We were supposed to stay for the entire Education Union meeting, but quickly found out that there were only 3 hours that were relevant to us non-Belizians. So unfortunately, we had to go travel and look around the country. We found ourselves in Dandriga which is in the Toledo district—about 2 hours north of Punta Gorda. I tried fry-jacks which are sopapillas or friend tortillas without honey and ice cream. Chicken and beans supplemented my fry-jacks.
In Dandriga, there were the Belizian version of California Beach Boys. I was highly entertained. They all spoke Creole, wore sunglasses, had dreads, were clothed in beach attire, and were “too cool for school.” The atmosphere was laid back. They liked to talk and be out in the water.
After Dandriga, we continued on our trek north. WE saw a sign for a waterfall called Davis Falls and thought that would be refreshing. The sign said it was 8 miles away. Carlos, our Belizian host, went to go pay for us. The fee collector said that we did not have to pay because he wasn’t sure if we could get up there. So, our attempt to get to the falls was free. Yay for us!
We go through extremely non-smooth roads and I got the first ever bit of motion sickness. We got to our first river crossing. We decided to ford the river. We got out of the car and walked through it to find a shallow crossing for our jeep. We start slowly and made it about half-way when we hit sand and the jeep lost its grip. We tried pushing and rocking the car, but to no avail.
Carlos took the van that we also had to go find a tractor. Fortunately we were in an orange grove, but it still took an hour. It was one of the most beautiful rivers I have seen. We were in a valley of sorts and the water was relatively clear and had little “fishies”. The trees were exceptionally green and there was a hint of orange scent in the air.
After our waiting, we hear a tractor and we cheered. They hooked up the jeep and pulled it to the other side of the river so we could continue our trek. We made it about 3 more miles and over 2 more miniature creek streams. We got to a bigger one and decided to walk the rest of the way to the “waterfall”.
About an intense hour of walking and much supplication, dirt hills, orange tree after orange tree after orange tree, we got to another stream where we just stared at the water and felt the sand flies. I was tired, completely out of breath, but totally exhilarated. I actually survived with both legs still attached! We were all completely nasty and didn’t even need to talk—that took too much work.
Unfortunately, at the stream, there was no more trail. We never did find the waterfall. Water did fall, but it was in the creek-version, not the Niagara Edition.
Going back went a lot fast since we knew where we were going. We made it back to our jeep and all 8 of us climbed in. I sat in the trunk and we went clunking through the orange grove. We got to the lake again and were ready to get cooled off. I changed clothes in the bushes which was an adventure. There was a native that was quite hormonally excited to see a bunch of American chicas in bathing suits.
The water was warm by them but had a cool current flowing through at the bottom. I can officially say that I swam with fish—little ones, but fish nonetheless. I have never done that before. After about 30 minutes, we got out, dried off, and piled into the van and the jeep. I was bitten alive by sand flies, but my skin was smooth from the swimming. Pure bliss!
I was nearing the starving growling of my belly. We went to the next town for the most incredible pizza ever. It had a homemade crust and juicy cheese. Unbelievable! It was called Pascuales. I even ate the cheese and I don’t even like cheese.
3 hours later, we arrived back home. All my clothes were disgusting and I pretty much dumped my backpack into the washing machine. While waiting for my clothes, we all convened in one of the apartments to debrief and swap stories. I tried some carrot cake which was fabulous. I will have to find a recipe. It was a write base with carrots, pecans, and this coconut icing.
Then, I hung my clothes on the clothes line outside for the first time ever in my life. I felt so domestic.
Well, that’s it for now. I will be chatting soon!
JLP
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