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Belize Through an E-View-MasterBy David Currier
The vividly colored pictures experienced through the “advanced technology” of View-Master competed with world famous photographs in Life Magazine. In the visual-spirit of View-Master, this is a colorful picture-story of a trip through the Central American country of Belize. It’s been said that there are no new stories. All books are restatements of something already said by someone else. Travel writers face the same challenge; there are not many popular destinations on the planet which have not been photographed and written about; perhaps overly so. How does the writer give you, the reader, what you want? Instead of feeding you familiar lines rephrased, I decided to invite you to see my E-View-Master slides about Belize. I had a wonderful trip, and I want to share my experiences with you. And pictures being worth a thousand words each, I think, this presentation represents at least 44 thousand “words” plus captions. The story begins on the island of Ambergris Caye.
I’m providing the regionally prepared appetizers highlighting four ‘travel flavors’ of Belize – Ambergris Caye, Cayo district eco-tourism with its caves and Mayan pyramids, and total luxury in remote, beachfront accommodations. Now, sit back and enjoy the show. The first platter of appetizers comes from the village of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye (pronounced key).
___________”Change Reels”___________ If your vacation plans include visits to sites other than beach sand, beach bars, beach restaurants, swimming with friendly sharks and rays at Shark Ray Alley, and more beach, try some of these Belizean appetizers.
___________”Change Reels”___________
www.belizereport.com/sites/xunan.html.
St. Herman’s Cave, on the Hummingbird Highway, provides ‘explorers’ a great geological experience. Even though the ranger station will provide you with a flashlight, if you are a serious spelunker, bring your own. You’ll need a strong light in this huge cave. A slow moving river runs through St. Herman’s: www.belizex.com/bluehole.htm.
Romantic sunrises and catamarans await the sailors and their first mates. Turtle Inn IS elegant lodging; your beach ‘cottage’ atmosphere is complimented with a selection of furnishings imported from Bali. The sumptuous bathrooms in each unit open onto private, enclosed gardens where your shower is taken, en pleine aire, in a Mayan ‘ruin’. Turtle Inn’s gourmet restaurant is fantastic: www.turtleinn.com.
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Remember the View Master? Before the early days of
television, families everywhere expanded their dreams with the global images
they saw through the lenses of their View-Master. 
Before our show starts, pour yourself a cool glass of
Belizean Rendezvous Estates wine or local Belikin beer and get comfortable
in your computer chair. 
Getting around Belize is easy with either Maya Island
Air or Tropic Air. Friendly, prompt and safe service. What fun to soar over
calm clear seas while watching rays skim the bottom sands like giant aquatic
butterflies. Find them online at:
Simple to deluxe accommodations are available across
Belize. Here in San Pedro, we stayed at the Aqua Marina Suites hotel.
Comparable to a good-quality Holiday Inn. If you take a hotel room with
kitchen, several well stocked grocery stores are within walking (or cart-ing)
distance. Great for families with small children:
Life is slow in San Pedro. Only natives have vehicles
and traffic is restricted on most streets. If tourists want to visit casual
or chic but “remote” restaurants or resorts “off the beaten path”, (there
are no beaten paths in Ambergris Caye!) they get around on foot or ride golf
carts available for rent at Monchos:
Located a short way past the airport, but still well
within ‘city limits’, Exotic Caye Beach Resort provides guests with rustic
luxury. They also have a French Canadian restaurant, Crazy Canuck’s. On the
chef’s special German-night, we dined on the freshest fish ever eaten (the
owners had a lucky day!) and authentic, delicious rouladen:
Casual fine dining establishments, like Café Olé
(Italian), are found from one end of town to the other. McDonalds does not
exist in San Pedro. (Awe, gee!) Tear yourself away from “beachfront” and
experience the fine selection offered at Café Olé. (It also serves as the
airport coffee shop!)
