Belize! http://www.lonelyplanet.com/belizeAs one could have figured, we didn't really think of the layovers in hours but in minutes. So, the two 6 hour lay overs we had in coming to Belize, not to mention the red eye flight in between, really kicked our butts! Once the plane was on the ground and we stepped through the doors, there was an immediate wall of humidity; one of those walls of heat from the memorable weight cutting saunas from years ago. The terrain was so flat and far enough from the Belize City that we really couldn't get a feel of what was to come.
As we have learned over the years, cab rides within local towns in foreign countries are generally quick; This $20.00 / 10 mile ride set the tone for driver etiquette in Belize. Here we were in this tattered 1980 station wagon, getting the ultimate thrill ride. Speeding, passing on corners not to mention a few horn honks for those who were walking along the road; very much the norm in Belize.
Once into Belize City we wasted no time in getting right to water taxi area. The "ferry" ride to the Cayes (keys)! WOW!! Lets just say we were in a 40' open air boat with three 225hp motors. Seats 20-30 right; wrong! Fifty-five plus bodies and their gear loaded onto the boat; after all it was the last trip out of town for the day.The captain was VERY upset at the fact that so many people were getting on his boat to a point that we had about 12-15 inches of clearance to the water. It was also interesting to witness that our American slang words are universal. Hmm, it is a small world after all.
The ride was very nice and wet; ninety minutes to Ambergris Cayes from Belize City. We passed by many other islands while in route as well as an 18 hole exclusive golf course in the middle of no where. $220.00us for a full day of being wined and dined and oh yes, some golf is the sticker price.
Once back on land in San Pedro, Ambergris Cayes, we relaxed and took in some of the "low key" sites and sounds of the island. We hung out in the open air bars in the evening to listen to live music. We also got to go into some of the local schools where we handed out playground balls, basketballs, and footballs. The kids had no idea what a football was so they spent the evening shooting it through the hoops at the local play ground.By far the most developed of the cayes, Ambergris is still fairly laid-back. San Pedro is a true town – more impressive in a lot of ways than the nation’s capital, but there are enough sandy streets and beachside bars to maintain the impression of a tropical paradise.
Outside of town, mostly to the south, large resorts and gated retirement villages are springing up with frightening regularity. Even so, there are still a surprising amount of budget-friendly establishments in the downtown area.
Here is a shot of main street San Pedro. Seeing actual trucks in the Cayes was a rare sight. Golf carts and bicycles were the main modes of transportation.
Belize is home to the second longest barrier reef in the world. Who knew?
So we took a snorkeling trip out to the reef area where we swam with rays and "nurse" sharks. And, oh ya, Bev wanted no part of the swimming but did dress up for the occasion; woooo hoooo!
Off to Caye Caulker. If we were thinking that San Pedro was low key, then we just stepped back into time to true "Island life" Needless to say, our stay was brief as we were looking for things to do and explore. We took a few day trips in order to get the general feel of the country.During much of the 20th century, coconut processing, fishing, lobster trapping and boat building formed the backbone of the island’s economy. Caulker was one of the first islands to establish a fisherfolk cooperative in the 1960s, allowing members to receive fair prices for the lobster and other sea life pulled from their waters.
Caye Caulker remains a fishing village, and boat design and construction continue, but tourism is taking over the economy. Tourism began in the late 1960s and 1970s when small numbers of hippies found their way to the island.
Today, international visitors come in steady numbers, however, although many islanders operate tourism-related businesses, there are no plans for large-scale development. Caulker residents enjoy the slow rhythm of life as much as visitors do as you can see here at the "split", created by a 2002 hurricane. The force of these winds and surf literally split an island to make a harbor situation for Caye Caulker.We found plenty to do "off island" as can see in some of the pictures below.
Though Maya have been living around Corozal since 1500 BC, modern Corozal dates from only 1849. In that year, refugees from the War of the Castes in Yucatán fled across the border to this safe haven. They founded a town and named it after the cohune palm, a symbol of fertility. For years it had the look of a typical Caribbean town, until Hurricane Janet roared through in 1955 and blew away many of the old wooden buildings on stilts. Much of Corozal’s cinder block architecture dates from the late 1950s.
Lamanai, to the left, not only spans all phases of ancient Maya civilization but also tells a tale of ongoing Maya occupation and resistance for centuries after the Europeans arrived. This adds up to the longest known unbroken occupation in the Maya world. Lamanai was inhabited at least as early as 1500 BC, and was already a major ceremonial center, with large temples, in late Preclassic times.
The ruins are known both for their impressive architecture and marvelous setting, surrounded by dense jungle overlooking the New River Lagoon.
http://www.belizezoo.org/index.html