Susanne in Belmopan: Funky Town

The Curse of Belize

Belize is a stunningly beautiful country, but it has one curse. Can you guess?

◘ Mosquitos

◘ Humidity

◘ Traffic Jams

◘ Greenhouse gasses

◘ Botlas

The answer is 5) botlas, which is Creol for bottle-ass (don't ask me why). They are mega tiny little flies, you can't see, hear or feel them at the time. Only a day later you will notice the spots. They itch like the devil and only very slowly recede (between 7 and 10 days). They're everywhere in Belize; in sand, grass, near water and even the most hard-core repellents (Deep Woods) and long pants and sleeves will not fully protect. I use Benadryl gel to relieve the itch but mostly just wait and sit it out.

Pinky House

As any 4-year old, Soleine gets pretty bored when we travel long hours in the car. But now we have a game. The first one to spot a specific object gets points. As follows:
- a pink house = 10 points
- a horse = 5 points
- a tractor = 10 points
- a pair of shoes hanging from power line = 20 points

A regular trip from Belmopan to Belize can score about 100 points, to San Ignacio 150 points because more horses and tractors. Soleine usually wins. When we'll be in Belgium or Holland this summer we'll have to change the rules, There aren't many pinky houses (as Soleine calls them) there, right?

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Funky Town

I remember my first time like it was yesterday. It was actually a few years ago, at the time I was living in Trinidad, and it was love at first sight. My first stay at South Beach, or SoBe, impressed me enough to mark the start of a life time long love relation with this fast, funky and fiery place. With its beautiful clean, white and wide beaches, its fancy Art Deco hotels and of course, its Show Off Boulevard better known as Ocean Drive. It’s the most “C&TBCn” kind of road I’ve ever seen, funkier than the Champs Elysees in Paris or Orchard Road in Singapore. Ocean Drive is one hundred percent about See and To Be Seen. But... you’ve got to have wheels. Preferably with fancy tire covers on a convertible sports car; Porches, Ferraris and Lotuses are plenty, but you can be equally cool on a bike, skate board or a pair of shiny roller skates.

It’s what I like most about South Beach: its relaxed yet energetic atmosphere. Everywhere you go you see active people. They follow Yoga classes on the beach, take their baby out jogging in its stroller, master the waves from underneath a mega kite or simply throw a Frisbee. We’re here for three days only, but we're all in for the game. When in Miami do as the Miamians, right? But by lack of wheels or a fancy kite we're taking the easy way out. We're running along Ocean Drive's walking path and the kids jump on the beach around their sand castle.Low tech but not 'low fun'. SoBe it.