How could a tour to exotic Belize be simple with a guide like this? Think Hercule Poirot, James Bond and Rick Steves in one body. He is ably assisted by Winnie, his young Chinese girl Friday. There is a rumor that he won her in a Bangkok card game. The guide’s considerable talents are displayed when his tour group is targeted by a terrorist group who wants to discredit the government by killing tourists.
Genre: FICTION / GeneralModerate sales
Belize is Mayan and green. Ruins of the lost Mayan civilization are scattered about the countryside, usually surrounded by lush rainforest. Abundant rains nourish the trees and understory of the forest without seriously hindering enjoyment of the romantic monuments.
It must be admitted that tourists come to Belize to see the ancient Mayan ruins and to marvel at the wonders of the rainforest and the exotic animals. But for the average tourist, it is not the Mayan past or the natural splendor that is the principal attraction of the country. It is the hotel terrace bar. Here the visitors find the reason for coming and the justification for the expense.
One steps from the hotel lobby to the terrace set in a civilized wilderness, green and inviting. Walkways of crushed stone or bark meander through the lush cultivated forest of palms, ferns and flowers. Paths are lighted with knee-high subdued lighting, bright enough to avoid losing one’s way, but not so bright to interfere with dreamy contemplation or imagining chance encounters around the next turning. All of which senses and expectations are stimulated by having already visited the bar.
The terrace bar is the gathering place. One alights from the tour bus and gravitates to the bar to recap and evaluate the day’s experience. Then up to the room to freshen up, and a return to the bar for a drink before dinner. After dinner, one meets one’s companions to finish a fine day with a final drink. Or two. Or three.
They sipped their drinks. Arriving early at the bar, they had the bartender all to themselves. They had engaged him in an extended discussion about the favorite drinks of Belize and had settled on a piña colada.
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German
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Already translated.
Translated by Manuela Schneider
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Portuguese
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Already translated.
Translated by Piter Boll
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Spanish
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Already translated.
Translated by Alberto Gonzales
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Author review: Alberto Gonzales was always responsive, reliable and did a commendable translation. I recommend him. |
