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01/01/2005 11:00:54 PM · #1 |
| I am going to belize in the next month or two to stay for about a week. I like to avoid the beaten path when I travel. Any advice. Anybody want to go? Tickets are cheap. |
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01/01/2005 11:23:02 PM · #2 |
I was down there in March.
There are some Mayan ruins that you really should try and see, but may require a tour guide, as it is a little bit of a ride to get there. They do have Cruise Ships stopping there and you may be able to join up with a group "on the fly" down at the docks.
There is also St. Johns Cathedral that is a bit on the Historic side.
Take a look around TrekEarth's Site and see what other people have seen and say about Belize.
Regards and Happy New Year!
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01/02/2005 01:33:16 AM · #3 |
I was on trips there in March and June 2004, both times to Dangriga, which is definitely off the beaten path. (was on mission trip & prep trip) Dangrigans are very friendly.
If you were to go to 'griga, you need to stay in the Pelican Beach Resort. It's near the airport, reasonably priced, has a bar, nice rooms with A/C, and a restaurant. The other hotels in town looked below western standards - not that there were many. Now don't think this is a Hilton or some-such, but it is clean, and the staff is friendly, and the food is nicely done.
From the Pelican, which is on the water, you can take guided tours such as snorkeling the barrier reef (14 miles out with guides, equipment, boat & food provided), exploring the Mayan ruins at Xunantinich (sp?) (a 2-hour bus-ride each way), or a jungle tour (Blue Hole Lakes National Park, I think).
I did the reef both times I went, and if I return, I want to get to the ruins - some of our previous attendees went there in 2003 and loved it. Another thing about the Pelican is you can pay extra and stay on the South Water Caye (the reef) in their mini-hotel or bungalows. A true "bare-foot" experience.
Other things to do are limited unless you're really comfortable visiting the locals taverns and sporting events and markets. No reason to be uncomfortable from the locals standpoint, just depends on you.
I had a short visit to the nearby coast town of Hopkins, which has a couple of very nice looking hotels on the water. Also, the National Zoo between Belize City and Belmopan is reportedly very good.
Good luck and bon voyage. Some pictures are here, here, here, and here:
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01/02/2005 02:24:49 AM · #4 |
Originally posted by wkmen:
Other things to do are limited unless you're really comfortable visiting the locals taverns and sporting events and markets. No reason to be uncomfortable from the locals standpoint, just depends on you.
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Actually they would be the only things I would be comfortable doing. I totally avoid tourist atractions. My thinking is Why would I want to photograph something that has been photographed 17 million times?
I look for the things that most pass by. |
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01/02/2005 02:12:15 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by nsbca7:
Actually they would be the only things I would be comfortable doing. I totally avoid tourist atractions... I look for the things that most pass by. |
Then I think Dangriga and the Pelican could be for you. Although, Belize in general (i.e., anywhere except Punta Gorda and Ambergris Cay) probably fits what you're looking for. Even the "bare-foot" experience I mentioned earlier is only so in the uncrowded laid-back sense, not in the pampered sense.
I can only speak of Dangriga and the South Water Caye, since that's where I was. It can be as quiet or engaged as you would like it. Walking around the city, you meet with polite "good morning," "good afternoon," etc, and acceptance is easy. You would see poverty and middle-class side by side, but each takes care of what they have. Not "third-world" by any means, but not industrialized - definitely a "developing" nation.
The Pelican has a web site. The hotel lacks formalness - some people are likely to come to the bar or dinner in shorts & tshirt or bathing attire, or even without shoes. I enjoyed that.
Again - good luck.
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01/02/2005 02:20:42 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by nsbca7:
My thinking is Why would I want to photograph something that has been photographed 17 million times?
I look for the things that most pass by. |
Sometimes you really have to experience something for it to have meaning. I have seen the Mayan ruins in photographs, but honestly could never have taken it all in had I not been there.
Go visit them and leave your camera at home if you don't want to shoot them. Life only comes around once - experience as much as you can, while you can.
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01/02/2005 02:44:28 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by BradP:
Sometimes you really have to experience something for it to have meaning. I have seen the Mayan ruins in photographs, but honestly could never have taken it all in had I not been there.
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Yea, I think the ruins I would like to see, maybe spend a few days walking around in the jungle. But as far as staying at the Hilton or at a beach resort I think I would have to pass. I will probably rent a car, get out of the city and drive until I find a small town along the coast or in the hills. Some place not used to catering to tourists. I want a taste of the true culture. |
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01/03/2005 10:11:52 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by nsbca7:
...But as far as staying at the Hilton or at a beach resort I think I would have to pass... I want a taste of the true culture. |
My estimation is that as long as you stay away from the big 2 tourist towns (Ambergris Cay and Punta Gorda), that you WILL get a taste of the true culture. BTW, my recommendation for getting this taste is to walk around in town(s) all week, as most Belizeans do. Tooling around a given town in a car is really insulating. But you probably know that.
Belize is not Mexico, and it's not like Jamaica and other Caribbean tourist meccas. As for the hotels, it depends on whether you want your taste 24/7, or if you want to retreat each night to sleep in a comfortable room. Their employees are local Belizeans, not immigrants from elsewhere. They walk to work. They don't earn enough money to secure anything but the basics. They'll talk with you and let you know what's to do, and what to stay away from.
Don't let the hotel names fool you, either. The specific one I mentioned before calls itself a beach resort, but it is really equivalent to a Quality Inn on the water. One bartender, two waitresses, one security guy, two desk clerks, 30 rooms. Like I said, it's not a Hilton. I was there in March and there were anywhere from 5-10 clients besides our party staying there, plus a few upper-class (like our middle class) locals who came to the restaurant or bar. In June, it was pretty much the same.
The other hotels in Dangriga also had appealing names, but as I walked past them, looking in the doors, I was glad we didn't reserve there. So, a little marketing going on in naming their establishments, a little poetic license is to be understood. That being said, I don't own stock in the Pelican, so whether you decide to base yourself there or someplace like that doesn̢۪t matter to me.
The only other cities I saw were Hopkins, Belmopan (capitol) and Belize City (where your plane will land). The capitol city is probably not the total experience you're looking for - it has a much more prosperous base to it, compared to the others - but it may be worth a look. Hopkins and Dangriga are interchangeable in terms of economy, neighborhoods and feel – as I said, the places on the beach there seemed more upscale than Dangriga. Belize City was a little too urban for me, but certainly there is something to experience there.
Good Luck, and be sure to post your pictures and let us know how it went.
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