The end end

So. It is our last morning here, and of course the sky is blue and the sun is shining and there is a light breeze. This would have been perfect weather for the past 3 days!! Not all is in vain, however, because we are flying to Belize City on a two -seater CESNA. I am TERRIFIED and clasp my mom's hand in a clammy death-grip for most of the way. I am never doing that again if I can help it.

On the other end, things get a bit farcical. We are the only two passengers on the plane (for there are only two seats), and at Placencia, they had given me three neon yellow baggage tickets for our luggage, which they carried to the plane in front of us. We have not shown a single document or proof of ID. Here in Belize City, they opened the plane doors and walked us and our luggage to the airport terminal entrance. We turned around and thanked them, leaning down to pick up our bags. The attendants refused, asking us to fully walk into the building. We did, and then we watched as they dumped our bags onto the empty carousel three feet away from where we stood. They turned on the carousel and our bags inched forwards two feet where we were then allowed to pick it up. My mother exclaimed, “Oh, there's our bag! And the second one! Oh look, this one is ours, too!” But the arduous process was not over yet. The attendant rushed over and ASKED US FOR OUR BAGGAGE CLAIM TICKET.

Check-in for our international flights was simple, but changing over my money to American dollars required my passport, my home address, and my signature.

The airport is as exciting as the one in Flores. Several souvenir shops, a single food shop which is out of several ingredients, and lots of people. Jody almost loses her boarding pass when she sets it on a wooden bench and it falls through the slats. I eat an entire canister of Pringles and then it's time to return to America.

Thank god.