Bikers Meet in the Middle and Fall in Love with Placencia

By JOLIE POLLARD Editor in Chief The Placencia Breeze pollard.jolie@gmail.com

On Friday, May 3, over 200 bikers roared into the Tipsy Tuna Seaside and Sports Bar for the fifth anniversary of the Black Pearl Motorcycle Club (MC) "Meet in the Middle Rally." Bikers travelled from as far as Canada for the event of camaraderie. Others came from the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica and from various corners of Belize. This was Black Pearl MC’s first “Meet in the Middle Rally” in Placencia Village and according to the Club, it most definitely won’t be their last.

The bikers quickly made themselves at home under the beach front deck canopy at the Tipsy Tuna, and curious Placencians and visitors were happy to join in on the fun. Blues and classic rock band of Placencia, “The Unemployables,” played from 4 to 7 p.m. followed by visiting rock band, "Surpassing Silence" at 8 p.m. into the late hours of the night. More rock followed on Saturday with an energetic performance by "Abraxas."

“Placencia is so beautiful. I like the vibe, the people, the weather … the girls,” said Norman Santiago of Nicaragua with a hearty laugh. He had a bump in his journey to Placencia and had to finish the trip on a plane. Fjord Botten was lucky to make it all the way from Alberta, Canada along with his friend Sue during the course of 11 days without much of a hitch. “There were some long days riding through Mexico, but it was really good,” Botten said. “I’ve been following the promotions for this rally for the past four years, and this is the first time I finally made the arrangements to make it.”

Founding member of Black Pearl MC, Bill Dominguez, said he thought Placencia would be a convenient place for all the bikers to meet considering the availability of accommodations, restaurants and just the general beach attractions in the area. “This is awesome. We are here by the sea. We are experiencing culture and warmth,” he said. So awesome, in fact, Dominguez already has his sights set on planning another “Meet in the Middle Rally” in Placencia at the Tipsy Tuna. “We just love everything about this place,” he said.

It took a lot for the bikers to make the trip. Many talked about the sacrifices they made with work, their families and personal resources to meet with fellow bikers and celebrate the Vroom! Vroom! Vroom! culture with their North and Central American brothers and sisters.

Tipsy Tuna thanks their staff, Big Beck’s BBQ, Dulce Fabro, Merl’s Cafe, Tiffanie Westby, Em’s Fast Food, Placencia BTIA, Laura Godfrey, Denise’s Originals, Lloydia Westby, Jeanna Casey, L&R Liquors, Elite Security, Placencia Village Council and Bowen & Bowen for helping to make the event a fun success.

Black Pearl MC was born in Belize in 2010 as the first exclusive distributor of Harley Davidson motorcycles and birthed the country's new biker culture. Co-founder Bill Dominguez, originally from Panama, met his Belizean wife while running the outlet in Belize for 13 years. Today they live in Chitre, Panama with Belize still in their heart ▪

Bill Dominguez (center) and his Black Pearl comrades say they are looking forward to "Meet in the Middle" in Placencia again.

JOLIE POLLARD

John Martinez from Houston, Texas revs up his bike at the Tipsy Tuna.

JOLIE POLLARD

Motorcycles from North and Central America line the Tipsy Tuna sidewalk.

JOLIE POLLARD

Fjord Botten poses with Karl the stuffed toy who joined him on an 11-day journey to Placencia Village from Alberta, Canada along with his friend, Sue.

JOLIE POLLARD