Blogs from Belize, Central America Caribbean - page 13

After a smooth and simple border crossing from Guatemala, and with our alcohol stash thankfully still intact, our surroundings changed dramatically. Belize looked, well, totally Caribbean. All the pastel-coloured houses stand tall on stilts and the vast majority of locals speak a raw creole tongue that sounds a world away from English, even though English is at its core. Others speak with a strong North American accent. It soon became apparent that our four weeks of studying Spanish in Guatemala were not going to be put to good use anytime soon. Our good friend Becky from back in Brighton came to meet us just before the border crossing and was joining us for our first few days in the country and a four day Christmas jaunt on Caye Caulker, a tiny coral island 20 miles ... 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

I left Playa Del Carmen and hopped onto a bus to the small country of Belize. My sister has done this Central America trip before so she told me I have to have to have to go to the island of Caye Caulker in Belize ... and that's where I decided to go. It was a night bus journey taking 8 hours. As I reached border control I remembered an article I read earlier saying that if you are in Mexico for only a few days then don't pay the exit fee despite how much they try and force you to do so. I was tempted to hide on the bus or run around the customs building to the other side and cheat the system (easily doable) but I opted to stay within the boundaries of ... read more

We arrived in Placencia yesterday at 5:00 after a 2 hour wait on the tarmac in Houston, thank you United Airlines. It seems the oxygen bottle for the flight crew was empty, and we waited for maintenance to bring the new bottle for an hour and a half, and another half hour for them to install. United Airlines pilot repeatedly came on and apologized for this seemingly ridiculous oversight, with phrases such as "we are very sorry for the delay, and we are highly embarrassed", which did nothing for the mood of the passengers. Even worse was the announcement for "the flight attendants please take your seats" when after another 1/2 hour we still hadn't pulled away from the gate. When we arrived in Placencia, at 3:45 p.m. it was a totally different story. We were ... read more

Belize is unique in itself, but the small islands that make up this Central America country are simply “UN-belizable”. The island of Ambergris Caye is soaked in Belizean culture. Ambergris Caye is the largest of the Belizean islands at 25 miles long and only 1 mile wide. Belize is a short flight from Atlanta, at two and a half hours. The weather is always a warm 80 degrees with very comfortable nights. The people of Belize are friendly and of many different ethnic backgrounds. Iguanas scamper free and are plentiful, dashing across the resort property, climbing trees or scaling a deck post. Ambergris Caye is an untouched gem. There are no big businesses or major hotel chains, only tiny shops and stores that line the narrow streets that are filled with golf cart traffic. There are ... read more