Travel to Belize Begins – April 17, 2016

Well after a month-in-a-half rest after my trip to Panama in Southern California, it’s time to go check out Belize. If you have been following this blog, I (Turtle), am still not convinced that Panama should be my new home, and want to go check out some other Central American Countries to see if they might be the right candidates for me to retire in.

In my past travels to Belize many years ago (first in 1998), I found that the Belizians were very friendly, and the money system was based on the US dollar (2BZ to $1US), along with English as the official language. Belize also has a great barrier reef (2nd largest in the world) all along its coast. This makes for great diving, which this turtle is looking for. Along with the coast and hundreds of islands, there are mountains, rivers, rainforests, jungles and lots of Mayan Ruins throughout the Country.

Belize is not a big country, and there are only 4 or 5 main roads in the Country, so it is easy to get from one end to the other in just a few hours. There are less than 332,000 people that call Belize home. Belize is bordered on the north by Mexico, on the south and west by Guatemala, and on the east by the Caribbean Sea.

With my previous travels to Belize and all the research I was able to get done prior to leaving for Belize, I decided I really wanted to spend the first three weeks on the mainland, exploring Mayan Ruins, the Belize Zoo and checking out towns like San Ignacio, Hopkins and Placencia, prior to spending almost two weeks on Ambergris Caye where I really expect that this turtle might decide to settle down.

Getting to Belize from the US is easy and only takes on average about two-and-a-half to three hours from Houston or Miami. From Los Angeles, where this Turtle flies out of, it takes more time. Most every flight entering into Belize goes into Belize City (largest city in Belize) through its international airport called Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport (BZE). This airport is located just outside (15 km) of Belize City proper along the northern highway. Because of ongoing trouble with gangs in Belize city, most people avoid staying overnight in the city and chose hotels or resorts outside of the city. Although there are some nice Hotels / resorts located within the City, and since I was going to visit locations within the mainland of Belize, I chose to make my first stop in Burrel Boom. So upon arrival at the airport, I rented a car (AQ Rental Car) and bought a SIM card for my phone right in the airport parking lot and drove the northern highway (17 km) to the Black Orchid Resort in Burrel Boom.

I chose the Black Orchid Resort because of the good reviews, the location close to the airport, and some other great tourist destinations that I wanted to go see. The Black Orchid Resort is located right on the Belize River, and offered a pool, restaurant, nice rooms, and had breakfast included. (See my reviews in Tripadvisor). The property is well maintained, with lots of trees, shrubs, flowers, birds and lizards / Iguanas on the grounds.

My room at the Black Orchid Resort was located right along the river with the front entrance and patio looking out over the river. The Belize River at this point is about 150 yards wide and is quite deep. There is a mild current, but people do swim in the river along the shore. I am sure that in the wet season May through November, this river will be a lot wider and the current much stronger. This part of the river has few properties along the banks so there is a lot of trees and growth along the shores. Apparently, Burrel Boom was once the site where huge logging chains were strung across the river to snag the tree logs (Logwood & Mahogany) that were cut upstream in the rain forests of Belize and Guatemala. They used the river to float the trees down to this point and then removed the logs and transported them to the saw mills.

Up next on this blog will be my trip to the Baboon Sanctuary.