We'd had a wonderful time on our first trip to the Toledo District of Belize and re-visiting the Stann Creek District we'd previously enjoyed, but a week had flown by, and it was now time to head back north to Ambergris Caye. We had to get up quite early to catch the Hokey Pokey water taxi from Placencia to Independence as we wanted to catch the 7:30 am Express bus to Belize City. The Hokey Pokey leaves at 6:45 am, and we had to walk to the dock. That left us no time for breakfast -- or even coffee -- before leaving. Fortunately we'd bought some fiber cookies at the grocery store the day before, and I lucked out -- an enterprising local was selling cups of steaming hot coffee as we got onto the bus for just $1.50 BZ (75 cents US). Sold! Yes, it had sugar, which I usually don't take, but I didn't care. It tasted good, and the caffeine was what I was after anyway. It had rained quite a bit overnight, but fortunately had stopped in time for our walk to the dock and ride on the ferry. We met up with the traveling Canadian girls, Heather and Lauren, at the dock, and traded experiences. We find we have more in common with travelers their age than our own in many ways. |
We just barely made it to the stop in time to catch the James Express bus, and it was so crowded we didn't get to sit together until it stopped in Dangriga. Like our previous experience in Independence, this bus actually leaves well before the scheduled departure time of 7:30 am. I guess they are trying to make up time on the route, because we still didn't make it back to Belize City early; in fact, we got there a bit later than the scheduled time. |