De Montreal a Buenos Aires en Moto: Days 46 to 48: Tulum, MX to San Ignacio, BZ

Days 46 to 48: Tulum, MX to San Ignacio, BZ

Both of us feeling better, we left Tulum on the morning of day 46, with the intention of crossing into Belize in Chetumal. We decided to transit through Belize, because it was the fastest way to enter northern Guatemala, where we wanted to see a few things.

Three hours later, we were at the border. Checking out of Mexico was quick and straight forward. We returned our tourist card and got the passports stamped, and then we turned in the temporary vehicle document and sticker. An inspector took a few minutes to look at the bikes and verify the serial numbers, and off we were. Entering Belize was a joke by Central American standards. Two stamps on a passport page: one for immigration, and the other for the bike. Going through the checkpoint, the customs agent (wearing an official LA Angels fitted baseball cap..lol) asked if we got our stamps. We said yes, he gave us two thumbs up without bothering even checking the paperwork and off we were in Belize. The last step was to purchase the mandatory liability insurance, which cost us twenty something USD for a week.

Belize is the only English speaking country in Central America. Spanish comes second, and then there is the local Creole language. Ethnically speaking, it is an interesting mix. The majority of the population is Black, but there is also a large population of Mayan descent, as well as white people, mainly Mennonites. We also noticed that many Chinese are running shops and restaurants in the two cities we stayed in. This country has definitely a Carribean feel to it, from the typical accent of the Islands to the laid back attitude, and music too. As much as Mexicans mostly listen to local music (not much my type, really), in Belize you hear reggae, dancehall and hip hop.

Belize is reputed to have a beautiful coast, but unfortunately we decided that, time wise, we couldn't afford to spend time there. On the first day, we did about 215 easy going kilometers, and we were already within 50 km of the Guatemalan border. This is a small country indeed. We stayed overnight in Belmopan, where we had Chow Mein noodles for supper. Strangely enough, Chinese food was all we could find in the area.

The next day, we did a detour through some back roads, just to see a bit more of the countryside. It was the first day we had to ride in rain in weeks, actually since Moab, Utah. We rode for only about 60 km that day, and made it early to San Ignacio, where we found a decent hostel for 10$ per person. Later that night, we had supper and drinks with a few other travellers. It felt good to get a short break and to be able to easily communicate once again with everyone around me. In Mexico, several times I was only able to say a few words in social situations, and although it is part of process of learning a new language, at times it was a little frustrating.

We really got a good vibe from Belize. People were friendly and laid back, and it didn't feel unsafe. Once again, we wished we had more time to hang out and see more of it. It is definitely on the return to list.

Only very few photos from Belize. We were there briefly, and it rained a good part of the riding time, so we didn't want to get the camera equipment wet.