belize or not to belize?
Our major sponsor for the show in Belize was Captain Morgan's Retreat. You might be familiar with the retreat because it is the featured location of the show, Temptation Island . There are no TVs or phones in your accommodation (hut), and showers are sticky due to the desalinization process. It is beautiful, yet simple and off the Belize beaten path -- Captain Morgan's Retreat is on an island called Ambergris Caye.
Ambergris Caye is 25 miles long and 4½ miles wide. Its northern tip touches the Yucatán Peninsula. It is the largest of the 200-plus cayes located off the coast of Belize, and half a mile from the barrier reef. It is cooled by trade winds most of the year, which keeps the temperature down and the mosquitoes away. But it definitely gets hot and the humidity can be daunting. There's a little town called San Pedro, where you can watch locals play basketball, buy fresh fruit and dine at small family restaurants.
here's a quickie
Belize is located on the eastern coastline of Central America. Mexico borders it on the north; on the west and south it is bordered by Guatemala; and on the east by the Caribbean Sea. Belize, formally known as British Honduras, became an independent nation in 1981. It has its own Constitution, which includes a Bill of Rights.Belize boasts the second largest barrier reef in the world and it is truly amazing. It is considered a third world country even though recent American dollars have come in to develop the locale as a favorite tourist destination. Beware! This is not a location where you will find fine resorts. The key word here is "retreats."
Most people who travel to Belize are hardcore divers and fishermen; there is even a famous place where one can fish called the Blue Hole, in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Hol Chan is located 4 miles southeast of San Pedro. The ocean floor ranges from 5 to 35 feet and the water is crystal clear. The "cut" (channel) leading out to sea functions as a sort of "fish freeway" for many large fish, such as barracuda. If you're lucky, you might get a close encounter with a sea turtle like my crew did. I highly recommend visiting this world wonder, even if you're not a diver.
deep sea fun
My crew took some time out to enjoy the underwater aquarium, as I waited on top. Charlie, our guide from a company called Hustler Tours, took the rest of the crew through a special hole in the reef and on through to the other side. It is said that those who venture and make it through are reborn by the Mayan Gods! Needless to say, they came up squealing, excited to have experienced such a thing.
From Hol Chan, we catamaraned over to beautiful Caye Caulker for lunch. It is much more laid-back and there is nothing to do there except relax. A fishing town, it is located 11 miles south of Ambergris Caye, and is the second largest of the Belizean cayes. It is 5 miles in length, and located inside the barrier reef. It's 12 miles from mainland Belize and is divided by the "split."
This little caye was literally split in half by a hurricane. Its name on early British maps was Caye Corker. Because of its fresh water from la aguada , it was a favorite stop for sailors who would replenish their cork water bottles. Over the decades, Corker changed to Caulker and the rest is history...
it's festival time
We stopped at another great location: a sand bar called Shark and Sting Ray Alley. It is only 8 feet deep and offers up some great photo ops. There are hundreds of stingrays of all sizes, often accompanied by families of nurse sharks -- the kind that don't eat you. The Sand Bar is not far from Hol Chan, and only a few minutes by boat from San Pedro. It was beautiful and a little unnerving at first, what with all the stingrays. They were actually so friendly that you could handfeed and even pet them. Back at Captain Morgan's Retreat, it hosted a traditional Mayan Festival for us. We learned the "punta," a traditional Belizean dance, and ate some traditional dishes of rice, beans, fried plantains, and fresh fish caught that day. A must-do; call them to inquire about festival dates. We ate and danced the night away.
it's hard to believe
There is so much to see in Belize. There is the Crooked Tree Reserve, The Belize Zoo, but my favorite was Altun Ha. The Mayan ruin site of Altun Ha is 31 miles north of Belize City. We boated through mangroves and then boarded a bus to the site, approximately 25 square miles, most of which is jungle. It's a great place to birdwatch -- we actually spotted a toucan. It was incredible to see one in its natural habitat. There are also walking tours available or you can go it alone, but getting there by foot will be rough.We filmed around the 13 structures surrounding the 2 main plazas. It is truly peaceful and magnificent! So far, archeologists have uncovered more than 200 structures. They also uncovered the largest carved jade piece ever found in the Mayan Ruins, and it is said to be the head of the Sun God, Kinich Ahau.
on the discovery channel
Our guide taught us about the rainforest and all of its medicinal uses (from ancient Mayan peoples' remedies to medicines used today), and explained that there is so much more to learn and preserve for future medicine and cures. You can also wind your way up the main temple. Sacrifices took place there on a sacrificial stone about the size of a round dining room table.I was given the luxury of laying there for the description of how the sacrifice was performed, by ripping the bleeding heart out and... well, you'll just have to take the tour and see for yourself!
So, in answer to the question of should you Belize it or not: Belize is something you should not miss, as it offers some of the most amazing culture and history around. I learned so much, as did my crew, and hopefully now you know just a bit more... enough for you to check it out and experience all the amazing things Belize has to offer.
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