July 23rd South to Punta Gorda

It was time to head inland! After having spent months in numerous coastal towns we really felt it was time to wander farther inland. Belize is known to have a spectacular jungle laden with diverse flora and fauna as well as its numerous Mayan sites. Going on a tip we had gotten from a local dude in San Pedro we planned on heading to the southernmost town in Belize, Punta Gorda. He had told us that the town was at the foot of the Mayan mountains and a good starting point to get into the southern jungles of Belize. We left the town of Placencia early in the morning taking the Hokey Pokey water taxi across the bay to the town of Independence where we caught the bus to Punta Gorda. The bus was an old school bus, typical Central American bus, that stops for everyone and their wares while winding through little settlements. The bus ride was marvelous, granted there was no A/C but the breeze from the windows was sufficient. It was exciting to be inland seeing the banana and pineapple plantations backdropped with dense jungle. As it is rainy season the landscape is lush and an unimaginable vibrant green. The bus trip to Punta Gorda was about two hours and cost $4.50 each, we had discovered the way to travel!

Once in Punta Gorda we wandered aimlessly, quite lost, until a very nice man pulled us into his little restaurant “ Moms”, and fed us a delicious lunch of stewed chicken with rice and beans and my favorite, fresh squeezed Orange Juice. We must of looked like hardy backpacker types as he pointed us to a little inn named Natures Way. It was obviously a backpacker stop, pretty funky and ultra cheap. $16 per night. The room was more than basic, a wooden platform with foam mattresses thrown on and a floor fan. Shared bathroom and a small trickle of cold water was our shower. At first it seemed like an adventure and I was drawn in by the huge frangipani tree right outside the bedroom window. Later, when I found out that my very thin mattress was wet, due to the window being left open in a rain storm, I was none too happy. However, being the only guests at the place, we snuck into another room and snagged a dry mattress. We did not sleep too well due to the numerous giant moths that made their way through the cracks in the walls and pounded themselves against the glass window trying to get at the full moon outside. Then we had a huge rain storm, a daily occurrence this time of year, which was lovely but the heavy rain on the tin roof sounded like a constant roll of thunder. After the moon crazy moths and the rain, we drifted to sleep only to be woken by a loud ringing of a cow bell at 6am!! And then 10mins later at 6:10am. The inn owner woke her family up by ringing the bell. I suppose she had no concern for the vacationing guests. Sigh.

Punta Gorda is a weird town, you feel like you are in an Old West frontier town. It is really sleepy, not too much going on, but people from everywhere just passing through. Many of the Gringos go here to take a boat over to Guatemala, but not too many people stay in Punta Gorda. Of course we did, and Keith was offered drugs numerous times, but we never felt threatened or unsafe, we just said no and it seemed that the townspeople, drug dealers and market people alike, where very friendly and helpful. The town is hot and sparse and has a bizarre disjointed feeling to it. I am sure that many a person escaping from the law reside in the little town and soon find themselves drinking beer for breakfast, lost in the limbo land of Punta Gorda.