A Paradox in Paradise

February 2024

My wife and I recently got back from a mid-winter, 7-day vacation in Belize.  It was the first time we had been to Central America. Now, we have done our share of traveling, and have stayed in some amazing beachside resorts.  Hayman Island in the Coral Sea along the Great Barrier Reef. Maui, Oahu, and the Big Island of Hawaii.  Lanzarote in the Canary Islands of Spain. As well as some amazing resorts in Florida and California. We have been truly blessed.  But our combined exposure to the Caribbean has been limited to a trip to Puerto Rico and a junket for a wedding in Cancun.  And both were many, many years ago.  So, we are neophytes regarding the Caribbean. It almost seemed like we had been actively avoiding it.

Why did we choose Belize as our entry point for experience here?  Well, we had just heard so many good things. Everyone we know that has been, has done so multiple times and raves about the experience. Most can’t wait to return.  Some plan on buying a place there and relocating for their retirement. Others just continue to enjoy visiting and do so year after year.  My wife and I were looking for a winter escape, but we also wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

On this trip, we were going to meet friends that had been there many times before. They gave us their insight and we did some homework.  So, we knew what to expect. We thought we did anyway.  Regardless, we had few expectations or objectives.  We went looking to flee the winter doldrums, get some sunshine, maybe a little exercise, and to relax. What I didn’t expect was how much this adventure would make me think.  How much it would make me wonder about life and its inequalities. The whole experience made me ponder the social dichotomy of a tropical vacation.

First, let me just say that Belize is the adventure traveler’s dream.  From its Mayan history-laced, mountainous jungles, to the long, island dotted Caribbean coastline.  Not to mention the world’s second-largest barrier reef, which lies just offshore, in plain view. So diving, snorkeling, fishing, water sports, literally anything to do with the ocean is there for the taking.  For us, it also had the virtue of accessibility, as it is only about 5 hours via a plane ride or two from where we live. 

Our destination for this adventure was San Pedro, which lies on Ambergris Caye, an island just off the coast of northern Belize. The island is about 25 miles long but is never more than a few miles wide. Ambergris Caye is a popular tourist mecca because of the superb natural beauty of its multicolored waters and the abundant sea life that lies beneath it. The beauty of just flying above the azure waters is unforgettable.  Yet, it is not just nature that is the allure. From what we saw, the island offers a huge selection of luxury resorts, amazing restaurants, and lively nightlife.

We flew in from Detroit via Atlanta.  We landed at a bustling little airport in Belize City.  One that epitomizes the term “organized chaos”.  It was slightly intimidating, but everything went smoothly.  The final flight to the island itself only lasted 15 minutes or so, and it was in a tiny little single engine aircraft crammed full of tourists and luggage.  This flight landed at an even smaller airport, essentially just a single landing strip and a pole barn.  I loved it!  We reclaimed our luggage, in itself a unique experience, and were met by prearranged transportation that was provided by our hotel.  We were quickly whisked away on what appeared to be the main drag of San Pedro.

San Pedro itself is a vibrant little town and the hub of the island. From what we heard from our friends and from visitors that have been coming for decades, it wasn’t too many years ago that San Pedro was just a tiny village with few vehicles and sand streets.  A community mainly inhabited by local fisherman.  Yet now it is culturally diverse and bustling, the streets packed with people walking, riding golf carts, motorcycles, and bicycles. There were street food vendors aplenty, along with kids in uniforms, trekking to and from school. Dusty, bumpy streets crossed at random by stray dogs, cats, and even iguanas. 

At first, it was all a bit overwhelming.  But it created a particular energy that ended up being very stimulating.  Especially for someplace that has “Be Kind” and “Slow Down” as its mottos.  In our short trip to the hotel, we realized that we weren’t in Kansas anymore! But we had open minds.  There was no turning back regardless. Don’t get me wrong, even with the hustle and bustle of locals and tourists it was a happy crowd. We never really felt unsafe.  In a 5-minute commute, we were provided with a flavor of the unique environment we were entering. Almost too quickly, we were at our hotel.

What we immediately noticed was the massive difference between the reality of the main streets of San Pedro and our opulent tropical paradise.  Our hotel was called “Alaia”, which literally means “Sublime”.  A very accurate description.  It occupied a prime location directly on the beach. Pools abounded as did palm filled gardens, restaurants, and bars.  Not too busy but lively, with mainly an adult crowd. And of course, the weather was perfect.

