Map of Belize City Bus Routes

Below is a map of the bus routes I rode in Belize City.

Read Full Post | July 29 2010 | School Bus Migrations |

Seaweed Shake

Bringing a cooler of shakes to the bus

When possible, I sit towards the back of the buses I ride, primarily to minimize the number of people who see me take out my camera when I photograph the surroundings. On the King’s Park bus the other day, sitting in the back also led to a refreshing surprise. Near the University of Belize, we stopped for a woman pushing a handcart loaded with a cooler up to the bus. She opened the emergency exit door in the back, and a boy who was sitting in the back got out and helped her load the cooler onto the bus. They were having a problem getting the handcart around the spare tire in the aisle at the back of the bus, so I helped maneuver it.

When the bus arrived at its terminus downtown, the woman asked me for some help, since the other boy had alighted earlier. I stepped out the back, and brought her cargo to the sidewalk. She opened the cooler and said, “Thank you, would you like a seaweed?” I wanted to be polite, so I took one of the small unlabeled bottles filled with a thick, white drink. A bit of research revealed it to be a seaweed shake – a chilled mix of condensed milk and cinnamon thickened by the carrageenan from blended seaweed. I tried it and found it enjoyable; I can understand why the drink, which reminded me of a thick horchata, is a local favorite in the tropical heat.

Read Full Post | July 28 2010 | School Bus Migrations |

Yan kee Snacks and Foreign Investment

Riding a local bus down Fabers Rd., a small store with a sign reading Yan kee Snacks caught my eye. Like many of the other small neighborhood stores I saw in Belize City, it was a nondescript cinder block building with metal bars running up from the storefront counter. At first I assumed its name was similar to Yankey Clothes – “We bring the New York fashions to you” – a variation on the spelling of Yankee that I’m used to.

As I continued my rides around the city, I noticed a large number of groceries and restaurants with Chinese names scattered throughout. After passing Tan Liang Shop, Ma Ma Chen’s, Tow Tow Grocery, and Ah Wing Saloon, I realized the relationship of Yan Kee Snacks to the Yankee that first came to my mind was probably completely unintentional.

Tow Tow Grocery, one of the many Chinese-owned food vendors in Belize

Carlos, a native Belizian who helped run the Seaside Guesthouse I stayed at and gave me some great advice in my first week in the country, shared some of his thoughts on the preponderance of Chinese-owned food stores. He estimates that 90% of the food outlets in Belize City are owned by Chinese or Taiwanese immigrants. They gained a substantial share of the fried chicken market by significantly undercutting the prices of other proprietors. The Chinese grocery stores, often staffed by immigrant family members who are compensated in-kind with lodging, maintain regular hours throughout the day, unlike the stores that take the customary lunch break and close once they feel they’ve made enough money for the day. Carlos also shared the story of a Chinese investor who bought both the Caye Caulker Water Taxi Association and the San Pedro Belize Express when they were in financial trouble, gaining a monopoly on ferry service while appeasing customers with promotions and giveaways.

Chinatown Supermarket on Caye Caulker (an island that

Foreign investment is big in Belize. The Museum of Belize, recently opened in Belize City’s old jail, was funded in part by the government of Taiwan. In 2008, the value of the Belize’s imports was 1.6 times the value of its exports. The 2008 estimate for the country’s external debt was $954.1 million; with a population just over 314,000, that turns out to be more than $3,000 of foreign debt per person (in comparison, this figure is $43.35 for the United States).

Some fellow travelers passing through the Seaside Guesthouse talked with an official at the Austrian Consulate General, a brother of former prime minister Said Musa, and he explained to them that consumer goods are relatively expensive here because so many are imported. The Musa family owns Brodies, a large department and grocery store chain in Belize. The Brodies I shopped at definitely had a full array of goods from the United States.

Lightbulbs for sale in Belize; the label reads 'This price includes a discount from Southern California Edison…Sale outside California is illegal'

Read Full Post | July 28 2010 | School Bus Migrations |

Snorkeling and Canoeing on Caye Caulker

After the hustle and bustle of Belize City, I took a few days to relax on Caye Caulker.

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Read Full Post | July 27 2010 | School Bus Migrations |

The Swing Bridge

Standing on the Swing Bridge

The Swing Bridge, over the mouth of Haulover Creek in Belize City, is an icon of the country. The back of Belize’s $50 bill even features the small span. It was constructed in Liverpool, opened in 1923, and is the only bridge in the world that still regularly rotates open from a central base. Every morning and evening, workers manually swing it open using rods inserted to the underlying circular track so that taller boats can pass up and down the Creek. The salty air has caused some corrosion, and because it was designed so long ago, today’s heavy buses and trucks are not allowed to cross it.

