Right, you have heard this name. Does it ring a bell? A music title? That’s correct! Madonna sang a song with this title about an island in the Caribbean. And we did go there.
Our way led through Belize City – which is about as depressing as a visit to a once supreme restaurant which has been overtaken by an American fast food chain with a Scottish name. Only that this restaurant would be clean at least.
Belize-City is not.
This city was great some 40 years ago. At this time it was still the pulsating capital of a flourishing British colony. Now it is not a capital anymore (the Belize government moved to Belmopan once a hurricane had hit Belize City quite badly). Neither does it have any of the Caribbean charm you might expect. Buildings are empty. Streets are bumpy. Everything desperately calls for paint. The beautiful and lively Creoles I had read about in books such as “Wide Sargasso Sea” by Jane Rhys must all have gone since long. What stayed were desperation and empty houses.
Belize-City’s people seem to live in an everlasting agony. Nothing will change for good. Less and less tourists are coming. No industry which would be worth being called such exists. Whoever could has moved away. Every second building has a “for sale” sign in its window. Even our hostel was for sale – if you look at the dirty old sign, it must have been for years.
However, David wanted to go there since from here we could take a speed-boat to San Pedro. Which is the main hub to dive the famous “Blue Hole” some 40 kilometres off the Belizean coast.
Together with us travelled Nina, a German psychiatrist who works in New York. She was eager to dive the Blue Hole, too, and David and she agreed to team up. We left early in the morning and after an hour in a very fast boat we arrived on San Pedro.
Which was different. Madonna was right: a true paradise. The people living here were much more positive, moved with more energy, houses were painted in all colours, the beach was white… Perfect. We found a room for three right on the beach with a view which would keep me in the hammock for the better part of a day. Simply great. Loads of Americans, Canadians and Europeans live there for good. They run small bars, internet cafés or sell real estate. They all seem very relaxed and like to drink beer early in the morning. They laugh a lot but their jokes seem to be the same ones as the day before. In every second sentence they assure each other of the paradise-like quality this place has.
Strange people who had escaped their old lifestyle to find a paradise.  But they took themselves with them. A happy-sad society?
I cared for about 2 minutes. Then I enjoyed the view. We had a great dinner and it was interesting to talk with Nina – we learnt quite a lot about psychology. The next morning Nina and David left at 5:30 AM for their diving trip. I made it to the bar next door slightly later and ate fruit-salad while enjoying – once again – the view. It’s good to be a climber (and not a diver) I thought.
Later I rented a catamaran and sailed within the area of the beach and the long reef. Enough wind made sure that I did not get too relaxed. Nothing special happened and it was enjoyable to do nothing. Later my two friends came back all excited – the Blue Hole had been fantastic. So was the dinner – the light Caribbean wind made the heat perfectly bearable. Life in paradise – wonderful for a couple of days, but for a life? I would get bored and probably start to tell the same jokes over and over again.