Well, this is pretty miserable. I am doing this blog for the second time. Yes, I deleted the first one, and it was so well written! You'll just have to believe me, because the second time around will not be as good.
Today I participated in the Cancerwalk 2013 (advertised above, with a bit of the city in view). The event is sponsored by the hospice/cancer centre, and is held annually. Due to the heat, events start early, so I was up at 3:30 AM and at BERT at 4:30 AM. Dave was our transportation to the starting line in Ladyville, and Yvette, her daughter, Jessie, and her mother all participated. Quite a crowd was gathering. The morning was beautiful, with a very brief shower sending many under the roof of a gas station. A beautiful rainbow (the picture of which did not turn out) appeared!
Below are pictures of me (ready to walk), Yvette and her daughter Jessie, and then the start of the walk at 5:00 AM, before dawn.
We walked along the highway from Ladyville, past the turnoff to the International Airport, and into Belize City, an estimated 7-8 miles. (They reported it to be a 9 mile walk, but I think they moved the starting point and I can't walk fast enough to do 9 miles in two hours!) The Belize River was to our right, and the Caribbean Sea was to our left. Dawn was beautiful, and there was a nice breeze! A perfect morning for walking with 500-600 people!
The above pictures include the river and the gardens (yards) of homes along the sea. The flowers are beautiful! But I am surprised that they are not particularly fragrant like I notice in Hawaii.
As we approach the bridge that goes over the Belize River just before it empties into the Caribbean, the "Welcome to Belize" sign appears! (It is still a long ways to go, though!) I took pictures from the bridge, and also took a picture of a house on stilts. Flooding is a problem for Belize City. In fact, some of the city is under sea level. I understand that the Princess Hotel and surrounding area are on land reclaimed from the sea and protected by a sea wall. I think global warming could be disastrous for Belize!
As we approach the outskirts (suburbs) of the city, you will see some apartment buildings appear on the left. Then I took pictures of the Best Western Biltmore motel, which I've never seen on the inside, but looks really nice. (Maybe a MahJongg tournament site!) I included a picture of Brodie's (think Target) where we frequently shop (and it is air-conditioned). The many stories high building is Benny's Hardware/Home Centre! I love that building for a hardware store--and it is always very, very air-conditioned!
Finally, we arrived back to the Hospice/Cancer Centre! We had a great time, and it was really pleasant outside!
As I typed the first draft of this, the first true rain storm came in! Wow! I've never seen rain fall that fast or sound that loudly! We are surrounded by metal roofs (who knows...I may have one, too), and the rain just roared! Scared the cats! I tried to take pictures, but they don't do the rain justice! Dave was out flying, but returned in the middle of the storm. He said that he had flown through a rainy area, but the hard rain started after he had landed.
More adventures tomorrow! Yvette and her kids (we think) and we are going to Cayo, supposedly one of the most beautiful areas of the country on the border of Guatemala. We are hoping to go to some Mayan ruins! Yvette is giving Dave the day off, and she is the designated driver! Should be fun!
It is so beautiful there!
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