Today is Sunday morning and our last day of data collecting here in Belize. This trip has been a once in a lifetime experience for me. I have never really been off the safety and comfort of the continental US before.
We have been so blessed with all the comforts and conveniences in America that we often take them for granted. For instance, air conditioning, trash removal, iced drinks, automobiles, and many more. In Belize, or should I say Amberguis Caye, most people survive fine without air conditioning. I really think that the only reason they have it in some places here is for the American tourists who are sweating buckets because of our intolerance to uncomfortable conditions.
About the trash removal, I am not sure, but I think that the trash here is burned. There are wooden boxes on stilts for most of the domestic houses to place their trash, but often you will find it on the sides of the streets and also washed along the beach.
Again, I wonder if there would be so much trash if it wasn't for the tourism and our convenience. One of our group members commented last night, "I would try to pick up some of this trash, but I'm not sure it would make a difference" ...which is probably true. Next, one of the things I miss most is a Sonic drink with lots of crushed ice! They have ice here, but it melts very quickly so most of the time it is useless to get an "iced" drink because it will just melt and dilute your beverage if you don't drink it fast enough. Isn't it crazy that little things such as ice are so important to us? Now the transportation on this island is also different here. There is one main road that is busy with golf carts, vans to haul tourists, and bicycles with side streets coming off of the main road. It is a wild free for all! The carts will run you over if you don't get out of the way! Same with the vans! Gasoline is at about five dollars a gallon here. There is no enforced speed limit so that is controlled by massive speed bumps.
My mode of transportation here by choice is walking. Many in our group have obtained blisters from walking and snorkeling. Duct tape seems to be the only way to attach a band aid so that it won't fall off! Many of the locals ride bicycles. I have seen them carrying pipes, children, bags of food, and just about anything on the front of their bicycles. If it wasn't for the tourists I think most people here would get around by walking or riding bikes. This place is wonderful for tourism, but unfortunately, I feel that the tourism takes away from the naturalness of the island. This is such a beautiful place that it is sad to see what our human race have done to it. I can only imagine what it must have looked like before civilization moved in. If I take one important lesson away from being here, I hope that I appreciate the natural world enough to try not to destroy it just for my petty conveniences.
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