Paget's Belize Journal

The Preliminary Trip - It Begins - First days - A tourist trip - Flying, sand crabs - San Pedro 1 - San Pedro 2 - Braids, snakes, dogs - Leaving Dangriga The Actual Stay - Help for library - Books; departure - Arrival; weather - Sensations, housing - Security, more housing - Security, snorkeling - Dock activities - Day-to-day life 1 - Day-to-day life 2 - The Quadrille - The apartment! - Cleaning and culture - Hurricane Irene - Too much reality - Hopkins Village 1 - Hopkins Village 2 - Weather - Minimum wage - Transportation - Food Experiments - The Brits; furniture - Meeting and greeting - Night noise, Settlement Day - Dragonflies! - More noise - A good 19th - Wrapping up the 19th - Traveling to Mexico - Thanksgiving in Mexico - Cockscomb Basin - A Belizean week-end - Tobacco Caye - Is it really Christmas? - This is the life - Christmas wishes - Headwear - Christmas Experiences - Lottery - Caye Caulker haircut - Caye Caulker 2 - Geckos - Red Bank - The last few days		Jun 18, 1999 Flying to San Pedro; Sand Crabs Here I am in San Pedro (Canon Beach, or maybe Rockaway Beach at 110 degrees with dreadlocks) and finally got a connection that seems "normal" in a streetside lab ($16/hr US to rent a machine and Internet connection). So apparently Belize Telecommunications Ltd did not like the onelist interface for some reason but here I found out that messages had NOT yet been sent and now I think they have. Flew over in a two different 8-passenger twin-engine something or others -- not for the fearful flyer or the claustrophobic. I, however, have more trouble getting in and out of the damned things than flying in them. But when a 300 lb granny could do it without the little step I thought I could too. That was only once, after barking both shins and a knee, now I just ask for the step and don't budge until it's there. Plane was fashionably late gettting to Dangriga and I worried about making my connection in Belize City, but the pilot assured me that he was the one flying me to San Pedro so I shouldn't worry. When I checked in 15 minutes after the plane was supposed to leave, they waved the rules around (check in 20 min before departure) for a while just for drill and then let me climb back on (maybe *that's* why I insisted on the step, hmmmm?) The wait was spent watching little boys and old men catch dune crabs. (The season opens today). You do this by harrassing them with a stick until they grab the stick then put them in a gunny bag. The Resort staff this morning had told me to be careful of crabs all over and I thought it strange. There didn't seem to be any more crabs scuttling about the grounds this morning than any other morning. But I guess they knew the survivors were going to be *very cross* later in the day. I expect to feast on coconut crab soup when I get back to Dangriga. Until then it's definitely time to be a tourista. Haven't found the bumper cars yet, but I'm convinced they're here. Gorgeous though. Later, be good humans. Next