Belize Blog – Belizeadventure.com

The Lionfish is an introduced species to the Caribbean, first reported in the wild years ago near Florida, where it is suspected several were released into the sea by aquarium owners. Native to the Indonesian and Indian Ocean region, it has been kept as an ornamental fish by aquarium owners for years due to its beautiful colors and unusual fan of fins.

The Lionfish sports an array of toxic spines among its fins, which although not lethal are extremely painful to encounter, and are poisonous to other predatory fish. Thus, the Lionfish has no natural enemies, and in fact is a voracious predator itself, feeding on the juveniles of most species of reef fish. It reproduces rapidly, and not only takes over any reef ecosystem it colonizes but decimates the local fish populations.

From the Florida region, the Lionfish has spread throughout the Caribbean, and only recently reached Belize 3 years ago. Rumor has it someone dumped their aquarium fish into the sea! We have seen them spread throughout Glover’s Reef Atoll over the past few seasons, and now we encounter them on all our snorkel and dive excursions. One recent scuba diving group counted over 60 Lionfish in a single dive! Unfortunately, we expect to see fewer indigenous reef fish as the Lionfish population increases, and as the Lionfish themselves become larger as they mature. At first we were only seeing Lionfish a few inches in length, but this season we have seen them almost 12″ in size. Fortunately, we are allowed to spear Lionfish (the ONLY fish we can fish and keep), and they are very good to eat!

Our Belize island menu takes advantage of fresh seafood caught locally. The shrimp in Belize is fantastic! Here is the recipe most commonly served in Belize, this recipe serves 6.

2 lb peeled & de-veined shrimp
2 T olive oil
2 onions
2 bell peppers
3 garlic cloves
1 T oregano
1 T basil
1 8 oz can salsa casera
juice from 2 limes
1 T Belizean Recado: spice paste sold in balls, a.k.a. red achiote paste
½ cup water
1 t salt
2 tomatoes

Chop onions and peppers finely. Lightly fry shrimp in a large skillet in olive oil, then add onions, peppers, minced garlic along with basil and oregano. Saute’ until shrimp is almost done and veggies are a little soft. After a few minutes add salsa and lime juice and continue to cook. Next add Recado, diluted into the water. After everything has been going about 10 minutes add the salt and tomatoes sliced in to thin wedges. Continue cooking about 5 more minutes. Serve over coconut rice.

March is filling up for everyone in Belize… it’s Spring Break (which lasts 4-5 weeks) and rooms are at a premium. Here is a quick list of Belize City hotels for those who are looking. Note that you want to spend as little time as possible in Belize City, but it’s almost impossible to completely avoid staying in Belize City since everyone flies in and out of there.

-The Great House: http://www.greathousebelize.com/
Very nice old house with old world charm
-Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel: http://www.belizebiltmore.com/
The hotel we use on the outskirts of Belize City
-Radisson-Ft. George: http://www.radisson.com/belize-city-hotel-bz/belize
Nicest hotel in Belize City
-Red Hut Inn: http://red-hut-inn-belize.50megs.com/
House in quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of Belize City, kind of funky but fine
-Hotel Mopan: http://www.hotelmopan.com/
Downtown hotel for budget travelers, funky, but OK
-Princess Hotel: http://www.princessbelize.com/
Biggest hotel in Belize City, with casino

When planning for Belize trips, many people wonder about how to get around once they are there. Belize is a small country (about the size of Vermont). There are no 34-hour chicken bus rides because it’s too small; nothing is that far from everything else. Most of the locals don’t have cars, so public transport is used by all and readily available.

Belize car rentals
Many prospective guests call us asking about Belize car rentals, planning to travel the country this way. I usually urge them to reconsider this. You must return all rental cars to Belize City, and if you are going to the jungle for several days, virtually all of that time the car will be parked, because tours will you undoubtedly be taking include transport, and if you are staying at a remote lodge, the only place to eat is right at the lodge. I think there are only a very few instances where renting a car for your Belize vacation is a good idea. And if you are planning to go to Tikal, be sure to ask your car rental company if they will let you take their vehicle across the border into Guatemala. However, here are two reputable car rental firms in Belize:

Buy Belize Auto Rental www.autorentalbelize.com
Belize phone: 011-501-222-4190, Email: steveperera@gmail.com

Crystal Belize Car Rental www.crystal-belize.com
Belize phone: 011-501-223-1600, Email: reservations@crystal-belize.com

Belize airlines
There are two in-country Belize airlines. Basically, you can mostly only fly north and south in Belize, not many flights go east and west, so look at a Belize map to see if there are flights to where you plan to go. There are daily flights between Belize International Airport, Belize Municipal Airport, Dangriga, Placencia, Big Creek, Punta Gorda, Corozol, Caye Caulker, Caye Chapel, Ambergris Caye, Flores, Guatemala, and Cancun, Mexico. One sample rate: Belize International Airport to Dangriga: one way: $68. Consult these websites for other prices and schedules.

