Traveling to Belize from California was quite a chore. Our first
layover was in Phoenix where we grabbed dinner at Cowboy
Ciao. I tried their main restaurant in Scottsdale before, and I
was pretty impressed. I got the fried chicken and red velvet
waffles.
Our second layover was at Dallas/Fort Worth International
Airport. It was overnight so I booked a local Doubletree by
Hilton hotel for the night. In the morning, I was able to go
shopping at the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop at the airport before leaving
for Belize City.
We arrived at Phillip S.W. Goldson International Airport in Belize City
(BZE) after about 2 and a half hours from D/FW.
The airport in Belize City is pretty small, and there were no
jetways. We deplaned using stairs. The airport was nice
however for a small nation.
Here is a picture of a Belizean flag at the airport. Belize got
independence from the UK in 1981, and they still recognize the British
Soverign as their monarch as well.
I got a nice Cuban Cohiba cigar at the Duty Free Store after clearing
immigrations.
The duty free store had complimentary rum tasting as well. Belize
is known for their rum!
We took a Cessna Caravan owned by Maya Island Air from Belize City
International to San Pedro via Belize City Municipal Field.
It was pretty cool being able to watch the pilot since the plane was so
small and did not have a seperate cockpit from the main cabin.
Our flight time to Belize Municipal Airport was only about five minutes.
I took this picture of the beautiful Caribbean waters and the barrier
reef from the flight from Belize Municipal Airport to San Pedro.
This was our landing approach into San Pedro Airport (SPR). The
airport has no control tower. The flight took about twelve
minutes from Belize City Municipal Airport.
Here is the small Maya Island Air terminal at San Pedro Airport.
Our hotel is the orange building in the distance.
The hotel porter met us at the airport, and he took our luggage across
the street to the Sunbreeze Hotel.
This is the outside of the Sunbreeze Hotel in San Pedro, Belize.
It was decent for a non-US chain hotel.
The grounds of the hotel were lush and tropical.
There was a large sandy courtyard also.
The Caribbean Sea was right outside the hotel. It was located on
the beach.
The pool at the hotel was a nice treat on the hot and humid days.
The hotel's dive shop was right on the beach too. They had a pier
too.
The rooms were decent for a non Hilton property. The sheets were
soft and clean, and they had fresh flowers on the beds. The crown
moulding was a nice touch too.
For dinner, I got lobster tostadas at a restaurant called Caliente.
Caliente was located on the water, and I enjoyed the signature drink of
Belize, "The Panty Ripper," as I took in the views of the sea.
The Panty Ripper is pineapple juice and rum.
The club in San Pedro opened up really late. We got in there at
midnight right when it opened. I figure the people party into the
early morning hours.
Like the Zac Brown Band says, "I got my toes in the water....."
We went on a snorkel trip to Mexico Rocks on the northern side of
Ambergris Caye on the 2nd day. I am on the dock for the dive shop
here.
I am on the boat waiting to take off for our snorkel spots.
The barrier reef is off in the distance. One can see it from
where there is surf hitting the reef.
I am in the warm Caribbean waters in this photo.
Our guide found a live conch shell, and he dove down to get it so we
could see it up close.
These fish are called Sargeant Majors. They are yellow and black.
I worked up an appetite from all the swimming in the sea so I ordered
lobster, shrimp, and red snapper along with coconut rice and veggies at
Fido's in San Pedro for dinner that night.
The next morning, there was a brief storm as we headed out to sea for
the 2nd day of snorkeling.
This is the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Hol Chan is a small narrow
passageway where there is a way for ships to pass between the reef.
I am snorkeling in Nurse Ray Ally here. It is where I swam with
nurse sharks and sting rays. Nurse sharks are non aggresive
usually.
Here are some nurse sharks approaching our boat.
We had lunch at Hurricane's Restaurant and Ceviche Bar which is built
onto the water. They suffered some damage from the recent
hurricane that passed through Belize.
At night on the 3rd day, we took a sunset booze cruise to the western
side of the island.
There was a lot of alcohol options aboard the catamaran.
We also had some great snacks including ceviche and fresh fruit.
The next day, we took the water taxi over to Caye Caulker, which is
another island off the coast of Belize.
Caye Caulker is a laid back island with no paved roads. It is
untouched paradise.
We took a golf cart taxi from the arrival dock in Caye Caulker to the
Split, which is where the island was cut in two by a hurricane in the
1960s. Belikin is the beer of Belize.
The Split at Caye Caulker is a popular place for people to party and
relax. We ordered some food and drinks and just took in the views.
The waters off Caye Caulker are really nice also.
This was a scene right out of the Corona Holiday Commercial at our
hotel in San Pedro. The breezes at night felt great!
The next day, we had a full day excursion to the mainland to visit a
Mayan Ruin. We had to take a boat from the island to Belize
City. These are some mangrove islands we passed.
Belize City is in the background in this photo.
We took a second boat after an hour van journey on the New River to get
to Lamanai. We saw a spider monkey along the way.
They served us a Belizean lunch once we got to the ruins that consisted
of rice and beans, stewed chicken, cole slaw, fried plantains, and
spicy relish. It was great!
I am having a Belikin beer with my lunch.
This is the first temple we saw at Lamanai. It is called The Mask
Temple.
I was able to climb up to the top of the Mask Temple.
This is the Jaguar Temple at Lamanai. Lamanai was built around
100 BC.
The Jaguar Temple has the face of a Jaguar on both sides. It was
really neat.
Here is another great picture of the barrier reef in the distance from
the flight from San Pedro back to Belize City International Airport in
Ladyville.
I wore my traveling watch, a Certina GMT watch for this trip.
After arriving at Phillip S.W. Goldson International Airport, this
Belizean beauty escorted us back to the domestic arrival area.
This is the area around the airport in Ladyville.
This guy is named "Jet." He has a bar at the airport that serves
great homemade chicken sandwiches, chicken hot dogs, and rum
punch! He looks stern, but he is a nice guy.
We departed Belize on an American Airlines flight.