Diary 15^th Dec 2009 & Images from Belize

Tuesday Click image to enlarge
After breakfast I took the shuttle back to the airport and without further mishap was able to board the Continental airlines flight to Cancun. However that was one hour late in leaving and it was just after midday when the plane touched down in Mexico.
	I went directly to the Europcar office to find out if my vehicle was ready for me. They transported me and my luggage to their depot a short drive away. I told them that I wanted to take part in Belize and would require a letter to produce at the Belize Mexican border. This turned out to be no problem but I was told that I was on no account to take the car into Guatemala. I assured them that I had no such intention and after hanging around for about an hour I picked up a white Renault Clio 1.5 stick shift hatchback. They gave me a full quality map and instructed me how to find the main coastal road down to the border.
Happy at last, freedom and Belize beckoned as I cruised down the good-quality road bound to my homeland. A flat countryside and hot sunshine accompanied me on the five-hour journey to the border.
	I arrived at the immigration at 1700 and pass through the customs control getting my passport stamped to show that I have imported a vehicle from Mexico to Belize. I was advised that I had to go to the insurance office where I paid BZ $64 one months insurance for the vehicle. The road condition in Belize was markedly different from that in Mexico. Whilst there weren't actually any potholes there were many patches where repairs have been made as I travelled south on the northern highway. It was around 1900 by the time I arrived in orange walk. I made enquiries of local people to find out if I could get hold of Jose Sanchez fruit and veg shop which I knew was on the main road. Eventually I found a helpful young man called Curtis who got in the vehicle with me and we made further enquiries and eventually found his shop.
Unfortunately he was not at home, I was unable to contact him on the floor and although I had his phone number and when we checked in at his place of work he was not there either. I telephoned to Abel at around 2000 to explain why I had been delayed and that I was on my way. He gave me directions on where to leave the northern highway so I thanked Curtis for his help, took his telephone number in case I needed to meet him again in Orange Walk and headed south in the darkness toward Burrell Boom. Shortly after leaving Orange Walk I came across a tollbooth where they wanted $.75 I told them the only money I had was American coinage which they refuse to take so I told them I would pay them next time I was passing and they accepted this. I drove through squally showers and took care to drive carefully along the bad roads on the way and arrived at my destination and 2200.
	Abel showed me to my bedroom, asked if I needed anything and since I knew that they both retired around eight o'clock each evening I told them that I was fine and would see them in the morning. I unpacked and slept well enough in the comfortable bed.