Last week, I shared my cable ride almost 70 feet over the beach in Honduras. It was my second cable ride of the year, the first being the tram I rode with Tristan during our summer trip to Alaska.
This week, I’ll pick up at our stop in Belize as promised. This post will not have a lot of pictures, so if you usually drop by for the photos, you may want to come back next week when I share the Mayan Ruins in Mexico. For those of you who decide to hang around, there is a very good reason why I have very few pictures of Belize.
The area we visited in Belize City was impoverished and we were warned by the locals about some of the streets we wandered onto. As you can see, the weather wasn’t the best for photos either.
As a result, I never took out my phone. I did, however, chance my action camera, but those are all videos. You will see those when I finally string together a full travel video of my seven days aboard the Carnival Magic. In the interim, here are my thoughts on Belize.
1. Belizeans Sound Jamaican
When we disembarked from the ship, local boats taxied us to shore. One of the crewmen was friendly and chatty. When he opened his mouth, I think my jaw dropped. He sounded Jamaican.
At first, I thought maybe it was just him. However, as we made our way around the inner city, everyone we came across had that same accent. I also heard Jamaican reggae and dancehall music playing in restaurants, bars and cars. It was like being Downtown in Kingston, Jamaica again.
2. Belize City Reminds Me of Kingston in the Worst Ways
As I’ve said before, I am not a fan of Kingston. When I returned to Jamaica last year, I only visited Kingston because I needed to renew my passport quickly. Those of you who watched my travel video know that I escaped to Montego Bay at the earliest opportunity.
All the things I disliked about inner-city Kingston were prevalent in Belize City as well:
- Shady characters
- Dilapidated buildings
- Dirt and grime everywhere
- Stray animals in terrible condition
3. I Wish I Had Seen the Countryside
Not surprisingly, of all my stops I liked Belize the least. I am not a city girl, so it takes a lot for a city to wow me. I much prefer hiking trails, deserts and beaches. And, unfortunately, there were none of these in Belize City.
In spite of this, I would consider returning to Belize if it meant getting to see some of its beaches in other areas of the island, and also seeing its more rural innards. I need someone with a machete for the snakes though!
This week’s post was brief, but I’ll make up for it next week. Cozumel in Mexico was my absolute favourite stop on the cruise. Not only did I get to visit Mayan Ruins for the first time, but the snorkelling was amazing.
If I had to pick one country to go back to, this would be it! Cozumel now comes second to Montego Bay as the best cities I have ever visited in all my life. More on that next week!
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Have you ever been to Belize City, or other areas in Belize? What did you like or dislike about the country?