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Show THE ZEPHYR APRIL 1990 PAGE 12 Belize it went where? you or not travels and travails in Central America - by Jim Stiles Flight 515 for Belize City, Belize taxied down the tarmac to runway 17L and paused Instructions from the air traffic control center. Momentarily, Captain Lopez gave for briefly the Boeing 737 full throttle and the big blue and white Jet thundered across the pale gray asphalt at 160 mph In a pale gray mist. White knuckled and grim faced (my standard take off posture), I watched the Houston landscape race by my window as I waited for the nose to monotonous, tree-lin- ed raise and the big limbering plane to get off the ground. I heard that last bump of the rear tires on the concrete It all went by the book and we were up and away, climbing at a terrific angle at an Incredible speed. Within seconds, we were above the clouds on our way to a cruising altitude of 33,000 feet Below me, I saw a few breaks In the clouds and watched the South Texas coast disappear In the haze and mist Settled In my cramped little seat, with barely enough room for my legs, I ty airplane. I was aboard SAHSA Airline, one of two glanced around me at the Belize. other Is TACA airlines.... TACA and SAHSA, Good The serve airline companies that I a chip and a dip. Ive entrusted my life to one of two airlines that sound God, thought as If they're named for Mexican food appetizers. It had been three years since I'd traveled on a commercial carrier. Back then, In the "good old days, my only real concern for an airline disaster came from wind shears, collisions. Now weve learned that passenger Jets blow up In flight, are and mld-a- lr occasionally shot down by Soviet and American missiles, and frequently fall apart In flight DC-1- 0 had lost Large pieces of airplanes Just fall of the Jet A week before I left Houston, a one of Its engines en route to Tampa. Literally lost It When the plane landed, the engine was gone. At last report, FAA Investigators were still combing soy bean fields In northern Alabama for the missing turbine engine. All these comforting thoughts danced mercilessly Conneln my head as the 737 banked gently to the right and took a new heading for the Yucatan Peninsula. And yet, I pondered, would It really be so bad If, say, the top of this airborne monster peeled off and blew away, like the Aloha Jet fiasco last year? Talk about a convertible. Talk about a view. I stared Idly at the celling picturing the scenario In my mind. No.... not yet I haven't even seen Belize yet Maybe on the way back. Belize .... I was on my way to Belize. Until a few months ago, I wasn't really sure where It was. Belize Hondo rous, gained Its Independence In 1981. It Is a small country, Formerly British barely the size of Connecticut, with a population not much greater than 165,000. It faces the Caribbean, south of the Yucatan Peninsula. But why was I going there? Whatever compelled me to Journey a couple thousand miles to this tiny central American nation? Well... I don't know. Because I was cold? Because I wanted to see a palm tree? Because my travel, Christy Parry, told me to go there? (a malleable man am I). I dont know. But whatever the reason, I was committed, I was on the plane, and there was no turning back. I 2:58 p.m. Six miles below, we passed over the coast a glanced at my watch hundred miles Meridla East of Mexico, and turned due south. Through the clouds couple I could make out the dense blue-gre- en forests and Jungles that cover the landscape hot, humid, tropical vegetation, the antithesis of my redrock desert home. The seatbelt light came on and we began to descend rapidly through the clouds and mist I saw giant Inland lagoons and an occasional dirt road cut through the green wilderness. Finally, I heard the landing gear drop, and the 737 was over a steaming strip of concrete. Touchdown. As the big Jet reversed Its engines and slowed down, I saw the Phillip A. Goldsen International Airport terminal to my right Not exactly Stapleton or OHare, I thought and thank God for that The terminal was a one story concrete stucco building, painted beige but badly fading and peeling. As the plane taxied to a stop, the pilot flipped on what sounded like (oh, no) Musak. Coming through every speaker on the plane, I heard the Ray Connlff Singers performing In their own distinctive style, Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With ItT This Is too weird, I thought I'm sitting In the middle of nowhere on a SAHSA 737, about to disembark Into the great unknown, and pounding through my brain are the strains of those clean cut wholesome Ray Connlff Singers. What would Tina about this? say I stumbled down the stairs In a sunlit drizzle and was dispatched by a black soldier In a white starched uniform shirt to proceed to the "visitor reception area at the far end of the building. Inside, I found a stark, gray concrete room; at the opposite end, a customs agent stood behind a small podium of sorts. "Passport? she Inquired. I handed her my brand new passport She stamped K, and gestured over