Jan 22, 2013 - Belize ... our second Port of Call

Today, our Port-of-Call was Belize ... with a trip to the Xunantunich Mayan Ruins (those who can't pronounce it call it Tuna Sandwich). It was an exciting adventure to say the least ... our bus driver roared down the road ... a narrow road ... with no regard for others coming the opposite direction ... a "white knuckle" experience for sure ... I thought it would be the "End of the World" for certain ... :). Pics tell the story ... great views from the top. Your Google of Xunantunich will tell the rest of the story.

Dec 26, 2012 - Sun, sea and seafood

What a place to rest your head and recharge your body. There are no cars on the island, although you can walk from one end to the other quite easily. There are golf buggys though instead. It was all peace and tranquility. I especially loved that you could go to a resturant, pick out your food and then they would cook it for you.

Dec 24, 2012 - Christmas in Belize

After Tikal, we made our way to San Ignatio in Belize, a small rural town where we would be spending Christmas. Christmas eve was a big deal with the whole town out in support of two marching bands that took it in turns of marching through the streets playing a mixture of Latin and Christmas music. This is the kind of town where the restaurant set a table up for us in the main steet of town and it didn't cause that much trouble. Christmas was pretty uneventful with some of the group visiting a sister resort and their pool whilst others...

Nov 27, 2012 - Belize City, Belize

The ship traveled overnight to Belize and we stopped at Belize City. Wow, what a third world country. I could not believe the poverty and lack of facilities in this small country. We again hired a taxi to take us on a tour. The ship anchored off the coast and we had to take tenders to and from the ship. In reality there is not a lot of stuff to see in Belize. It was fun being there, and interesting how proud the people are of what they have. It seems to me that the cruise ships are supporting the country.

Nov 2, 2012 - Punta Gorda and the community centre!

A quick stop here for one night to get a boat back to Guatemala in the morning. It's a little sleepy , quiet and ramshackled town on the coast and at first glance has a touch of Willesden Green about it. Keen as we were to find a nugget of something to take away with us we were chuffed ( and surprised) to hear there would be Garifuna drumming in town. This is a must see for the region. The Garifuna race are those who came from Honduras as those who were never enslaved. A Proud race with a great deal of heritage and very very good at...

Nov 1, 2012 - Halloween in Placencia

Pickled at the Pickled Parrot Dumped in Belize city by our Guatemalan bus driver we legged it to the bus station to cram into an old American school bus. Our home for the next 4.5 hours. The seats were lumpy but the company was good. Alvin my 4 yr old friend told me ' In Silgrass the sun always shines' with a wide toothless grin and an accent nicked from a Malibu advert. Unfortunately we were off to Placencia instead but the chances were good it was sunny there too. Snack sellers popped on and off the bus selling banana bread, popcorn,...

Aug 22, 2012 - Island paradise! 

Caye caulker was without doubt one of my favourite parts of the entire holiday! We stayed in a really nice wooden house of a hostel that consisted of one big dorm on a few different levels throughout the place! The island itself was pretty tiny with only a few streets and a split in the middle were the beach and lazy lizard bar was at the north end were we spent the remainder of the first day! The next day we spent chilling on the beach, swimming and exploring the rest of the town as well as having a but if Craic in the hostel with the rest...

Aug 20, 2012 - We speak english here guurrllee!

First reaction of crossing the boarder into Belize was oh thank god! After struggling with Spanish and scam artists for the last four countries was a bit intense! Belize was a totally different story! Everyone was beyond laid back even starting with the boarder guards who could even take a bit of a joke!  We landed in Port George or Gordon, can't really remember as all the locals were even too chilled to say the full name and just referred to it as PG! The guard on the gate had a chat with us and (for once!) told us the cheaper and nicer...

Feb 19, 2012 - Caye Caulker

Today we travelled by small boat to another island called Caye Caulker. About 30 minutes ride from Ambergris. For most of our time in Belize it has been gloomy and rainy but since leaving the mainland and coming out to the Caribbean islands it has been sunny everyday and overbearingly hot. My back is sore from a sunburn. We are not staying at a hotel. I managed to rent a furnished apartment for a week. Very nice and cheaper than a hotel. We can cook our own meals and don’t need to go to restaurants. This is a good thing as I have spent too...

Feb 12, 2012 - Belize City

Travelled by bus to Belize City to get a boat to one of the Caribbean Islands. Belize City is a large, dirty, and dangerous city. There is nothing much here for a tourist to see or do. The museum of Belize is here which I would have liked to have seen but not worth staying overnight just for that. Most tourists travel through Belize City at some point on their trip to Belize. The airport and the water taxi port are both here and it is the main travel hub for destinations all over the country by bus or rental car. Tourists spend as little...

Feb 12, 2012 - Ambergris Caye

Enough jungle. Today to went by boat to a nice tropical Caribbean island called Ambergris Caye. Caye is pronounced “key”. A key is an island in the Caribbean Sea, as in the “Florida Keys”. In Belize it is spelled differently but the pronunciation and meaning are the same. Ambergris is about 1.5 hour ride by fast boat (called a “water taxi”) from Belize City. Ambergris is a noun meaning a wax-like substance secreted from the intestines of the Sperm Whale, found floating in tropical seas and used in perfume manufacture. We have a hotel...

Feb 10, 2012 - Back in Belmopan

We are back in the capital city of Belmopan. When we were here before I wanted to visit a national park that is nearby but it rained both days that I was here. Thought I would give it another try. Staying at a different hotel this time, call the Hibiscus, which is conveniently located within walking distance of the bus station and restaurants.