Ambergris Caye, Belize

Belize, especially Ambergris Caye, has a lot to offer for a vacation - amazing diving in crystal clear water, fun bars and delicious food. There, local (poor) culture and western tourism is truly intertwined. But the best part of Belize had to be the people.

In all my travels I've never met a nicer or more welcoming community. The Belizeans are a mix of nationalities, with ancestory from surrounding countries (Guatemala and Mexico), Mayans, and slavery backgrounds from the time of British colonization. Everyone of the Belizeans we met was so kind, friendly and talkative. Every bartender became a friend, each dive master was our new buddy while walking down the street, and Yolanda at the corner food stand didn't just cook for us, we shared our food together.

Belize also has a big ex-pat community. We had many interesting conversations, were invited to pot lucks, and quite possibly found a group of people that could out drink the old school Islanders.

The weather wasn't the best during our trip. There was a hurricane sitting off the coast of Mexico, so we had some rain, a lot of overcast days, and it was always very windy. But we didn't let that slow us down and we went along as planned with most of the outdoor activities. 

The first day, we rented bikes to explore the island. We got caught in a huge rain downpour and ended up hanging out under the porch of a grocery store for a good 40 minutes with other bikers and golf cart riders. 

While cars are allowed on the island, most people get around on golf carts or bikes. After one day of bikes, we decided to get a golf cart. Most of our time was then spend riding around on the golf cart, exploring the island and stopping at places for meals or drinks. All of the restaurants have such character and the food was some of the best I've ever had. 

Then of course there was the snorkeling and diving. For our first trip we went to the famous Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley. At the first stop, while my Dad and Jackie snorkeled, I scuba dived along the inner reef. I got to swim right next to a sea turtle and watch him eat, see a green moray eel pop out of his hiding spot, plus swim along awesome coral and go in a great little cave swim through. At Shark Ray Alley, we all just jumped in the shallow water to swim with the sting rays and nurse sharks. The sharks were used to the people and it wasn't hard to touch them, or even hold them. 

Our next adventure was a fishing and snorkel trip. Jackie and I went out fishing the inner reef areas along the North end of the island. We caught mostly yellow snappers. Then we stopped at Mexico Rocks for an awesome snorkel. We saw SO much sea life - sharks, three turtles, mana rays, and many fish. It was the best array of sea life - even better than my dives. 

My last dive was by myself, at the outer reef in about 60 foot water. It was great, but the visibility wasn't the best because of all the rain and wind. The previous day's dive was actually cancelled. The reef runs along the whole length of the Caye, so there are only about 4 cut throughs to get to the other side of it for the deeper water. And the cut throughs are really rough and have huge waves. The coral was beautiful and we saw a good variety of fish plus some nurse sharks. One shark had a huge fishing hook caught in his mouth, and the dive master caught him and pulled it out. That was really great! 

Belize was a very hard place to leave. It was a favorite of all my travels in the past year. Having my Dad and sister with me was great. And Belize was a perfect place for us with water activities, culture and of course bars and good food. We definitely have plans to go back!

Recommended Restaurants & Bars:

• Palapa - The owners are from Tampa and have family on Anna Maria Island. The place is super fun with a great dive bar feel on the island. There are also huge jenga games on the deck and inter tubes to float on in the water while drinking a beer. I loved their watermelon and rum drinks. 

• Blue Water Grill - super fresh seafood and Carribbean flavors, right on the water

• El Fogon - True local Belize food

• Yolanda's - the Yellow food stand on the last street before the bridge on the south side. She is SO sweet and cooked all our fish we caught in a delicious coconut broth. she didn't want to charge us because we shared our food with her. She has the best local plates.  

• Wayo's - right by our condo, so always our last stop for a drink. Great bartender! 
• Aji Tapa Bar - super cool jungle feel, great water views, and good small plates. The grounds and vibe here make it, but the food is also tasty.

• Pirate's Treasure - Amazing Lionfish dishes! Definitely a top 3 dish I've ever had.  
• The last food stall in the main square - only open at night, this lady has amazing flavors in her tacos and it was super cheap.