Day 11 - I can see Belize, or is it just a dream

A new day begins and I’m still here in Mexico, waiting for Hipolito to return back to the hotel, from Belize. He has used up virtually all of his vacation time, just trying to get here. If he heads home as scheduled, he will be leaving Sunday. I’m sure this is not the vacation he had planned. He was planning on completing some work at the home he is building, but I think that plan is on hold, for now.

After ten days on the road, both of us had done fairly well with eating the food and not getting Montezuma’s’ revenge, but it’s sort of playing Russian roulette, the longer we stay in Mexico. Hipolito caught the bug yesterday and had stomach trouble all day. It probably wasn’t a fun day on the road for him. I got a touch of the bug today, but at least I’m in the hotel.

It’s rough being here in the hotel, looking a quarter mile down the road and seeing Belize, but not being able to get there. Hipolito had planned to return by 8AM so we could get a good place in line to get our pedementos taken care of and the move over to the Belize side to get assessed duties and taxes on the trucks and goods. From what Hipolito has said, this can be an all day process. But, it is now after 9AM and there is no sign of Hipolito. But all I can do is wait, and wait.

I had hoped to be at our property, so I could watch the piles being driven, but that day has come and gone and now I don’t know where they are in the construction schedule. I’m sure John has it all taken care of, but that is the reason I wanted to be here in the first place. I thought I had planned plenty of time, but now I’m sorry that I didn’t push to leave in March, as planned, rather than April, when we finally left. I guess I’m just getting frustrated with the length of time it has taken us so far, and not knowing where we stand now.

It’s 9:30 and Hipolito shows up at the hotel, ready to cross the border. I pack up my things and away we go. We drive all of a block and a half and get in line to have out trucks inspected and the pedementos canceled by the Mexican government.

Finally, it's now 11:30AM and I cross the Mexican border into Belize. I don't think I have ever been so happy about nothing. But I am across the border, and they speak english.

Now I have to go through all the customs requirements on the Belize side of the border. Not a problem, after what we've been though. I get the truck fumigated, for what I don't know. I figure whatever is in Mexico can fly, crawl or whatever to get on the other side, but it's another fee. Then I'm off to get my truck and belongings into Belize, pay the duties and taxes, and I'm home free.

After eleven days in Mexico and the US, virtually all the money I had brought is gone, and I still need to get my truck, and all the goods inside, out of hock. So I head over to the freezone casinos to hit up a ATM. To my surprise, the Princess Casinos' don't have ATM's. I find that really hard to believe, but I still need cash, so I head into the Belize Freezone. The Freezone is just a bunch of shops, casinos, gas stations, and a couple of banks. Unfortunately, not all of the banks have ATM's. I finally find an ATM and get the cash to get me, my truck and all its' goods into the country of Belize.

I head back to Belize customs, where they assess my truck, camper shell and loaded goods. The duties and taxes for my '90 Toyota truck and camper shell is $218US and all the goods inside are only $87.50US. It cost me less in duties and taxes than it did for all of the paperwork, bribes, tolls, and documentation just to get through Mexico. Something is wrong here.

It is now 1:30PM and I am now in Belize and almost home free. I drive by the work site and the pilings have yet to be driven. And that's OK with me. It looks like they're ready to go, with the site all laid out for the pilings.

Pip and Jasons' house on the right, our lot on the left.

Our graded lot

This has been a LONG trip. But I'm here now, and ready to go. I'll look up my contractor tomorrow and see where we stand. I'm on Belize time now!