Belize 2022

 

March 2022. I had a week to kill before meeting my son and daughter in Guatemala. What to do? How about a week in Belize?

The flight from Boston to Belize City was inexpensive. I shared a taxi to the boat terminal. The boat to Caye Caulker was unspectacular. And there I was.

Caye Caulker is a cool place. No cars. Everybody walks or rides a bike. A few small hotels, but no all-inclusives. Some good bars. No real beaches south of the Split, though. People come here to relax, to dive, and to snorkel. The atmosphere is super laid-back. Highlights for me were snorkeling at Hol Chan, kayaking to Koko King beach, and feeding the tarpon. Grilled barracuda steaks with ice-cold Belikin beer were on the menu. I was blown away by the snorkeling trip—best place for snorkeling that I can imagine.

After three or four days in Caye Caulker, I took an early morning boat back into Belize City and found the bus terminal without much trouble. Then I took a chicken bus to San Ignacio, on the other side of this small country. It only took a few hours.

San Ignacio is the Wild West of Belize. It's a small town with an edge. It looks and feels like a Central American border town. San Ignacio served as my base for visiting the Maya ruins at Xunantunich and Caracol, Actun Tunichil Muknal cave, and Big Rock Falls. I found a nice market, great restaurants, and gritty bars here too. The attractions in this area are spectacular and uncrowded.

Xunantunich

Caracol 

Big Rock Falls

Belize is a fun place. Nice people. A former British colony once claimed by Guatemala, it became independent in 1981. Out near the border by Caracol, I was stopped at a British military checkpoint; troops remain stationed there because the border dispute with Guatemala persists.

I met Creoles, Garifunas and Central Americans from Guatemala, Mexico and El Salvador. Although English is the official language, Spanish is equally common. Prices were cheap by US standards, but perhaps 25% higher than in Guatemala. 

There's a lot do in Belize. The snorkeling is among the best in the world and highly accessible from Caye Calker and Ambergris Caye (San Pedro). There are Mayan ruins equal to those in Mexico and Guatemala. Rivers, waterfalls, jungles -- Belize has all these in a relatively small area, but tourism seems largely undeveloped. I didn't see the great beaches I associate with the Caribbean, but probably if I go back and look again I'll find them!  

 

Guatemala 2022

In early 2022 my son was working in Washington and planning to attend medical school in July. He had one week vacation to use by the end of March. He asked my daughter to join him for a trip to Guatemala over her Spring Break. When I got word, I wanted in too!

The three areas we wanted to see were the Tikal Mayan ruins, Lago de Atitlán, and the colonial city of Antigua. Naturally, because it's Guatemala, we knew we'd see lots of volcanoes, eat lots of great food, and experience wonderful Guatemalan hospitality. And of course, the weather was gorgeous!