Although I didn't spend so much time in this country, I can not say it really impressed me compared to what I've seen during this same trip through Central America. It's way more expensive then Mexico and Guatemala, but does not have any better coast line or points of interest.
The first impression you get at your arrival in Belize City is not that confortable due to the rude people I unfortunatly met. Maybe I was unlucky, but to tell you the truth these huge black guys you meet around (and I'm not racist AT ALL) don't really do anything to make you feel home (and at the customs you find the biggest assholes ever!!!).
From Belize City I took a boat to Caye Caulker. It's a 30 or 40 minutes ride and when you land you definatly feel like you've reached a carabean island. Rasta man everywhere, reggae music in the streets and the wind constantly blowing from the sea. Even the language seams from another world. Beacause of the strong african influence the english spoken here is close to arab to me, and even the food sold in the streets has that creol look and smell you can't resist to. Coconut milk and curry are at the base of any meal and the sea food is very accesible.
In 1961 Hurricane Hattie devasted this island spliting it in two and leaving in front of the main boody of Caye Caulker a tiny peace of land now uninhabited.
The town develops manly on one sandy street that ends on one side in the main attraction of the island; a super cool wooden bar right next to "The Split". Here you can sip on 6 cool beers for only 10$ sold in iced bukets sponsored by the national belizian beer (Belikin), and you can eat quite good food (fast) while sitting at a table in the water (if you're lucky to find room) and listen to great reggae music!
A Story apart is Sarteneja! This cute little fishermen village, close to the border with Mexico, is the place where you can breathe some real life going on. I wanted to go there because I read somewhere that they were about to have this famous regatta with some very tipical boats, and I knew all the boat builders were busy getting their vessels ready!
Only dirt roads cross the town and the slow rithm going on around here make you feel finally back in the nature. I was coming from la "isla bonita" San Pedro (have you ever listened to the famoes song from Madonna? Well...it's dedicated to it), and I was sooo disappointed that I couln't wait to get to Sarteneja.
The weather was terrible, the sea rough, the sun was about to go down and the boat that took me ther was leaving behind to reach another shore. I had no idea where to go ask for a place to sleep, so with my backpack on I headed to a small little house where a woman was hanging her washed cloth. To make a long story short, I ended up staying with them (a family of 5 living in less then 30 square meters) the whole evening invited over for dinner and then they helped me calling people they knew in town to host me. After finally resting my self and settling in a quite decent room, the following days I just roamed around visiting every corner of the town, meeting lots of people, being invited over again and again and building up a wonderful friendship with Fidel and his family.
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