Up VERY early to beat out the heat. I felt very fatigued, the sum total of 3 days of heat, cycling, wind, sunburn, and change in diet taking its toll on me. But today promised to be an easier one, and I willed the pedals to turn over. I rolled back onto the main highway before 6 am in a foggy semi-darkness... but at 2 lanes in each direction, plus a paved shoulder, I felt quite safe. The fog only lifted as I approached the Belize border... symbolic, perhaps? My short time in Mexico was great, actually, and I've been a bit surprised at the prices and standard of living (higher than expected). Mexico (and Belize) have been a world apart from most of the Asian and African countries that I have cycled through. It certainly makes it easier to travel and cycle here, with frequent and well-stocked stores, refridgeration, and actual prices labelled on things. The coup de grace for me though has been the frequent presence of ice-cold Gatorade!
The border was quick and painless, as borders go, and there's always a special feeling pedalling from one country to another. Belize! The first dramatic difference was language... being an UK-ruled country as little as 27 years ago, the official language is English! Yay! So for a few days I don't have to bumble my way through Spanish for everything. Secondly, roads are barely signed here, even some major intersections such as those shown on the map between the border and Orange Walk... little to nothing. There is music everywhere, of all kinds, to match the eclectic mix of people that inhabit the country... emigrant Spanish-speaking Central Americans, people of island/Caribbean descent, Chinese (noticably running many of the shops and businesses, and Indians. Rolling into Corozal I realized that, being Saturday, the banks were closed... where to change out my remaining Mexican pesos? The ever-savvy Chinese businessmen, of course, and the first ones I approached readily took my pesos off my hands, for local currency. It pays to know the exchange rates before such a transaction, but they offered a reasonable rate right off the get go, and both of us were happy. Breakfast at the best hotel in town creased my smile even further, and off I set for the remaining 44km to Orange Walk.
The ride was pleasant, through little village after little village. The Belizians are possibly even more friendly than the Mexicans, and its lots of waves and thumbs-up all around, be they Latin American, Chinese, or "ya mon" Caribbean. The distance flew by easily enough, and I finished the day feeling much stronger than when I had started. I have about a half-day "in the bank", mileage-wise, and would like to stretch that to a full day before I'm slammed into the mountains of Guatemala, which I'm quite nervous about. I haven't done "real" switchback, brutal climbing since the Karakoram Highway in Pakistan, 2 years ago, and that was after about a 4000km warm-up. Hmmmm.
Today and tomorrow's ride
downtown Orange Walk
yum! a plate of grilled chicken, tortilla, and potato salad... $3.50CDN
my simple room in Orange Walk (no ensuite fashionable bathroom tonight)
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