The Road More or Less Traveled

Thank you for welcoming me back with wide open arms!

Thank you for putting a Krispy Kreme right on the highway as we exited the border area so that I could have an original glazed instead of a crappy Mexican donut (they could stand to learn a thing or two about pastry in Mexico!).
Thank you for putting a Rudy's BBQ in every town as we drove along the highway to Austin. I am full of smoked meat and I am very happy.
Thank you for all the friendly people who want to go out of their way for me, whether it's giving me directions, bringing me food or just saying "Y'all have a good now now, y'hear?" and not expect a "tip" for their time.
Thank you for loving me like I love you Texas.

I'll be back for sure!
Love,
Sarah xoxox

ARU and I crossed the border back into Texas this afternoon.
I never thought I would be so happy to be in the United States of America, but when I saw that Lone Star flag, I nearly wept with joy.
I was *so* happy to be out of Mexico.

Crossing the border was an absolute farce...

ARU had his tourist visa taken by one official when we canceled the car permit and then told by another at immigration that he needed it to leave the country. When he went back to the first official she said she didn't have it (I saw her take it!) and the second official wasn't going to give him his exit stamp! For a second, it looked like we were going to be stuck in Mexico (well, ARU anyways, because I was ready to walk across the bridge with all my bags and get on the first bus to the airport!). The second official relented and stamped his passport without him returning the tourist card. AND... she didn't ask for a "tip". That was the first time in the entire trip that a government official has actually wanted to help us without wanting something in return. But they charged us an exit tax twice (once when we went to the gate to ask for directions - he pointed us back the way we came but charged us, and then again when we went through the gate, even though we told him we were just there and already paid!), so that negated the previous kindness.

It took us almost two hours to cross one teeny tiny bridge.
I'll go back one day, but for now I'll be happy  with the memories.

Thank you for being such a pleasant host over the last month.
I appreciate you being patient with our language barriers and cultural differences.
I have enjoyed your beautiful scenery and (mostly) delicious food.

I will not, however, miss the following things:
Having to pay to use a toilet that has no seat, no toilet paper and no soap to wash my hands;
Throwing my used toilet paper into the bin beside the toilet;
Being stopped every hour at a military checkpoint to be questioned or to have the car searched ;
Being asked for a "tip" (read: bribe) by every official I am forced to do business with;
Not being able to brush my teeth unless I have a bottle of purified water;
Morning rush hour in Mexico City;
Insane Mexican drivers and even crazier Mexican pedestrians

Thanks again Mexico. It's been nice getting to know you.
I'll see you again, I'm sure.

Love, 
Sarah xoxo

I had a great time in Belize! 
It was good to see my Dad after 8 years and to meet all the people that he has been spending his time with. They are all very nice and extremely generous people and they are all taking very good care of him.
Here´s a brief recap of the week we spent in Belize -
Monday March 13: The Belize Zoo (see entry from 3/15 for details)

Tuesday March 14: The Belize Museum and Shopping (see entry from 3/15 for details)

Wednesday March 15: Altun Ha and Old Belize (see entry from 3/15 for details)

Thursday March 16: Dave, ARU and I took a water taxi from Belize City to San Pedro via Caye Caulker. The ride was a little over 1.5 hours through the beautiful blue Carribean Ocean, right beside the Barrier Reef. I saw dolphin and rays and got a wicked sunburn. We walked the beach at San Pedro and gawked at all the fancy schmancy resorts and stopped to have lunch, just like real touristas! Most people rent a golf cart to get around San Pedro, but we walked it. ARU and Dave found a nice shady bench to sit on (right in front of a place called "The Jerk Spot"... coincidence or not? You decide.) while I shopped. Shopping in foreign countries is so much fun! Everything is the same, but different! Even buying tampons becomes an adventure! I stocked up on rum and trinkets and more rum and then we got back on the boat for the return trip back to Belize City. On the way we passed by the only golf course in Belize. Fees are $200 UDS per day and it's got one hell of a water hazzard! Needless to say, we didn't stop for a round. We headed back into Ladyville and met up with Patricia who cooked us more good food. Have I mentioned how good her cooking is? I could eat rice and beans and stew chicken everyday and be pretty happy. Well, maybe a little Texas BBQ now and then as well...

