When you here the word Belize, you might think that it must be a place in South America or Europe or maybe even Africa.
Belize is a small country bordering the southern most part of Mexico, Guatemala on the south and west sides and the glorious Caribbean Sea to the east. The country has a population of about a quarter million people. It is the only English speaking country in Central America. It’s a third world country but it has a lot to offer.
There are jungles, waterfalls and Mayan ruins scattered throughout the country. There are wild animals such as jaguars, wild boars, spider monkeys, howler monkeys and many more. Birds are everywhere. There are large varieties of parrots, toucans, hummingbirds, cranes and more for bird enthusiasts. Belize boasts the second largest coral reef in the world and as such, it’s probably one of most popular tourist destinations in the country for day visitors arriving for the day on cruise ships. The reef teams with every type of colorful fish and coral. The waters are also plentiful in nurse sharks and rays which brush by the snorkelers as they stand in the shallow waters. There also bottle-nose dolphins and during certain times of year, the awesome whale-sharks show up.
The primary language of Belize is English because they are a commonwealth country but many other languages can be heard throughout this colorful country as well. It’s not uncommon to hear Spanish, broken English, a low German dialect, various Chinese dialects and some Mayan dialects in more remote regions.
The people of Belize as a whole are friendly and upbeat. Like most third world tourist destinations though, you are likely to run into people begging for money and desperate sales people trying to make a living. The average Belize laborers wage is about 40 Belize dollars a day which is equivalent to $20.00 American a day.
There is so much more to discover in Belize and who knew it was so close to home. Get on the internet and plan your trip to Belize. You will return year after year.
