DAY 1: Made it!

I'm going to apologize first for any misspellings or typos. My brain has been up since 3:30 a.m. and it's not working properly. Some would say it never works properly. Anyway...

Other than waiting 10,000 years in Houston waiting for my flight to Belize City, everything went very smoothly. My "ride" is perfect! It's about as big as a small bathroom (minus the toilet), with a cracked windshield and it's a STICK!! YES!! I haven't driven a stick shift in a LONG time. Is there something wrong that I get excited about driving a "beater" around the country of Belize?

On a sad note, the country has gotten severely hit with lots of rain. Today was the first day in 3 weeks that they haven't had rain. The country is heavily flooded with thousands of houses sitting in, or underneath water. The radio was saying that they are worried about crocodiles getting close to the houses. Yikes!

I got into San Ignacio about 6 p.m. tonight. I wasn't able to get the satellite phone to work properly, so I had to rely on my memory from my last visit over a year ago to remember where Brainard lived. Success! I found it, but Brainard was not there yet. So I got to hang out with his parents.  They are unbelievably welcoming. It was great to catch up with them again. We talked about everything from weather to Obama.

Tomorrow we head to Crique Sarco to deliver the school supplies! Brainard will be coming with me. I'm glad he's coming. He'll be able to help me with videoing and DRIVING!

For those who don't know who Brainard is, he's my Belizean friend who lives in San Ignacio. He truly is the most street smart person I know! He once was heavily involved in gangs back in the day, has been to jail for something that has to do with a machete, and more. When he decided to go to church more rather than be a part of a gang, he literally had to fight his way out. I am truly blessed to consider him one of my best friends. You'll see more of him later.  Until then, just know he's a guy who will do anything for someone else.

Even after a long day of traveling, there was a simple gift of the day. I drove into the sunset my whole way to San Ignacio. Enjoy the picture!

Well, my belly if full of rice, beans and chicken now, so the sweet coma state is not far off. I hope to update the blog again in Punta Gorda tomorrow before heading into Crique Sarco.  

See you all tomorrow!