Paradise is exactly like…

… where you are right now, only much, much better.

I keep saying that to myself, but there would have to be a whole lot of “better” applied to Texas to make it compare with Belize.

Or at least, the parts of Belize that are fancied up for tourists.

I absolutely loved vacationing there, but in a way it makes me feel very strange and somewhat guilty. The resort that we were at was the definition of “tropical paradise,” with your every need taken care of and the surroundings groomed to perfection. But just a few miles away, in Hopkins Village or any number of similar villages in “the real Belize,” the poverty is heartbreaking. Families live in 100 square foot shacks made of rotting wood, corrugated tin, and palm thatch roofs. If you’re lucky, your house is raised up on stilts to keep it away from the water that perpetually puddles on the ground in this rain-soaked country. The minimum wage is approximately $1 (US).

Much of the time, I really felt like a “rich white American” intruding in their country — out of place and guilty for lounging around at a luxury resort all week. But is it a good thing that my money is flowing into their economy? Do I actually help the Belizeans by contributing to their tourism industry?