Since Belize City only has three bridges over Haulover Creek (the other two are the Belcan and the Belchina), unexpected problems on any one of the bridges can cause significant traffic congestion to propagate throughout the city. An article in the Amandala newspaper describes the delays from recent unannounced construction:

The closure of the Belcan caused a traffic bottleneck on Cemetery Road, as this is the main artery used by drivers wanting to get to the Northside via the other two City bridges…It has been quite a while since anyone has seen the Belcan Bridge swing – one Belize City Council worker told us it has not happened since the last hurricane threat. Today, the bridge was closed at roughly 9:00 AM and scheduled to remain closed until about 11:00 AM as a hired crane was deployed to lift out massively corroded metal from the turntable and to lower replacement parts into the manhole…Asked why the Ministry of Works team chose a Monday morning to undertake the works, the government official on the site told us that they had to wait until the crane was available to them. The Ministry of Works, he told us, does not own one. We observed that the crane being manned by a Mennonite man was labeled National Crane Service.

I wanted to see a traffic jam resulting from the opening of the Swing Bridge, so one evening I walked around the area from 5:00 to 5:30, when my guidebook said the event would occur. I then sat down with an ice cream cone on King Street waiting, but the bridge did not open. Disappointed, I returned to my hostel before most of the shops closed and the streets emptied.

The next morning, I rode the Lake Independence bus. Downtown, it starts and ends its circular route at the Sarteneja bus stop, at the south end of the Swing Bridge. As I got off the bus at the end of its run, the driver and I started talking about my project and buses in Belize. When I finally walked out the front door, I realized it had been blocking traffic, and there were now cars backed up along the Swing Bridge and down Regent Street. I ended up seeing the Swing Bridge traffic jam that I wanted to.

Read Full Post | July 27 2010 | School Bus Migrations |

Belize City – Photos

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Read Full Post | July 24 2010 | School Bus Migrations |

On The Road

LAX Flyaway bus from Irvine Station

After my red-eye flight from Los Angeles and the amount of sleep I’ve been getting in my last few nights of packing, I’m a bit dazed and confused sitting in the Charlotte Douglas Airport.  Any fears about arriving in a stupor somewhere other than my intended layover in North Carolina, however, are allayed by the long line for Bojangles Famous Chicken and Biscuits at 6:30 in the morning.

My flight to Belize leaves in three hours, so it looks like my year of travel is actually going to happen despite my best attempts to thwart it.  My hour-long last-ditch effort at the US Airways Ticket Counter involved learning that bus tickets do not work as proof of an onward journey, purchasing expensive but fully refundable return airfare, and having to endure a lengthy multiple choice security phone call with my credit card company to authorize said airfare.

If you’d like to leave me a voicemail or video message, I’d love to get it.

The obligatory backyard pre-departure photo

Read Full Post | July 17 2010 | School Bus Migrations |

Bon Voyage Party

On Sunday, I took a break from packing to celebrate my imminent departure with family, friends, teachers, and mentors.  It was a meaningful gathering, and I appreciated the chance to say goodbye to so many people before my year abroad.  As I think about spending a year away from the States, it almost feels like I should be packing a big trunk and preparing to board a steamship for a month-long journey.  This guideline from the Watson Foundation has certainly been in my mind:

In our changing world, some elements of the Watson philosophy may seem anachronistic, artificial, and unnecessary, but returning fellows consistently attest that this “exercise” – in solo living, independent travel, and intentional separation from one’s roots – remains a powerfully valid one.

Perhaps this sentiment was reflected a little too strongly in the photography from the event?

Thank you to everyone who was able to make it.  To see pictures from the event (not in “Sayonara Style” aka processed by Bakumatsu Koshashin Generator), click here; the password to view them is the name of the restaurant at which the party was held.

Read Full Post | July 15 2010 | School Bus Migrations |

Commencement

Some of my family on Swarthmore's big chair

I was fortunate to have many members of my family travel to Swarthmore for graduation. Student Romane Paul, molecular biologist Bonnie Bassler, Quaker activist and organizer John Braxton, Morehouse College President Robert Franklin, and actor Stephen Lang delivered meaningful, thought-provoking, humorous, and reflective speeches. You can watch the whole ceremony here.

Since the Engineering majors are awarded separate BS degrees, we have a history of pulling pranks as our names are read. We wanted to ease President Chopp into this tradition; we had her illuminate light bulbs on our caps by flipping a switch as she handed us our diplomas:

Our Engineering graduation prank: lightbulbs on our caps

Read Full Post | June 28 2010 | Swarthmore and Updates from Swarthmore |

Senior Week

Sparklers in Wharton Courtyard

After four years, our last hurrah at Swarthmore came in the form of Senior Week.  Highlights included a night of bowling at Northbowl, our last bonfire in the Crum Woods, trips to Tom Jones, fireworks, Star Wars viewings, and tours of the college belltower:

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Read Full Post | June 25 2010 | Swarthmore and Updates from Swarthmore |

Recycling Transit in the Global South

Read detailed updates as they are posted below, or learn more about the Watson Fellowship and how to follow my travels here.

Current Progress:

View Watson Travels in a larger map

Read Full Post | June 23 2010 | School Bus Migrations |

Lakers Parade

Yesterday was the parade celebrating the Lakers’ victory over the Celtics in the NBA Playoffs.  Police estimated 65,000 fans showed up.  I took Metrolink up to Los Angeles for the day and watched the parade from the same spot in front of the Convention Center that I did last year.

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Read Full Post | June 22 2010 | News and Happenings |