It was another blue ski sunny day in Belize City. The taxis were ferrying about their passengers to points unknown. The locals were on their way out for the morning shopping or the job. A handful of tourist were standing on the corner at the swinging bridge with their guidebook in hand trying desperately to determine their next move.

I have just returned by way of the 6:30am first water taxi of the day following a relaxing week on the island of Caye Caulker. As I walked out the door from the marine terminal, I immediately cut a deal with an aging man leaning against a station wagon he used as a taxi. Seconds later I was on my way to the Belize City Municipal Airport.

It’s less than ten minutes by taxi from the marine terminal to the airport. The ride is a pleasant one as it takes you along the newly constructed sea front are, then by the Princess Hotel and Casino, then down a few side streets and you’re there.

Once inside the Maya Island Air terminal, a modern comfortable building with a passenger’s lounge area complete with a television. At the counter I queried the clerk regarding the next flight to Punta Gorda. As luck would have it I had just enough time to catch the next flight. I paid my the one way ticket fare of US$88.00 and within ten minutes my luggage and I were onboard the 8am flight.

From Belize City the plane headed south along the shoreline. The first stop was Dangriga where two men got off while one local lady and two backpackers with floppy hats and Teva sandals got on. The turnaround on the ground in Dangriga was less than ten minutes.

Soon after we were once again airborne. From Dangriga the flight headed a little inland. In the distance you could easily make out Victoria Peak, some say the highest peak in the Maya Mountains range. As I was looking off into the distance I realized we were banking again and heading for another landing. This time we were arriving into the Savannah Airport at Big Creek near the village of Independence. The Belizean lady that had boarded in Dangriga departed.

With no other passengers to board in Big Creek, my fellow passengers were up and away in seconds. And just as quick as we were up we were again heading back down. This time the pilot was aiming for a thin strip of runway. As we flew low over the water you could see over the pilots shoulder that at the other end of the runway separated only by a stretch of dirt road was water.

We had now parked at the terminal in Placencia. Everyone on the plane offloaded except me and the pilot. I then asked if a I could sit in the co-pilot seat and the pilot said “yes man”.

After about ten minutes on the ground in Placencia, we taxied down the runway and headed off again into the wild blue yonder. The flight further south to the last outpost in Belize took about fifteen minutes. Down below the pilot pointed out Monkey River and the village of Monkey River Town. Soon after over to the left he pointed out the Snake Cayes and then the idyllic paradise of Moho Caye.

As we made the approach to Punta Gorda the pilot pointed out the Golden Stream and the Rio Grande River that drained into the Port of Honduras marine Reserve. We hard bank to the left we landed into the Punta Gorda Airport exactly one hour and twenty after we departed Belize City.