Hope and Faith in 2020

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Like many of you, I found 2020 to be a difficult year, but I think I found it difficult in different ways. Astoundingly, this was a good year for me in ways where other people struggled. I remained employed all year, and, because older adjuncts decided to opt out of teaching for personal safety, I got extra work AND extra pay to fill their shoes, meaning that I had work to do and money aplenty. Fortunately too, I stayed healthy. However, I struggle to figure out God’s will, why what I hope and pray doesn’t happen. I also don’t understand why what I know and learned and believed did not transpire this year. In unexpected ways, this became a year that tested my faith. Granted, I went back to church, and eagerly so, but I sat there today in a congregation of only 17 people and wondered where everyone else was. I am starting to wonder if I am the problem, if God is silent because of me. Without other people or distractions or activities, I’m all that remains that I can actually affect. 

The pandemic continues, much to my shock, awe, and dismay. Back in March, I expected it to blow over soon and that we’d return to normal for fall term. I was wrong. In November, our moron governor increased limits on gatherings, and all of our classes were pushed online, and I was sequestered alone in my house again. During April, the prophet asked us to pray and fast for relief from Covid, and yet the virus continues, or at least the fear and panic does. I look at the data, I remember what I learned about the Coronavirus family when teaching Microbiology, and I think of how months passed before I even knew anyone infected. I see them fudge numbers to count Covid deaths and marvel how Covid cured everything except cancer. Nobody dies of heart disease, diabetes, gunshot wounds, car crashes, or even old age enymore. It’s all Covid. Why is it still here? Even the election didn’t end the covid hysteria.  

All year, my personal hopes have been dashed. Even before Covid, I was passed over for another promotion. The message seems to be “Hitherto art thou come, but no further.” I watch people around me who are less qualified, capable, virtuous, or motivated treated better, and I watch as the governor cut everyone’s pay equally, without regard for the fact that some of us were “essential” and continued to work for our pay while others sat ahome and watched Jerry Springer in their pajamas. I pray, and I ask God for things, and even last week, the message came as ‘I’m disinclined to acquiesce to your request”. Why do I bother to pray? If I don’t pray, I “receive not because [I] ask not” but when I pray and say “Thy will be done,” it’s as if God says, “Good, you weren’t going to get that anyway.” Plus, this summer, our last family dog died, and I couldn’t be with her when they put her to sleep because of Covid. I watched the last of our family dogs die, and I couldn’t be with them at their end. I finished the remodel I started back in January by the end of June, but now there’s nobody here with whom to enjoy the new house. It’s a pretty place that nobody may ever see. 

My sister thanked me last week for “always reminding [her] to inquire of the Lord”, but I wonder how adept I am. Does God talk to me or do I hear what I want to hear? Did I misunderstand Him? Did He talk to me at all? This is not a new phenomenon; I have at other times felt adrift and alone. In truth, 2010 was the worst year of my life. I took a paycut then too during a budget crisis, got accused of crimes I didn’t commit, got in a car wreck, lost more money to my ex wife, had to give up on a house I really liked and cover for a coworker when she took 15 weeks off and didn’t tell us why, without any increase in pay. Back then a friend suggested that I start my own church, “with beer and hookers”, and when I told him I would not, he told me that this made my faith more noble, continuing to believe without any evidence that I was in the right. Another old and dear friend told me that it impressed her that I keep on doing what is right no matter what. Am I just some crackpot? Or is God just too busy with essential workers and dire circumstances to bother with my first world problems? Does He love me? I used to have this amazing dog in my house as a tangible reminder, but it is not good for man to be alone. 

That’s exactly my problem. What happened to hope in the "season of perpetual hope"? Now as before, I’m not sure what’s right or if I have any idea. I’m alone, not just literally but figuratively speaking. Over the last decade, I pursued job opportunities, relationships, causes, friendships, and recreational activities, and in the end, even a pandemic wasn’t enough to make any of those people desperate enough to reach out to me. I teach other people’s kids in Sunday School, and they move on with their lives, and now I live alone in a house where I am forced by command of the governor to stay except for “essential trips”. I determined myself that for my own psychological well-being that bimonthly hikes on the mountain were “essential”. But nobody I meet there or at work or at church seems to be significant to my story, and so 2020 has been an isolating year for me like none other. I don’t know if God talks to me, or if He cares about me. I don’t have anything obvious to evince that like I used to. I don’t know why I pray when the heavens appear to remain silent. Just now I went and knelt anyway, knowing that it’s possible God will deny my requests. At least that way I can say I tried. At least then I can say I fought a good fight, finished my course and kept the faith. Hopefully it will keep me.

