Lazing around in beautiful Belize
Scuba diving in Belize
Scuba diving in Belize
Life too stressed? Holidays too hectic? Get a taste of the Caribbean in English-speaking Belize, Central America
In the words of Fyodor Dostoevsky, I find myself in some difficulty: on the one hand, I feel professionally compelled to lift myself from this wooden bench-seat, leave this tiny open bar, with its wooden jetty reaching out into the tranquil, turquoise sea, and head off down the sandy street in search of the essential Belize. On the other, I feel personally compelled to have another beer. This place seems to have that effect.
Belize sits below Mexico, to the right of Guatemala and to the left of the Caribbean, which here, now, is a balmy 26C and contains one of the most glorious sets of islands and atolls in the western hemisphere. It’s a former British colony, it’s the only Central American country that officially speaks English and, of course, it’s where Lord Ashcroft may, or may not, be domiciled.
So far, so Wikipedia; what’s harder to explain is why so few people in the UK know it, or why so many of those who do — often ex-servicemen or diplomats who’ve been stationed there — have a habit of making it their home. Okay, so there’s the white coral sand, the tropical jungle, the sea life — but there’s something about Belize they really like.
First off, it’s not large. The vogue for describing land areas in terms of Wales works perfectly here: it’s about the size of Wales. Yet the population is only that of Cardiff, so a lot of the country has nobody in it. Culturally and ecologically, it’s both Central American and Caribbean, so, given its diminutive size, there’s a great variety of easily accessible experiences on offer, from the rainforests, caves and Mayan remains inland to the coast and islands in the east.
The great inescapable presence off shore is the magnificent coral reef, the largest in the world except, you know, that Australian one, and it’s peppered with hundreds of islands (or cayes, pronounced “keys”). Only one has what you could respectably call a town, and that’s Ambergris Caye, for many their first stop in the country.
San Pedro sprawls along the reef side of the caye and is reached from Belize City by a short ride in a small boat or a shorter ride in a smaller plane. Both are a blast.
The plane deposits you on a scrubby airstrip that is both at the edge of town and 500yd from the centre (get the picture?). At this point, you’d be well advised to do what I would have, had I known — march straight out of the airport and into Limey’s Bar, across the road.
Sharon and Tracey, who run it, seem to know everyone in San Pedro, and everything about having a good time there, perhaps because Limey’s is also a tour centre and can arrange anything from diving, snorkelling, fishing, sailing and mainland excursions to accommodation, local transport and golf-cart rental.
Yes, golf carts — the main mode of powered transport in San Pedro, and not just for tourists: you can tell a local-owned one because it’s travelling at twice (or in Sharon’s case three times) the speed of the others.
Personally, I didn’t bother: nothing here is more than walking distance away, and if you find yourself in a hurry to do anything, you’re seriously missing the point. But keep an eye out — being mown down by a golf cart is not something you want to have to explain to your mates.
What is there to do here? Well, San Pedro is trying hard to catch up with the rest of the Caribbean, with bars and nightclubs along its beach and all three of its main drags — they do have names, but everyone calls them Front, Middle and Back streets. But it’s still all about the sea: being on, under or above it, gazing at it or eating things that until recently called it home. Read the Rest of this story at: Times Online UK
