Belize: Day Six (Krystina Perez)

I woke up in beautiful Placencia, Belize to loud banging that sounded like pots and pans and screen doors flapping. I walked out onto the balcony that overlooked the kitchen here at the Cozy Corner hotel and the staff was hustling to get breakfast plates out to the tourists. I found the sounds to be perfectly fitting for my current state of hunger. It was as if the kitchen staff was calling me down because it was time to eat. I stayed on the balcony a few minutes and looked out at the gorgeous blue water and thought, “It doesn’t get any better than this.”

 

 

 

I rushed back into my room to change for breakfast where I ordered eggs and the large fruit plate that did not disappoint. The fresh fruit experience in Belize is like no other. Nothing compares to fruit being cut fresh for you in the morning.

 

I sat and chatted about plans for the day with my girlfriends on this trip. They have helped make this experience more fun than I could have ever tried to have on my own. Studying abroad would not be the same without great people to share it with. I cannot imagine these girls not being a part of my life as friends and colleagues in the future. We had a free afternoon today so we decided to explore Placencia on foot and get a real feel for the city and its people. 

Placencia is a city with a lot of merchants and very pleasant people. We met a few locals today and last night that stressed to us over and over how Placencia is a place of peace, love, and respect. I would have to agree.

I noticed while walking up and down the paved dirt roads that everyone was dressed very casually. I loved the feeling that there was no need to impress anyone. Everyone was there to do a job or were touring just like myself and my friends Gaby, Karina, Celina, Kat, Nancy, Jessica C., Valerie, and Denise. Many people all over Belize use bicycles as transportation. It is something I have admired since day 1 in Belize. As soon as I noticed how many people rode bikes daily, I also noticed how most of the people around here are in pretty good shape.

Many of the merchants were willing to negotiate a few dollars off the price of souvenirs. I sat and watched while this young woman was hand-weaving a table runner with beautiful pink and purple threads. Each merchant I have met at every city we have stopped at draws the line at negotiating the hand-woven cloth pieces. I asked the young woman how long one large table runner took her to create, and she said 20 days. She had hand-woven every piece that surrounded us in her store and announced it with much deserved pride.

 

 

 

 

I bought a lot of other souvenirs to take home to my family. In my opinion, what makes Belize souvenirs so special is the fact that many items are hand crafted. One shop was full of wooden pieces that had been hand carved by a man. If you asked him to engrave it he would take the item outside and use an electric carving tool. The lady he handed his hand-crafted bowl to was raving about the merchant’s work, and he was very humble in accepting her compliment.

 

After visiting the shops surrounding the Cozy Corner, the girls and I made a pit stop for some Gelato that everyone from previous trips to Belize from Texas A&M University-Kingsville recommended. It was my first time ever having Gelato. It was the most refreshing treat to have on such a hot day after walking around Placencia for a few hours. It did not disappoint. I understand why people love it so much now.

 

 

We finally made our way back to the Cozy Corner restaurant that sits on the oceanfront. I sat down to cool off with a fruit beverage and then made my way into the ocean. I ran in and dunked my head in the cool, salty water. I have never experienced this type of feeling at the beach. The water was clear enough to see my toes. The water was calm and the sand was thick at my feet. The sand on this beach has a thickness to it and flakes right off your feet so you’re not stuck with the tiny dirt feeling sand that will not come off without water. I wish all beaches around the world were as beautiful and soothing as the beaches along Placencia.

I had popcorn shrimp and fries for lunch today and a burger and fries for dinner. I love all the unique tasting Belizean cuisine I have had the past 5 days, but I was longing for a taste of home today so I skipped out on the full Belize experience for a day. However, I have had some of the best meals of my life here in Belize. At dinner, the girls at my table had some conversations with our professor, Dr. Al, about life and families. Every night is a different topic at any table I sit at. Some of us discuss how homesick we are and how we are dealing with it. Others discuss exciting moments from the day and hanging out for the rest of the night. Some girls discuss plans to wake up and go for a run along the beautiful beach at sunrise. I am enjoying being a part of so many different conversations with all the girls here. It makes them feel more like family, and I think that has been the biggest contributor to helping us enjoy our limited time here in beautiful Belize.

I made my way back into the water one more time before sunset with all the other SGC girls. We relaxed and had some laughs while splashing around in the shallow end of the ocean. Some girls braved the deeper end where the sand drops off a few feet. I admit that I cannot swim well so I kept my feet closer to the bank.

The sun shined perfectly down on us today. I am crossing my fingers that we continue to have such amazing weather, especially during our long trip back up to Belize City in the morning where we will catch a water taxi to the island of San Pedro, the biggest tourist area in Belize.