Best Belize Blog

The first time you see them, it’s hard to believe they call them ruins. Fact is, the Mayan descendents that function as your tour guide when you hike through the ancient ruins of Belize do not like them to be called ruins at all.

Carocal on the Belize mainland was not the Belize I’d imagined. My friends all showed me photos of their Belize trips…the usual island vacation stuff…blue water, palm trees, incredible diving, the fishing and all the flowery drinks and seaside hammocks you associate with Jimmy Buffet and Jerry Jeff Walker’ anthems. continue reading…

Sometimes, the best way to appreciate a place is to go somewhere else.

In a back-to-back trip last year, I left Belize after an awesome week spent snorkeling, exploring rain forests and catching lots and lots of fish. My next stop: the much more famous Costa Rica, where I looked forward to more of the same.  After all, Costa is the place with the great long-established reputation for eco-adventure, pristine environments, super-friendly people and gorgeous countryside.

I found the people all right. Hundreds of them. Seemingly everywhere I went. I wasn’t in the most touristy part of the country, but it didn’t matter, it’s just not that easy to get away in Costa anymore. continue reading…