Here are some photos of the cabana I talked about in the essay Under
the Blue Mango. Let's be straight here. Obviously, we are not talking
Cancun. We are talking about dropping your toilet paper in a paper bag
beside the flush toilet (It will later be burned on the beach sand).
Belizean "soaker" septic systems are marvelously effective and organic.
But toilet paper clogs them up. That should give you some idea.
(Click on thumbnail images for larger photos.)
If you have "planetary eyes," the people and culture of the Garifuna Coast are the main attraction, and they come in as much variety as people anywhere else on the planet. If you want to go diving or fishing or learn drumming, all those certainly available in Hopkins. But some American tourists find parts of the village too shabby for their tastes. I've seen worse places than Hopkins in the US. On the other hand, if you like knowing your money is helping a family educate their kids, there's Luke and Marzy's cabana. The kids playing in the sand under the trees in the yard are: Kirk, Dennis, Ebony, Lyan, Luke Jr.
Rates:
The cabana is $22 a day. Marzy may squint at you and try to get more if you look rich, especially if you drive up in a shiny rented car. The Garifuna have the notion that if you are an American fortunate enough to make 12 times as much as the average Garifuna household, and you drive up in a $35,000 rented SUV, and your fancy trekking shoes cost a month's pay for the average villager, maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't hurt you to cough up a tad more than the Asian student who is just hitchhiking his way across Central America with a bag of rice and some dried fish in his backpack. This escapes most Americans. Anyway, just tell Marzy that's what Joe told you on the Internet site (which, so far as I know, they have never seen because they do not have Internet access) says -- $22-$25 bucks.
Luke and Marzy's phone: 011-501-503-7278
Grubs:
There are plenty of places to eat in Hopkins. My favorite is Inny's, but they are all pretty good. The simple kind of good. But Marzy will also probably cook extra for you for a few bucks. Don't let her make a special trip to the Chinaman's store for special fare. She is too accommodating. She may do laundry for you too, for a small fee. Lots of people in Hopkins make and sell food -- chicken patties, conch fritters, home-baked Creole bread, wangla fudge, fish or bean penadas, or darassa. Then there's real ethnic Garifuna cooking (which many Garifuna don't even cook these days because of the labor involved -- cassava root is a nasty thing to wrestle down into bread), stuff taken from the bush or the sea -- gibnut, armadillo or iguana, every fish imaginable, pus homegrown veggies and fruits from the family garden patch inland.
Internet:
It's there, at the Windscheif on the beach a couple blocvks from Luke and Marzy's place. The owner, Oliver, is one helluva guy, a young mild, German fellow who got a good scientific education in Germany, then looked around and said: "Fuck, I just can't do this grind," and settled down with a beautiful Belizean woman named Pam. Between the two of them, they make your hours pass in bliss. Surfing the net costs US$4 per hour. Technology is expensive to operate down there. The national phone company, nicknamed "Big Billy," screws everybody. Oliver also offers windsurfing and an open air cocktail bar by the sea. Service is through laptops in an air conditioned room. There is also network hook up via CAT5 network cable or wireless. You can bring your own laptop and surf the net while drinking Caribbean drinks in a hammock on the beach. Really.
Best time to go -- weather:
Weather can vary in Belize. Moreover, there is not much rain from January to June, though in the tropics it can rain any time. Most of the heavy rains occur in September and October. But there are plenty of beautiful sunny days right in the middle of the rainy season. December, January and February are the cold months. People bitch when it gets down to 65 F.
Money: The Green Stuff—and red and orange and blue stuff too.
You can use traveler's checks if they are small enough, but I never bother with them. Hell you can spend American dollars there, as well as Belezian dollars. The rate is US$1 equals $2 Belize. A US twenty can be a big bill there, but you can easily spend smaller denominations of US money at a two to one exchange rate. Fifties and hundreds are a real pain, and can require a trip to the bank in Dangirga to change A big roll of ones and fives works great. Forget about Visa MasterCard, Amex or other credit cards (although there is an ATM at Barclay's in Dangriga that takes Visa only). The resort area hotels located south of the village do take credit cards.