Friday March 17: ARU, Dave, Particia and I drove the Humminbird Highway. It was absolutely beautiful. Lush green valleys and dense tropical jungle. ARU and I visitied the inland Blue Hole, a natural cave with icy blue water and visited with a young Mayan girl who was selling handmade jewelry and embroidery. We continued south, past vast orchards of oranges and grapefruit, plantains and banannas. Then Dave and I got swarmed by bees (see entry from 3/18 for all the gory details) and after that brief detour, we visited some friends of Dave´s at Toucan Sittee, a gorgeous cabana-style resort with beautiful gardens and an incredible assortment of native plants and animals. Patricia walked around the grounds with me and patiently answered all of my "what's this" questions. Now I know what a guava tree looks like! We left Neville's place and stopped at the property formerly owned by my Mom and Dad. It was a nice spot, just across from the river, with huge mango trees all over the place. There were lots of flowers and jungle all around and a nice little house that my folks and Eli (my dalmatian) lived in for a while. I can see why they liked it so much... apart from the sand fleas! We left the Sittee and drove further south to just before Puenta Gorda to visit with Patricia's sister Concha and her mother Hortense. Hortense is a highly respected traditional healer and herbalist who has taught all over the world and is considered to be a master healer in her country. She is a small woman with strong eyes and a powerful laugh. I am really happy to have met her. And Concha was so kind as to let us rest and have a cup of tea after the bee attack. She gave me a big hug at the end of the visit and told me that I was her niece now, so I should consider myself family. I am very lucky to have such a large extended family (who just happen to live in a beautiful tropical country with great food and good weather most of the time!). After we played with the puppies ("potlickers" is what they call mutts in creole) and said our goodbyes, we headed back home, past the orange juice factories and sugar cane trucks, through the jungle highlands and the arrid plains (they have pine trees in Belize! The biogeoclimactic zones were very impressive.) back to Ladyville for more good vittles (even leftovers taste great when you fry them in coconut oil!). I went back to the hotel and nursed my wounds as best I could, but I still woke up with a swollen eye, hand and leg. Stupid bees.

Saturday March 18: A day of shopping for souvinirs and going to market. I love going to foreign grocery stores and bought all the spices I would need to make traditional Belizean food at home. I bought presents (some for you, some for me) and just hung out and talked with Patricia. It was good to get to know her better, not to mention to pick her brain about her cooking! We finished off the night with Belizean fast food - panades (like a deep fried perogy), salbuttes (like an open-faced taco) and some other things that I can't remember, but boy, were they good. I washed it down with a pineapple fanta soda (which I liked so much that I brought home a half dozen!) and headed off to bed with visions of panades dancing in my head.

Sunday March 19: Today Dave, Patricia, ARU and I took a boat trip down the New River to the Mayan ruins at Lamanai. We had an excellent young guide who pointed out all kinds of wildlife (birds, bats, crocs, fish, yadda yadda yadda) and who guided us through the temples and acted as naturalist as well, showing us traditional healing plants and herbs. Lunch was excellent as well (stew chicken and rice and beans and Coca-Cola, which tastes very different in Central America due to the use of cane sugar and not corn sugar). I met two girls from Squamish on the tour (!) who climbed that temple like it was nothing. I asked them if they were "Chief" climbers and they laughed and asked how I knew. I knew because it took them, like, two minutes to go up all 50 steps to the top!
Figures I go halfway down the continent to meet girls from up the road!
After the tour, we all went out for a nice dinner at a swank hotel where we had conch fritters, seafood creole and cheesecake for dessert. I love pineapple, but have learned that I do not like papaya (it tastes like feet smell!). Lessons learned, right?

We left Belize on Monday morning and although I was sad to leave my Dad, I know he is in a good place with good people and that made it easier to go. I'll try to get back and see him again before the end of the year. Chriatmas in Belize doesn't sound like a bad idea...

ARU and I dropped off a Belizean police officer (who had asked us for a ride into Corozol after he stopped us at a police checkpoint) and crossed the border back into Mexico (with the obligitory bribe to the border official who stamped our visas and then waived us through. What is it with Mexico and officials being asshats?). We made our way to Villahermosa, through Tabasco (37 degrees!), where we saw chiles drying on the side of the road and a dead puma and stopped for the night (same hotel as on the way in ) and had a mediocre dinner. I missed Belize already!

Tuesday morning we drove from Villahermosa to just outside of Puebla where we stayed at a strange skeevy little hotel called the "San Isidoro Auto Hotel". It was a place for truckers, but I say it was more for f*ckers... it had an hourly rate, mirrors all over the rooms, plastic sheets on the mattress and free porn. You be the judge. I did watch some some excellent vintage porn from the 70's starring John Holmes though. Classic stuff man. You can't even rent it anymore... or so someone told me...

Wednesday morning we steeled ourselves for the journey into hell, also known as Mexcio City. We got lost... many many times and it took us about 3 hours to go 100 km. We finally got some nice man to lead us to the freeway and we got the hell out of there. I'm sure it's a nice place, but I won't be going back anytime soon!
And now I find myself in Saltillo, Mexico, writing this long overdue update. We'll be crossing the border into Texas tomorrow and heading straight for Rudy's BBQ in San Antonio! Welcome Home, Sarah! If I'm not too full of meaty goodness, I'll write again tomorrow.

Thanks for all your comments to my past posts. It's nice to hear from familliar people when I'm so far away :)

Peace.