Belize Day 1 - Belize City

Welcome to Belize City

The airplane landed on a tiny airstrip in Belize City. We stepped out of the plane and were greeted with a heavy downpour of rain. We would have been soaked to the bones, if not for the umbrellas handed to us at the bottom of the stairs. I considered the rain a good sign due to the fact that every time we've traveled and it rained on the first day, the weather would be fabulous for the rest of the trip. It took us no time at all to zip through customs. Then we hailed a cab and were whisked off to our hotel, The Great House.


Belize City is a rough town. There is a great deal of crime and poverty. We read there are certain areas you just don't go in. Our accommodation, The Great House, was in the Fort George section of town and considered a safe area. The reason we selected the hotel was due to a review on the Travel Channel. Plus we didn't feel like riding the Chicken Bus for three hours to San Ignacio after such a long airplane ride. The room was extremely nice with a King Size Bed, hardwood floors, high ceilings with a large fan, and a view of the ocean.

On the main floor is a restaurant called The Smokey Mermaid. There I drank my first Belikin beer there and loved it. I was famished and ordered the house smoked pork chops, a delicious salty smoked piece of meat. Diane went for fresh fish and chips that were lightly battered, flaky. The fish was probably caught that morning. After a long day of traveling, we fell asleep to sounds of music drifting up from the restaurant.

Next: The Chicken Bus
Location: Belize City, Belize

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