Back into Mexico

The Kismet Inn in Hopkins, Belize

March 13/06

Today we crossed the border from Guatemala to Belize. Another straight forward border crossing. We decided that we would spend only two days in Belize. From the Lonely Planet guide book we selected the small coastal town of Hopkins as our first destination. Hopkins is located south of Belize city.

Belize definitely has a different feel to it that most of the other Central American countries. The British influence is noticeable in the architecture, roads (round-a-bouts) and bridges. English is the principle language of the country although many other languages and dialects are also spoken. Often the English dialects are difficult to understand.

We arrived in Hopkins by 2 pm. There were good roads all the way across the country and not much traffic. Speed signs must be a luxury item down here. They are virtually not existent. We took our lead from the other traffic and cruised at 90 K in the open areas while remaining vigilant for the speed bumps.

Hopkins itself is nothing special. It is a poor somewhat rundown fishing village with some accommodations. A would be beach resort that never quite made it. In Hopkins we found a guest house on the beach. . . the Kismet Inn. It is a rustic place run by Trish, a transplanted New Yorker and here partner, Elvis. Trish and Elvis prepare a meal for the guests if they so desire. The meal always consists of the catch of the day, rice, vegetables, salad and fresh baked bread. It was an OK place but expensive for the quality of accommodation and services.

Everyone ate together at one large table in the dinning area so there was a good opportunity to socialize with the hosts and other guests. This was probably the best part of the stay. We met a couple from Brighton, Ontario. Prior to settling on the shores of Lake Ontario, they had lived on a sailboat for a couple of years and had some good stories to tell, mostly cruising the Caribbean.

March 14/06

Partly due to the costs in Belize we decided to head up to the Mexican border at Chetumal at the base of the Yucatan Peninsular. Fuel prices in Belize were the highest we have seen on this trip.. about $5. per gallon. Thanks to good open roads and little traffic we reached the border just after 2 pm.

The northern half of Belize is not particularly attractive. Mostly flat scrub lands, hot and windy. The southern portion is much more attractive. The Hummingbird Hwy runs south from Belize city through rolling semi-mountainous terrain. The valleys are filled with citrus groves. Mostly oranges, from what we could tell.

The border crossing into Mexico was very smooth. The officials friendly and helpful. Mexico was the only country that accepted our prior visa. Entering other countries we had to get new visas each time. Guess they make more money that way.

Close to the border crossing is the city of Chetumal, Mexico. Looking for a hotel we found our way downtown to a visitor information booth. As Jenny inquired about hotels a motorcycle rider stopped to talk to Linda and asked if we needed help. Gordon, we found out his name later, was riding a 500 Suzuki, a big bike for these parts. He had noticed the motorcycles and was anxious to assist other riders. He offered to lead us to a hotel. We gladly accepted his offered and he led us to a very nice place. After a quick change into some clean clothes we offered to buy Gordon a beer. We enjoyed the conversation with Gordon. Thanks again Gordon for assisting us, it was great to meet you.

As an aside . . . Gordon mentioned that a few weeks ago he had met another Canadian on motorcycle. This fellow was doing research for a travel guide book for motorcycle travellers. It appeared that he may have been affiliated somehow with Horizon’s Unlimited. This was of interest to us because we had just been discussing the short comings of the Lonely Planet guide book. The Lonely Planet guide is designed for back packer / bus traveller and as such, there is very little information specifically of interest to travelers who have their own transportation. (better directions, routes in and out of cities, bypasses, fuel locations, etc.)

Early to bed….

March 15/06

Early to rise…

Dave woke us up at 5:30 for breakfast. We were on the road before 7:00. Flat country across the base of the Yucatan. Just like a hot Saskatchewan with palm trees. We made good time though. Over 600K today. Still it was a long day.

We ended up in a small city of Cardenas in the oil production area of Mexico, not a particularly attractive area. Since we were not in a tourist area, there was limited hotel selection. The first one we found was at a truck stop and there was no secure location to leave the motorcycles. The next one we found had a secure parking lot but it catered to business travelers and was quite expensive ($62.US) for our budget. We stayed there anyway since it was late and there was no other option.

At supper we had another look at the route back to Yuma. The most direct route would be through Mexico City. Another route would be up the east coast and then across north central Mexico. The third option was to cut across the narrow “waist” of Mexico to the west coast and retrace the route we followed on the way south. After bantering back and forth, we decided to cut to the west coast. Our rational was 3 fold . . . cheaper plentiful accommodations, a more pleasant environment and reduced navigation stress. We are definitely in the “get home mode” but we don’t want to rush it, just enjoy it. (actually Miles emailed us that it hadn’t snowed in a few days and perhaps we should turn south again. We choose this route mainly to encourage more snow in Fernie. J ) The west coast route is a slightly longer one but may be shorter (in time) in the long run. We are planning earlier starts on the way back and 30% longer mileage.