2007 Feb Winnipeg Free Press

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USED TO BE TRAVEL

Belize!Snorkelling just one of many pleasures of Caribbean getaway Updated: February 4, 2007 at07:37 AM CST

SAN PEDRO, Belize -- Needle-nosed ballyhoo fish leap from the water, lured by the wake as

captain Bobby Halliday motors off Ambergris Caye. The turquoise waters here are so clear you

can see blades of sea grass and lobster traps more than six metres below the surface.

Halliday has been guiding fishing trips through these waters for years, making some

customers so happy they gave him the two 60-horsepower engines that power his boat, the

Blanca Lilly. He slows to troll, and suddenly even more is visible below: parrot fish. Angel fish. A

1 1/2-metre bull shark, silent as a shadow.

He rigs up our fishing poles in more than 10 metres of water and we quickly land a pile of

Spanish mackerel, yellowtail snapper and one hard-fighting barracuda. Halliday pries amackerel from a hook, spilling blood on the deck.

When I step back, he laughs.

"That's when Bobby's having a good day, when there's blood in the boat," he says. Then he

nods to my husband. "That's a good catch, man."

We'd pondered where to spend a winter vacation, eager to swap grey skies and chilly

weather back home for blue water and fresh seafood. We'd been to several Caribbean islands,

but we wanted something different.

Our research led to Belize, an English-speaking country of 280,000 that seems undecided on

whether to market itself as Central America or the Caribbean.

No wonder. It has the best of both -- friendly, welcoming people grateful for every tourist, and

brilliant, varied marine life that snorkellers and divers treasure.

The mainland is 290 kilometres long and no more than 110 kilometres wide, but Belize is best

known for its cayes, or islands. There are more than 200, most of them inside a coral reef that is

the world's second-longest (after Australia's Great Barrier Reef).

The most popular and developed island here is Ambergris Caye, home to the town of San

Pedro, white beaches and a laid-back mood.

To get there, you fly to Belize City, then catch a boat or plane. The flight is short, but the view

is unbeatable: even from the air, through scratched plastic windows, you can see massive rays

in the water below.

From the dusty airport, it's a quick water taxi or golf cart ride to the resorts, where the first

impression is mixed. Though the water is a brilliant palette of blues, the beach is rimmed in

weeds and flotsam.

But the trade-offs are worth it. Though Belize has ramshackle homes, rutted dirt roads and a

less-than-immaculate shoreline, it has unspoiled Caribbean beauty at prices far below its

northern neighbour, Mexico.

The beachfront is lined with pastel-coloured houses and thatched-roof resorts, none more

than three storeys high. The water is too shallow for cruise ships. Nor are there J et Skis to ruin

the ambience. Continued on next page



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Though locals travel mainly by foot and bicycle, the best way to explore is by golf cart. The

island has few cars and few roads.

But everywhere, there is construction -- new condos and resorts, dredging and more. In 10

years, I wonder, what will it look like?Snorkelling and diving are key attractions. At the Hol Chan Marine Preserve, I go under with

my snorkelling gear and the first thing I spot is a green moray eel bobbing in a sphere of coral.

Two giant tarpon and a spotted eagle ray glide by as we stare at hundreds of tropical fish. Then

we swim through into a coral garden and out through a crack in the reef to the open sea.

The next stop is Shark Ray Alley, where -- as promised -- the first visible creatures are two

nurse sharks. They quickly veer away, and underwater cameras start shooting the schools of

fat, horse-eyed jacks.

Back on dry land, there are other attractions, some beautiful, some bizarre. On Wednesday

nights, hundreds gather at the Pier Lounge bar for one of the latter -- the Chicken Drop.

Four white squares covered in red numbers are laid on the sand. A crowd gathers as we

watch from above, sipping Belikin beers from a coveted balcony table at Caliente.

A hostess explains the game. Everyone has bought a number. If the chicken poops on your

number, she says, you win $1,000. But you have to clean it up.

From a rattan basket, a tourist plucks a chicken. It takes a few steps, then freezes as the

screaming begins. Children yell until they are hoarse. Grown men raise their beers, bellowing

numbers.

The chicken stops. It is straddling two numbers on my husband's ticket: 72 and 25.

For what feels like minutes, the bird refuses to budge. The screaming continues until

suddenly my husband yells, "Shhh! Be quiet! Let the chicken relax!"

For a second, there is silence. Then the crowd cracks up, the shouting resumes and the bird

moves. Eventually he drops on No. 6, thrilling a tourist from Alaska.

It's easy to pass the days drinking Dirty Bananas by the pool, catching and grilling grouper,

and snorkelling at hot spots like Mexico Rocks. But Belize has more to offer.

A 15-minute flight takes us back to Belize City, where a guide drives us deep into the Cayo

District, to the Community Baboon Preserve.

Some 200 private landowners voluntarily protect 50 square kilometres of habitat for 2,000

rare black howler monkeys. Our guide hands out large switches to swat mosquitoes as we

venture into the jungle to see them. There is a telltale roar, loud and guttural, and the crunching

of leaves.

A family of five emerges overhead -- two babies, a mother and two males. They come within

five metres, peering curiously, awaiting a snack of cocoa leaves.

I ask permission, then pull from my backpack a sock monkey. It is my version of Travelocity'sroaming gnome, always figuring prominently in vacation photos. The oldest male charges at me,

brown eyes locked on the fake monkey. Instead of taking a picture of my toy here, I quickly stuff

it in my backpack to avoid a confrontation. The real monkey stops, slowly relaxing but never

taking his eyes from the bag.

-- Associated Press



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2007 Feb Winnipeg Free Press