Belize Navidad

Dec. 15-29

Decided to spend a Christmas Family Vacation in an exotic clime. On the recommendation of a good friend we took flights to and accommodations in Belize, a small country just south of the Yucatan. So very glad we went.

Belize is a young, lush, green, coastal country based in a region with a very old population. At 400,000 souls, Belize (rough Mayan translation – “muddy waters”) is the least populated country in Central America. Most Belizeans are multiracial: Creole, Mestizo, Garifuna (Mayan & Black), as well as native Mayans. We were surprised to also find a sizeable number of European Mennonites as well.

Natives speak a wide variety of languages as there is no one overarching Mayan language. In fact one important lesson learned was that the Mayan people were not a united people like the Aztecs but a collective of similar cultures with varying languages. Still, today English is just as common, almost everywhere.

Once a British Colony named British Columbia. It gained its independence in 1981, although the British maintain a presence to keep the peace with Guatemala. Currency is based on an English model and the exchange rate is 2 to 1 Belizean to American. Food largely rice, beans, tropical fruits, chicken and fish.

Flights from Miami to the capital, Belize City, took about two and a half hours. Saw nothing of the city as we immediately boarded a taxi van and traveled roughly 3 hours to the Placencia peninsula and the village of Placencia. This is one of the top tourist centers in the country. Our driver was gracious and provided a running commentary on the country and its culture.

Along the way he told us of the wildlife we were likely to see if we were lucky: jaguars, tapirs ( We literally saw road crossing signs for both) crocodiles, toucans and humming birds. Before our trip ended we experienced 45 species of birds, 23 land critters, and countless varied fish. Entering the peninsula we also became acquainted with 41 speedbumps – on the highway - what our driver, Deon, jokingly called “sleeping policemen.”

Although numerous hotels were available we stayed in a spacious B&B that included 3 bedrooms, a roomy great room, fully stocked kitchen, washer and dryer, kayaks, bicycles, a pool. This was built next to a mangrove bayou. Unfortunately it was also situated in a very swampy area (spurts of rain almost every day). From the house we saw iguanas, anoles, hawks, frigate birds, buzzards, hummingbirds, kiskidees and a beautiful little blue heron. Unfortunately, insects (an invisible stinging plague known as ‘no-seeums’) swarmed us despite frequent latherings of insect repellant (attractant???). Fortunately we also saw frequent swarms of dragonflies, literally hundreds at a time, feeding on them.

Our rental was situated a half mile from town. Muddy pock-marked rocky road halfway, the rest of the way we walked beside the two lane “highway” as trucks full of natives and cars and golf carts full of tourists whizzed by. Placencia has two main strips. The main road and a narrow, seemingly endless, sidewalk. Both were bordered by private homes (many on stilts with jungle thatched roofs), bars, restaurants and souvenir shops.

Five different grocers were located off the main road – all run by Chinese. Access to the beach everywhere. And everywhere we saw native children playing in the sand and roaming dogs At the same time we heard, loud cheerful and constant Reggae. and Caribbean Rap.

The people and their native food were just wonderful. Lobster, shrimp, Red Snapper and conch were the most common. Lobster and fish were often served as ceviche. Outside of seafood, the most common meat is chicken. Stewed Chicken is a specialty. Fryjacks – a crispy puffed up bread pocket, stuffed with eggs and bacon made an excellent breakfast. Local chocolate is ubiquitous as are mostly rum-based mixed drinks. The most popular local beer is Belikin (nothing to write home about - although the Belikin Stout is pretty tasty).

While visiting we took advantage of multiple tours. Our first was a birdwatch outing with two very accommodating creoles, Wilder and Alex (Wilder’s driver and tour guide in training). This proved a fantastic success, for we spied a group of Toucans and Collared Aricari (miniature toucans) within five minutes of starting. While I stayed behind and wrote, the rest of the family went diving and snorkeling. Jenny saw a grouping of sea turtles – one at least five feet long.

We visited the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich on the border with Guatemala. It is believed to have at least 26 palaces and temples, although most of which are still being excavated. Built nearly a millennia ago, the main temple, El Castillo, is awe inspiring, rising as it does 130 feet into the air.

We visited an cacao farm in the south called Ixcacao. There we learned all about the history and production of chocolate. It is also where we were served “Chocolate Chicken (Chicken in chocolate sauce). After this we visited a Spice Farm where we were introduced to a wide variety of flowers, edible plants and their fruits. Some of what we saw - coffee, pepper, cinnamon, vanilla, all spice, banana and lemon grass plants.

We went tubing down a cave stream. My daughter and her boyfriend visited another cave filled with Mayan relics, including a crystallized Mayan skeleton. But, by far the tour we collectively enjoyed the most was a visit to the Monkey River. This consisted of a 45 minute boat ride south to the river and another hour up the river where we saw a 10’ croc swim by in front of us, as well as scads of turtles, iguanas and exotic birds.

We saw multiple groupings of tiny resting bats clinging to tree branches, a fair sized basilisk, and after a trek into the jungle, a colony of leaf-cutter ants and a troupe of howler monkeys. Our simians were fairly quiet, but nearby several other troupes encountered each other and raised holy-howling-hell. Along the way we stopped in a local village and dined in a local home where mama and grandma cooked for and served us while tending to their baby in a nearby playpen. There also we perused local crafts on display and purchased a beautiful two-toned mahogany bread bowl. Mahogony is the Belizean national tree.

After two weeks of sunny beaches, delicious food, endless beer and liquor and incredibly friendly people (we could not pass a native without being greeted and we were thanked multiple times for visiting and supporting their country. Seventy percent of the Belizean economy depends on tourism). We dragged ourselves onto our return flight. Interestingly, we had the same driver, Deon, take us back.

We learned so much. Travel does that for you. Visiting and learning about foreign cultures makes us more aware not only of our differences but of our similarities. After all, deep down, humans across the globe are not that different.