Do you really know?

By Jim Dickens Late April 2025

I live in a nice suburb outside of Chicago safely and comfortably.  I believe what I am told that some places in the Chicago area are the opposite.  However when I listen to fellow suburbians putting forth problem/solutions I feel critical thinking they don’t really know.  As I sat down to share my recent experience in Belize with my opinions about the country I found myself becoming the aforementioned unknowing prognosticator.

As usual I went fishing and fishing with buddies is about the funnest thing I do.  My buddies Pete, Pete and Jon, all very experienced, stayed at a lodge near Belize City. It’s one of the original fishing lodges built in the 1960’s with giant planks of mahogany for floors and furniture and walls covered with memorabilia.  The owners shared the history of the place and Belize.

Besides us, a there were a few others staying at the lodge.  A pair of gentlemanly 75 year old Texas Aggies were there.  At Pete’s urging, one played a few songs on the guitar for us.  He sounded a little like Jerry Jeff Walker and used his hearing aids blue toothed to his iPad for lyrics chords and timing.  As he enthusiastically played the The Everclear Song by Roger Creager, I thought I don’t really know this Aggie.

We fished in the river, on the flats and out on the reef  We stayed out on Long Caye for a couple nights with guides and cooks as the only residents.  We turned on the generator at night for light, showers and air conditioning.  The fishing was streaky but we managed tarpon, snook, trigger fish, and bone fish along with an assortment of reef fish.  We got to see a great array of wildlife, sharks and rays, manatees, jabiru storks and howler monkeys for example.  It was a pretty good adventure.

The lodge staff was warm and fun to be around. Our fare had lots off fish rice and beans with a creole seasoning, very tasty.  Belikin beer is drinkable and no one got sick.  Higher than normal winds but pleasant temperatures kept us fishing everyday all day.  Belize is protected from hurricanes by a barrier reef and its rivers are not channeled or dammed so buildings can be beach side and riverside pretty safely.  It gets medium tourism and most get off a cruise ship and get back on.  Farming is self sufficient but good natural portions are protected. Things seem pretty stable.

I like coming to Belize as it doesn’t feel touristy but you can safely be a stranger.   But do I really know?