Voter Fraud Part I

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I haven't posted here in a long time. I've been busy making videos for class and consequently posted videos there instead of writing my thoughts here. To catch up with my thoughts available in videos hosted there, please go to my Youtube channel.

In this current election, for many reasons, I believe the vote to be rife with fraud. This is part 1 of a multiple part series I'll release over the next week or so as I amalgamate my thoughts and the evidence associated therewith. Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let's address my opponents, the nay-Sayers who claim that there is no voter fraud whatsoever. The odds that there is no voter fraud are zero. People cheat at UNO, at Snakes and Ladders, at Chess, and in Casinos. Why would they not cheat in elections, with stakes as high as they are there? I digress. 

Today's post is courtesy of one of these detractors, one of those "true believers" who believes that there is no case whatsoever for voter fraud. I am going to address the Nay Sayers first, with this line of points previously returned to him on Youtube. 

I refuse to accept the premise of your argument that the onus is on me to prove there is corruption, but for the benefit of those who may read my response, I will provide the following: 

1. The onus is on states to prove that the election is legitimate. In 2016, I served as a certified elector. When we turned in machines at the county records department, we certified that the machines were in good working order, delivered directly and not tampered with in any way. To this date to my knowledge, no state has certified its election results, at least not one currently in contestation. Prove me wrong. 

2. The states certify elections. The Associated Press and campaigns do not decide elections. Until and unless the states declare winners, it doesn't matter what your favorite reporter says. Since they are talking, they are at the very least lying to viewers. 

3. In a court of law, which is where this will likely end up, the burden is not to prove something but to create a reasonable doubt. There is plenty of evidence available to create reason to doubt the election is legitimate, but you have decided to simply dismiss, discount, ignore it and discredit any who proffer any evidence. 

4. You are already convinced that you are right. When they choose jurors in a trial, they specifically look for individuals who do not already have a conviction with respect to the matter at hand, people who will look at all of the evidence critically as presented and weigh the facts accordingly. You are already decidedly in the tank for your side. You would be eliminated from the jury selection for your obvious bias as evident in your profane ramblings. 

5. Your counterblast is wrought with duplicity. Did you demand proof that Kavanaugh was a sexual predator? Did you demand proof that the officers killed George Floyd without provocation or cause? Unless you can prove that you were skeptical of those and also demanded proof, you are not a principled person. You are a partisan. 

6. It is common human action to lionize your side and paint all others in caricature. This is intended to breed fidelity with close associates, but politics amplifies the wicked aspects of this tendency, amplifies the bias and makes villains of saints. Are you the kind of person who can think critically about your own side or do you strain at gnats from the GOP and swallow camels from the Dems? 

7. Truth is not in you unless you first admit you might be wrong. You are not open minded. You are unwilling to admit you might be wrong. I suspect that little short of a divine manifestation, you would simply dismiss any information I presented or result to ad hominem, as previously demonstrated in your profanity. Even if God himself appeared and declared the election a fraud, you would claim that any who believed that suffered the effects of a deranged mind. 

8. I will waste no more time on this, but I will post it elsewhere, because this is the rational argument you claim you want to foster. 

In subsequent posts, I will address the notion of fraud generally and then provide a list of evidence and scurrilous activity that evinces a closer look is necessary, even if it does not change the results. My contestation with the results of the 2020 election extends beyond the presidency. it's about the veracity of the vote and the value of your individual voice. If the election is won by a cheater, those who should have won have been essentially disenfranchised and their votes do not count, no matter what the candidates say. Any serious candidate therefore who truly cares about the people would want to look into it, because any serious representative cares about the people they are elected to represent, but more on that later.

