Our trip to Belize began on a very COLD, December morning on a 5am flight. We had one short connection in Seattle. As we sat on the tarmac waiting for the plane to be defrosted we helplessly watched those already short minutes for that connection disappear. Nothing like starting a trip stressed out about missing your next flight. And no, I’m not someone who just says, oh well, so be it. Instead I’m going to run through SeaTac and catch that silly flight. And we did. And we made it. And I loathe running.

The Necessities

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As for our arrival to Belize City it was highly uneventful. Technically the airport is well outside of the city and we did not bother with driving in to the city as our actual destination lay inland. We decided to rent a vehicle, which I recommend. After a lot of research we went with Crystal Auto Rental purely because we planned to enter Guatemala and they are the go to rental company for this. That being said they were significantly more expensive, so if staying in Belize I’d look around. We had no difficulty with the agency and all appropriate paperwork was in order. As to the Guatemalan crossing and re entry into Belize as far as the car was concerned there were no issues.

With our late afternoon arrival we preemptively decided to dine close to the airport at Di Bruwry. The wait staff were friendly and it was a mix of locals and travelers for sure. They were out of the first two beer’s I attempted to order but third try was the charm. All mild beer’s that seemed suitable for a tropical place. My personal taste typically runs stronger and darker, but alas, living in the PNW surrounded by micro breweries can do that to you.

Initially we booked a place just off the ocean for a night, not wanting to drive inland a few hours in the dark on our first day in Belize. Unfortunately, Hurricane Lisa ripped through the area causing extensive damage. The hotel we initially chose was impacted, as were many on the coast, causing us to relocate inland for the first night.

Driving

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Driving in Belize is an adventure in itself. We had directions but that is not particularly helpful in the dark. As we drove to our lodgings we came across a minor problem. On a small street, nearly to the resort, the road stopped. As in a foot high drop off from the pavement to dirt below. Hmm. Don’t think the rental company would appreciate us launching the vehicle off that. And there was no way to get around it either, we certainly looked. By now it’s pitch black outside. As the navigator, I get to back track us to another route. For the record, just because Google Maps say’s there’s a road does NOT mean there is a road in Belize. She tried to take us down a jungle path. Another fun thing about driving in Belize is the death humps. Biggest speed bumps I’ve ever seen. They are crazy, and often not marked. If you hit them you’ll certainly bottom out and slam your head into the ceiling. Every town has a few as you enter and leave. And some are just randomly out there for no real reason that I could tell. My job as the navigator included yelling warnings about these prior to us hitting them. But eventually we settled in for the night, eager to begin our adventure but relieved to be off the road and more than ready for a drink.

Monkeys

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Morning brought our first real day in Belize. Why not start out with monkeys? The Baboon Sanctuary (they are actually Howler Monkey’s) is worth the drive and nominal fee. There’s a tiny museum that tells their history. We took the monkey walk and were guided out to see a troupe of monkeys. For the record they sound awful. And they are hilarious. Doug adores monkeys so we had to visit.

St Herman’s Cave and the Blue Hole

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