The Flying Pig

Arrival in Placencia

WARNING:  Stay on the road!  This is our taxi after missing the turn to Cozy Corner and thinking he could take a shortcut.  Fortunately, there were 3 Belizeans who hang out near this spot waiting for idiots to get stuck and then charge about $20 to get you out.

But Placencia is a little bit of paradise.  There are no, and I mean NO, signs of the modern world here except for cell phones, signs saying Visa/MasterCard accepted, and a weak, sporadic WiFi signal.  But not a Macdonald's to be seen, nor a Hilton, Radisson, or Westin.  The homes are small and simple, the restaurants are open to the sea breezes, and all the natives either sell food or crafts or boat tours.

At home we seldom just sit and relax, but here the chairs on the beach under the little thatched umbrellas are so conducive to reading, conversation, or just closing your eyes and letting your mind go blank, that you can't help relaxing.  Younger and more fit visitors can go fishing, diving or snorkeling when the weather permits.  I would have done another snorkeling day, but yesterday there was a pretty stiff wind which brought rain last night and this morning.  No good for snorkeling.  But my experience in Caye Caulker has made me promise myself that I will go to Mexico for snorkeling (or someplace like that).

Last night we went to dinner at The Flying Pig, a restaurant owned by the cousin of a friend I went to high school with.  It was "all you can eat" spaghetti night.  Patrick was a charming, enthusiastic host and told us how he came to be in Placencia. He was teaching school in California until the recession! and at that time his school combined with another school and! rather than teaching algebra to 7th, 8th, and 9th grade kids, he was expected to teach 7-12th graders.  Unfortunately his certificate only allowed him to teach up to 9th grade.  So, he went back to school and got a Master's degree in administration.  Now, he found his lack of experience made it impossible to find a job in school administration.  So, he gave California a one-finger salute, sold everything and moved to Belize.  He's happy and making a contribution to the community.

We have one more night here, and then tomorrow we are off to Crooked Tree, supposedly a bird-watcher's dream come true.  Two nights there, then back to Belize City for the last night before we fly home.

Stay Away from Guatemala!

Our next destination after Tikal was Placencia, Belize. We had not made arrangements for transportation, and we will regret that for many years.  There was a woman at the Tikal Inn who told us, absolutely, that there was no way to get back to the border except by shuttle which would cost us $30 each person (or $120 US).  But Bill and Ron talked to a guy who had a van parked in the parking lot who agreed to take us from there to the border for $75 total instead of $120 total.

Once we arrived at the border and made it through immigration, we had to find someone to take us to Placencia.  Bill made the tactical mistake of talking to a guy on the Guatemalan side who agreed to drive us all from there to Placencia for $80 US.  Thinking that was too good to pass up, Bill gave him the money and said we would meet him on the other side, the Belize side.  Well, of course, the guy disappeared and we never saw him again. The Guatemalans will tell you whatever you want to hear to make a buck.

So another taxi driver on the Belize side promised to take us all the way for $150 US.  Jesus H . Christ!  So tired of getting ripped off by taxi drivers!  Now, today, we found out that we could have paid a taxi to take us just to San Ignacio, which was only 10 miles away, then we could have taken a bus to Placencia for about $20 US per person.  Ok, enough complaining.  My advice: stay out of Guatemala.

We arrived in Placencia and checked into Cozy Corner.  Nice rooms with a/c and TV for $70 per night.  And downstairs in the restaurant there is WiFi, where I was even able to download Wake Me Up by Avicii.  At this moment we four are sitting in our swim suits on the beach with our afternoon cocktails, with a cool breeze blowing and the gentle waves trying to put us to sleep.

We will be here til Saturday morning, then it's off to Crooked Tree.