Orchard fresh papayas, mangos, apples, and sweet
pineapples and tomatoes just ‘biked’ in from the farm can be found on the
street corner. No matter that business is slow, the grocer waits patiently
for you. 
Getting “there” is half the fun. Pay your toll! Then
take your rental-cart across the ancient, Mayan-dug canal and you are on
your way to “Mexico”! (Just kidding.) On the upper end of Ambergris Caye,
you’ll find the winery, Capt. Morgan’s, Journey’s End and several other
peaceful resorts and private homes:
In April, the weather was perfect, and although the
flights of Continental, American Airlines and USAirways were full, Belize
beaches were never crowded. The water was always warm and crystal clear.
Great snorkeling or scuba diving can be arranged for Shark Ray Alley at many
different dive shops! The reef that protects Belize offers dozens of
spectacular diving opportunities:
San Pedro is not Miami Beach. The disco at the Shark’s
Bar, on pilings over the water, was the hippest place to party with tourists
and locals. If you want to discuss the big fish that got away, then several
local bar/restaurants along the beach in ‘downtown’ Ambergris have all the
refreshments you need to be happy.
The Belize Zoo, 29 jungle-acres outside Belize City,
provides the opportunity to observe over 100 native cats, birds and howler
monkeys in their native habitat:
If ecotourism is of interest to you, check out Windy
Hill Resort & Tour Company. Rustic cabins are well maintained. Cooling fans
serve as ‘air conditioners’. A new swimming pool, perched on the hillside
offers views of the rolling hill tops. Community style meals featuring local
specialties are served in a large open-air dining hall. A jungle trail
behind the resort has signs identifying various trees and plants:
Small cities like San Ignacio are filled with
interesting Latin American (with a British influence) architecture. A number
of Asian-owned businesses can be found, too:
A guided jungle hike into the mountains leads you to
hidden treasures like an ancient cave known as Chechem Hah. This cave was
discovered in 1989 when a young man’s dog chased a wild animal into the
concealed opening. 
Visiting any of the hundreds of caves in Belize,
spelunkers and archeologists walk upright, navigate steep narrow passageways
as they descend towards ‘middle-earth’, and almost crawl on some stretches.
.
This recently discovered cave still is being studied by
scholars from Belize and the US. Pottery estimated to be over 2000 years old
(some filled with grains) and a ceremonial circle of stones on the floor of
the deepest part of the cave are raw history unfolding:
Back in sunlight, still in the Cayo district, it’s not
far from Windy Hill Resort and the ancient pottery to the Guatemalan border
where you’ll experience the grandeur of 1500-year-old appetizer Xunantunich
(Stone Lady) pyramids. Getting there requires a river crossing on a large
hand-motored raft-ferry. 
Discovered in 1938, early “excavation” of Xunantunich
by English colonialists was accomplished by blowing the tops of the pyramids
with dynamite. After all, the only thing of interest or value was, from the
avaricious-perspective, the gold contained within.
In the jungle heat, climbing Xunantunich can be a
sweaty and exhausting task for young and old. Regardless of the temperature,
take your time scaling the steps to the top! And carry a bottle of water on
your belt!
Meanwhile, back on the ‘highway’, we discover fine,
regional, gourmet dining is available in a colorful, intimate restaurant.
Interestingly, and unrelated, a large community of Mennonite farmers calls
this area of Belize home:
The last offering of appetizers is the fois gras and
caviar selection. For sheer luxury accommodations on the coast of Belize,
you need Francis Ford Copola’s Turtle Inn resort in Placencia. A short
flight from the airport in Dangriga delivers guests to the small,
“FedEx-served”, jungle-terminal in Placencia.
Belize is a land of fun, adventure and relaxation!
Whether your tastes carry you to experiences in fine dining, your
outdoorsman spirit takes you scuba diving or sailing, or your Wall Street
batteries need recharging while you contemplate living in paradise, Belize
has something for everyone in your family;