We have landed in San Ignacio! As one might expect, it was quite a trip: car, plane, taxi, chicken bus, then car again. We are safe, a bit ragged, and wide-eyed and open to this great adventure! We wanted to share some details of yesterday's voyage--it's a longer post, a given since the VIRGO is writing, but also because these are our first impressions. We already have some great photos, but we're having trouble uploading them. We'll try to put in the pics at another Internet cafe.
Scott drove us to Charlotte Wednesday night and we stayed the night with my cousin Katie. Thursday started out with a 6am wake up Many thanks to Katie for an amazing breakfast, which kept us well fueled for the long descent to San Ignacio. Air travel was easy and without hassle; by about 3pm (1pm in Belize) we were stepping off our plane and smelling some hot and steamy Belizean air.
Our bags arrived without problem, which as most of us know, is a blessing within itself. Oh, and did we mention just how many bags we had? I think we did, but let me give you weights, because that really paints a picture for this epic trip. Each of us were carrying a backpack--Miriam's was about 30 pounds, mine a nice 40. Then we each had a duffel bag of medical supplies each and I carried the keyboard. I was a bit nervous going through customs with the medical supplies and keyboard--but after some light badgering regarding the value of these goods, we paid a fee & we were out the door.
All we knew was that we had to get to the bus station because Nurse Westby had emailed stating that she would wait for us in San Ignacio at 3:30p--her calculation given that our flight would arrive at 1p, and it was a 2 to 2 1/2 hr bus ride to San Ignacio. Hmmm... tight schedule for sure! And we didn't really have a way to reach her to say if we'd be late, so already we just had to let go of the American mentality of punctuality and easy communication and trusted that we'd get there. We quickly took the first taxi and paid a steep fee for a 15 min ride to Belize City. Luckily they honor the US dollar here--we weren't able to exchange $ at the airport. ($1US is $2Bz)
We called our cab driver "Mr. Personality". The man didn't say a word the whole ride to the city. I tried to make conversation--With a nice smile, and excitement in my voice, "This is our 1st time in your country and we are really excited to be here--what would you recommend for us to see?" long pause. "Umm... I don't know." awkward pause. Oh well! We admired the tropical scenery and listened to old 80s American tunes as we spun down the highway.
We arrived in front of the station; it was a dusty, well populated area with a market, and lots of taxis and a few tiendas. Admittedly, there was a moment of concern as we saw that 1) we were absolutely the only fair-skinned folk within sight, sorely looking like the typical American travels with WAY WAY WAY too much luggage, and 2) the buses were all "chicken buses"-- retired American school buses. With a deep breath we armed ourselves with our bags and pushed our way to the only bus in the station. As luck would have it, this bus was traveling down the Western Highway to San Ignacio. We unloaded our bags in the back of the old school bus and boarded. I was a bit nervous about our luggage, but Miriam reminded me that we just had to "trust in the benevolence of the universe". She was right. The people were very friendly and I felt it quite an honor to ride with them, in lieu of more comfortable, faster transportation.
It was about a 3 hour trip in that hot hot bus, at times super cramped, and very sweaty. We had our Nalgene bottles so we stayed adequately hydrated (thanks Laura/Joe/Evie for the electrolyte packets!).
I had one Belizean dollar coin, change from having bought a newspaper from a local. At one point I pulled it out of my pocket to admire it and I dropped it between the seats. Nearby passengers looked around for it but we never found it. The woman sitting across the isle offered a dollar to replace it--we of course declined graciously. Later when she descended, she handed me a folded up piece of paper.
We were touched by her generosity. The benevolence of the universe, right. Yes. You know, I just need to say that I think we naturally put our guards up in this kind of situation--even when we are trying to be open. It's a protective feature, that can serve us well. But those barriers can prevent a rich exchange, creating anxiety and fear. Trusting allowed us to be present and to engage with the Belizean locals openly. And it all worked out!
Nurse Westby found us at the bus station and she and her husband drove us to our lodging. We are staying in a local motel in a neighboring town (Santa Elena) , which is a 20 minute walk to downtown San Ignacio. The room is clean, simple, sparsely furnished and includes a chorus of dogs, birds, and geckos throughout the night. Ah!
Westby took us to her family's home a few miles away and introduced us to her mother, sisters, sister-in-laws, her children, and nieces and nephews. Quite a crew! Their home was quite humble (by our American standards), clean and filled with family. She fried us up some platanos and served them with rice and beans, stewed chicken ("it was really good" says M), and a tall glass of Sprite with ice! (hopefully made from filtered water). Delicious! Afterwards Angelita and her husband, George, drove us around San Ignacio city, pointed out various sites, restaurants, and the hospital.
So it was a FULL day and we were exhausted. In order to treat her "hot, swollen sausage toes", Miriam created an air conditioned tent of her own with a few wet towels and a fan.
Yes, our travel clock reported a sweltering 88 degrees F in the room. Thank you George for the cold beer to help us sleep. It was a rough night of sleep--like I said, the 4:45am serenade was... well... I guess we'll get used to it.
Details on the city to come later. Today is a chill day (oh maybe I should find another word!); we're planning on taking advantage of one of the local tour companies to see a nearby archaeological site (there are many). Monday we'll start volunteering at San Ignacio Hospital; after talking to Nurse Westby, M and I are really looking forward to the upcoming experiences. We'll let you know.
--Sydney & Miriam
