The nature of Belize
The nature is grand in tiny Belize. Environmental problems such as deforestation and pollution still occur, but in comparison Belize is viewed as one of the most environmentally aware countries in the world. As I am rolling across its border I am entering cleaner territory. The shoulder of the road has an absence of broken glass and the usual view of garbage in the bushes is seemingly swept away. Instead I pass several signs that remind me not to be a litterbug, and it seems as if most people follow their advice.
I leave the paved roads for a few days and arrive at the car-free island of Caye Caulker. The streets are simply made out of white sand where bicycles and golf carts are cruising past the palm trees. On the island I am drinking fruit juices during daylight, watching the sunset from a canoe and fall asleep to the sound of drums at night. I wake up early to experience nature underneath the surface. The Caribbean Sea is beautifully turquoise and far out a deep blue hole appears. Down in the big blue there are stalactites and sharks. I put on a neon suit, which makes me look like an underwater superhero with pink fins, and dive down in this amazing water world where the natural colours of the coral reef is even brighter then a wetsuit from the eighties.
Upon my return to the mainland, I share the road with two nature loving cyclists and we camp together out in the wild. We pedal past several eco-lodges before parking our bikes in the jungle, where we stay with a man who uses the rainforest as a gallery and classroom. His friends come by before setting up a research camp by the river to study the wildlife impact of a nearby dam. And we take the dirt roads to explore some more natural wonders at a waterfall fit for a fairytale. Eventually we continue through the elements of nature to the western end of the country. The earth carries our wheels towards Guatemala, the fire of the sun heats our way while the water in the rivers cools us off and the air of wind gives us a final push across the border as we leave the wonderful and well preserved Belize.
Peace
