Blogs from Belize Barrier Reef, Belize, Central America Caribbean - page 22

For travel journal click here: We stayed on the island of Ambergris Caye (in a remote area 3 to 4 miles north of San Pedro). Most of these photos are of Lamanai (the ruins of the former Maya city which translates to "Submerged Crocodile") which is in the Orange Walk District in northern Belize.... read more

When we arrive in Belize we went straight out to the islands with Bob and Miriam and spend the first 2 nights in San Pedro. The appearance is of a small European city, but the atmosphere is all Caribbean. Instead of cars everyone drives golf carts, so of course we had to rent one for a night and rip around the island. Everything here was slow paced, grooving to the reggae music coming from every doorway. Then there’s the chicken drop… And it really is just how it sounds, they put a chicken in a fenced off square with a numbered grid. Ahead of time people have bought numbers and if the chicken shits on your number you win $100 Belize ($30 Canadian)!!! The catch is that you have to wipe up the poo with a ... read more

Flores, Guatemala. A touristy island many stop at on the way to Tikal or Belize. It’s very quiet and nice view with a lake surrounding, but very expensive and catering to tourists. On one street is all of the souvenir vendors who sell the same items (shirts, postcards, handbags, small crafts or Central America memorabilia) for comparably the same prices, though a few shops you can get them to barter the price down a bit. To get here, we took a ‘luxury’ bus across the border, just needing a stamp and passport check to cross, easy enough. Then we took a bus to the town of Santa Elena where we took a 5 minute drive in a tuk-tuk to Flores. Flores is an island connected to the mainland by a road bridge. The roads are being ... read more

Wow! Wow! Wow! is all I can say!! Absolutely loving where we are, on the island of Ambergris, in the town of San Pedro in the Belize Barrier Reef. The Barrier Reef here is the 2nd largest in the world after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. We arrived here on the 7am ferry from Corozal after staying there for our first night in Belize. It's exactly what I imagined a tropical paradise to be like; crystal clear blue-green waters, white sand, coconut trees everywhere. But it's much more than that, it's the great food, relaxed, laidback atmosphere and most importantly the great friendly people. Everyone is so helpful and friendly and we seem to know half the people on the island after only 3 days; just stopping to say hello to someone here, waying at ... read more

Ever since arriving in Belize, I have been bombarded with the propaganda of the Whale Shark. It’s such an elusive giant, it’s found in only a handful of places on our planet, and it’s migratory and reproduction habits are only guessed. But some things are known for sure, like each spring during the weeks of the full moon they visit the Belize Barrier Reef at Gladden Spit to feed on the spawning snapper’s roe. These majestic fish can grow up to 40 feet long and weigh over 20 tons, although they are usually only the size of a school bus.  This wonder of the world is right here in our backyard, and we were not going to miss it! Anne, Steve, their visiting daughter Katy, Aly, Zach, and Tyler and I all picked the 3rd ... read more