That had been many hours ago. Now it was 3:35am outside a bus station in Central America, waiting to catch a fast bus to the Capitol so we could get to the American Embassy.
The problem was that our passports expire soon. Two expire in June, and two in July. As progress continues at Chakha'asi it seemed more and more problematic to get to the embassy in Belmopan and renew our passports. The next day it was anticipated that sticks for the roof would arrive, and all materials would be moved to the site from the more secure location in my friend's backyard.
The wood cutter would need to be paid, the truck driver, and, someone would need to keep an eye on the materials. Yet to delay going to the capitol would push the event further into the even more hectic future, or possibly worse, push the event out of mind completely. It had to happen now.
The other problem was that it was 3:35. The express to Belmopan leaves at 3:30.
No other bus goes there direct, we would have to catch a bus to Belize City, and from there to Belmopan. That's a five hour bus ride, each way. We have a vehicle, but, it would be a terribly long drive, and car problems three districts over are more than we are willing to risk. Aside from a few major exceptions, we are not big risk takers.
We slept as best we could on the way. In Belize City, we changed buses and eventually arrived in Belmopan. A taxi trip later and we were at the embassy. No pictures of the embassy, it is not permitted. The staff was very nice and helpful, however, they don't take travelers checks. I had thought that they did, and as I am reluctant to carry lots of cash, we had to taxi to our bank, who has a branch in Belmopan. We also had to get to a picture place, as, it had slipped my mind that we would need two pictures each for the passport. As you might imagine the photo shop nearest embassy row is somewhat higher in price than the one here in Corozal.
After a surprisingly brief wait, we surrendered our old passports, raised our hand to swear we were telling the truth on our paperwork and... wait 10 to 15 working days for the new passports to arrive. So one of us will be returning to Belmopan in a few weeks.
On the way out of Belmopan, I remembered the camera. We were already on the bus, and the only shot I could get was of the main office of the Belizean Dept. of Immigration. That building has been rather important in our lives, so here is a picture of that.
Everyone tried and failed to sleep on the way home. From Belize City to Corozal, I made a friend.
She would chatter at me in baby Spanish, which I don't understand. Eventually I picked up the game. She would see an animal out the window and get very excited. There was a moment when I saw a horse and knew she was going to miss it. So I pointed and said, Caballo. She looked and saw the horse. With a shout and a smile of pure excitement and joy, she told all of us on the bus that there was a Caballo out the window. It was clear that much of her joy was from sharing what she saw out there with the rest of us on the bus.
That was several days ago. But today while driving to Corozal from Chakha'asi, I startled Rebecca and my passengers, a young couple we are friends with, when I shouted out with happiness, "Vaca!!" and indicated that they should see the cow.
Learning how to see the world, at least occasionally, the way the little girl on the bus saw things, made the long day worthwhile.
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