Open Minds:

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Over and over again in traveling I have found it essential not to plan (or at the most tentatively plan one day in advance). In doing so you can keep an open mind to the new world and faces around you and when an opportunity presents itself you are ready to grasp it. Trying to plan a trip is like a fisherman trying to schedule (days or weeks) in advance when the fish are going to bite. The problem is that nature and the “principle of coincidence” does not work that way. We all know, fortune does not strike at a neatly schedule appointment.

It is getting late in the afternoon and the sun is casting long shadows over the “mercado nuevo” in Chetumal, México. The shops are in the process of closing down, children continue to play in the vicinity and periodically stop by to ask for another tortilla chip, which I gladly give them in exchange for one of their beautiful smiles (I am convinced that I am getting by far the better part of the trade). I ask the portable ice cream salesman, who has now already passed me three times, what time it is. My watch has long been buried in the backpack. He tells me 6pm. I then ask if he thinks the 5pm bus to Belize will come soon. He nods with confidence: “Ya viene.” (It is coming now); coincidentally the same answer as one hour ago.

About ten minutes later and just in time for my new friends to finish off the chips, the bus arrives. I board as the only passenger but as we make out way out of town the bus quickly fills up to the lat seat including about 15 people standing in the isle. As we exit Chetumal and head for Belize the driver turns on the radio and the bus starts jiving to mellow reggae music; a nice change to the cheap gangster & explosion films imported from the USA, which I have gotten used to on Mexican busses. Even the Jesus on the Cross dangling in front of the driver seems to move to the rhythm of the music. In the front of the bus a big sign reads “All American” and is partially covered by a picture of Santa Maria on one side and Bob Marley on the other. In fact all buses in Belize are salvaged “All American” buses that decades ago were used in the U.S. school system. And so the ride begins.

One of my favorite authors once wrote that all you have to do in life is: “Read the signs that the universe presents.” Trying to put this into action, I have been practicing this on these long bus rides. Like an inquisitive child I look around the bus, wondering what the story is of all these people traveling with me; where do the come from? Where do the go?

One inquisitive pair of eyes meets another, followed by a smile, followed by a wave. Switching seats, I get up to greet the friendly person two rows behind me. The person whose hand I was shaking is Eder form Veracruz, México, who along with his girlfriend Dagmarys from Cuba are on their way back to the University of Belize at Belmopan where they are both studying English. The conversation deepens: I share my story, they share theirs. Being new to Belize it was great to hear the perspective of two other foreigners who have been in Belize for 7 months. Several reggae CDs later, although it only seemed like a moment, the bus stops at its final destination Orange Walk and there are no further buses until the morning. With the same goal in mind, finding the cheapest hotel in town, we depart the bus together. After a long day of travel Dagmarys says good night and Eder and I decide to seize the opportunity to walk around town. And so a friendship begins…

The next day, Eder and Dagmarys had taken the first bus back to Belmopan, I decided to visit Lakmanai (famous Mayan ruins tugged away in the jungle and only accessible via a 1 hour boat ride through a dense swamp). However before leaving, Eder extended an invitation for a weekend trip he was planning along with 8 other international students from UB. Flattered by his openness and hospitality and excited about the opportunity to practice my Spanish in English speaking Belize, I happily agreed.

Two days later I arrive in Belmopan at 10am, 2 hours earlier than agreed looking for Eder in my hand nothing but a sketched map scribbled on a piece of paper. Shortly thereafter I arrive at the X on the sketch – a sigh of relief – the place actually exists. The bad news: on the door posted is a note for me that they had already left for their destination, Placencia. Disappointed I return to the bus station contemplating if I should continue to follow Eder through Belize. Entering the bus terminal I hear the conductor yelling: “Placencia – leaving now!” and my decision had been made.

The conductor tells me that in 1 hour the road would split and to get to Placencia I would have to take another bus already waiting on the side of the road. With Belizean punctuality we reach the intersection after 2 hours and indeed the bus is waiting. As I board the bus, two smiling faces and waving hands greet me – I had caught up with Eder and Dadmarys.
And so began a beautiful weekend in Placencia filled with breathtaking beaches, cooling snorkeling, more Spanish that I could wish for (all of Eder`s fellow travelers were Latinos), early morning sun rises, new friendships and an immersion into one of the most laid back places in Belize.

If my stars continue to be aligned in the same way, I am not sure I will ever come back. But for now I am packing my backpack for Guatemala and most importantly I am packing an open mind.