Just so some of you don’t need to go google searching, I will tell you: Belize is just South of Cozumel, Mexico, on the Gulf of Mexico (at least, that’s what we still call it for now).  It is a small, tropical country where English is the predominant language.  We stayed near the city of San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, which is an island off the coast accessible by ferry or plane (we took the plane). 

We rented a house via VRBO right on the beach, with a private pool and dock. 

This was a great family trip, as we were joined by son Nate, daughter Amber, son-in-law Dave, and Linda’s dad, Joe.  Joe may be in his 90’s, but he definitely hasn’t given up on his bucket-list!

Ambergris Caye has one major road running the length of the island, with two parallel roads in the vicinity of the major city, San Pedro.  Most domestic water comes from individual cisterns, filled by rainwater from the roof (and, as I later saw, from the drains of air conditioner units.  Drinking water is from bottles.  That’s not to say that it is primitive, we had internet, cable TV, running (hot) water, etc.  The house was well furnished.   We were met at the airport by the house owner’s representatives, who guided us to our residence in golf carts.  That may seem odd, but golf carts outnumber automobiles by a 20 to 1 ratio. 

There isn’t anyplace that is really far to get to on the island, so you don’t need to get anywhere very fast.  Also, the salted air plays havoc on metal, so a car’s lifespan wouldn’t be very long.  We found the golf carts that we rented to be entirely sufficient for our purposes for the two weeks we were there.

What does one do on Ambergris Caye?  It should not surprise you that most activities involve water.  Amber took an ocean swim out to the encircling reef, ½ mile out.  I accompanied her in a tandem sit-on-top kayak which came with our rental.  It wasn’t the fastest or longest kayak trip I’ve taken, but it was good to accompany Amber, as the waters are criss-crossed by pleasure boats, fishing boats, the ferry, and cargo boats.  A swimmer would be invisible.  At least the kayak would have provided a dull “thud” when hit, before sinking.  Fortunately, there was no issue, and Amber was the only one in the water for that trip.

Surely there was more to do!  Yes, you are right.  Linda, Dave, Amber and I went out on a speed boat and Amber and I went tandem parasailing.  The view was spectacular, as we got up about 300 feet.  We saw several rays in the water beneath us, and we got an almost too close view of a cargo ship passing below.  The ride was most gentle, the landing was easy, and I would recommend it to anyone not terribly afraid of heights. 

But wait, there’s more!  The whole lot of us took a dinner cruise on a sailboat.  It was a private charter and a 3 hour tour.  The sunset was spectacular, and cruising along on the front deck, staring at the stars above was almost magical.

Ok, now for heightened adventure.  Amber, Dave, Nate, Linda and I went snorkling.  First, we dropped in on a reef for a view of the fish.  Next, we went to shark-ray alley, which lived up to it’s name.  The area originally became know for its shark population because it is where the fishing boats would clean their fish.  Now the snorkel charters keep the denizens there by feeding them as the divers jump into the water.  This may sound hazardous, but they are all nurse sharks, which are not hazardous to humans.  Once the feeding started, the sharks came by the dozens!  I simply could not get a good count, as we were mobbed.  They ranged in length from 4 to 9 feet.  I loved it!  So did the rest of the group.

Ok, now for more coolness:  Amber, Dave, Nate and I then went scuba diving.  The reefs off Belize are world famous for their color and variety of life.  We were not disappointed.  The soft corals and sea fans were plentiful, there were fish everywhere, including 30 lb plus groupers, and we saw sharks on.  To the nurse sharks we had previously seen were added Caribbean reef sharks, which are also not inclined toward feeding on humans.  For perspective, I have 70 plus dives under my belt and I’d previously only seen one shark in the wild.    We did 6 dives over 3 days, and on every dive we saw sharks.  We also saw numerous sea turtles, which are just really cool!  As an added bonus, Amber and Dave also got their advanced scuba diver certifications.

Not all the creatures of Belize are in the water.  We did not see any of the legendary jaguars, but the iguanas were regular visitors to our villa, and everyplace else we went.  As we were walking back to the road from our parasailing adventure we came upon a tree that was loaded with some very large specimens.  The largest was at least 5 foot.  They put on an impressive display of grunting and waiving their neck sacks.  Ok, that may not sound very impressive to you, but to another iguana: major impact!

As our days dwindled, we took a ½ hr golf cart trip up to “Secret Beach”.  Ok, there is no way it is actually a secret; the place is well developed, with a great infrastructure, pagodas, beach chairs, trinket kiosks, and staff available to fill you hand with a drink as quickly as you can think of it.  I guess the reason it is “secret” is that the paved road ends well before you get there.  You bounce along in your golf cart (I mean that literally) on several miles of unpaved road before the concrete returns, signaling that you are near.  It was a pleasant diversion for the day.

We did not spend any time on mainland Belize, except at the airport.  However, it would be worth a return trip.  Archeological digs there uncover new pyramids and cities on a regular basis.  If, like me, you have a thing for Aztec and Mayan history/culture, it’s a great place to visit.

Other highlights: Virginia and Dwaine.  We decided to hire a cook for most of our dinner meals.  They came with the food prepared to cook, and provided us with a variety of meals catered to our requests.  Amber and Dave eat very little meat, so on the days that meat was on the menu, Virginia and Dave prepared for them a different protein.  We had a wide variety of food, most of it influenced by the local cuisine, including fresh caught snapper and conch.  They were a joy to chat with while they prepared and served our meals, and we learned much about local customs and culture.  It was a special highlight of our trip.