands carry the carribean flair, the language is a mixture of English, Creole and Spanish, the music is the Reggae, the religion contains Christianism and Voodoo.



And we got to know better one of the locals, Raz Millen, an interesting character. He gave us an insight of their culture, religion and their life. From that point on we saw some items in a different aspect, a learning experience.

There happened to be spare seats on a sailing tour along the Reef and we jumped onboard for 3 days of snorkeling and party. This adventure along the Reef, overnight stays on small islands



with 10 palm trees, snorkeling in the Cologne Zoo among fishes in all existing colors, seeing Stingrays and Baracudas, for me a real thriller. And the evenings ended relaxed with traditional local food, i.e. fresh fish, fruits, rum and some Habanos for Rasmus. As I said, the paradise must be close…

And after a few days chill out on the beaches of Placencia I then headed on to my next adventures in Guatemala, ready for chaos, corruption and the poverty of the third world.

Hasta la proxima,

Rasmus