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Belize

303 Kilometres – 13 Days

Melchor de Mencos, Gautemala – San Ignacio, Belize - 18 kilometres

The Gautemala-Belize border was located on the outskirts of town and soon we
found ourselves in tiny Belize. I say tiny as the country was about 290 kilometres
long and 110 kilometres wide and had a population of about 320,000. Belize is the
only country in Central America with a British colonial heritage. Therefore, it’s the
single country where English is the official language, albeit with a heavy Caribbean
accent. As a result, many Belizeans speak a mix of Creole and English among
friends and switch to “full English” when speaking to foreigners. The strong
Caribbean accent took time to get used to, but anyone could understand a friendly
“gud mawnine”.

A short distance led to San Ignacio which sported a campsite right in the centre of
town. As always, Ernest again needed bike spares after crossing the border. He
looked around but couldn’t find a bike shop.

In the meantime, we met the bush doctor who recommended Noni juice for Ernest’s
ailments. Later he returned with foul-smelling stuff in a jar. Ernest bravely drank it;
lo and behold, would he not feel much better. I surmised he was given more than
Noni juice.

I usually sleep well in my tent but this night was different. Red ants somehow got
into the tent and I awoke to ants slowly and systematically devouring me.