her shoulder. I went y. In the next half-emp- room, the baggage handlers were unloading the luggage but It all had to be examined by the customs agents. The room was unbearably hot and the Km moved agonizingly slow. As I dripped sweat, I had to wonder Just what they were looking for, I don't think too many Americans smuggle drugs Into Belize. When my turn came, the agent started opening zippers on my travel bag. It has a lot of zippers and after about seven zlppered compartments, I could tell he was getting frustrated. He started to move to the next bag, but I pointed out that there were three more zlppered compartments on the other side. Finally, he signed my claim check and pointed me to the door, without even In looking my duffle bag. Drug smugglers take note -- - zippers are the key. Outside, a dozen cab drivers, In unmarked old Chevy and Ford stationwagons waited for customers. I climbed In with a guy named Jim Cox. "Where can I take you? he asked In a deep resonant voice, sort of Jamaican. "Four Fort Street, I told him. He knew Just where It was on the 12 mile drive to town, he told me about his country, of which he was very proud. "We are a peaceful democracy. We like to argue and to disagree, but we believe we all have the right to think the way we want We do not force anyone to think a certain way. We are a wonderful country. From behind the sun visor, he pulled out a small pocket photo album and showed me snapshots of his wife and his four children. He has a 3 12 acre farm that he owns and upon which he has built a home. "I like to live In the country; It Is beautiful and It Is more don't like the city, he said. too Is loud. The peaceful. city Maybe so, but he definitely knew how to drive through a city. At first the narrow asphalt road followed a river, swollen and overflowing from recent rains. As we draw closer to the town, the traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, grew dramatically, but Jim never slowed down. He snaked his way through the wild, hot, crowded streets. Most of the buildings were small of frame construction and almost exclusively built on stilts. I suppose everything could have used a paint Job, but In this climate and with the economic conditions that prevail, the clean, quaint "Cape Cod look Is not anyone's priority. 1 The Four Fort Street Guest House ever-anachronl- stic that-a-wa- WATERING DOESNT HAVE TO BE A DRAG Simplify your irrigation system with drippers & mini-sprinkle- rs CALL KEN, and let him design your Irrigation system. Where High-Te- c and Common Sense Meet. Happy Trees Friendly Bushes Castle Canyon Nursery Finally Jim said, "There It Is. Four Fort Street Bed and Breakfast lay Just ahead. A big, white frame bungalow, with green shades, and a tin roof, and porches all around, It was Just as I'd Imagined It It felt 1940lsh, and I felt like Bogart I said goodbye to Jim and carried my bags up the stairs to the registration desk. As I stood there waiting to sign In, a woman entered from the other room. She saw my duffle bag on the floor. "Do you have a reservation? she asked. I told her that I did. "Good, she said. "Or get the Hell out of here? "Yeah," she grinned. "Something like that Rita Is one of two sisters from the United States, Rita and Rachel Emmer formerly of Evergreen, Colorado, who own and operate Fort Street They bought the house from a doctor In 1986 and converted It to an Inn and restaurant It already has a reputation for having some of the best food In Belize City. Both sisters seem to be strong-will- ed Independent, and to coin a David Letterman sexist phrase, both are "fabulous babes. As I carried my bags through the dining room to go upstairs, a figure caught the comer of my on Thera the wall, beneath the high celling fan hung a full length picture of Bogart eye. "Of all the towns In all the gin Joints In all the world, I sighed. After settling In, and checking out the bathroom, I decided to take a walk and reconnolter the Immediate area. I hadnt covered a hundred yards when I was welcomed to Belize by my new friend John. I told him I was from Utah. "Utah? Yes Mawnl The Jazzl Karl Malone! We see them on TV. We talked for a few moments, and then we came to the heart of the matter. John explained that today was his 30th birthday and would I give him five bucks? Well, why not, I thought you only turn 30 once. I handed him the bill. Later I was taking a stroll by the Ft George Lighthouse when Rasta Mawn Chris me near the seawall. Well, I thought., here we go again. We sat down on the wall greeted and Chris told me about his philosophy of life and the times we live In. come here, Mawn, to watch the sea. This Is my meditation. You see these waves coming In? Each wave is different Watch that one that Is already foaming... Listen to It.. SSSSSSSS. It Is hissing at us, Mawn, OK, now this one coming In Is going to crash ... Yes! Did you hear that? That was an A chord. I play the guitar and I get my Inspirations from the waves. Yes, Mawn, that was an A chord. 1 CALL 259-827- 4 Monday Thursday Complete Landscape Service -- ANYTIME Fri. & Sat. Nursery Open ' |