Eat Right, Exercise, and Deny Your Genetics

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People claim all the time that their physique is not their fault. Sometimes they are correct. If you have an ablated thyroid, or a tapeworm, then you are definitely not to blame for the way you look. At the same time, entire industries rake in money hand over fist trying to sell you on a magically transformed body. Everywhere you look, people are trying to sell you on a better body. It's easy to understand. The better you look the better your options. As the play "Wicked" taught us: "It's not aptitude, it's how you're viewed." Consequently in our material world, people want to look better. They turn to fad diets, some of which are supremely dangerous or to exercise regimens despite the risks posed by those and ultimately miss the purpose of both of those, which is to be healthy. Far too many people do this to get dates or to get money, and it's not good for those who don't get chosen until they understand that the point of all the nutritional suggestions and PE classes was not to make everyone attractive but to help us learn how to live better lives because we're healthier than we would be without making those changes.

Like it or not, it begins with diet. You are what you put into yourself. It is impossible to make a good cake with spoiled ingredients, and so unless you put good foods into yourself, you probably won't look or feel good. Lately, however, some outlandish claims appeared on the internet. YouTube keeps featuring a 51 minute long advertisement that starts with the premise that a tomato is bad for you. Compared to what? Or you might notice all the supplements like super beets or whatever. These are not new, but some old ones are gone. Remember Tahitian Noni? Or pomegranate? "The Doctors" is pushing Elderberries, but you can't eat elderberries raw, because raw elderberries are bad for you. So you have to buy their pricey supplement. Seems like most of these diets consist of nothing more than ways to separate fools from their money. A few years back, one of my students, widely devoted to veganism, preached that veganism would cure all my ills. I discovered that Oreos are vegan and told her that if her premise held, I could just eat oreos and lose weight. Of course she had nothing to say. As a biochemist, I know a little about cells and health, but I am no professional. I can say that there are some basic principles that will help. Drink more water and less sugary beverages. Cut foods out that are likely to be contaminated with fungus or byproducts. Reduce your consumption of "bad" foods as much as you can and replace them with as many healthy options as you can manage. You're not probably going to hire a chef even if you can afford one, and you're probably want to indulge, so don't think that diet alone can get you there. There is no magic pill or shake or supplement or diet that will work for everything.

Exercise is a two edged sword, and it's a law of diminishing returns. You will notice that the more you do an exercise, the less it helps you. As you become accustomed to running or weights, you must continually raise the bar (pun intended) and increase the resistance or it stops helping you get better, and it might not be enough for you to get fit. You also tend to eat more when you exercise, because you burn more calories. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps reported the year he won like six gold medals that he ate 6000 kcal per day. If you ate that, you'd pork out like a blimp. So, if you quit working out but keep eating, you'll get fat, and that's what happens to many people when they get older and their chest becomes their drawers. You can also exercise TOO much. People get hurt all the time. I had a student a few years back who damaged her hemorrhoids at the age of 27 lifting weights. If you exercise too much or without a spotter or incorrectly, you may damage something rather than improve it. Nobody seems to know what exercise is "best" but everyone has an opinion on what exercise is better. You may also notice people selling regimens like boot camps of CrossFit or P90x or expensive machines. I can tell you that the Treadclimber from Nordictrack probably works, not because I own one, but because I hike almost every weekend, which is the equivalent of walking an incline, and although I didn't lose weight, I sure lost waist. However, you don't need to buy gym memberships or fancy machines or a workout program or a trainer. You do need to get up and start walking.

Genetics ultimately dictate some limits. Everyone has different genetic makeup. Taller people can gain weight and show it less than shorter people. Different cultures are adapted to metabolize different foods. However, in our "diverse" world, we have a new admixture of genetic makeup but a uniform distribution of food options. Last December in Germany, after observing that the people eat a LOT of bread and chocolate, the Germans told me they keep from getting fat by "walking a lot". Well, isn't that special. I walk about 100 miles per week, and they look skinnier than I do. A friend of mine drinks a fifth of scotch every day and doesn't gain a pound. We are all slightly different, which is why no diet or exercise regimen works for everyone. In fact, none of them may EVER work for you. If you want to know what you're going to look like, look at pictures of your ancestors. Chances are daughters turn out like their mothers and sons turn out like their fathers. You can fight it, but the best advice I can give you is to work on getting the best body that your genetics make possible. You probably know someone who eats like a garbage disposal and looks like they are very fit. Skinny does not mean healthy or the starving people in other countries would be healthy. Of course, America is one of the few nations where poor people are fat, but some people don't have the genetic disposition to be top models. We all vary a little bit from perfect at least, so stop trying to force your body to some arbitrary standard. The purpose of life is to enjoy your life, and stressing out because you don't comport to someone else's standard when they have different circumstances will countermand your efforts to be healthy because stress will hurt your health.

