Belize – Belize City & Caye Caulker 15/12/16 – 20/12/16

Another bus ride of 8 hours, another country and another city, yep we crossed the Mexican boarder and entered the 25 country of our trip. Once we got to the boarder of Mexico we were asked to get off the bus, take our passports and USA $25 pp to the customs. Waves of shock and gasps of air was all that was heard around the bus. No one had heard of a departure tax or read about one, so it came as quite a shock to everyone. All I could think about was the boarder crossing from Vietnam into Cambodia. As we were sat at the front of the bus, Tina and I were off first and shuttled into the customs office. The guy informed us he wanted the “cash” in either MXN or USA dollars. I managed to get together enough MXN for 1 person only, to which he just stamped my passport and just starred at me for Tina’s! I stated no more cash, but would pay by card, he instantly denied my card and said he would do us a favour and not to bother with the other cash and proceeded to stamp Tina’s passport, then said not to tell the others that we only paid for one. Very strange indeed, so we just jumped back onto the bus and waited for everyone else. It wasn’t until later that evening I started to read about the departure tax in Mexico that I discovered that this is a scam by the boarder officers and that there isn’t a departure tax, if you have kept your departure form from the airport. This scam only happens to tourists on buses, if you cross the boarder by plane, sea or even car, then they don’t ask for any money. What a scam, if only I had known I would have stood my ground and not paid for 1. Anyway a few hundred meters and we reached the entry customs area for Belize. This time the driver asked us to take everything, (all our belongings), cases, bags etc out of the bus and go into the boarder office. There we were all given a form to fill out, the normal form you get on a plane just before landing, you know asking questions like “are you carrying any guns!!!!!!!”. Once filled out you stand in line, the boarder person takes it from you, looks it over, tears it in half, gives you a portion back then stamps your passport. Next your directed to a “broken scanning device”, where your asked again “are you carrying guns”, needless to say I had left my Kalashnikov on the bus! To be then told “done” get back on the bus. Very, very bizarre.
As the bus arrived in Belize city, we passed a strange derelict looking hotel called, “Great Western”, and just laughed at each other saying I hope that’s not our hotel, as were staying at a Great Western. The drive through the inner city was very unusual, the place resembles a third world country, mess everywhere, garbage on the road side, wooden shacks in disrepair (all with people living in them), old broken cars on the road side, some even had the burnt out look (i mean they had been set on fire), yep this city had the normal look of any Caribbean inner island look, very poor indeed.
Once in the city we were jumped by several taxi drivers all touting for business. I needed an ATM before jumping into one, but a driver over heard me and suggested he would take me to an ATM. Our driver Winston Buddy, very hilarious joking all the time, offered to be our driver for the duration of our stay and promptly gave us his business card and asked to ring him anytime. And yep we were staying at the Best Western we had spotted earlier, however up close it looked better than it had done half an hour before hand. It wasn’t until we spoke with a staff member that we discovered Belize city had been struck by the worst hurricane in Aug this year, so that explains the roads being full of cracks, no pavements, buildings in disrepair etc etc. It must have looked a lot worse 4 months ago.
So a little about Belize, it used to be called British Honduras until 1970 under the British government when it became it’s own country. Belize city was it’s capital until this time, then it’s government decided to change its capital to Belmopan. Belize has had its fair share of natural disasters, the 2 worst recorded were in 1931 and again in 1961 where the city was burnt to the ground. The latest one in Aug this year is mentioned but not in great detail other than mass flooding in the city.
Reading more about this city, many articles have been written about the safety of tourists. Each one states although it is safe to walk around the city during daylight hours, it is not recommended to walk it’s streets (unless in a group), in the evenings!!!!!
The next day we took a cab into “Downtown” Belize City. Our cab driver, from the hotel, dropped us off on its high street and gave us strong advice to only walk this street and the one perpendicular to it. We arranged with him to pick us up in 3 hours. Downtown was busy with xmas shoppers, and with quite a few shops. Each one trying their best to get as many people in their doors as possible to spend their money. We went in a few and were pleasantly surprised at how cheap things were. One shop even had “twin tubs” washing machines, brand new for BLZ $300, that’s around USA $150, very cheap indeed. After half an hour we had walked the entire 2 streets so bought a drink and sat in the towns square, where along came an elderly gentleman who sat besides us chatting away. His name was Eddington Earl and was 86 years old, originally from the USA now living in Belize city. What a lovely chap however he as well informed us to take care in the city as the crime was rife, especially this time of year. He added that their had been a shooting in town only last week in broad day light. Looking around it didn’t appear to be a haunt for criminals, the town was full of festivities, even a stage in the town centre with musicians playing and singing Christmas tunes, stall holders selling Belizean foods and people going about their business as they do in any town a week before Christmas anywhere in the world. We didn’t feel intimidated at all, locals passing us smiling, saying hello, wishing us merry xmas. Yes there were vagrants at shop doorways begging for money etc, but nothing out of the ordinary. We then had a walk along the river that flows through the town and into the Caribbean Sea. We only strolled by it for a few minutes as there were men in groups just chatting in and by their cars, looking straight at us. This was a bit scary. It was now only 1 hour after we had been dropped off, so got into a cab and went back to our hotel. This cab driver was very friendly indeed, but took us back in a different direction to the one we came into town. We must have had a certain look on our face as he stated he was going “this way” to keep out of the heavy traffic, which didn’t help! He pointed out the Prime Ministers home, and explained the area we were travelling through was the North part of the city, he added that it’s the South of the city where the troubles arise. Very informative and a cheerful chap.
