Back to Guatemala

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We really enjoyed our stay in Hopkins. It had a very laid back beach scene. Lots of small beach-side cabins all under the shade of palm trees. The whole shore is public so you can swim anywhere. The water was incredibly warm. It was also amazingly calm because of the huge reef that sits off shore. 

This sign seemed to know exactly how we always feel. Thankfully, there was a restaurant round the corner where we had our first 'fryjack'.

This is basically about half a dozen eggs scrambled with beans and fried onions wrapped in a pastry/ tortilla type dough and then deep fried. Another amazing discovery. Served with a few bits of fresh fruit to cleanse the palate afterwards.

We were amused by this sign for Kendal which reflects the British colonial influence in the country.

We didn't really have a plan for where to camp. We had pulled over at the side of the road and were studying the map considering our options when a truck pulled up. The driver, Bryan, jumped out and shouted "welcome to Belize!" We got chatting and he said that we should visit the beautiful river nearby. I replied by asking if we could camp. He then put us in contact with the local village chairperson who showed us to a communal stretch of river bank and said we were free to camp there. It was incredibly beautiful and wonderfully fortuitous. There was a natural spring joining the river so we had ample drinking water.

The next day we were heading to Punta Gorda (PG as it is known). This sign amused us. It is interesting as it demonstrates the diverse nature of Belize. The population includes Mayans, Garifuna, Caribbeans, Amish, Mennonite and ex-pats. It is much more mixed than either Mexico or Guatemala.

We passed Hope ville on the edge of PG. When we saw a sign for Vegan and Vegetarian food we had to pull in. We were treated to veggie lasagne made by Gomier who introduced vegan/veggie food to Belize over 30 years ago. We met Timothy from US, two of his brothers and his dad. We got on really well and heard all about his world tour and background in organic farming and cooking. He was really inspirational.

We had made plans to camp at a Garifuna drum school. These are the sorts of things that become normal when travelling by bike.

The next day was spent mainly on water as we were heading across to Guatemala from PG to Livingston and then up to Rio Dulce. I had time for another swim before our boat left. 

While we were waiting for the boat, Timothy turned up with two boxes of food for our journey. So kind of him. It was super tasty.

Boat one took us across the corner of the Caribbean between the two counties. We had to make frequent stops to clear the outboard prop of seaweed. In front of us (in the photo) were Brenda and Alan who are Canadian but live on their catamaran in Rio Dulce. Bizarrely, Brenda knows the Lake District as she studied outdoor education at Charlotte Mason in the late 70s. We ended spending a lot of time with them and they were great company.

At Livingston we loaded the bike onto boat number two. We had a couple of hours to kill before it left which we spent with Brenda and Alan hearing all about life on a yacht.

The first part of the second journey heads up a canyon between the sea and Lago De Izabal. Apparently Tarzan movies were filmed there.

We got dropped off at the Backpackers hostel which is right on the waterfront. It is the first time I've arrived at accommodation by boat. We are in the left-most room in the green building. It is as amazing as it looks. We were treated to sunset over the water. 

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