A Chameleon on a Stick - PART 1

The phrase, "Belize is so fucking beautiful," kept repeating in my head. 

It has become well known across the country that the Catholic Church in Benque celebrates Holy week BIG. It's more important than Christmas! They kick off Holy week celebrating Palm Sunday, Jesus' triumphant entrance. The devout Catholics participate in a short dramatization from the entrance of Benque, the actor playing Jesus even rides on a donkey. But before we get to celebrate Palm Sunday, we need palms...lots of them. A couple days before the church needs the palms, workers start recruiting men to do the honor of going into the jungle and cutting the "palmas". 

"Vamos el viernes a la milla 4 a cortar palmas maestro," said Milo. 

"¡Pues Vamos! Yo quiero ir paral ride. No conozco alli." I answered.

"Esta bueno, va a conocer. Le va gustar." Milo replied excitedly. 

I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I had agreed. As a man of my word I looked forward to that Friday before Palm Sunday, or "Viernes de Dolores" as the Spanish speaking faithful call it. 

My alarm went off at 5:00 a.m., I wanted enough time to get things ready and walk down to the church. We were told to get there at 6:30 a.m., sadly as is the custom nobody started showing up until 6:50 a.m.

"¿Ya llego maestro?" asked Angel 

"Si desde las seis ya estoy aqui," I replied.

"¡Juela! Usted si madruga," chuckled Angel. 

By 7:30 we were still driving around Benque picking up men, and children, to go work. Nobody seemed to want to go. A few gave excuses to not go. It began dawning on me the sort of hell I had gotten into. Grown men were shocked that we were, dare I say brave enough or, dumb enough to go. I found a bit of solace after I waved to the girl on the corner selling Johnny cakes. Her smile and return wave comforted me. We drove up to Mopan and picked up Milo's nephew.  

"¿Que Packs? ¿Estavas durmiendo?" teased Angel 

"Si way." sleepily answered Packs as he rubbed the night off of one eye. 

"Y con chanclas vas a ir?" asked Angel. 

Packs just pushed his lips out and nodded his head. I looked down and saw that he had on a pair of black crocs and short pants. I looked down at my bag and mentally checked what I had in it: long sleeve shirt, long pants, boots, and a gallon of water. 

We were on the road to Arenal. I had only ever gotten as far as where the police booth is now. I got excited when I saw we drove past it and got onto a smooth road, at least compared to the road before the booth. I was looking all around me. I didn't even want to blink the more we drove. The further in we went the only thought that came to mind was, "Belize is so fucking beautiful." The thought kept repeating in my head. 

As I was looking from the valley to the mountaintops Angel looked at us and started talking about the animals around here, and of experiences he's had with other men who have gone with him to cut the palms.

"¿Packs te acordas de esa vez que venimos con un gringo?" asked Angel.

"Si. No podia mas y se quedo abajo de un cero el cuate," answered Packs fondly remembering. 

"Medio monte se quedo el cuate," added Angel.

"Tu le dijiste que se pegue con nosotros porque aqui si salen los tigres," Packs responded.

Angel laughed and said, "Si de lejos estabamos viendo a este gordo. Vimos que volteaba a ver desesperado y gritaba para que le ayuden."

"¿Aqui salen tigres?" I interrupted and asked. 

"Si." answered Packs and Angel nodding their heads. 

 We got to the place we were going to search for the palms. It was beautiful. We were in a valley surrounded by mountains. I looked around as people jumped off the pickup. I kept taking deep breaths because I knew that I would have to go up those hills. 

Milo broke us up into pairs and split us up. He paired me with Angel and sent us West up a steep hill with thick vegetation. We started climbing the mountain.

"Fuck Maestro, tengo ganas de usar el baño. ¿Trajo toilet paper?" said Angel with a worried look.

"No way. Ni pense en eso," I answered. 

"Shux. Voy a tener que usar mi calcetin." joked Angel, or at least I thought he did. I laughed but then I saw him going to take off his boot. 

"Voy a avanzar." I told him. 

"No vaya a voltear a ver para atras Maestro," said Angel. 

I kept climbing, slowly to not go too far from Angel, cutting a path for myself as I went along. I looked around and didn't see any palms. Not long after I heard the breaking of branches further downhill. Angel was coming up. 

"No hay nada aqui arriba," I said. 

"Mejor bajamos, esos no crecen muy arriba. Mas les gusta la sombra." said Angel. 

So, I followed the path he was making downhill. He was going down really fast. I could just barely keep up with him. I was more worried about snakes and slipping. I poked the ground with a staff I had in one hand, and with the other I cleared my way with the machete. As we descended I noticed a chameleon on a stick.

"¡Bway Angel, mira este!" I shouted.

"¿Que es? asked Angel. 

"Bway, no se como se dice en Español, pero es un chameleon." I said. 

"¿Deplano way? ¿Adonde?" asked Angel curiously.

"Alli en ese palo," I pointed.

"No lo miro Maestro," said Angel as he walked back up the hill. 

"Este ve," I said as I poked the chameleon with the stick I had in my hand. 

"Oh si way," exhaled Angel with a sigh of wonder.

As I poked the little animal it looked at me pissed. I got the message that he did not like it so I stopped. 

"Vamos Maestro," Angel told me. 

I looked at him and nodded. He moved down, and I followed him still looking at the chameleon, and the chameleon kept looking at me. I took a right and it moved it's head to the other side of the stick and kept looking at me. I felt really creeped out by it's almost human reaction. We kept going downhill. 

LOOK OUT FOR PART II