We learned never to stand under a coconut tree - the coconuts fall with no warning, unless you know what to listen for. People get hurt & killed by getting hit in the head by a falling coconut.
Fast food as we know it doesn't exist in Belize. These are examples of Belizean fast food. I'm pretty sure it's much healthier than all those burgers & fries we eat in the US. The food in general is healthy. Belizeans eat what they grow or catch. they don't use hormones & such in their growing. The food tastes so much better, we couldn't believe how good the chicken tasted, I am sure that is due to the fact that it is natural.
If you're a Pepsi drinker, forget it, Coke is the only thing you'll find & it tastes different, more syrupy. Everyone drinks it.
Local beer is cheaper than water most places, so people drink a lot of beer. You have to be careful if you are out in the countryside to make sure the water is safe to drink or drink bottled water, we got a cooler with our rental car & kept water with us just in case.
People are so friendly, you can hardly walk down the street & carry on a conversation because everyone says hello & smiles. They are very welcoming & accepting of others.
They are a happy people, everyone smiles, including the children. They take care of their families, there are often 3 or 4 generations in one house that is maybe 600 square feet in size.
Crime is much lower than in the US. Although the two large cities - Belize city & Belmopan have some areas of crime, the rest of the country experiences very little crime. It is mostly petty crime, like theft & B & E's. I went for walks after dark in Placencia Town & felt totally safe, which is something I can't do at home even in our small town.
Churches play a very active role in the communities. There are many different denominations, with the most notable being the Roman catholic. The churches run the schools for the most part, with the government's approval. All of the kids wear uniforms, each school has a different color uniform. the kids either walk to school or walk to the bus stop.
The country overall is pretty low tech. One hotel we stayed at had VHS tapes for us to use. There is WIFI in most hotels, but not out in the country. Adults have cell phones, but everything is prepaid. Most people don't have air conditioning, even some hotels don't have it. Electricity is one of the few things that is expensive.
Kids are happy & smiling like the adults. They play outside, swimming in the ocean & rivers, riding bikes or playing some kind of ball - soccer is big. they don't have a ton of toys, but appear to be happy with what they have.
Belize is an easy country to visit & get around. It is English speaking, so communicating is pretty simple. Their currency is a Belizean $ & the exchange rate is simple one US$ = two BZ$, It's the same everywhere no negotiating. there are only four main highways - Northern, Western, Southern & Hummingbird. Highways is a term used leniently - they are 2 lane roads with a speed limit of 50mph. We rarely did that as you never knew when you would happen upon a small village (most of which aren't marked) & the crazy speed bumps to slow you down, often these weren't marked & if you went over them at 50mph you probably damaged the bottom of your car. the only thing you knew for sure that if you came to one speed bump there would be a second at the other end of the village. There are also speed humps at all the schools. These are like cross walks, only elevated like a huge speed bump. The bridges are all one lane, so whoever gets there first goes.
With a decent map, it really isn't hard to get around, & people are helpful if you need directions.
Belize reminds me of the US of my childhood. Maybe that is why I fell in love, or it could be the beautiful country that has average temperatures in the 70's & 80's year round, or the ocean, or the jungles, or waterfalls. Not sure, but before we left we were already planning to return, now in a matter of days we will be back in Beautiful Belize.
