Well, I have been away from my F.I.S.H blog for 4 months now, but have decided to get back to FISHing again.
We left Belize back in February doing our third 'runner', which I aptly named "The Betta Belize it Great Escape!"
We left Ambergris Caye at the crack of dawn with true ‘Bon Viveur’. Yet another instantaneous rekindler’s decision enacted with precision timing!!! Our ultimatum being the issue we have had with our delayed payment from Blooms, along with our deferred payment to our landlord and our growing distaste with San Pedro and its’ Americanism.
We booked our tickets on the water taxi yesterday morning, with a super plan to get ‘sensibly’ packed ready for our early morning clandestine departure. This plan for our great escape quickly devolved into complete organised chaos when we decided to partake of a beer or two at the bar. A beer or two led to a rum or two…or more…and a large joint….and no intake of food!! Mr and Mrs Sensible in full blow-out mode which eventually resulted in the familiar pissed dibarcal. We sat at the end of the local pier stoned and pissed disposing of our sensitive ‘paper’ and surplus laptop by shredding in into the Caribbean Sea. We then retired to our apartment at the BYC for the last night at well past midnight, me ready to sink into bed, Nick insistent on packing before submitting to sleep. Nick led our packing, and I followed in a daze, and once everything bar toiletries required for the morning were packed, we fell into bed ready for our 4 hours of sleep!!! I managed to ‘shed’ a few more items of clothing, something that I have long struggled with, but had to see reason that a few items that have remained unworn could easily be shed.
Our challenge was to exit the BYC without being detained by the local residents and queried over our sudden departure. Unfortunately, as I had guessed this was not to be, but Nick did an excellent job of side-winding people whilst I hailed a cab. We leave our little BYC apartment a little untidy, but with more ‘stuff’ in it than when we arrived. Nick even leaves the door open in our haste to leave without facing questioning from the breakfast club crew. I cannot imagine what gossip we will create around the BYC pool today…….
Once at the dock to board the water taxi and leave Ambergris Caye, we started to relax…..and even enjoyed a brief distraction feeding the Tarpon at the edge of the lagoon. At 7:30am we got to board the boat paying our exit tax to the immigration control in Belizian 5 cent coins, and here we are departing our little Island after nearly three months. Goodbye to a pretty world with too much Fat Cat corruption at its core. No more Barry Bowen and his monopoly on beer, water, soda, shrimp strangle-holding a country! We congratulate our existentialist selves on exiting Belize without paying all our ‘debts’, another little twist of rekindling fortune!!! I welcome the spontaneity of just doing what appeals to my heart and soul, even if it is a little reckless. I cannot help but reflect on how kindred Nick and I are when it comes to our egos, as I savour the once-again sweet taste of a swift exit from a place with a ‘sting’ in our tails! My sober mind starts to try and replay our packing fiasco in the early hours of the morning, as I realise I have little idea of what is packed where, and exactly what was left behind. This is at least the third time we have ‘flitted’ upon an immediate decision to leave, but I have previously been in control of the packing process. My mind wanders to the irrelevant details of essential items left behind like our corkscrew (which has travelled with us since Orlando) and our pepper mill, that I have carefully packed with us since Calgary.
After arriving into Chetumal, Mexico we are greeted by armed Border Guards with a sniffer dog and all our luggage is checked by a cute drug-sniffing black Labrador. Kind of highlights how smuggling is still a major issue around this part of the world, and caused Nick to quickly check his pockets for any rogue little buds!!! Bags collected we head for a hotel, changing our plan to go straight to the ADO bus station and a 6 hour bus journey to Puerto Morelos. Feeling somewhat jaded as the alcohol is diffused out of our system…..by 10:00am we are back in bed in a rather stylish hotel at the bargain price of £30. Time for some ‘rekindling’, and Nick lays claim to having made love in two countries before lunchtime!!!
