Belize

Sailing, diving, rum drinking, Maya temple visiting, rain forest hiking & canoeing. Superb holiday destination!

Its a funny story… Ive always wanted to travel to central america and i could decide on which country to visit. Soo i decided to stand in front of my map (which was plastered on my wall) and close my eyes, and pick randomly pick a country. Viola! I choose Belize City.

Belize is absolutely breath taking and as the natives would say it, unbelizable.

The FOOD was aamazing…the portions and spices, they sunset and sunrise was an unforgettable site…belize is truly a paradise…a place to escape all of the world’s madness and truly explore tranquilty.

Get a good deal on airfare and head to Belize City … but don’t stay there. The Radisson Hotel is the only decent hotel and it smells like the ocean. It’s a little musty. There’s very little in the area to visit. If you’re a scuba diver like me, head to the small airport past the casino and fly over to Ambergris Caye. Book yourself into Ramon’s. http://www.ramons.com/ The have the best diving tours. The Hol Chin Marine reserve is a great dive area. The channel dive is nice and only 100 feet deep. Shark alley is a great dive as are the currents in “Tres Coconuts” that carry you along for a free ride thru. Skip the Blue Hole unless you just want the listing in your dive book. 60 feet down and No fish and loads of sharks down there inside the rim and past there it’s just plain dark and very deep (400 feet). The little shack on the beach has great food and old Belikin beer. The flight over from Belize is fun .. just ask the pilot to let you ride in the front seat. As you pass the island that is all golf course, you’ll see the landing airstrip ( it looks like a postage stamp) Hang on for an exhilarating landing. If you do stay at the Radisson look around just outside for a local (Harold) who I highly recommend for a local guide and a great trip to the Belize Zoo. He knows all the animals there by name. They’ll even come to the fence and you can scratch the black leopards chin.

“When was the last time you did something for the first time?” Try zip-lining through the rainforest. Awesome!

I spent 24 amazing days here in the summer of 2002. I have visited other times, but it was that summer that changed my life. For days I wrote, read, swam, drank, lounged, and thought without thinking at all. It was perhaps the first time I felt true inner peace and understood myself. I felt powerful and alive; I was truly happy for those fleeting moments. That is what life is all about.

Don’t miss the Cayo District and Rio Frio cave!

There was a tv program on Discovery and it featured Belize. It was depicted so beautiful, cultural, and full of rich, unpolluted land. The animals, plants, and sea experiences, including the amazing colors, were all a part of the draw of Belize in this special. They interviewed several people from other countries originally, who had moved to Belize to have such an inspiring environment. Several of the people interviewed were artists. I feel like a jam packed trip to Belize would be better than winning the lottery & you don’t have to win the lottery to be able to afford this trip.

Belize was an enduring and enchanting country. The people are interesting and inviting to learn their culture. The rain forests are a spectacular site that no one should miss. You will see spider monkeys in the trees and some of the most beautiful and colorful birds that exist. If you have a chance to eat some of their fresh mango, try it!! I will never forget this delicious fruit’s taste. Snorkeling in Caye Caulker is a must. Close to the blue hole, you will see an underwater world of beauty one cannot describe in words.

Ok, so I was expecting paradise, I didn’t find it on Ambergris Caye, I found it in the ocean.

My friend went to Belize (Caye Caulker, Ambergris Caye, inland to the temples, etc) and the pics he brought back and the stories were incredible. It was off-season so I thought, what the heck, I’ll give it a try! I was excited to get to the reefs!

Well, I Ambergris Caye wasn’t for me. It was too touristy and EXPENSIVE, (try $50 for a lunch for two at a little place on the beach, couple sandwiches and iced teas). I stayed on the north end and found it difficult to get to the small downtown area, no road, you’ve got to go on the narrow beach in places and walk/bike or take the $15 water taxi. So I rode a bike, no lights, over 5 miles each way…it sucked when you wanted to relax with some cocktails and then try to maneuver your way back up the unkept beach (watertaxi stopped around 10:00pm).

The worst part was there was really no swimming off the beaches, it’s all sea grass and speed boats are allowed to cruise inside the reef, which is where you’d want to swim/snorkel/etc, so forget that, I just wasn’t comfortable, I’d have to work to get out there…oh well…

Now, all that said, the most incredible thing was obviously, the reef. You have to take a tour or a boat of some kind to get out to it. (Which, if I ever go back, I will be staying on a boat versus the land.) INCREDIBLE! Huge 6’+ moray eel, schools of Blue Tang/Surgeonfish, baracuda, sharks, rays, all kinds of coral, just gorgeous!

I’m glad I went, even though I was disappointed. I’ve learned to research everywhere now to make sure it’s somewere that more matches what I’m looking for – laid back, less touristy, close reefs.

I’m off to Bonaire next and couldn’t be more exited, snorkeling and diving to the reefs just off the beaches in a protected marine park, yahoo!

Ummm we had a bad day there… so i dont kno I dont havea good look toward it.