Blogs from Stann Creek District, Belize, Central America Caribbean - page 2

Dangriga is the capital of the Southern Region of Belize. It is a laid back, working town on the coast and doesn't itself have much to do. During the week that I have been staying here, the town has grown on me and shown a lot more character than I have anticipated. It's population is a varied culture of people, from Mayans, To Garfuna, Creol and apparently the ChineSE who run the supermarkets! With regards to elective, We have been working in the Southern Region hospital which is a lot more developed that I expected- it has paeds, Obs and gynae, surgery and internal medicine as well as a polyclinic (which is basically GP). The populations main obvious problem is diabetes, which can be easily explained by the sugary drinks and cheap fried food available everywhere. ... read more

It's been a few days so I have some catching up to do! I think the last time I posted, it was last Wednesday after our fishing/snorkeling tour and then our boat dive on Tuesday. Wednesday we took the day off and relaxed by the pool. It was somewhat cloudy and the locals said their was a "cool front" coming through from up north, so we stayed close to home. Thursday was another day of rest and lounging by the pool. Friday we decided to try our hand at being our own inland tour guides and to visit a chocolate factory and a spice farm. These tours are normally about $85 per person when using the local tour guides but since we have access to a vehicle we decided to try the tour on our own. ... read more

Today was a quiet day, one more day to shake the jet lag, and adjust to the heat and humidity. We drove to Splash Dive Shop today and set up our first dive trip for tomorrow, 2 tank boat dive, lunch and a snorkeling out on the Barrier Reef. We are all looking forward to the trip, me with trepidation because I don't like boats and our trip will start with a 40 - 60 minute boat ride to the reef. I've already started eating ginger pills to ward of sea sickness. I hope they work not only for my sake but for everyone else on the boat. We did do a little snorkeling today on our way back from the dive shop as it was hot and there is no air conditioning in the vehicle ... read more

All good things must come to an end, including our month in Belize. We end things off by spoiling ourselves with the best lobster dinner in town at The Secret Garden, oh my, I can still feel all the butter dripping down our chins - yummmm. Lobster season is still on here until the end of January. If you are planning a trip here, we suggest that you bring more money than you originally budget because it's expensive, more expensive than Mexico that's for sure. We aren't the only ones who ran out of the spending money we planned. Food, beer and alcohol is all really about the same or a even a little more expensive compared to home, with the exception of rum, which is super cheap. Real estate, which I've written about before, is ... read more

Everyone is a little different in terms of their expectations for a vacation. We picked Belize to rest, relax and rejuvenate after a very busy year of work and here are our top picks about the place: At the top of the list is the two little Islands we visited by boat tour, Laughing Bird Caye and Ranguana Island. Both are nothing short of spectacular right from the time you approach them by boat, white sand beaches, palm trees waving in the wind, pelicans fishing, beautiful warm clear ocean water, great snorkelling - basically these were just post card perfect for a tropical vacation expectation and something not to be missed. In a close second is our accomodations. Without really knowing anything about the place, somehow we ended up in the nicest neighbourhood in Placencia. Sure ... read more