So 1 hour in Downtown was more than enough to walk the 2 recommended streets and town square. We never ventured back that way again.
Caye Caulker
Next day we decided to go to Caye Caulker, one of the 150 islands off the mainland of Belize. A 10 minute taxi ride to the ferry terminals and we were inside the terminal purchasing our return tickets. The cost was BLZ $50 pp, that’s USA $25 pp with ferries running every hour. We only had to wait 30 minutes for ours. Our hotel offered a trip to Caye Caulker for over USA $100 pp, so I suppose this is where the other tourists were. The ferry took just under an hour and what a very nice run it was indeed. Little did we realize how far Caye Caulker was, but also many of the islands Enroute are uninhabited and look mostly like mangroves. Every one we passed had, huge herons, pelicans and other swamp birds flying out of the groves, stunning. We were sat on board next to a local who lives on Caye Caulker, so he gave us a running commentary about the islands. He stated that these days Caye Caulker is now 2 islands after a hurricanes in 1961 was so violent it tore through the island destroying everything, including land, making it 2 islands. We passed a 4 storey building on a tiny bit of land, our Co passenger stated that it had only been build 10 years ago, after storms hit the surrounding areas so badly that it upturned lots of sand from beneath the sea, making a small sandbar. Someone bought this and built a property on it, it’s foundations are buried 1 mile underground. Wow what a story. Once at Caye Caulker we were yet again in awe of the Vista that lay ahead of us. Sand as white as snow, the ocean every shade between green and blue, the sky a gorgous blue colour and palm trees everywhere. For those who read about our trip to the little island of Gili Truwangan just off Lombok, well this place was even better. No sealed roads, no cars just golf buggies to get around on. The ocean front full of tiny wooden huts as bars and restaurants, all on stilts yet all overflowing above the ocean. The lifestyle here was very laid back, beach chairs and hammocks are all you need, in this beautiful paradise. Everyone in their swimwear walking around, laid on the beach or swimming in the ocean, people of all ages too. If anyone wanted me to describe my version of what I hope heaven to be then this would be my inspiration, it’s idyllic, it’s pure tropical and very very beautiful. We had morning cocktails in 1 beach hut over the ocean, had a swim in the clearest, warmest waters, then lunch in another, a walk around the island, then afternoon cocktails in another. Wow what a day. It was whilst we were having our last drinks that out of nowhere a tropical rainfall came overhead, lasted for about 15 minutes then disappeared. How very strange, but it momentarily cooled the island down. This has to be on your holiday destination list without a doubt.
Back on the mainland we got a taxi back to our hotel and our driver this time talked more about the crime in Belize. He even announced we were driving at one stage through the “gheto ”????? This was only after our cab had been stopped by police. Once they saw tourists in the back of the unmarked cab, they quickly moved us on. Our driver stated that gangs are a huge problem in Belize, and if ever a gang member from another gang were in the area, without any questions the gang would shoot him on the spot. This stuff is scary and reminiscent of Hollywood movie themes, but in real life! He went onto say that generally tourists are OK as they have no affiliation to any gangs, but sometimes have been caught up in crossfire!!!! Enroute back to our hotel our cab driver tried to influence us into taking a city tour with him in his cab at night!!!! Can you believe it, he also tried to persuade us into hiring him to take us on a trip tomorrow, we gracefully took his card and said we would think about it. Seconds later we were out of his cab, I looked at Tina and instantly said, I’ve thought about it and …….no, where staying by the pool at the hotel tomorrow”.
So Belize City is probably somewhere we would not come to again, however would love to explore more of its islands. We spent 5 nights in our hotel and thank goodness it had a pool as there’s not much else to do in the city. I can see why most of the reviews state the city is usually an overnight stop over for tourists getting to or from its international airport. My advice is go straight to the islands, don’t stop in the city if you can help it.