Belize-Surviving the City

Belize City

If you are traveling to Belize, you will most likely encounter a brief or maybe longer stay in Belize City before you get to your final destination. A few months ago I wrote a blog post about "Crime and Personal Safety in Belize". I find that no matter where you live or travel there will always be areas of crime and you should always take certain precautions for your safety.

I recently read a great blog post on "How to Survive in Belize City" which gave some great safety tips if you plan on traveling through Belize City.

Belize City is the largest city in the country of Belize and had about 70.000 citizens at the time of the last census. It is the former capital and home to most companies. From a tourism point of view there is not much to do in Belize City and it is a launchpad to the safer areas in the country or on the Caye's.

If you’re an expat, or a volunteer, you may live here. If you arrive on a cruise ship you will disembark here.

You may have heard rumors or surfed websites that made a violent death seem like the inevitable result of a day spent here.

We’ve been here for almost 2 months now. We haven’t been killed, though a newbie carelessness quickly resulted in a snatched mobile phone.

Your trip to Belize city can be pleasant and uneventful. If you follow some basic rules:

To read more: "How to Survive in Belize City"

BOATS, BOATS, BOATS

No Belizean would be caught without a boat, every where you look in Belize there are BOATS, BOATS, BOATS.

Boats, Boats, Boats

Sailboat, rowboat, motor boat, too.
Moving through the waters so clear and blue.
Tugboat, lifeboat, kayak and canoe
With so many types of boats,
Which one will you choose?

by Melanie Mazurek (teacher)

Zipping through the Jungles of Belize

On our trip to Belize we met a super nice couple, Curt and Peggy from Deming, New Mexico.  We sat and chatted for a while at Lilly’s on the beach.  While we were not able to make it…they decided to take a zip line tour in Belize City.  It is definitely on my “to do” list the next time I am in Belize.

So if you are looking for something exciting to do while in Belize?  Try out the zip line tour where you can have an aerial view of the rainforest.  An intricate harness system of pulleys and cables zips you 100-124 feet above the jungle canopy between treetop platforms at a level of 70 feet high.

Peggy said she was a little nervous in the beginning, but afterwards she was so glad that she did it.  WAY TO GO!!! Curt and Peggy. 

BELIZE CITY - "The Dogs of War" and "The Mosquito Coast"

We flew in and out of the country of Belize from Belize City, which is the largest city in the Central American country of Belize.  The population is estimated at almost 80,000 and is located at the mouth of the Belize River on the coast of the Caribbean.  Several cruise ships dock anchor at this Caribbean port.  The city was almost completely destroyed in October 1961 by Hurricane Hattie.  The City of Belize was featured in 2 movies, "The Dog Days of War" (1980), with Christopher Walken and "The Mosquito Coast (1986), with Harrison Ford.

After arriving at the airport, we took a cab to the port to catch a water taxi.  We were picked up by a very friendly Belizean who had lived in a small village in Belize City all of his life.  He gave us the scenic tour and pointed out various rivers and areas along the way.  The cost of the cab was $25.00US. 

We were dropped off at the San Pedro water taxi for our next ride by boat to the island of Ambergris Caye, which took approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.

THE COUNT DOWN TO CHRISTMAS IS ON!!!

I was in Texas this weekend visiting my daughter and her family.  My granddaughter is almost 2 this Christmas, so she is really starting to enjoy Christmas and she now knows who Santa Clause is...well sort of I guess.  She knows what he looks like at least and she is counting down the days until he comes to see her.

Santa had already made it to Houston and was hanging around the airport.

A trip to Texas is not complete without a trip to Rudy's BBQ, some of the best BBQ in Texas.

My daughter Brianne and I had a nice afternoon at the Blue Genie Art Bazaar, we sipped wine and enjoyed all of wonderful crafts made by artist from Texas.  I am not so sure how my granddaughter would feel knowing Bert, Ernie and Elmo have been beheaded and are now hanging on a wall plaque and if you are looking for a good read about a mama named Scott..this bazaar would be the place to go.  They had something for everyone.

Betty getting her nails painted for the first time, JCrew Punchy Pink is her color.

Betty admiring her own personal Christmas Tree in her room.

Betty has wheels.

Betty posing before school.

People ask, how are you going to leave your family when you move to Belize?  My answer, we could never be far from my family and that sweet face...Belize City is only about a 2 hour flight to Houston, Texas, so we will be flying to Texas often. 

We will also be using Skype, a video calling service. We already have been using this service and call every week to Texas so we don't miss out on Betty growing up.  This has to be the best thing ever invented.