You're better off healthy. So, if you can find a diet or exercise regimen that works for you, you ought to. Be active. The Kashi cereal company years ago featured a guy in his early 50s who said that he never ran until he was 50 and that getting healthy was a series of small steps, as many as you want. That is a great pun, because it's true. You don't need a guru or a life coach or an advertisement or even this article to tell you what you ought to eat. You know what you ought to eat. If you want to know my advice, I'll tell you, but it's very simple. The best things for you are things found on the periphery of the grocer; those center aisles contain processed foods high in fat, salt and sugar. It's not done to hurt you. It's done because salt, fat and sugar added keep things from spoiling, so they last longer on a shelf. Ultimately, they'll only help you last longer on a shelf, but since that's not where any of us ought to live, unless you want to live there, eat foods that are things you can actually find outside in nature. And then get out in nature. go for a walk or a ride or a run or whatever, but just get out. Enjoy your life. Don't let your genetic looks dictate whether or not you live well and live happily. Be you; do what you do; and, if you really want to, drink Dr. Pepper (that was their slogan once). All this has been made for the benefit of man, that they might have life and have it MORE ABUNDANTLY.

Free College For Everyone Is An Albatross

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Here’s a different reason why Bernie Sander’s plan to give free college is a bad idea.  Giving out free college will actually create homeless meccas on college campi.  Each semester, we have at least one homeless person enrolled as a student.  I know this because the police have asked me, since I’m here at 8AM and don’t leave sometimes until after 11PM, if I’m homeless.  Well, actually they ask me if I ever leave campus.  I learned from speaking to the police that as long as they are enrolled students, they can be on campus.  Three terms back, we had a gentleman living in a camper in the parking lot, and another gentleman dragged three suitcases around with him all day between/around his class schedule, and then there was the girl who was still there as of last Friday.  Some homeless people have figured out how to not be homeless- by attending college.  For the cost of at least one academic credit, they have a place to live, and if they only take one credit per term, they can live here for many years.  It’s a great deal for them but a raw deal for everyone else.

Right now, the cost of a single academic credit runs them about $120/term meaning that for $360/year, they reap all the benefits.  These include but are not limited to: access to drinking water, air conditioning/heating, bathrooms, internet/wifi, and free goodies.  Our campus now offers a student pantry to provide toiletries and food so that they don’t even have to buy groceries, and I think they also provide clothes if you need them.  If the homeless want, they can pay an additional $20 per semester for access to the gym so they can shower, and we have free lockers in some of the older hallways that they use to keep their stuff.  They can even use their student ID for discounts at their favorite stores and watering holes!  All the toilet paper I want for free!  Plus student prices on software, iphones, headphones, travel, etc.    I don’t know if they have to earn a grade or even finish the class.  As far as I know, as long as they are enrolled, they can be here whenever the building is open.  It’s a public building, but if you’re enrolled as a student (or you work here), the campus police cannot run you off campus.

As this dawned on me Sunday night talking to my parents, I calculated the money I could save if I lived on campus.  Since I work there, I could simply keep a cot in my office, use the bathroom in the hallway, get all the water I like, save 10% on gym memberships on campus, groom myself, bathe myself, get free food, park in the parking lot all the time, have police patrol my “home” regularly, and have access to free utilities, especially internet.  I could save almost $12000 per year if I lived on campus, and I could even take the classes for free because I’m an employee and live here for free until I retire.   Essentially, this means I could save that much money while taxpayers not only pay my salary but also subsidize my standard of living.   The only government subsidy that exceeds the generosity of this arrangement is prison, but I can live here without the shivs, chains, and gangs.  This is a very good deal for the homeless and a very bad deal for taxpayers.

