Sunday, April 7, 2013

Elizabeth, Queen of Belize?!


I was really surprised to learn that Belize had been a British colony until 1964 and English is still the official language there.   Mexico had tried to take Belize for Spain but it was defeated by Britain. The Spanish continued to try for Belize but were never successful. In addition, Guatemala claimed Belize as a territory and this has been a point of contention in the past although more recently the two neighbors are trying to cooperate more.
Belize is home to the second largest barrier reef. We took a boat ride to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley where we got a chance to see many different sea creatures and the corals. Although the underwater life was not very colorful, the ocean was picture perfect and there were little houses everywhere painted in yummy pastel colors.

Belize is trying hard to make tourism a main industry but it has a long way to go to become a “Costa Rica”. Unpaved roads can be bumpy and, in fact in the little town of San Predro, in addition to a few taxis, everyone uses golf carts to get around.  They kept things simple there:  Front Road, Back Road and Middle Road.  Don't miss Hidden Treasure restaurant and Victoria House, both of which serve delicious local fish.




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