After Thursday we had accomplished all we had wanted to on the island: relaxing on the beach, discovering the local hangouts, boating to Caye Caulker, and free snorkeling on a boat called "One Love" with the artistic work of a marijuana leaf on the side. (where I hugged a nurse shark and sting rays in the middle of the ocean!) Having seen a lot on the island I decided it was time to head to the mainland to a place called San Ignacio, which I had heard of the day before from a girl from California. All I really knew was that it was on the mainland and apparently pretty safe...

My friend T headed back to Merida as I boarded a cross country bus to go west into Belize into the Cayo district (Belize has 6 districts). The buses of Belize are one of the visible indicators of the poor economic situation of the country, especially in comparison to Mexico's smooth ADO bus line. In Belize City I boarded the old school bus for $3.50USD to get across the country in a 3 hour ride (which I am told is 90 minutes in a car). The bus was crowded front to back, with people spilling into the aisles. Despite the abundance of people, I stuck out as the only white passenger on the bus. It was an interesting feeling that I know several people live daily throughout the world and I am glad to have the experience. The majority of my experience was people taking turns sitting next to me and talking to me because I am different, even though Belize is a country of mixed ethnicities that live in unison. All in all I was glad to make it to San Ignacio without incident, such as the Canadians I met who had taken a similar bus where a passenger tried to stab the money collector. No worries though, it was resolved peacefully. My only problem was driving through nasty smoke that blew onto the highway from the area where the trash from Belize City is burnt. Yuck.

Once in San Ignacio I met up once more with the girl from California and found a comfortable, cheap place to stay for the night.

http://belizex.com/san_ignacio.htm