BELIZE NOTES
14 August 2003 6:15 pm
We just arrived in Belize City. This is the first and may be the last day in this Central American country, mainly because of money, or the lack of. I understand it’s so very touristy which makes it very expensive and my pockets are low. Plus, I’m not really feeling the African spirit here. It feels commercial and it is too touristy and the locals smell money. They attack you like tiger sharks to bloody chum. I don’t like it. It makes me uncomfortable. Some people are tourists and have tourist objectives. It’s nothing wrong with it, but I personally did not come here to buy baskets and t-shirts. I am uncomfortable.
It has been four days since I have written in my journal. I have been too busy and tired to write. The interview with Pam Poole’s uncle Cecil Haynes who worked the Canal, was the latest highlight
15 August 12:00 ish
We walked to a river embankment winding its’ way through Belize City, where the early morning fishermen have returned to sell their daily catch. This area is bustling with buyers and sellers. Some of the buyers are Asia merchants and others are regular black folks. In the various bounty, I see big fish, small fish, headless baby black-tipped sharks and silver-gray barracuda. The streamlined barracudas’ mouths are partially opened offering a menacing jagged toothy smile. I have heard stories of these torpedo shaped creatures leaping into boats and attacking people while they fish. I would not like the fortune of that experience.
15 August 7:50 pm
Julian and I took care of changing the tickets today. We will leave tomorrow afternoon. We should arrive in Chicago 9:30 Saturday night. Strangely, we met an Asia man, a doctor from China, who now lives in Wichita, Kansas. He saw my camera and I saw his camera bag. We complemented each other on our choice of weapons. We talked a little about photography, but mostly talked about our lives. He is 69 years old, and married at 47. He has two daughters, one at Stanford and the other still in high school. I mentioned my nephew Aaron attends Stanford and plays soccor. The doctor and I talked about racism, dis-respectful children, diversity in foods, mixing of the races and other social situations that confront us as minority men living in America.
16 August 7:50 am
We are in our last hours of this summer adventure. As they say, “All good things must come to an end.” I have very mixed feelings. Mostly wavering on the foreign side. This whole war thing with Iraq and the effect is has on the American reputation is dis-hearting. As much as I love traveling, I don’t want my freedom to be effected by possible future US government banning travel for Americans. I just have a feeling. Can they (government) do that?
16 August 8:09 am
I’m standing on the balcony of the Bellevue Hotel in Belize City. The hotel is old, rustic and smells like salt. It faces the east sitting next to the ocean only separated by a narrow two-lane strip of pavement some would call a street. Maybe a small car can drive through.
On this warm Sunday morning, the Caribbean (sea) is calm, but the fog is thick like soup. The stillness in the air promises a hot sticky day.
16 August 12:16 pm (last moments in Belize)
All the visitors to Belize are ready to board the plane. Although this is my first visit , the term ”tourist” disturbs me. What is the purpose of a tourist?
Two and one half hours later:
We have arrived in Miami, back on U.S. soil, with just one dollar between the both of us. We are hungry. We are like stomach growling, head hurting hungry. I send Julian on a journey to seek nourishment using our last George Washington. Is this possible? Will he succeed?