Jah be Praised

Written 25-1-08

the word for "butterfly" in Garifuna is "whey-buga-buga."
or at least that's how its pronounced.

some will find that useful tidbit of information valuable beyond measure, while others will simply stare at the screen thinking, "what the hell is she talking about? where is she?"

Belize.or at least i was...The Shortened Story:(because if i told the long one it would be more like a short novel.)

i guess i'll start where i last left you...in an internet cafe in tulum, lost, not knowing where to make my next move.

enter The Aussies.

literally, as i'm sending you the email, this old white 1978 VW Combi van pulls up outside, and 2 guys hop out and walk into the internet cafe. you can tell they are living in the van because they have this crazed dirty-hippie wanderer look in their eyes, slightly hidden beneath long hippie hair. these are my people.

so they walk in, and their accent is obviously aussie. they sit behind me and start talking what they need to do to get the van through Belieze and Guatemala.

again: THINGS HAPPEN FOR A REASON.

my ears perk up. i finish my sending and listen to them talk. they seem like cool, laid back sort of people. i decide that i would be pissed off at myself forever if i didn't go over and say hi. so i leave my computer, pull up a chair, and introduce myself. i said i had overheard their conversation and was wondering where they were headed. we talk for 10-15 minutes, i'm feeling good vibes, so i ask them if they pick up hitchhikers. they look at me, look at each other, look back to me and say, "why yes, we do."

their names are Steve and Harley. they've driven from new york all over america making a documentary about...well...im not really sure, but it's going to be sweet. they're headed all the way to Rio and have spent the last 3 months in mexico with Betty, the van. she is beautiful. they say they are leaving the next day, so we meet up and take off. first night in Chetumal, then up early to bribe a border official to let me into Belize because i didn't have the right piece of paper or something. stopping briefly in Corozal, we get to Belize City in the afternoon. i decide to take the ferry over to Caye Caulker, a tiny island known for great diving. as i get off the ferry, i run into all my friends from tulum! it was crazy....but so is life i guess. there i also run into my friend Dougie from Scotland, and he decides to come down south with us.

***info about Dougie. hes from Glasgow, so no one here understands him. when he introduces himself, it sounds like "Doog-ay" and everyone stares at him blankly for a minute, then turns to me, where i then step in to translate. although i've tried to stop, it's pretty funny. another thing about Dougie is that hes just a genuinely nice person and a really good friend, plus he's as lazy as i am, so we make a good traveling team.

so, the next day we head back to the mainland and go south to Dangriga, then end up in this small townn called Hopkins, where we all just get lost for a couple of days. we found this funny little place to stay called Kismet Inn, which means "meant to be." i like that, and we met this crazy lady named trish from new york who has been there about 10 years too long.

***side note about Belize:
Belize is awesome.
wait. scratch that.
Belize is Fucking Awesome.

i wasnt expecting this caribbean rasta feel. everyone there speaks 4 languages. creole, which is like "Rasta english", english, spanish, and Garifuna, which is more to the south and completely indecipherable.

Creole: "Hey you, Rasta gal. How long you growd dem dreads? Dey be lookin right fine, gal. You knowd snorkel? I do tors, jah no? I be de best tor guide dis side Belize. See dis? WWJD. It mean What Would Jah Do. Jah se we needs Belikin. An ifs Jah se so, it be so."

**there are 3 beers in Belize. Belikin, Belikin Stout (my personal favorite), and Guinness. strange, no? so 2 days ago Steve and Harley leave Kismet heading west to Guatemala, and Dougie and I head south to Honduras. instead of taking a bus trip at 6 am, 2 boats, and another 2 bus rides to get to La Ceiba we just head up to Belize City again and catch 2 tiny planes. I already don't like flying, so it wasn't very fun. the second flight was only about 20 minutes long (praise Jah) but it was the bumpiest, scariest ride ever! i was curled up in a ball clutching a life vest under my left arm and Dougies arm in my right. Dougie was staring straight ahead, holding onto his bottle of Famous Grouse, his choice brand of Scotch he found at the duty free shop, and smiling. it was as if he actually liked that heart-stopping feeling when your heart actually plunges into your stomach and you know you're going to die. and the bastard was laughing at me! i shudder again at the thought.

so i made it, alive even, to Honduras. La Ceiba is this dodgy city on the coast, but we needed to go there to get to Utila, where I write this email from. So yesterday we rock up to this sweet little island off the Honduran coastline. people come to Utila mostly for diving. i also keep hearing horror stories about coming for 4 days and staying 3 years...and im a little afraid for myself, knowing i could easily get stuck here. everyone has been so nice, we found Kris, who Dougie and I both met in Tulum, and yesterday we did a fun dive to get a feel for the place. the second dive was my favorite because the area is known for seahorses.

***note about seahorses. they are very possible the cutest animals i have ever seen. they only get about 3-4 inches big, and they're little tails propell them around these little bushes. another thing about seahorses: they are also probably the most boring animal i have ever come across. but still rediculously cute.

so here i am, sitting on a little island of paradise, wondering what to do. i have 2 options....1) take what money i have left and stay here for a month to 6 weeks and do my dive masters course. Utila and Thailand are the 2 cheapest and best places to do your dive courses in the world. plus i've already met some great people who say it's easy to get a job and stay for a while. 2) take what money i have left and go all the way to south america backpacking. both options are up in the air. i'm going to stick around here a few days and figure out what the hell is going on. until then, you know as much as i do.

including how to say "butterfly" in Garifuna.

you're welcome.