Maya-Island Air www.mayaregional.com
Belize phone: 011-501-223-1140, USA phone: 1-800-225-6732, Email: regional@mayaislandair.com

Tropic Air www.tropicair.com
Belize phone: 011-501-226-2012, USA phone: 1-800-422-3435, Email: reservations@tropicair.com

Belize buses
Buses are often the best way to go, and they are inexpensive. Bus prices and schedules change too often to include here, and Belize bus websites, if they have them at all, are not up-to-date…. but remember, this is a country where most of its citizens depend on bus service. There are at least eight bus companies in the country. You need to be aware that buses don’t run as often on Saturday or Sunday; for example, a route which has hourly service during the week may only have two choices on Sunday. The staff at your hotel will be familiar with buses in their area. Basically ANY local will know all the bus schedules to and from their town.

All of that said, here is a very comprehensive schedule to Belize buses… the only thing is, I can’t find a date on it and don’t know if it is updated regularly or not: http://www.guidetobelize.info/en/travel/belize-bus-timetable-route-guide.shtml

And, I have to include a link to this awesome Belize transportation map created by Anson Stewart last fall. This map is based on the London Underground map. What a cool idea! Check it out: http://ansoncfit.com/watson/belize-transportation-map-subway-style/

Belize cabs
Taxis are available everywhere, are more expensive than the bus, but make a lot of sense under certain circumstances. If you are traveling with a group of four, taxis are a great deal. Some cab drivers also act as an impromptu guide, hoping for a tip.

Belize cabs have green license plates, usually that is the only way to spot them. When you arrive at Belize International Airport, look at the wall when you are going through customs. The current rate into Belize City from the airport (set by the government) is posted there. Cab drivers at Belize International are sometimes guilty of over-charging (currently $35 U.S. per cab, but prices are in flux due to rising gasoline costs). Always remember to settle the price before you get into a cab, and establish that you are talking Belize dollars, not US dollars.

One thing that is amazing about Belize cab drivers: if you hire a Belize City cab to take you to San Ignacio, for example (probably about $125 US), the most striking thing will be that the cab driver seems to know everyone in the country. You will see him waving at many people all along the way. Belize is tiny, the whole country only has about 300,000 people. He’s not faking it, he really does know all of those people, even in entirely different towns than where he lives. He’s probably related to most of them too!

In a nutshell, when planning a Belize vacation, first decide what you want to do, and where you wish to stay, and for how long, and book your lodging or tour first (or put it on hold). Then get your international air ticket, then contact the lodge where you are staying to ask them the best way to get there. They, more than anyone else, will know the best and most economical way to get to their place.

Found throughout the Caribbean, the ubiquitous Frigate Bird is no stranger to Long Caye. One can see them everyday without fail, soaring above the island on updrafts created when the trade winds hit the island. They are aerodynamic birds, the best fliers of any local birds we see, with their distinctive swept back, long narrow wings. Frigates are so good at soaring that we seldom ever see them take a wing beat. They seemingly can float forever and soar on the smallest updrafts of wind.

We seldom, if ever, see Frigate Birds land or roost on our island. We know of several rookeries inside the barrier reef where they nest, but we don’t know if they actually return there each night. It still is a mystery to us where our ‘flock’ of frigates spend the night.

Frigate Birds are also known as ‘Man of War’ birds, both names having been derived from mariners in the early days of sailing ships. The names come from the habits of the birds, who attack (like the old, fast frigate class of sailing ships, and man of war ships) and steal food from other sea birds. Frigates are so adept at flight that they swoop down on other birds whom they see catching fish, and through attacks and harassment the other birds eventually disgorge and drop their freshly caught fish, which the Frigates then scoop up.

We see Frigates attack gulls, terns, pelicans, and even the ospreys, although the ospreys hold their own since they are quite heavily ‘armed’ themselves. So, bird life on the island is never boring as we watch the drama unfold daily with the Frigate Birds holding all the others under their control. We also can watch the up close Frigates when scoop up some of our compost leftovers from meal prep, such as chicken parts, which we toss over our seawall.

If you wish to do some Belize birding, travel to Belize this winter! The birding is best during the month of April!

