On the Toucan Trail...but off the beaten path
Trip Start
Feb 01, 2006
1
8
33
Trip End
May 01, 2006
Placencia,
Belize
Monday, February 13, 2006
We are not there yet but are still en route. We first left Belize City and went to Belmopan. Then we took a local bus along the Hummingbird Highway through Dangriga and Hopkins. The bus ride was awesome...through citrus valleys (oranges and pineapples and bananas) full of fincas (plantations), clear rivers with the Maya mountains as the backdrop. Stunning. And amidst the Belizeans jumping on and off the bus at each and every stop, every once in a while we would see a Mennonite in traditional garb.
But this is the home of the Garifuna: a people of mixed African and Carib descent, best known for their vibrant music, punta dancing and knocking drums. And here in Placencia we have already experienced all of it! We saw both punta dancing and drumming on the very first night we got here as part of a weekend festival that just happened to be on.
Placencia's main street is actually a narrow footpath (more of a sidewalk) which threads its way among wood frame houses on stilts. It is in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's most narrow main street. The town is an old fishing village situated between the sea and a lagoon with lots of sandy beachfront and an impressive array of cayes (islands) just offshore.
We have rented one of those small cabanas on stilts and we have had nothing but lobster tacos and Belikin beer since arriving!
On Friday we will venture further into the Toledo District as we head to Punta Gorda which is our departure point to get a boat to Livingston, Guatemala. Once there we will take a lancha (a small boat) to Finca Tatin, which is a sort of eco-lodge in the middle of the jungle on the Rio Dulce.
Sorry about the lack of photos but right now Internet is expensive and somewhat slow...we will certainly hope to upload a few when we get down the Rio Dulce and into a more civilized spot in Guatemala.
Comments
Hi there
We are soooo jealous! It is snowy and cold here - theonly saving grace is there is good skiing Wednesday and cayman Islands for March Break. Loved reading the baracuda norkeling story - send more like that but don't get eaten! Did you get my messages about Ines in El Salvador? She is there and part of a big reforestation project and coffee plantation project - anyway I found articles about her work on the net and am still trying to get real contact. Happy Trails to you both. Sonds like you are having great adventures!
Love, Jen & George