Dallas to Dangriga and beyond

We travel to Belize about twice a year. We always fly there from Tulsa, either changing planes in Dallas (American Airlines) or Houston (Continental/United). We land in Belize City (Ladyville, actually). We either rent a car at the airport to drive to Cayo, or fly Tropic Air or Maya Island to Caye Caulker (where we were married) or down the coast to Placencia. Works great. Very easy.

But not cheap. We can no longer afford to do that. We skipped the summer trip (to our ever lasting regret), and only Erik went last winter. What to do? We had to find an affordable way to travel as a couple to Belize.

Erik turned to the trustworthy advice available on the Belize Forums. He read old threads, asked questions and started a new thread to make sure he had it figured out:
http://www.belizeforum.com/belize/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=206007#Post206007

In brief, the plan we made was to drive to the Dallas, Texas, area and visit cousins. Have them drive us to the DFW airport and fly American to Cancun, Mexico. Take a bus to Playa del Carmen for dinner, then take an overnight bus to Belize City. From there we would take a Belizean bus to Dangriga and onward to Maya Beach for the holidays. That is just what we did. I (Erik) will describe the journey and include some cell-phone snapshots of dubious quality.

Sunday, December 18: drive to the Ft. Worth area. Easy, pleasant drive of about 300 miles on good roads. Have a blast with cousins we have not seen in months. Sleep well.

Monday, December 19: sleep in, relax with cousins. Good times.

Tuesday, December 20: sleep to 8 am--nice! Cousins drive us to DFW in plenty of time for our 11:45 am departure. Change $200 for Mexican pesos. Got MX$2300, plus a receipt that the lady said would let us exchange pesos back to dollars there for no fee. Not a good exchange rate, but convenient and it helped out in Cancun (more below) and so worth it. Ate a light breakfast in airport. The plane, a 757, is full. We manage to doze en route despite a little bit of turbulence.

We completed the FMM (immigration form):

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

and the customs form:

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

because we knew to bring a pen with us. We had to share with our seat-mate, who hadn't thought to pack a pen.

The landing was smooth. We deplaned and followed the crowd to the immigration queue. It was a big room. We used the restrooms (immaculately clean), then got on line. Rhea chatted excitedly with other passengers. We were relaxed and happy:

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

Immigration was easy. The officer spoke excellent English. I sure hope US immigration officers speak Spanish as well as this gentleman spoke English. He made us feel welcome in Mexico. He kept the larger portion of the FMM form and handed us the shorter end which we wisely tucked into our passports, knowing we would need it to depart Mexico for Belize later that night.

From immigration we proceeded to baggage claim. Our two pieces of checked luggage were already off the carousel:

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

Going through customs was like going through airport security in that all luggage, even purses, went through a scanner. We handed our customs forms the the officer, who directed us to push the button. The green light appeared so we were good to go.

We entered the departure area and went right a few paces, skipping the currency exchange booth as we had done that in Dallas. We then stood on line at the ADO bus counter. When we got to the front we asked the young woman if she spoke English, which she did, well. We asked for two tickets on the next bus to Playa del Carmen, and two tickets for the bus from Playa to Belice. She informed us that there were only two tickets left for the bus to Belice! We said we'll take them. Behind us stood a man who looked and sounded like Creole Belizean. In anxious-sounding English, he quickly said, "You don't need to take the bus! There is a good shuttle service--right through those doors", pointing to his right. I thanked him and said, no we'll take the bus. He cursed, quietly. If we had not exchanged currency in Dallas, waiting to do it here, he would have been in front of us on line and would have bought one of the two remaining bus tickets. Phew! We paid for the tickets in pesos, and then walked out of the airport.

It was fabulous! Warm, cloudy with intermittent rain showers.

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

And did I mention the palms and tropical plants? They were stunning, for the last day of Autumn:

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

We had over an hour to wait for the bus to Playa, so I bought us tropical drinks at the "Jimmy Buffett Maragaritaville" stand on the sidewalk: a Pina Colada for Rhea and a Margarita for me. MX$130 each! That was a lot, but given the location, to be expected.

Our bus arrived:

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

and we loaded the two checked bags below and carried the rest on board with us. Nearly full. Good road. One stop in Puerto Moreles to drop off an older couple, then on to Playa. We got off, collected our bags, and headed out onto 5th Ave. Rather overwhleming--lots of bright lights and crowds. We turned left and walked, tiredly. We stopped at the first restaurant that had curb-side seating.

Ordered cerveza and got to pose with sombreros:

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

and then ate delicious food:

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

As we needed to watch the luggage, we took turns exploring 5th avenue. The beach is two blocks away, and very nice. You can see San Miguel, Cozumel. The ferry from there docked and let out even more hordes  of tourists for the street vendors. I walked around looking for hotels for us to stay at on our return trip in January. There are several smaller hotels:

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

promising reasonable rates:

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

When we pay our tab for a long evening of dining and drinking, it comes to about what a room at these hotels would have cost for a night. It would have been nicer. It would also have been nice to have been able to leave the luggage somewhere secure and stroll about together.

We took a taxi from the stand by the ADO bus terminal. We ask the fare and were told MX$30 to Terminal Alterna. I had walked further, but with luggage it was worth every peso; we actually paid MX$40 as we were so grateful.

At the Terminal Alterna, Rhea read her kindle:

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

while I walked around, knowing I'd be sitting all night and all day.

I discovered that I could have left luggage here for the evening:

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

for these rates:

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

I think I'll do that next time.

