Home » Belize » Stormy Islands, Rastafarians and a day trip to Guatemala - You Better Belize It!!

Belize - this is a country that anybody will find it hard not to fall in love with. <br /><br />Sorry its been a while, since I last wrote 10 days ago,we about to cross the border from Chetumal, Mexico into Belize. We actually decided to stay one more night after I wrote the previous blog as we didnt really fancy a night bus ride, so after a final selection of tacos for dinner, we were on the road the following morning for a whole new set of adventures in Belize....

Stormy Islands, Rastafarians and a day trip to Guatemala - You Better Belize It!!

Lucian Reed-Drake
2006-03-27 14:03:05

Displayed times (last time: ) Rating 5/5

Rating: 5.00 out of 5.00. 1 members have rated this article

Dad and I, another English guy, Max the tour guide, and a Guatemalan minibus driver. Getting past the Guatamalan border with this tour was much more of a breeze than Mexico, before we knew it we were in Spanish lingo
stalls and Guatemalan rural folk with pigs and goats in the middle of the road.

Tikal is the second largest discovered Mayan ruin sites in Central America. Its handy to have a tour guide as he gives a whole new depth of meaning and history to at first glance what are simply plain looking ruins. As we hiked through deep jungle to the howls of spider monkeys and various birds, butterflys and insects, we came across various pyramids and plazas which were extremely fascinating to imagine how such a intriguing civillisation managed to settle here over well 1000 years ago.

We had a meaty lunch and stopped off at a canopy zip line that some people went on for extra later that afternoon. Tikal was a definite rewarding experience, the day trip is not cheap at 75 US dollars plus the Belizean departure tax, but it was good to add another stamp on the passport and dip into a new country, even if it was only a day.

And so, after an unfortunate discovery that night that my camera had been stolen by the rangers at El Pilar (I wondered why they sed us about drinking the rainwater). Its really pissing annoying when you lose a camera, not so much for the cost but the photos. Luckily I didnt lose that many, and was so tempted to go and sort the rangers out to get it back - unfortunately they were one over me, cos I just didnt fancy another 10 mile exhausting bike ride up thank you very much. The gits.

Now another bus, made its way fully this time to Placencia via a 3 hour uninteresting stop at Dangriga, in Southern Belize. Plancencia is a beachy backpackers but sleepy town. Its highlights being an silent swim in a deserted pretty beach 10 metres from our room this morning, as well as allegedly a place in the Guinness Book of Records, the its sidewalk being "the narrowest street in the world". Its narrow Ill give them that but its not the most interesting street in the world thats for sure!

A relaxing day we earnt ourselves today, topping up the sun tan, fruit smoothies at the beach bar, postcards, swims and siesta hammocking. We await the morning boat tomorrow to Puerto Cortes, Honduras. Yes we will leave Belize behind to take on a whole new country, where Dad will leave in a few days before Ill be all on my tod for the final 2 weeks as I venture to diving at the Bay Islands.

Belize is a great place to come if you want to experience Carribbean culture, cuisine and fun and friendly Rastafarian people. Many Belizeans told us that since their break for independence from Britain in 1981, the country has actually gone downhill as the government became corrupt and ministers pocketed funds for themselves. Almost all of the Belizean newspapers reported on murders every day, a problem in only a 250,000 populated country. Nevertheless, the majority of Belizean people never let themselves down and nearly everyone we encountered were kind and amicable to us. The tempo is suitably laid back, and the landscape widely varied. Its a small country great to explore and easy and adventurous to travel - especially the buses!

I would certainly recommend it to anyone anytime.

My experience of it has been lets say....Un-Belize-able!!!!!!!

Lucian
xxxx