Day 2: Off to the base

We arrived around noon yesterday and were happy to find out that all of our baggage made it with us, including the projection screen. When we went through customs, we were questioned about the screen and all of the shoes, as we suspected. When he found out that they were to be given away for charity, he said, “I’m sorry, but I have to charge you for items coming into the country, but I will place a minimum value on them.” Thank the Lord, we only ended up paying $17 USD for customs! After making it through customs, we found Vera and Basil waiting for us with big smiles outside the terminal and a “Welcome back” sign. We then went to lunch at the Wet Lizard, a restaurant there in Belize City primarily aimed at tourists. We then split up and spent the afternoon acquiring all of the stuff that we’ll need to survive and work at the base for the next two weeks. Vera and Melissa went grocery shopping and Basil and I went shopping for building materials. We ended up going to at least three stores, some of them twice to get all of the building materials we need. We eventually made it back to the hotel where we were staying for the night. After a quick swim and a nice dinner at a local restaurant, we collapsed for the night. This morning, we’re off to finish the last few details that we need to take care of, and then we’ll head off to the base on the boat, weather permitting. There’s been a couple decent squalls and there’s some flooding, so we’ll see what happens!