HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS

My original plan, when asked, was to "take the toll roads" and we have tried

to do that. You would expect a road, shown on the map as very good, to be

four lane but that is not always the case. However, the newer toll roads

are four lane. That is not to say they are wonderful -- many are patched

and repatched, but the four-lane (and I mean 2 lanes each way, for anyone

who hasn't traveled much) at least always have a passing lane. This is the

reason I suggested that Belize needs a four-lane road from north to south

and east to west. I can't believe the amount of static I got from people on

that one. I still think it's a good idea, but one that we'll never see

because

1) The GOB takes gasoline taxes to run the government

2) Half of that winds up "where the sun don't shine" rather than in

circulation

I suggested that BZ could turn the job over to some "turnpikers" -- American

civil engineers & road constructors -- on an iron-clad 20 year contract that

would guarantee that they got their money back, plus interest, and we got a

pretty good road for ourselves at the end of that time. It would be a toll

road, and it wouldn't cost us a dime of investment! Turnpikes in

Pennsylvania, Kansas, Colorado, Illinois and Texas have proved the concept

time and time again. The only people who pay are the people who use the

resource -- a strong, fine Libertarian principle. So, I don't understand

why there was so much resistance. I guess Belizeans just prefer to give the

GOB the money so that they won't have to worry about seeing it, or any

evidence of it, again.

We got on the toll roads at Vera Cruz, after we visited the largest Wal-Mart

Supercenter I have ever seen. It was wonderful. We got beer, water, a

couple of pillow cases, headphones for Tim to listen to his CDs on, and a

couple of pairs of scissors. (our nose hair is growing out of control!)

The speed limit on the toll road is 110 km/hr, about 65 mph, and clearly, as

in Texas, that is an advisory. I can hear the Mexican with his new Toyota,

VW, Nissan, whatever. "This thing says 150 k/h and that's what I'm going to

do." In other words, lots of people "blowing our doors off" as they pass.

Thank goodness they can do that.

We had one of those wonderful driving experiences you dream of, just as we

were leaving Costa Esmirelda. The beach strip has at least a dozen killer

_topes_ (speedbumps, pronounced "TOE-PAY" and shouted loudly whenever you

spot one) and we were lined up behind a big tractor-trailer "train" (doble

trailers) crossing a tope when a couple of gringo SUVs came barreling along,

swung over to the on-coming lane and hit that tope at about 50 mph. We

heard a resounding CLANG, and as we pulled away, still behind the Train, we

saw them on the shoulder, examining their muffler, which was dragging the

ground. Licence plates from Texas & Tennesee, Yahoo's, huh?

In general, I have always opposed speed-bumps because they punish everyone,

guilty and innocent alike, but here in the third world they are a way of

life, and a practical solution to how you slow speeders in school zones and

play areas. At a military stop, I pointed out a hawser to Tim and explained

how my fisherman friends in Belize can get me a couple of those to use on

Fifth Street. I have always planned to put up a "Children Playing" sign,

and lay down a hawser in front of the Cafe, because cars frequently pass the

place doing fifty -- and of course, the limit is 25 all over Corozal.

There are lots of Police in Mexico, and there was a time when that would

have made me uneasy, but I'm reassured now. As we strolled downtown

Acayucan last night, circling the Plaza, there was a whole truckload of

cammy-clad Federales, lurking about a block away. The streets, on Sunday

night, were ablaze with lights, food wagons selling corn, fried plantanas,

snowcones, etc. Pretty neat, and we felt safe. Tim loves Mexico, as I knew

he would.

If any of you read my account of the trailer trip down thru Mexico 

("A Once in a Lifetime Experience") I should explain that the

difficulties were multiple. Hauling a trailer, with a Scout, which is a

very poor towing vehicle, at about 40MPH max, on mountain roads with no

shoulders. The hard part is going slow, because the trucks and Busses pass

you going AT LEAST 55 and probably faster. Betsy does 65 easily on a decent

road, so we are actually passing some trucks.

People told me "the toll roads are really expensive" and maybe they will

cost us about half what we will spend for gas. I project $100 for gas, and

$50 for tolls. But you can make much better time, and do it much more

safely.

A note about trucks. The roads in Mexico are really not built for

100,000lb-loaded trucks, and of course, they certainly aren't in Belize!!

Any of those trucks coming into Belize should be taxed with astronomical

road taxes, if they are permitted at all. And the speed-limits for trucks

should be lower, especially in areas that are inhabited. And, perhaps we

should enforce the limits with a radar gun and very stiff fines. The truck

drivers and bus drivers in Belize are just terribly bold, and the gasoline

truck drivers are the worst. Who wants to run head-on into a Gasoline truck?

So, anyway. The song for the day:

"Did you every hear tell of sweet Betsy, from Pike?

Who crossed the wide mountains with her lover, Ike.

With two yolk of oxen and an old yeller dog,

A tall Shanghai rooster, and one spotted hog!"

And the chorus is even better

"Toorly dang-pie, de-dang-pie, de-dang-pie, de-day."

Senor Reek

Singing his way thru Mexico

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