Yassss’ man – Belize here we come!
As the saying goes, all good things come to an end. The time came for us to say goodbye to the land of tacos! After two beautiful months in Mexico, it was time to move forward on our trip and officially begin our Central American adventure. It all started in Belize, where neither of us had been but we were so looking forward to it! We heard there is amazing scuba diving throughout the area and couldn’t wait to try it out ourselves. We didn’t read anything or research much about our route specifically because we wanted to just go and wing it! The only thing we made sure to research in advance was how to bring the dogs into the country. Belize is pretty strict when it comes to entering the country with a pet but if you’re well prepared, there’s nothing to worry about. The border crossing was easy and extremely friendly!
Once we crossed the border from Mexico to Belize, the vibe completely changed and we were immediately bathing into the Caribbean atmosphere! Everything about the culture is smooth and easy going. As long as you are nice to people, they will treat you as their very own family member. We were also introduced to the Garifuna people in Belize. We were amazed at how many people in Belize speak English, Spanish, Garifuna and Creole. The entire county is a big, happy, melting pot and we loved being part of it. It also comes to no surprise that Reggae music was playing the entire time we were traveling the country!
Our time in Belize was short but we made sure to make the most of it. We spent a couple days in Belize City fixing the camper; it was inevitable with all the rough, washboard toads and millions of “topes” in Mexico. The Old Belize Marina was a good home base to set up camp and do the renovations on the camper ourselves. As soon as Dr. Lee was ready to go, we hit the road and drove through miles of jungle without passing a single person on the Manatee Highway. Hey – we never said we wouldn’t drive on any rough roads ever again! Charles giggled like a kid every time we drove through a pothole of water and it would splash the windshield. The scenery was worth every pothole, washboard, and piece of dirt!
The main attractions in Belize consist of scuba diving, snorkeling, and sportfishing, which all take place on the Belizean Islands. Since we’re traveling with two dogs and we don’t like leaving them behind, we decided to skip the islands and do as much as we could on the mainland. This is yet another reason why we decided to settle down in Hopkins for a couple days, where we found a nice, primitive camping spot on the beach.
We also had the opportunity to dive at South Water Cayes Marine Reserve. It was an amazing experience! We would definitely recommend snorkeling or diving if you ever visit this beautiful country. Our stay in Belize was short and sweet. We mainly stayed on the coast and skipped all the spots inland. We made this decision because even though we have two years to complete our adventure, time flies and we need to use it wisely. We made the choice to enjoy the short time in Belize and spend more of our time visiting the rest of Central America.
See you in Guatemala!
Quick pit stop at the Old Belize Marina for some renovations!
Dr. Lee back on the road!
The girls enjoying the view of the Manatee Highway
Oliver inspecting the bridge…
Dr. Lee looking fine on the bridge crossing
Charles’ dad got stuck in the jungle. It was pretty fun getting him out!
Nice paved roads never hurt anyone!
Getting lost deep in the Belizean jungle!
Running away from the rain, it’s not rainy season yet!
Kim on the lookout for sharks
