OK. Time to underwhelm you with a couple of facts before we leave Belize.
Belize has the only Jaguar reserve in the world.
Many Belizeans avoid swimming in the ocean or rivers on Good Friday; it is viewed as bad luck.
After Hurricane Hattie, the capital city was moved to Belmopan. With just over 12,000 inhabitants Belmopan is the smallest capital city in the World.
There are no McDonalds, Burger King, Starbucks or KFC in the entire country of Belize. Bother.
Enough, I hear you cry. So what did we do on our final day? Well, we explored the final corner of this small island – the area around ‘The Split’. I’ve written previously how Hurricane Hattie forged a channel across the island back in 1961, and rather than repairing it, they dredged it wider to allow boats to pass through. Gradually tides have widened it, so it’s around 100 metres wide now, and the currents through it can be fierce. A taxi operates between the two halves to move residents and visitors back and forth – it must be the only ferry that lists the rate for a golf buggy.
We didn’t go across, but we explored the area on the end of the island that they have transformed into the entertainment centre of the island. Bars, restaurants, open air stage. It’s the place where everybody gathers to watch the sun set into the ocean with a beer in their hand. About the only place where you can actually swim without wading through the ever present seaweed.
Spent some time in the afternoon trying to make sure we had everything in order to get into Guatemala. Just how do we buy the necessary Tourist Card which doubles as a visa? You need exact Guatemalan money, but ATMs don’t take foreign debit cards. In the usual fashion of airports these days, they do have free wifi, but you need a local Guatemalan phone number to get the access code – and they don’t sell SIM cards at the airport. Uber is the cheapest transport option, but you need wifi to book it. Traveling to Belize we had a 23kg luggage allowance, but traveling to Guatemala we can only take 16kg. Getting the drift? We’ll let you know how we go.
The Split party precinct
They are normally pinker – this one has faded.