I drove a cart from Mata Grande to town and back today. Advice - don't do it right now .....

Details -

Bridge area - the new concrete road surface is going in quickly from Los Compadres north, BUT that means a diversion through San Juan and that area is a mess. If you are heading north to the bridge, there is no detour sign --- turn left at Los Compadres, go one block, then turn right at the first "corner" --- follow the mud til you get to the garbage truck area behind the bridge toll booth --- then try to get on the bridge. It's confusing if you are headed north due to no signs. If you are headed south, after the bridge just head south along the rutted path of least resistance. Unfortunately some of the puddles are sulfur-smelling slippery-mud. Yucky, yucky. I made it through but it was not very much fun.

Other Areas - listed from north to south .....
**Mata Grande - generally good
**Spanish Reef - along beach - good
**Through/behind Journey's End - big puddles but none made of wheel-sucking mud - drive slowly through them as they have some quite-deep spots. You can make it, but may not be super-clean after the journey.
****Solaria south to Seascape - potholes and puddles but nothing terminally scary
*** Seascape to Belizean Shores - do-able, nothing you can't navigate
*** BElizean Shores, Coco Beach ...... very nice.
** Essene Way - poor
*** Captain Morgan's - between the view of the resort's old garbage heap (which I am told they will remove soon - let's hope and pray!)and the mudholes to drive through - pretty darn bad.
**** Behind Capricorn area - the road is widening daily and so is the puddle people seek to avoid.
**** South of there ..... some good, some super-bad bad but the names of the areas begin to blur in my cart-addled mind. This is where I wondered why I even thought of doing this drive.
*** Grand Caribe - directly behind GC is in great shape.
*** Tres Cocos - quite nice overall - some ify areas, but do-able for sure.
***** Reef Village - vastly improved !!
Bridge area - quickly being dealt with, but would recommend avoiding the area for a few more days.

And now to shower off the mud and have a beer.

Yours Truly -
Ambergris Caye's Road Warrior

Mata Grande is where it just starts to get bad, try going North...no don't I wouldn't even wish that on you!

We rode our bikes from Grand Caribe into town today. The San Juan "detour", as Diane says, is a real mess. The mud is gooey, sticky, slippery, and wheel-sucking. I was peddling like crazy and praying I wouldn't go down. Mind you, I have been riding my bike to town nearly daily since September, so I am more experienced in dodging and dealing with the mud and puddles on a bike than someone newer to the island or a tourist on a rental bike. I feel for them, I really do.

I was excited to see the improvements in the road in front of Reef Village as those road-width deep puddles got really old, but now there's this to replace it.

It's always something!

Emily