Belize 101

Our friend Jack joins Ian for some reggae

View larger photo 

Ok, Belize 101. Belize is Central American country on the Caribbean, bordering Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.  As a former British logging colony, English is the official language—convenient for us since I was the only member of the party that spoke a word of Spanish.  Culturally, Belize is a real melting pot: descendents of British pirates, African slaves, and Mayan Indians, among others. 

We got a sense for this cultural diversity during our first few hours in Belize, waiting for the ferry to the islands. The taxi driver who picked us up at the border was fluently bilingual and listened to a Mexican radio station. He showed us some small Mayan ruins at the edge of town—Mayan-speaking people still live in a few villages in Belize, but most of their cities were abandoned long before the arrival of Europeans. The dark-skinned clerk at the general store spoke only English. When questioned, she admitted that she knew the steps to the Belizean punta rock playing on the radio, although she refused to demonstrate.   We ate conch fritters and spring rolls at a restaurant run by first generation Chinese immigrants and suffered through a half hour of Chinese pop music.  Get the picture?

Music turned out to be a great way to meet people. Ian and Matt had brought along guitars and learned some Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley reggae songs. While sitting in a little park waiting for the ferry, they tried out a few, Dan lending his beautiful voice and mad freestyle rap skillz. This soon attracted the attention of Jack, a genuine Rastafarian who played drums and guitar in a local punta and reggae band. Matt offered his guitar and Jack played along flawlessly for three songs, his long dreadlocks hanging over the guitar. The guitar was a find from the antique shop and missing the G-string, but Jack waved away our excuses and said “she has a beautiful tone.” He gave us his number so we could play again if we came back through the area. As much as I enjoyed the ruins and snorkeling, these kinds of chance encounters were the best moments of the trip.