Belize is a small country with so many things going for it. An interesting cultural and ethnic mix, Belizeans are made up of Maya, Mestizo, Kriol, Garifuna, East Indian, Mennonite, Arab and Chinese. The official language is English, but many Belizeans speak Kriol, which is an interesting mix of words! The Mayans speak their own Mayan languages of course. There is exciting scuba-diving around the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, there are rainforests with a wide diversity of birds and animals to discover, there are Mayan ruins to explore, but most importantly we have met so many friends here, the people make this country special. We’ve only been in Belize for five weeks, but riding around Punta Gorda town on our rented bikes, everyone waves and calls hello. This is our fifth visit to Belize and our third to PG, and now that we’ve spent some time on land (we always used to come just for the scuba-diving!) we’ve had so much fun going to barbecues, enjoying small restaurants and hanging with the locals.
On land, there’s quite a bit to keep visitors busy. Here in southern Belize, it’s still quite unspoilt. We wandered through the Mayan ruins of Lubaantun, admiring the precision of stonework put together without mortar. The earthship home being built by the English family just down the road from Lubaantun is worth a visit too. They’re building out of old bottles, old tires filled with mud, and covered with concrete. We had a truly exciting day at Blue Creek, ziplining through the rainforest canopy, spotting some of Belize’s brightly-colored birds, followed by a swim/walk through Hokeb Ha cave. We’ve tried our hands at grinding roasted cacao beans, and drank hot chocolate with the Mayan family on their chocolate farm.
Belize has a population of only about 340,000 people, and with a slightly chancy group of politicians in the government, many things that in other countries might be funded out of taxation, just don’t happen here. The health service is patchy, the roads are often potholed. Schools frequently partner with a variety of churches in order to get the necessary funding.
We’ve found the Belizean people incredibly friendly and welcoming to visitors. There’s also a government-sponsored program for older people from other countries who want to retire here, which makes it very easy to do. Belize is an interesting mix: it’s in Central America, but they speak English, and it has a laid-back Caribbean island feel to it. Although we’re continuing our travels around the world, I feel sure that we’ll come back to Belize one day.
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