June 11, 2007

I’m still not sure why, in response to the predictable question from the Belize border official about what type of work she did, Adrienne baited him by saying she was “unemployed”.

I‘m also not sure why the same customs officer told us that we couldn't take our Mexican beer into Belize, but then didn't any steps to confiscate it (and we didn’t pour it out).

Lastly, I am not sure why, when he was filling out the paperwork for importing the van, the official warned us that "Belize is small country", and then asked us how he could get in contact with us during our stay.

- - -

After 4.5 months of driving/camping our way through at least half of the 32 Mexican states (we lost count somewhere along the way), as well as one the federal district, we were ready to expand our horizons.

The Mexico/Belize border was just a few kilometers drive from the basic hotel in downtown Chetmul, Hotel Uncum, where we had spent the night.

(There is a gorgeous campsite – Yax Ha Resort - on the ocean in Calderitas Bay, about a 20-30 minute drive from downtown Chetmul, but the price they quoted us was too steep).

The corrupt Mexican border official insisted we pay the $24 fee again for our tourist cards – we had already paid when we entered Mexico - until we finally noticed the faint stamp on our cards that served as proof as of payment.

We didn’t escape Mexico unscathed, however. The official requested that we turn in the original copies of our vehicle importation paperwork. Not knowing better - and feeling protected by the fact that we still had the hologram on our windshield and photocopies of all the documents – we complied. It was not until we tried to re-enter Mexico several months later that we realized we had made a serious mistake.

The streamlined Mexican border formalities had allowed us to handle matters while idling in the van. But after we crossed the small bridge and into Belize, we embarked on a multi step process that took far longer to complete.

First, we pulled up to the small hut occupied by the Atlantic Insurance Compnay Ltd., where we bought our mandatory vehicle insurance.

Next, we pulled ahead to have the tires on the van fumigated.

Then, we drove forward a ¼ of kilometer to the immigration office, where we parked the van and headed inside to be processed by the aforementioned Belizean custom official. And it was here that we experienced the three odd moments mentioned previously before being allowed to proceed.

(Note: The custom official was correct in saying that Belize is a small country; it is about the size of Massachusetts and has a population of only about 250,000 people. But size alone doesn’t account for wanting our contact information.

When we asked him why he might need to contact us while we were in Belize, he muttered something about the fact that it had to do with stolen cars and that they worked closely with the US and Guatemala in this regard. But although we offered up our email addresses he never wrote them down).

As soon as we got through the border, Belize’s English roots were apparent.

Unlike in Mexico, the Northern Highway - which is really just an unlined country road - was in good repair and free of litter and, for the most part, other vehicles.

Also, many of the houses - often not much more than clapboard shacks built on stilts - were surrounded by well-kept fences and recently mowed lawns, not the mounds of construction debris that are ubiquitous in Mexico. The list went on and on.

Overall, we were super excited and invigorated by the change of scenery, yet at the same time it was very comforting to be back in English-speaking country (the only one in Central America) where the signs were in a language we understood, and we had a choice of several English language radio stations to choose from.

Key Facts & Figures:

-Hotel Uncum: $23/night
-Belize Liability Insurance: $30
-Fumigation: $5