And the service?  It was impeccable.  It seemed that everyone we met in our resort was a local, and each was as kind and polite as you could possibly believe. They always had a smile on their face, a laugh, a wink for you. They all remembered our names for our entire stay. Their whole demeanor was one of island magic, with accents full of a relaxing lilt and tropical charm.  And this was true both inside and outside of the resort. On the streets and in the businesses we frequented. Whether it was a restaurant, a shop, a tiny beach bar, or merely a passerby on the street.  So, the place and the people were everything they had been built up to be. A great place to do loads of fun stuff or do nothing at all. But of course, my brain got in the way of all that.

Ok, I have written the easy stuff.  Provided you with my set up.  Now trying to write how I began feeling is a different matter.  Let’s just say, once I was forced to relax, to stop life and start living, things changed for me.  This state of mind brought forth a thoughtfulness and I became reflective. As we were being catered to by the indigenous, I started to feel like we, the advantaged, were taking advantage of those with little or no advantage at all.  I started feeling guilt, maybe melancholy, even sadness.

I was stuck on the fact that they have a beautiful place, and we have the means to come and use it. Essentially to use them. That made me ponder great many things.  But essentially, I started to compare their lives to our lives. Our worries versus theirs. And even more holistically, the imbalance of wealth in the world. Deep thoughts and very confusing indeed.  For a while, I was not in a great place.  Mired in guilt and feeling like an enabler of a rotten system of injustice.  I needed to know more.

We had rented a golf cart.  I took the opportunity several times during the day to drive down the side roads. Into the parts of the community where the real people lived.  Neighborhoods like we often have back in our hometowns, but we generally try to avoid them. I met local people, I talked to them. I gave a couple a ride to work.  I talked to the servers and bartenders at our resort.  I listened to their stories. How they grew up, the difficulties they had to overcome. 

What I discovered surprised me.  But it shouldn’t have.  I found out that they are proud people. Successful people.  But mostly, they are happy people. They had little in the way of possessions because they do not seem to covet them.  They have little in the way of worries because that’s not their nature.  But they do have a great deal in terms of happiness.   You can quickly sense their contentment and satisfaction with life. That made me think.

I started to wonder if happiness is what I have always thought it was.  Maybe it’s much different.  If you use a Belizean lens, it seems a very simple thing indeed. You don’t need a lot of stuff, you don’t need to travel to distant lands, you don’t need to live in a mansion in a fine neighborhood. I began to think that people are happiest when they value simple things. Which made me wonder still, maybe they have it right and we are the disadvantaged?  Given we spend a great deal of our lives seeking happiness and most of us never truly find it.  These people seemed to have nothing, yet they seem not to be looking for much. And they are very, very happy.  That made me think even further. 

For us, happiness at the personal level always seems so short-lived. And that is because the “objects” we seek that drive happiness for us don't last! So, most of us go through life continuously searching for things to make us happy. When we occasionally find them, they are always temporary.  So, the search is frustrating, and lacks satisfaction. And it takes away a great deal of life’s energy.

What I learned in Belize is that the people there seemed to spend their energy embracing life. They seemed content accepting whatever comes their way. They seemed able to smile, laugh and serve others with joy. They did not appear to be on any quest to acquire things; they were letting life come to them and living it. They found simple satisfaction in working, talking, listening, and laughing. They were not seeking happiness; they were endeavoring to give it.

After letting these thoughts occupy my mind for several days, I decided to use the lessons I was learning.  I grabbed another mimosa and sat back in the warm sunshine and let paradise take me away.  I started to feel contentment just being there.  Truly relaxing for the first time in a very long while.  Not endeavoring to do anything, to buy anything, or partake in any organized affair. Just being in the now. It was an epiphany!

Yet, I continued to ask questions, to listen to stories and to wonder about life.  But I had a new mentality about it.  I had stopped searching for a feeling and started to let myself feel. Our walks became more meaningful, our golf cart rides less dusty and bumpy, and the reggae music resonated in my soul in a way it hadn’t before. Once again, it was magnificent!  I hadn’t solved the problem of the global distribution of wealth, but I had developed an understanding of the origins of happiness. And an awareness that wealth and prosperity are not what drives happiness in the first place.

Now I knew why we avoided travelling to this region.  We didn’t understand it.  We feared it.  There are poor people there.  There is poverty. It hurts to see, and it makes you think.  But if we learn from what we are seeing.  If we look beyond the hovels and junk filled yards.  Those things that we consider hardship and deprivation.  If we talk, and listen, and hear.  We find out that life and happiness are not bound by wealth.  Prosperity is not defined by possessions.  That affluence itself can be what constrains us and keeps us from being what these people are.  And that is genuinely happy.   Now that is wonderful! And something to truly Belize in.