If college becomes free, I predict even more homeless people will move onto campus.  Eventually college will become awash with homeless people.  If we don’t think this through and not realize what could happen, many people could take over our lives and then what incentive is there to get a job, buy your own house, live your own life, and pay for anything?  If college is free, then so will all these other things be for more people.  Free college will attract good people, but it will also attract more dregs, because right now, they have to come up with the money to apply, enroll, and try to make headway.  They may never graduate because they don’t have to, and they may never become productive because all their needs are met.  The very premise of liberal socialists that “education is an investment in our future” is a red herring if the people who attend college never intend to put to use what they do here for anything more than the bare necessities of life.  Plus, it’s not like they can’t get a job and earn money and live here for free.  The terms are- take a class, and you have carte blanche access to the campus when term is in session.  As long as the building is open, you can at least sit in the hallways and use the facilities, and you’ll never have to go out into the real world and pay taxes.  It calls to mind this old college humor skit with the punch line “Joke’s on you dad. I’m never going to get a job.”

As far as I know, the longest any homeless person has lived on campus is four years, but she is still here now.  On weekends, I don’t see her, but during the day, you can often find her sleeping on benches upstairs, calm in the assurance of police protection and creature comforts.  What about the rest of us?  One of our great Founding Fathers, to which Mr. Sanders doesn’t even hold a candle, said, “That which we obtain easily, we esteem lightly.”  If some of our less illustrious denizens have already figured out how to play the system, how many more will follow suit if they don’t have to pay ANYTHING to go to college?  I can see college campi utterly awash with the homeless in short order as they are already a problem, because if they are enrolled in college, we can’t just load them into buses and send them over the border to decrease the homeless population of our state as many places out west already do.  Easily available things are often and quickly cheapened.  That’s why Wal-mart products are usually considered synonymous with junk.  So, if Sanders manages to make college free, the degree will be worth about as much as the paper on which it’s written and about as useful.

Products to Try in Belize

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I can't believe that Belize doesn't export more to the United States. The only things made in Belize I've ever seen here are souveniers brought back by tourists (usually textiles). I wanted to bring back more myself, but the markets were only really open for these kind of things on days that cruise ships came to town. So, this post is about things to try in Belize that are available everywhere else where you find real people.

Agricultural products abound, but they are largely consumed locally. At nearly every bus stop speed bump on some roads (except the Hummingbird Highway) you will see people sitting with roadside produce to sell. Most of this looks like they just picked it and bagged it in the wild, that they're doing it in order to supplement their income. It was nice because, when we were hungry, we could simply pull over in nearly any town and purchase produce for a pittance. I mean, where else can you get a bag of unknown fruit for $0.50? A freshly cut coconut for $1? There are so many trees laden with fruit in so many places, that so much of it simply falls to the ground and spoils. Considering the price of bananas, coconuts, pineapples, guava, etc, it's amazing that they don't capitalize on this and export more fresh fruits to the US.

Belize brews a great local brew. Everywhere you go, you see ads for Belikin, the Belizean beer with a Mayan motif on the logo. We first encountered it at Calypso, the restaurant by the Radisson, where a waitress described it as "close to a Heineken". Well, my buddy drank the Belikin stout and says it's far superior. And it's fairly cheap. It costs $1.50 per bottle, is available everywhere, and is almost always the same price (except at the Radisson where it's twice the price), which means it's state regulated. They ought to export this. It's a great beer, it's a huge potential for profit, and yet, I've never heard of Belikin. Plus the logo is pretty cool.

Of course, you can't talk about the Caribbean without discussing rum. My buddy walked into a liquor store and refused to pay the price they demanded for American whiskey and decided to try Traveler's brand rum. He liked it so much that he finished off three bottles. Plus, it's pretty cheap. I mean, the Caribbean is renowned for rum, so why aren't they exporting this? If they make a product that's superior, they could totally rake in the cash selling it overseas.

Granted, I don't drink, so some of this comes on the experience of my traveling friend, but when he stopped everywhere to replenish local produce or liquor, that's a pretty good testament that he enjoyed it. He never went after American products imported to Belize. I cannot conceive why Belizean products are not more widely available. I can only speculate. Perhaps it comes from the attitudes of the people and their government. Perhaps it comes from their infrastructure or from tariffs or due to corporate interests abroad. However, it's sad that, in order to enjoy what Belize has to offer you actually have to go there. Or is it?

