Wednesday, February 21, 2024
My 2 favorite roadways in Belize are the Northern Highway, it will always be the Northern Highway to me, and the Hummingbird Highway. One is totally flat, while the other has this undulating consistency; but to me, both have this beauty, and give me this very comforting feeling of pride in the naturalness of our Jewel, of how nature has given us so much to appreciate and love and treasure, and to be very protective of!
When I’m on the Northern Highway, especially early in the morning, or at dusk, I have never not fallen in love over and over with the scenery. Once I get past Ladyville, I start noticing and admiring the houses and farms all the way to Orange Walk Town. There are some beautiful properties all along the way, some simple, some expensive, and some in the middle. The one thing they all have in common, apart from their beauty, is how well kept they are. The gardens, the trees, all the foliage that surround them are perfect. And that smell of Mother Earth, the fruit trees, the woodsmoke, blend together perfectly to give one a sense of peace and harmony, in spite of the dogs barking at you as you slow down to take it all in.
The Hummingbird is less populated, but holds its own against any highway, anywhere. There’s a sense of excitement and adventure as you drive through those hills and take in all that green and fertility of those hills and valleys and streams and farms that inhabit this otherworldly trail. It always makes me feel like I’m going into undiscovered territory, this mysterious highway that when I was younger, I was deathly afraid of, not being used to hills and mountains.
I was 17 years old the first time I really began to appreciate the beauty and the fullness of the Hummingbird. I was teaching in Silk Grass Village and was hitching a ride to the city when George Price and his driver Jimmy Loco (never knew his last name) picked me up. The Premier at the time, Mr. Price, was espousing the beauty of the highway; he pointed out landmarks, and even stopped to drink water from a hillside spring. I almost became a PUP after that trip, almost! What was dark and dangerous and forbidden to me became this beautiful garden with a blue hole and magic and wonder.
I’ve always wondered who lived in those houses on both those highways. If they had nice furniture and all the comforts a home requires. I would wonder what the people in those houses did for a living, and where were the schools and churches and theatres and parties. I don’t wonder about those things anymore. I just know that they are lucky to live the way they choose, far from the maddening crowd, in peace and solitude, hopefully. As a person most comfortable with city living, it took me a long time to understand that way of life. Now, I envy it, and those lucky people that wake up to the sounds of nature.
Belize is such a beautiful country, a wonderful place to live, and yet we leave. I suppose it takes leaving to fully appreciate the beauty left behind, not only the physical beauty of the country, but also of the people who make Belize what it is, the Jewel that it is. We have to protect our homeland, stop giving it away plot by plot. We have to guard against those who would deny us our birthright, nosey neighbors that are envious of us – the Guats, in particular. They’re not our enemies; they just want what’s ours. I hope we all always remember how special we are, that the gods and slavery and conflict put us in this paradise, which we all must treasure and protect with everything in our power, in us! As my friend would say, blessings.
Glen