Excited: not sure what lies ahead...
Trip Start
Feb 10, 2011
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Trip End
Oct 04, 2011
Punta Gorda, Toledo, Belize
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Getting down to Punta Gorda—PG to the locals, the southern-most city in Belize where Natania and I will be spending the majority of our time—involves a short one hour flight on one of the local airline companies, Maya Island Air was my choice this trip. The small 12 person cessna made four stops along the way, providing a nice tour of nearly all major cities in Belize on the way down to PG. The ride was delightful with a beautiful ocean view to the left and an equally inspiring rainforest view to the right. As we approached PG, large areas of the dense forest blanket gradually rose while becoming broken and bumpy, like a piece of cloth being thrown over scattered marbles, giving way to the celebrated rolling mountain hills of the Southern Toledo district. My heart is enticed by the soft green mountains. Feeling the pull of their beauty, I eagerly await the chance to visit their peaks and imagine the secrets that lie in their depths.
Our apartment is called the sea front inn and is right on the edge of town, and holding true to its name, only a few short steps to the water. My school supervisor James Waldram, who has been working with several Maya healers in town, work which I will enthusiastically be continuing while here, helped us secure the spot. It is nice to be so close to the water, hearing the waves softly crashing and the local birds cooing as I drift to sleep each night.
The last two days have been spent investigating the local shops for goods, and tampering with the internet systems trying to find creative ways to communicate with friends and family back home in Saskatchewan. An unexpected visit from Federico Cal, a son of a local Maya healer, soothed the somewhat awkward first interactions with locals. On Saturday morning Federico took me to the fresh foods market where Maya farmers from the surrounding villages come to PG four days a week to sell their fresh fruits and vegetables: a pineapple for a dollar, six oranges for another and a bag of potatoes for two—what a deal! I can see I will get along with the food options down here quite easily. In addition to the food splurges, my first major purchase, upon the recommendation of my supervisor, was a nice shinny blue bike—the travel mode of choice for most locals in PG. Again the bike creates nothing but more anticipation. It sits now on our balcony, like me, not sure what lies ahead.
Comments
Hey bud, it is wonderful to hear from you! I am so happy to hear you have landed and are finding your feet.
sal
Requesting more updates! I know Natania is there are you are doing fun things!! :) :)