Edit: 11 Feb 20
I forgot about the hot sauce.  At the Calypso restaurant by the Radisson, we tried some hot sauce from Bertha's.  You'll see billboards for it on the Hummingbird highway, and they run a small stand where they sell tomales along the roadside.  You can buy the hot sauce which is carrot based for $2.50 for a small bottle or $15 for a coffee container full.  It's wicked hot and wicked good.  You have to order in advance.  Bertha's granddaughters run the stand.  It's pretty popular, and the tomales are pretty good too if you like tomales.

I Can’t Belize the Driving

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I think you ought to drive when you visit Belize, with some caveats. Driving in Belize gives you the greatest degrees of freedom to explore and promises to save you money. Although renting a car and driving one in Belize seems expensive, if you compare that to the outfitter companies, you stand a great likelihood to save money in the long run. If you don’t want to drive, the outfitters will drive for you, or if you don’t like the way Belizeans drive or the way the roads look, I totally understand. Driving in Belize is for the adventurous. You may think you’re adventurous, but you’ll find out just how adventurous you are if you drive in Belize.

Driving Conditions may appall you. Most of the roads in Belize are dirt. Most of the dirt roads have potholes. When it rains, the dirt roads are also slippery, especially in Cayo County, where they are hilly, so you’re likely to get stuck. We did. Getting out was stressful and time consuming.  Even the paved roads are crappier than the worst roads in the USA. They may not have lane lines painted, and most roads have no shoulder. There is basically only one major highway in the nation with branches from the capital city into each of the major Counties from there. It has one lane in each direction, and it’s riddled with speed bumps at almost every bus stop, police station, etc. Belize has like 30 gas stations total, so buy gas when you can, because it’s basically the same price everywhere, which tells us that it’s state run and regulated. Oh, they switch back and forth between miles and km, so I won’t let British people mock America for our measurements since their colonies use both. It gets confusing sometimes, but as a scientist, I’m used to both systems.

Drivers in Belize rival the worst in any nation. In Belize, drivers seem to view driving rules more as guidelines than actual rules. Seeing that Belize is in the Caribbean, it seems fitting maybe that people drive like pirates. Expect to be passed even on yellow double lines. Don’t expect anyone to signal. Expect people to cut you off. Don’t expect people to stop for buses. Speed limits seem to be suggestions for safety. I like roundabouts, but each time you enter one in a city, I felt like I was putting my life on the line because people just go wherever whenever, and nobody yields. If you’re a passive/defensive driver, you’ll probably have a stroke.

Cost of Driving exceeds the cost of driving elsewhere. Gas prices are higher in Belize than anywhere in the Caribbean, but it’s basically the same price as gas in Europe. The real rub is the cost of a rental car or taxi. I rented at the airport for convenience, but I could have saved 25-50% if I took a taxi into town and picked up a car from Crystal on the Northern Highway in Ladyville instead. I do recommend, if you plan to take dirt roads or drive offensively, that you get the collision coverage just for peace of mind. We drove about 1200 miles in a week, and that car was pretty beat up when we got back (worn shocks, bald tires, a broken seat mount, etc.) and we were not responsible for anything. Taxi drivers will harass you. If you have a car, you can ignore them, and you can go wherever you like. An outfitter may cost you $80, but you can rent a car for the day for that including the waiver, and so you can save 50% over an outfitter and have the flexibility to go when you like and stay only until YOU finish. Cars = freedom. The last cost is checkpoints. Police set them up randomly and look for licenses, registration, and insurance. It’s mostly just a hassle. You only have to stop however if they’re standing in the median, but you can avoid them by staying out of town until after 6PM when the traffic dies down. Belize has only one toll bridge, just south of Orange Walk Town, and it’s $0.34 US.

Renting a car gave us freedom in Belize and probably saved money in the long run. In six days, we saw nine Mayan sites, hiked three waterfalls, saw two caves, shopped on the economy, talked to the people, walked the coast and saw every major “city” in the nation. You can’t do that at an outfitter for $700 total + gas. Just watch out for other drivers and try not to have a heart attack when you pay $5.40 US per gallon. Choosing to rent and drive a car allowed us to spend an entire day in each of the Counties (Districts) of Belize and see more than one location in a day. Your results and preferences may vary.

