Hi all,

My wife and I just got back from Belize. We got a lot of great tips from this tribe, so I thought I would provide a little up-to-date report. We went in the middle of december, 2006.

All in all, we had a really fantastic time. we started in san pedro at the Victoria House. Nice place for pampering, you get all the high-end hotel amenities that you can't really get anywhere else on the island, abundant towels, afternoon tear-down service, laundry service, etc. The little casitas were cute, and I thought I would enjoy the rustic experience by not bringing the laptop to watch DVDs on at the last minute. It was a noble decision, but we got lots of rain while in san pedro, and we sort of wished we had some sort of entertainment. We ended up just drinking One Barrel and playing scrabble and cards. The biggest problem with Victoria House is that it is far from the main town. Not that far, but the road is completely wasted with potholes, so it takes awhile to get to town, and it is even harder when it is raining.

Good food all around in San Pedro. Lots of local lobster. Bacon wrapped shrimp. Fish or conch fritters are everywhere. Seemed cleaner than anywhere in Mexico, we never had any digestive problems.

San pedro is a pretty rustic town, with the sand streets and all. The vibe is really good. Lots of little kids out playing soccer in the alleys. Both tourists and locals filling the streets on the warm nights. Anything you might want to help enhance your vacation is easily available in San Pedro.

All of our tours... just going out to snorkel, mayan ruins, etc were well worth the money. The trip to Laminai is as exciting as the ruins themselves. You blast down this network of rivers, seeing alligators, birds, Meninite farming communities, etc. We used Sea-rius tours, and we really enjoyed the local guides all of who had grown up there.

One of our favorite things about san pedro was the long beach that you could bike on. Rolling down the beach in between the palm trees with the little resorts and bars on one side and the pristine water on the other.. good stuff. On one rainy day we passed by two Rasta guys. We chatted, they showed us their carvings for sale, but my wife mentioned she wanted some black coral. One of them hopped on his bike and we were off on a crazy adventure with him that included waking up a shop owner from her siesta, picking out jewelry with him, and finally ending in a local reggae bar drinking Belikins and eating fish fritters. It was just the sort of random encounter that made San Pedro fun.

After 5 nights in San Pedro, we moved on to Caye Caulker. Now, don't get me wrong, we really enjoyed San Pedro, and as we were leaving I thought we had had a fantastic vacation up until thatpoint. But Caye Caulker was really more of our vibe. Much more laid back. More of a youthful, backpacker vibe. The village reminded us a lot of the town of Hanalei, on the north side of Kauai. Seaside Cabanas was about 100 dollars cheaper a night than Victoria House. We enjoyed the cabanas up front with the private roof decks where you can sit in a hammock under a thatched roof. Good stuff, especially at night when you are partying a bit.

I appreciated the tip on the One Barrel rum. I don't know what it is about it, it is not particularly unique or anything, it is just really drinkable. I started mixing it one night with soda, juice and ice. Then just soda and ice. Then just the One Barrel and ice. And then, yes, I was pouring it straight and drinking it. Mmmm, nice buzz.

Not so impressed with Belikin. When I am on vacation I love mexican beer, Pacifico, Sol. Belikin was nothing like those. But, it is ubiquitous. Most bars had two choices when it came to beer, Belikin in a bottle or Belikin on tap. You learn to like it... I guess.

The best part of Belize was the people. Everyone is very educated and friendly. You can strike up a conversation with any local at any time, and they will happily talk your ear off about anything. I mentioned to the record store owner on Caye Caulker that I liked his reggae tunes kept the vibe up on the street even during the rain, and he thanked me and then went off for literally 15 minutes about how the Swiss newcomer across the street running a jewelry store hates it. And how its the law that can play his music until midnight any day of the week. Just one example.

Anyway, enough rambling. A few photos here:

www.saturn5.com/tsheets/ph...photos.html

-troy