Swine Flu and it's effects on Belize

I've been in Belize City for a day now, I think....all of the relaxing that I have been getting in, I've actually lost track of time. I think I got here on Monday.....or maybe it was Tuesday. In any case, I'm here. Either Monday, or Tuesday morning I hopped the James Line Express Bus at 7:20am and made my way through the country side with my final destination in Belize City. The ride was nice, a little more crowded than I had expected, but still very nice. It's always wonderful driving through the diverse countryside. I will never get over how diverse Belize is, particularly due to its size. You don't expect the diversity.

I arrived in Belize City at about 11:30am, just in time for lunch with the Sampsons. Dawn dropped me off, and headed to work, while Lorna Sampson and I laid in the living room and had a nap. It was lovely. The last couple of days have been filled with afternoon naps. Part of me wants to go out and do things, while the other part of me just wants to sit and laze around. I have a feeling the majority of my time here will be the latter.

Dawn Sampson, was hoping to take a trip to Croc Land which is about a half an hour away on the Western Highway. We were going to spend the day at the park, and finish the visit with lunch, she figured that seeing how she'd never been there it would be a great place to go and experience for the first time together. Unfortunately it looks like our plans are going to be changing due to the Swine Flu pandemic. As of this evening, there are 4 suspected cases of the Flu in Belize. 1 in San Pedro, 1 in Orange Walk Town and 2 in Belize City. People in Belize are taking a number of precautions, face masks are being worn by employees of banks and the electricity company as well as locals on the streets. All of the events that were planned to take place this weekend have been canceled. This has included town hall meetings, the circus that was to start tomorrow in the city and the Agriculture Show, an annual weekend event that happens every year in Belmopan, it usually brings in 30,000 people. With all of the cancellations of events, the reality of the pandemic is beginning to sink in. I'm taking precautions as best I can, washing my hands constantly and making sure to keep my distance from highly populated areas which has been easy, as I'm not familiar with the city, so stay close to home.

Friday is a holiday here, Labour Day, so instead of going to Croc Land, Dawn suggested we have a Belizean barbecue at her place. I'm really excited, they have got a beautiful thatch in their backyard, complete with electricity, sink, barbecue, and hammock. It's lovely. I think all of the Sampsons are going to come to Sunset to join us. It should be a good time.

Aside from that, I might make my way to the sea to sit for a while, but other than that, I'm basking in the fact that I have absolutely nothing to do and taking huge advantage of it. I'm scheduled to fly back to Canada on Sunday and am preparing myself to be stuck at the border for a while, due to the fact that I'm arriving from Central America. Please pray for a stress-free arrival in Canada.

I will try and update in the next couple of days if anything exciting happens with my trip!! Take care!!

Chelsy