See it to Belize It

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This is Part One of my review of Belize as a Caribbean travel destination. This particular post deals with where to stay. Belize is a picturesque country that extends far beyond the port. The port is probably the worst part of the country to visit, so if that's all you see you're missing out on what Belize is really like. Belize City, like other port cities in the Caribbean, is wet, dirty, and replete with ramshackle ruins left over from hurricanes. It's no worse than Puerto Rico, but a lot cheaper. Getting out of the city might cost money or take time, but most people we encountered only visited parts of Belize as part of a larger Central American tour. That's what I recommend, but if you stay in Belize City and are not flush with cash, I know where to stay too.

If you travel to Belize, stay outside Belize City. Although the port and airport both lie in this city, since the capital was moved to Belmophan, the nation has sort of left Belize City to fester and die. It's the only place I saw homeless people, beggars, and people who looked miserable. Homeless people usually signifies a dying city. If you go to the coast, except for the Radisson, where the launches from Cruise Ships come ashore, the shoreline is mostly empty. It appears that Belize tried to rehab the coastline, but the coastline, which should be the most vibrant part of a Caribbean city imho, is almost completely lifeless. In fact, most of the people stay away from it except for when the cruise ships arrive, at which point you can find jumping restaurants, shops with local art (which is actually competitively priced compared to other places), and smiling faces. However, most of the time, Belize is a gray city- gloomy, noisy, and cramped. It's evident that Belize City is a former colonial port city. It looks like every other British coastal city built during the age of sail. It also looks like it hasn't been updated since 1981 when the British granted Belize independence. It's also not a very safe city at night. I mean, you're not going to get murdered, but the locals will warn you not to be out late, lest you be robbed, but that's not hard to avoid since most places close at 6PM when cruise ships are absent.

If you travel within Belize, consider days in each region and a hotel stay in each region's capital. Outside the port city, you actually meet the native people of Belize. The cities are rustic, but you can find kind people, local cuisine, and friendly faces. As a man of Danish descent, everyone assumed I was a Mennonite, as Belize has two major Mennonite (Amish) communities, and the Belizeans seem to really like Mennonites. Unless you're only in Belize for a day or two or headed there to SCUBA, then go into the interior and meet the people. Belize consists of six "districts" (counties), and you can get a different feel for things in each of the regions. The nicest major county seats are Corazol and Orange Walk Town, but Belmophan/San Ignacio, Punta Gorda, etc. are also nicer cities than Belize City and serve as good central points of focus to see Mayan ruins, go on cave adventures, hike the jungle/wilderness, see the agricultural areas, and hobnob with the people. We spent a day almost in each of the various counties, and it would have been easier if we didn't have to drive 90 minutes from Belize City first just to reach each area. The major highways are pretty much the only paved roads, so you can't drive quickly into the countryside at great speed on dirt roads.

If you stay in Belize City, stay at the Caribbean Palms Inn. It's in a sketchy neighborhood, and it's not convenient to groceries or tourist sites, but it's a good value with helpful staff. However inconvenient these things may be, the hotel is safe, simple, and cheap. It was as easy to find as any other place, but unless you want to be near the tourist traps at the Radisson, save your money and stay here first. They have a fantastic map on the wall. It's a converted residence, so the bathrooms may not be contiguous with your room, but it's a standard European hostel/apartment design, so if you ever lived or traveled in Europe, it's no surprise. You can get purified water and coffee here, as well as good and free advice, so no frills but helpful as a starting point for anyone new to Belize. We even went out to eat our last day with the owner.

Don't judge Belize by its cover. I was honestly shocked, and I'll address other shocks in other posts, but Belize City is not representative of the entire country. It's also not any worse than any other place in the Caribbean. Just go watch "Romancing the Stone", and Belize is pretty much like that except that everyone has electricity, cell phones, and internet. Get out of "Cartagena" (Belize City), and you can have a great adventure. You'll have cell service unless you're in the wilderness, and the people are helpful, but more on that later. I recommend it. The only thing I really dislike about Belize is that it's not part of the United States. Oh well.