A Quick Update

I got an earlier start yesterday and did indeed make it to the ruins (2 of them actually) before they closed. I took tons of pics. I also discovered that I am the only person that drives the speed limit (55) in Belize. I finally said screw it and tried to run with the locals. The Ghettomobile wasn't quite up to the task so I kept it under 70 and still was getting passed like I was sitting still. The main highways here are like county roads at home with the exception of speed bumps entering and leaving town. The road on the peninsula has huge concrete bumps about every mile. Brake, clutch and suspension repair is probably a lucrative market here.

I may have overexerted myself hiking thru the ruins yesterday. After finishing the second one I was soaking wet. I made sure to bring some Gatorade and water with me, but last night I was cramping up something fierce. Hydration is my main focus for the rest of this trip.

I've also discovered that all of the videos I've preloaded to post are not viewable outside the US, so I hope they are working. Neither is Hulu or any of the other sites I usually watch commercial programs on. Odd.

Several of the expats living here keep wanting me to join their nightly floating poker game. The last thing I need is to be the outsider that  a)wins big  or  b)finances next month's living expenses for the expats. I tend to think it would be "b". No offense fellas. Maybe next trip!

I did discover that a lot of "local handmade art" is mass produced crap that probably comes from 1 source. I bought a couple trinkets from a woman that wandered up on the beach yesterday morning who claimed "I made these myself" only to discover the exact same trinkets being sold by little kids at the ruins 2 hours away. I should point out however that there are genuine local artists like Lola's Art. That my friends is the real deal.

I've also discovered that roughly 99% of the grocery stores in Belize are owned by Asians. Odd. The locals call them "Chiney stores".