Guatemala and Belize

It is a tribute to Guatemala in particular and Belize, that they are so welcoming to foreigners considering their centuries of experience of exploitation by them.  I googled both their histories and got lost in banana wars, wood wars and general carnage of natural resources.

The inequalities in division of wealth are obvious.  Guatemala city has districts where the poor live and two districts where the rich live like something out of the film Hunger Games.

But what it appeared to me they still had in abundance, whoever owns it (our guide said in Guatemala it was the old Spanish families) were acres and acres of hilly, dense jungle looking remarkably pristine.  We took a boat trip up the river Dulce and the natural, unspoilt beauty is idyllic.

We didn’t visit any specific Mayan villages, but saw the people in the markets, particularly in Antigua, diminutive figures by western standards.

We also visited Livingston, a Garifuna settlement.  Unfortunately, there were a lot of abandoned houses and plots where families have apparently argued over inheritance which gave it an aura of decay.  I couldn’t understand why they couldn’t rent them out, so hopefully someone would maintain them as well as generate income.  I also saw the worst examples of malnourished skin infected dogs there – really shocking – far worse than remote parts of Africa, where they probably put them out their misery and eat them – not many pet dogs in African Muslim areas.  I appreciate children have to be fed first, but still ….  there was a little save the dogs and cats charity in Caye Caulker that was doing a good job at exploiting tourist sympathies.

The Mayan site at Tikal (Unesco World Heritage)was beautifully and sympathetically maintained.  A guide explained that money managed through Unesco did not get filtered off by corrupt government officials.

I was disappointed I didn’t see a Toucan.  I see more exotic birds in my daughter’s garden in Australia.

I felt my age on the trip, not because I couldn’t do things, but because I didn’t want to – caving, tubing, snorkelling.  I spent down time swimming, chilling with a book or just pottering around the towns.  I had a couple of very interesting conversations with local people, including an ex US drugs enforcement agent.  I learnt that Columbia and Mexico are where the drugs (mainly cocaine) are grown, but Central American countries are where they launder the money.