Arrival in Belize
We finished the first day of class, today, with a great group of students including several Americans, a Venezuelan and one student from Belize. Good questions and interaction – one of the guys claimed he has been saving up his questions for quite a while just for this week!
The trip here was interesting, I only wish I had been able to video some of it. It was “planes, trains and automobiles,” but more like “plane, plane, scary plane and back breaking water taxi.” San Pedro Island is off the coast of Belize and only accessible by boat or a 15 minute ride on small prop plane. While we waited to board this plane (14 of us – very small seats) they had to find the pilot and I quietly hoped he hadn’t been sitting in the bar before his flight!
Once we reached San Pedro, we took a water taxi – which is basically a small speed boat – four miles to the YWAM base. Water transportation is how most people get around on the island. Or golf carts – though the roads are dirt/pot holed paths. The golf carts are expensive – $10,000 USD! We saw one car, though there were mini-van taxis. It is third world, no question.
Lost electricity for a while this morning due to “Tropical Depression Two” that formed off the Belize coast overnight. It has been raining non-stop and seems like high winds; though really only 30-40 mph. Even with that the waves and tide have come in higher than normal. Needless to say they do evacuate in hurricane weather and have an evacuation plan.
