Dichotomy of an Island
Belize - March 06, 2006
It's been a wonderfully tranquil and peaceful time here in Caye Caulker. Our time here has given us a great opportunity to catch up on some of our writing, edit our recent photographs and to reflect a bit on the past few weeks (as well as plan the next leg of the trip). The internet speed here is also unexpectedly good, which has allowed us to catch up on the backlog of communication we have recently faced. To the average tourist, the cost of the island seems fairly inexpensive, when contrasted with its beauty. The cost of a lower end ocean view room runs around $15.
On the eastern edge of the bedrock of Belize lies the largest barrier reef system in the Western Hemisphere and second largest in the world (behind the Great Barrier Reef). As a result, this island is a popular destination for scuba diving and snorkeling enthusiasts as well as a number of international travelers.
Earlier today we decided to explore some of the island and were shocked at the difference in the front/tourist side and the back/local side (evident in the contast in yesterday's photo with today's). Midway through the island, it was almost as if you could draw a line in the dirt road to segment the living conditions. Homes were no different than what we witnessed in some of the poorer areas of Guatemala, and trash covered much of the land. Many of the locals lived in elevated homes pieced together by particle board and tin and used shallow open water wells for their main source of water. One of the local women we spoke with told us that the majority of the locals on the island worked in a career to support the tourism on the island (Her job was to sell fruit at a roving fruit cart). The island's distance to the shore is undoubtedly a large factor in the discrepancy in the affordability of basic necessities contrasted with the average income of the locals. As a result, many cannot afford enough to live just above poverty standards. Even the local grocery store away from "gringo land" had exorbitant costs for staple items like milk and eggs.
-Lee