The Tiny Airplane
I left my hotel in San Pedro Sula really early this morning for my 7:00am flight to Belize City, Belize. The flight was short and simple but it was also the smallest plane I have ever flown in in my life. And I have flown in some small ones over the past month! I was sitting right behind the pilots and could literally see everything they did! There were only two other passengers and the plane looked like it could only fit maybe ten people when full. I really enjoyed flying in the small plane and being able to see the pilots in action - until we went into a cloud, that is. Flying through clouds in a plane that tiny is terrifying!
While it feels like minor turbulence in a normal plane, in a tiny plane you move around like crazy. Luckily I had an amazing view of tiny islands and the Caribbean waters meeting the ocean to keep me distracted. But every cloud definitely made me shutter!
I met the hotel shuttle upon my arrival in Belize. I stayed at the Best Western Belize Plaza as I didn’t want to stay in the heart of the city. My driver was really cool and was so excited about my trip. We talked the entire twenty-minute drive to the hotel, and he provided a lot of facts about Belize on the drive as well. I honestly had no idea that Belize was an English speaking country. It truly felt more Caribbean than Latin American.
After arriving at the hotel I waited by the pool for a little while before eating breakfast and then going to my room. My driver was so sweet and kept checking to make sure that I was okay while waiting for my room to be ready. I was pretty lucky that my room was ready so early because it was time for upset stomach round two. While I wanted to take a tour of Belize City, it quickly became clear that a tour was not going to happen. I ended up sleeping for the majority of the day, and actually was able to watch TV because most every channel was in English - something I’m pretty sure I won't see again in Latin America! Luckily the hotel had a shop selling Gatorade and water so I was able to stock up really easily.
I Facetimed with my mom and aunt Regina for a little while before working on things and then eventually going to sleep really early. While I hate that I did not get to see the city, I would love to come back to Belize and see some of the more nature focused things that Belize is known for offering. It is so close to home that hopefully I can someday!
18 countries down, 178 to go.