27 Mar--Omoa to Belize City--Grueling !

Sun, 27 Mar. Omoa, Honduras, to Puerto Barrios, Guatemala: Puerto Barrios is where i have to catch the 10am ferry to Punta Gorda, Belize. a really bad night of little sleep; but i was up and out the door at 6:15am. Tuc-Tuc out to the street where i was 30min early for the bus ... i did not want to miss this bus. same routine, bags in the back, ..me in the back; and i found a seat. it's a 2hr ride to Frontera. on my way to Honduras, i kept wondering where Frontera was ... well, it isn't a town ... its just the name that has been given to the 'space' between Honduras and Guatemala; .... or the space in Honduras where the bus stops, before you get to Immigration, it's a few miles up the road. ...all of this part is SO CONFUSING for me .... so the bus stops and everyone gets off ... must be we're at Frontera. i get off with my bags and there are guys there that will exchange my Lemperas for Quetzales. i'd already estimated about how many Quetzales i should get, and he was close, so i said ok. now, i am supposed to take series of vans for 15 Quetzales each, that will each take me part of the way to the dock at Puerto Barrios. but i see no vans ... only one man with a taxi that wants to take me ..... i try to communicate with him that i need to go to Puerto Barrios, but first to Immigration and i point ... he points too. how much? 50Quetzales ... all the way to Puerto Barrios? there are 7.5Q in US$1, so that's less than $7 ....i am skeptical because i was ripped off this exact same way on my way to Honduras 2 months ago .... wow ... 2 months ago !!!!!!!!!! but that cost me 200Q, so 50Q, sounded like a fair price ... i wanted to make sure he would stop at Immigration, so i say "Primero, Adios Honduras, Immigracion" i think he understands ... deal made and we are off. ah, .5 of a mile down the road, he stops at Immigracion and i get out, get my stamp and we are back in the taxi. then i say, "Hola Guatemala Immigracion" si, si. i knew i couldn't miss the Ferry, so this would be a better deal than getting different vans each step of the way. another couple of miles, he stops at the Guatemala entrance immigration ..... this is going well ! i recognize the immigration man from 2 months ago ... very nice jolly man, he liked my name ... both times ! he smiles and says 'welcome' ..... i remember that the immigration authorities last year going to Tikal were very friendly also. it's a nice touch. now during our next 30 min drive to the town of Puerto Barrios, he asks me if i want to go to the Ferry Dock. si, then it's 75Q to go there .... 75Q en totale ? si, si ... i agree. i didn't ask where he was going to drop me off in Puerto Barrios for the 50Q that we originally agreed upon. :~ no, worries, i was going to make it to the Dock with time to spare. first we needed to stop at "Adios Guatemala Immigracion", where i pay US$10 for the privilege of spending 30min in Guatemala. no wonder they are so friendly :) i get my Ferry ticket from some guy on the street that spots me coming out of the immigration office. you used to be able to buy your ticket at the Dock, but no longer. he also wanted to exchange my Quetzales for Belize Dollars. i needed to get something to eat, and i needed some Quetzales to do that; and i didn't trust him for some reason. so i said i would exchange them at the Dock. 2 months ago there were 5-10 guys there willing to do that for you. right at the Dock, i get some stewed chicken and rice for lunch, it may be my last meal of the day. ok, so i guess i shouldn't have been so untrusting ... there were no guys at the Dock to exchange my Quetzales...... :( the 10am boat left 1/2 hr late .... a 1/2hr i didn't have to spare if i was going to catch the noon bus. but the seas were very calm and he made the 1.5hr trip in 1hr. i arrived in Punta Gorda, Belize at 12noon. standing at Belize Immigration, and thin older black man approached me. in perfect English, he asked if i needed to catch the 12noon bus. this man was my 'angel'. he had a cart, and took me to the bus; i told him i also needed to exchange my Quetzales, get a coke, buy a phone card, and go to the bathroom ... did we have time? yes, he wisked me up the street to a store and we got it all done and back on the bus, just as it was pulling out. whew!!!!!! Punta Gorda to Belize City: this is another local bus an it was more than packed and people kept getting on! it was hot and sweaty, and when the bus wasn't moving to provide some air, almost unbearable. i watched a woman get on the bus holding a 1yr old little girl in a pretty pink dress, and a little boy about 3yrs. she stood, and i watched to see if anyone would offer her their seat. i was on the inside seat, with a young skinny boy of about 10 next to me. she was standing, juggling the baby, right in front of him; he never moved. after a few minutes, i heard someone sniffling ... the woman was crying, trying to hold back her tears, but obviously was broken-hearted over something. a woman behind me must have asked her if she was ok, and i guess she said something about her family that she couldn't help. i asked her if i could hold the little girl for her; she gladly handed her over to me .... me .... sitting there with a baby on my lap! she was very good for a little while, then wanted her mother. i motioned for the skinny boy next to me to move over closer to me, so she could sit down with us. he did, without a word. it's a hot 3hr ride to Dangriga. people getting on and people getting off. before the 3hrs were up, i had one little girl in front of me, leaning over the seat in my face; trying to play with the little boy in the seat behind me, who was leaning over the top of my head to play with her! sounds like fun, huh? in Dangriga, we had a 5min break to go to the bathroom and stretch our legs. when i returned to the bus, a girl had taken my seat, and motioned that i should sit up there with the man in the green shirt. ok, we're on our way for another 2hr ride to Belmopan. i had anticipated these long bus rides, and had my iPod charged, and loaded with "The Girl Who Plays With Fire" .... so i was pretty content to just listen to my book, it really helps pass the time. thank you Apple! arrived in Belmopan, i had 5min to use my phone card to call Madi and ask her when the last water taxi left Belize City for Caye Caulker; and if i didn't make it, was there a safe hotel nearby. yes there was and the taxi leaves at 6:30. ... it was 5:15, and it's at least an hour ride to Belize City from here. my options were: stay 'somewhere' in Belmopan for the night; or try to make it to Belize City and catch the water taxi. if i miss it, i spend the night in Belize City .... NOT what i want to do! i decided to go for it. Belize City: we got into Belize City about 6:15 and lots of people were getting off, but i was told this was not the bus station. but a guy standing outside asked me if i wanted a taxi; i grabbed my bags and asked him to take me to the Water Taxi, in a hurry, to catch the last boat. we sped through town and arrived ... just AFTER the last water taxi had left :( the taxi driver let me borrow his phone to call Madi and she recommended a safe hotel, the Belcove, just around the corner from the Water Taxi. he took me there and i checked in. the room was US$27.50 ... gasp! that sounded like a LOT of money compared to what i had been spending. but , i WAS in the big city now. i didn't have enough money, so a regular guest of the hotel walked me to the ATM and we visited for awhile. he's American and thinking about moving down here permanently. i left the Hostel in Honduras at 6am this morning, .... went through Guatemala, and almost the entirety of Belize by bus ... it's now 7pm and i'm in Belize City. that is quite a day of travel, and i would NOT recommend it to anyone. the Belcove is a nice hotel, right on the river, with a nice breeze blowing. but most importantly, i NEEDED a shower, i don't think i've ever needed a shower so badly. i had sweated through my clothing, had it dry, and sweated through it again, several times that day. damn that felt good ... life's simple pleasures ... being clean! fixed myself several rum and cokes, sat outside for awhile on the balcony overlooking the river, then went to bed. the first water taxi left at 8:30am .... so i got to sleep in with no worries about getting up early !