The departure was announced in Spanish, so I had to ask if the Belice bus had arrived. It had, and on time:

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

The luggage space was nearly full, but they made room for our two pieces of checked luggage:

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

On board, the bus was full of sleeping people. I had seat 26, in the center, and an aisle seat. Good. Rhea had seat 44, the far back corner. Over-head racks were small so it was a tight fit for carry-on bags. We settled in amongst the sleeping passengers and set out for Tulum. The AC was on full, but I thought it was comfortable. I had on warm socks, boots, long pants and a short-sleeved shirt and was comfortable. But then again I do not get cold easily. The driver had checked to make sure we had jackets in hand before he put our luggage underneath.

I read my kindle to Tulum, where more people boarded. Minor problem: the bus was over-full. Apparently, in Cancun some parents had declined to buy tickets for their children. That technically means the kids had to sit in the laps of said parents. But in Cancun, the bus did not appear full so parents let their kids sleep in seemingly vacant seats. When the last few people boarded in Tulum, all seats were taken by sleeping people. So three people who boarded in Tulum sat on the bus floor in the aisle. All night.

I did not use the on-board restroom as I had let myself get dehydrated on purpose. (Yes, I drank beer in Playa, but very little.) Rhea had to use it in the night and has this caution: when the bus interior lights are out, the WC is dark. Have a flashlight handy before you go in. Other than that, it was fine.

I managed to doze a bit after Tulum. I put on my jacket, as it was getting a bit chilly for sleeping. Rhea, who gets cold easily, did not need her jacket at all. In the back, she was sitting right over the engine and so she was actually overly warm. Engine vibration was annoying in that back seat as well.

The road was smooth and the driver very sensible and cautious. He stopped once in the night to let people out at an all-night store with restroom, but I don't think anyone but him took advantage. We were all sleeping or trying to.

We arrived at the border about 4 am. The bus pulled over to the side of the road. Everyone got out, leaving all luggage on the bus. We walked across the street and queued up by a small building, passports and FMM stubs in hand. Rhea and I were near the rear of the line. It moved slowly. Passengers ahead of us who passed by us on their way back to the bus told conflicting stories about how much the departure tax was. Most said US$15, paid in cash. People around us were muttering about that.

When it was our turn, we presented our passports and FMM stubs. We were asked for the "departure tax." I said, "We already paid that. These (pointing to the FMM stubs) are our receipt." He then named a lesser amount, in pesos. We said no, we already paid in full, pointing to the FMM stubs. He had us sign the FMM stubs and kept them. Collecting our passports, we walked back to the bus.

On the bus, everyone was awake and complaining about the "tax." This was the first time we got to know our fellow passengers, as all were asleep when we boarded. Almost everyone was a Belizean-American coming home for the holidays with family. The amount of tax varied. Rumour on the bus was that one gringo tourist paid US$60, so everyone who paid less than that said they got a good deal for being "Belizean." It is possible that Rhea and I were the only ones who paid nothing.

The bus went forward a hundred metres or so across the bridge and stopped in Belize. This time we had to collect all luggage and carry it across the street to Belizean immigration. It was now 4:40 am. I used the restroom here, and wish I hadn't. The floor was flooded. Yuck.

The line moved slowly. We were stamped in for the customary 30 days. We did not receive any bits of paper to present upon departure. Customs was just ahead, in the same room. It was perfunctory for us, with no bags opened. That was different from my experience at the airport. Customs officials there always open my bags. I guess it is because I have so many Belize stamps in my passport and travel with a lot of luggage as I stay longer than most tourists.

However, Belizean-Americans did have their luggage searched. Something about Christmas presents. As a result, customs took over an hour for the bus as a whole.

We stopped briefly in Corazol to let someone off. The sun rose shortly after we left Corazol.   It was nice to see healthy sugar cane crops and full trucks. Roads in Belize are rougher than in Mexico, but the bus had a good suspension and the driver was responsible.

Next stop was the temporary bus station in Orange Walk:

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

I managed to doze again after OW and woke up past Ladyville, coming into Belize City. It was amazing to see this huge bus navigate through Belize City. I've driven 15-passenger vans through BC several times and thought that was hard. But this bus! We soon pulled into Novelos and got out. Here is that great bus:

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

A James bus pulled in next to us right away so we quickly got on that. Checked luggage in back, carry-ons overhead on the left side:

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

I asked the driver if it would be faster for us to get off in Dangriga and take the Placencia bus, or stay on board until Independence and take the Hokey Pokey. He smiled and said the Hokey Pokey was better so we bought tickets to Independence. I mostly liked the idea of getting on just one last bus.

Fast ride to Belmopan. Five minute stop; used restrooms. Bus more crowded for trip down the Hummingbird, with some people standing. The Hummingbird highway is always amazing. Beautiful. Good time, and only a couple stops before Dangriga. I suppose I should have taken a photo there to go along with the travelogue title but I was tired and so did not.

After about 10 minutes in Dangriga, we set out for the south. Let a couple of tourists off at the Hopkins road, where they immediately got a ride in the back of a truck. Made good time down the Southern Highway. Nice scenery. The Kendall Bridge is still under repair. That actually surprised me--I assumed it would be done by now. We were last through there in March of 2010.

At the bus stop in Independence, we started walking for the Hokey Pokey but immediately decided we were much too tired to walk. Taxi fare was BZ$5 each, and well worth it to us.

Rhea bought water taxi tickets at the Hokey Pokey ticket counter:

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

and we left our luggage there to go get lunch. We walked into town. Burger for her, grilled fish sandwich for me. Delicious. Rhea tried the new Sorrel Stout and liked it. I had the regular Belikin.

We had the Hokey Pokey ticket man telephone our host in Maya Beach, then we boarded the water taxi:

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos

It was a fun boat ride through the mangroves and well worth it. Our hosts (I'll let them identify themselves if they wish) picked us up in their truck and took us to their wonderful home in Maya Beach. Managed to make it in time for the last sunset of Autumn:

From Dallas to Dangriga trip photos