The next day we took a little 11 passenger plane back to Belize. The Placencia airport is adorable. We arrived 10 minutes before take off, and blissfully were not subjected to the usual airport harassment. The runway goes from one side of the caye to the other, and the dirt road to Placencia hairpins around the end of it. Speed bumps and signs on the road advise drivers of motor vehicles to yield to landing and departing planes. Sometimes they do. The runway ends at the ocean, and we lifted off just before the end.
The view from 3,000 feet was wonderful. We saw how much of the country is still intact. We had been disappointed in 2002 in Costa Rica to see that the jungles have mostly been logged and turned to ranches. Flying over the beautiful turquoise water of Belize on our way home from Costa Rica made us resolve to see whether Belize was in better shape. We are happy to report that most of Belize is still there, and we hope the government makes the right decisions in developing their infant eco tourism industry.
One reader of my travelogue commented that we seemed to have had a lot of difficulties and the trip didn't seem to be much fun. I reported the mishaps because they were as much a part of the trip as the delightful discoveries, but maybe some readers don't want to hear the complaints. I have found two Creole proverbs that offer two ways of looking at this situation.
"Di stilles calf suck de mos milk".
Literally, The quietest calf sucks the most milk.
Meaning, The uncomplaining person often gets the most out of a situation.
Or is it
"Di burying no deh weh di mos bawling deh"
Literally, The funeral isn’t where the crying is the loudest
Meaning, The grumbler is often better off than the uncomplaining person
Anyway, I have to admit
"Di fowl weh cackle da di fowl weh lay di egg"
Literally, The fowl that cackles is the fowl that lays the egg
Meaning, The person who resents or talks most about a wrong-doing is guilty of it.
Bottom line is, we enjoyed Belize and Guatemala, and hope to return.