Medical:
Hopkins has a small health clinic near the village crossroads. Everyone knows where it is and everyone knows the nurse. There is a Cuban doctor who makes visits to the clinic. Facilities are very limited by US standards. If you use meds, bring enough to last through your visit. Otherwise, here we go again on the bus to Dangriga, this time to the drugstore. Prescription meds will also require a doctor visit in Griga. Or maybe even Belize City.
Police:
One constable who makes rounds on a bicycle. There is almost no crime in Hopkins. Or any of these villages strung southward, Seine Bight, Monkey River Town. Given that the American DEA is pretty active down there (stalking the coke traffickers out of South America, which is a good thing, given the violence of the trade) these constables will probably be given prowl cars or helicopter gunships one of these days. But for now, its mostly bicycle constables all the way to Placencia. Anyway, if you are one of those Americans who absolutely must be around cops to feel at home, the police station at the Hopkins crossroads is easy to find. You've probably never seen a policeman like this one.
Getting to Hopkins
By road:
Hopkins is located on the beach south of Belize City, in the Stann Creek District. If you absolutely must pollute the village air with a motor vehicle, you can do so by renting a car at the airport in Belize City. Leave the international airport and follow the signs to Belize City. Follow the signs to the Western Highway, a two-lane road. At about mile 31 on the Western Highway you will see a turn off for the Coastal Road, and Dangriga. This road does not follow the coast directly. It is about 5 to 10 miles inland. It is slightly shorter than the long route. The disadvantage is that it is not paved, and may not be passable on some days. If you take the Coastal, drive about 45 miles to the Hummingbird Highway, turn left. A few miles later you will see a turn off for the Southern Highway, turn right. This is now being paved. About 15 miles later you will see a turn off for Hopkins Village. Turn left, and four miles later you will be at the village crossroads. From there you can turn north to the left or south to the right on the village's main street.
If you stay on the Western Highway and decide NOT to take the Coastal, you will drive for about 50 or so miles until you come to the turn off for Belmopan/Dangriga. This is the beginning of the Hummingbird Highway. It is about 50 miles from your turn off of the Western Highway to Dangriga. To get to Hopkins, follow this road past the Belmopan turn off, and a few miles later you will pass the Blue Hole National park (not to be confused with the Blue Hole diving spot out in the ocean). This is a nice place to break up your drive and enjoy a picnic and a swim if you have arrived on an early flight. Continue on the Hummingbird Highway. You will see mile markers on the road to tell you how far you are to the coast (Dangriga). You will pass the spot where the Coastal Road intersects the Hummingbird Highway (in this area it is called Valley Road). Not far from there you will see the turn off for the Southern Highway. Turn right. About 15 miles down the road you will see the Hopkins turn off. Turn left, and 4 miles later you will be at the seaside. All that driving can take hours. Personally I think it sucks. I prefer the bus.
By Bus:
Taking a bus from Belize City to Hopkins is mainly about making the connections from the time you land. I stay in Belize City overnight when I land and take the bus the next day. Taxi service from the international airport to the bus station in Belize City can be up to $25 US dollars, but once you get on the bus, the rest is of the trip is pretty cheap, about US$15. Bus departure times vary, but the travel time is consistent, an hour and a half from Belize City to Belmopan. Wait a few minutes for your next bus, leave Belmopan for Dangriga. This takes about two hours. In Dangriga change buses again, and get on the Hopkins bus, which is a short trip of about a half hour, as I remember. There is one at about noon and the next one at about 5 PM. It is also the last bus to Hopkins. If you have phoned ahead, Marzy will be waiting for you at the stop.
Buses serving the village:
- Daily bus service to Hopkins from Dangriga at 12:15 PM and again at 5:00 PM.
- From Placencia the early morning bus arrives in Hopkins at 7 AM.
- From Hopkins going North to Dangriga at about 7 AM with the regular bus service in the village at about the same time. The price is $4.00 Belize, and the time is pretty accurate. Bus service going south from Hopkins is at 1:00 PM on the bus to Placencia and again at about 6:00 PM on the bus going to Placencia.
More complete information on the village is available at: http://www.hopkinsbelize.com/
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Click here for another set of photos of the cabana in Belize. These are by Arvin Hill.
