So, Belize was not the candy haven I’d hoped for. Nonetheless, I still spent something like 14 days there, often without any candy at all. I’m very impressed by Belize as a travel destination - it makes an excellent quick vacation from North America. All of the other travelers I met greatly enjoyed their time there, partly because there are just so many different things to do. Native wildlife, Mayan ruins, beaches, diving, snorkeling, jungle hikes, adventure tours - it’s easy to stay busy in Belize. Also, it’s so small that it’s easy to cover pretty much the whole country in a short timeframe. The only downfall is the price, as it’s much more expensive than neighboring countries. Still cheaper than the US though!

So, what did I do there?

Orange Walk: This town is dead. There isn’t much to see or do here, and I mostly used it as a base to see the Mayan ruins at Lamanai. An enthusiastic guide and a fun riverboat ride complete with crocodile sightings helped make up for the fact that I was seeing Mayan ruins for approximately the fifth time in two weeks.

Belize City: I had a really good pork dish here, and fresh watermelon juice was omnipresent. The four hours I spent waiting for a boat to take me to Caye Caulker was more than sufficient though! On the way back I stopped at the Belize Zoo which was really very nice, with lots of local animals and a very friendly feel.

Caye Caulker: Extremely expensive. The food is amazing, but tends to run $10-$20 USD per meal… ouch! Apparently, the diving is some of the best in the world and the snorkeling was outstanding as well. Seeing sharks, manta rays, giant barracudas, and tons and tons of colorful fish was a highlight of the Caye. As far as the island itself, it’s possible to go on trips to a manatee reserve or hang out on a giant collapsed concrete bridge, but it’s mostly a good place for just lazing around in a hammock somewhere meeting other travelers. Also an excellent place to go if you want to pick up a Belize “boyfriend” or at least that’s what every other local guy told me.

Placencia: I really liked Placencia. Mostly because of the amazing gelati but it helps that the beaches are nice. Supposedly a good place to see whale sharks, but I wouldn’t know much about that. I think the snorkeling in Caye Caulker is a little better, but the atmosphere in Placencia is much more laid-back, and slightly more inexpensive.

Punta Gorda: I didn’t actually spend much time in Punta Gorda, but I stayed four days at an organic research farm nearby. While getting to the farm was a bit tricky (I had to walk for an hour from a tiny little Mayan village, and then ford a stream with the water leaking in through the bottom of my backpack) the stay itself was extremely enjoyable. Once I got over the whole leafcutter ant/tarantula thing, at least… I’ll be making another post about what I learned of cacao farming while there - it was really fascinating, and the pulp is delicious!

So, that pretty much wrapped up my stay in Belize. I really did enjoy my visit despite the dearth of candy and can heartily recommend it as a two-week vacation. Now, I’m on to Guatemala and fortunately, early indicators point to significantly more candy being available here!

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Finances Overview:

I spent $35 USD a day for 12 days on food, lodging, and the basic expenses. My breakdown was:

• Lodging: $18.11 USD
• Food: $5.89
• Transport: $5.38
• Alcohol: $1.02
• Activities: $1.00
• Misc: $2.58 (includes $3.75 USD to leave Belize from Punta Gorda.)

That included 4 nights at an all-inclusive research farm where I didn’t spend any money on food or transport, and this does not include my splurges.

I also participated in 3 expensive activities: Lamanai Tour ($35.00 USD), Caye Caulker snorkeling ($37.50 USD), and Placencia whale shark snorkeling ($90.00 USD.)

I spent a total of $617.50 USD in Belize.