We just found this image of our island on Google Earth, posted by Wes Bader. We have never seen this angle, WOW!

So far this season we’ve seen evidence of at least 3 very exciting Hawksbill turtle hatch-outs on Long Caye. Guests have woken to disorientated baby turtles under their waterfront cabanas and a search has ensued to make sure no more needed help getting to the water.

Emerging from the sandy nests Hawkbills start on their long journey to adulthood which can take more than 30 years. A female can weigh up to 50 kilograms and only breeds every two to four years, but during the breeding season they may next up to six times, laying about 120 eggs in each clutch. The sex of the hatchlings will depend on the temperature in the nest.

Hawksbill turtles are on the international endangered list as are loggerhead turtles. Loggerhead turtles are less frequently seen in these waters, this makes our beach find all the more exciting.

One of our young guests was beach combing after breakfast on Monday; Valentine’s Day when she spotted what she at first thought was a very realistic baby turtle model. As she went to pick it up she realized is was moving!! The baby turtle had washed ashore during strong northerly winds and was part hidden in seaweed. The baby was approximately 1 inch larger than the Hawksbill babies we have found on the island. We identified it as Loggerhead by examining the plate formations on its shell and its beak shape.

Loggerhead eggs take approximately 60 days to hatch. Hatchlings dig their way up through the sand and wait till night fall before emerging and making their way to the ocean. When they emerge from the nest loggerheads are usually only about 5 cm long.
The baby we found on Valentine’s Day was approximately 9 cm.

An adult loggerhead can live to be more than 50 years old, 90cm long and over 110 kg. Our little rescued turtle was allowed to rest in a tub of sea water all day and released after dark…hopefully it will come back to visit one day as a great big graceful adult to wow divers and snorkelers alike.

For more Belize information about the country in general and about our private island, visit our travel and adventure web page.

Meg sent us this post:

The sun is shining and the easterlies are blowing in Belize. I had a fab time with Vela guest Mike Hauty and the Slickrock staff who also got in some awesome sessions. Slickrock lead guide Mark Hopkins can officially now call himself a kiteboarder, he’s riding up wind, doing transitions and even throwing in the odd downloop. I’ve also had some perfect riding time and almost all our guests have been giving the trainer kite a go.

Mike gave me the following feedback:

“Vela Belize is a perfect spot for the (slightly) experienced aspiring kiteboarder. The tradewinds are blowing most days, no crowds to contend with; the excellent gear is well maintained and experienced and enthusiastic instruction is available. The sandy bottom of the sand flats which are over 2 miles long are the perfect spot for transitioning from kite flying to board riding. The kite raft is the quintessential landing and rescue rig. The plethora of none kiting activities is perfect for non kiteboarding family and friends. Tired of kiting?…go for a pleasant kayak to snorkel a stunning reef or stand-up-paddle board in the waves”. (Mike Hauty, Feb 2011)

Mike has been taking one half day kite session (we are out on the sand flats for about 3 hrs) each day and participating in other activities for the remainder of the time. He has been diving, snorkelled a handful of different patch reefs, seen heaps of tropical fish (with a guide to name them), surfed a kayak, done a bit of windsurfing, chilled out in a hammock and just has stand-up-paddle boarding left to master….what an action-packed island adventure.

On our adventure travel website, we update our Belize flight page weekly. We do this by manually entering 24 US and Canadian cities to find current rates to fly to Belize. Today we found that prices dropped in well over half of these cities. Belize fares dropped from Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Manchester, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle, St. Louis, and Washington, DC!

Visit our Belize flights page to see these rates and to also see where you can find them yourself.

Meg Griffiths, our Belize kitesurfing instructor, sent this post from Belize City.

Last week we had 5 students in total, with the perfect teaching environment 3 of the 5 reached board start during their second lesson. The easterly trade winds blowing down the length of our 2.5 mile sand flats allow students the luxury of not being concerned about losing ground. They can always stand up to recover the kite, no waves to think about, no obstacles and no walking…awesome, makes board start lessons a breeze.

The wind picked up well over 20mph for a couple of days which kicked up the waves on our island break and lured everyone out windsurfing as well as kiting. My 7m sessions were awesome, big airs and plenty of hang time and some very powered kiteloops to splash….. but who minds getting wet when the water is 80 degrees! Wave and freestyle flat water in the same session only and 5 minute ride apart; then ending the day watching a stunning sunset over the other islands of the atoll…perfect. The forecast for the coming week looks like plenty of 9m weather; I can’t wait to get back to island.