belize city
Let’s dive into Belizean Kriol
Belize City was part of a 7-day solo cruise I took January 2023. I sectioned my stops by location excluding Cozumel, since I didn’t have much to say about that visit other than I kayaked for the first time and played beach bum for the few hours we were docked.
Because Belize is listed as having one of the largest coral reefs in the world, the cruise ship was not allowed to dock in a port as usual. Instead, it stopped in the middle of the ocean and cruisers were prompted to commute using a smaller boat to get to shore.
Once on shore, I wandered out of the port onto a main street called Queen Street in search of a notable restaurant I found hours earlier called Nerie’s. On my way to Nerie’s, I embraced the area, watching the locals move along with their day. I also spotted a cafe called Spoonaz, which I noted to visit before returning back to the port to board.
I arrived at Nerie’s within 5 minutes and ordered their special for the day which consisted of curry chicken, rice and beans, veggies, plantain and coleslaw. The food and customer service were great. After eating, I made my way back to Queen Street to go by the cafe. I ordered an iced coffee and learned more about Belizean currency with the help of the waitress who kindly explained to me the USD conversion.
The coffee fueled me, and I was ready for whatever adventure the rest of my time abroad offered. Heading back to Queen Street, a man approached me swiftly mentioning that I was “walking in the lion’s den”. Initially, I didn’t know what he meant by that, brushing off the comment and continuing to walk away.
He went on about how it’s not safe to aimlessly walk around, pointing ahead to downtown, the area I seemed to unknowingly be walking toward. He added it wasn’t a friendly area for tourists. My heart sank.
“Do I come off as a tourist?” I asked, slightly offended and disappointed.
“Well, only when you opened your mouth.”
We laughed. He added that I could pass as a local based on my looks, and then suggested I say a phrase in Belizean Kriol (creole). I attempted repeating the phrase and he offered a reassuring smile as if to say better luck next time.
He handed me a card, which presented that he had a taxi driving service. His name was listed as Mr. Wallace. He offered to take me wherever I wanted in the city. While risky, I treated this encounter as I would with an Uber ride back home. I was using a form of transportation, which could in fact be safer than wandering on foot in areas I probably shouldn’t.
Taking Mr. Wallace up on his offer, we walked to his taxi. Sensing my slight hesitation, he immediately showed proof of being a certified taxi driver with a special license plate that he compared to cars parked near us that were not certified taxis. This made me feel safer. We hopped in the taxi and made our way down the street.
Mr. Wallace offered taking me to see big houses in the city, which he mentioned most tourists he’s serviced likes to do. I wasn’t interested in big houses, but instead wanted to get authentic, Belizean chocolate.
“Belizean chocolate? Easy!”
We traveled to a resort on the coast, not too far from the port. This was apparently where vendors along the port sourced their goods. We walked in the shop and I quickly spotted what looked to be the closest authentic, Belizean chocolate I’d get on my visit.
Pleased with my purchase, we got back in the taxi where I requested to see historical landmarks close to the port, so that I don’t venture off too far and risk missing boarding. Following my wishes, we head back toward the port, passing by local schools where the students seemed to be on their way home. They were dressed nicely in uniforms, playing along the streets and meeting their families.
We stopped at the oldest church in Belize City, known as The Cathedral Church of St. John the Baptist, built in 1812. Mr. Wallace gave a brief background on the church and its significance, which was super helpful, as I never heard about the landmark. Unfortunately, it was closed due to it being Wednesday, so I wasn’t able to go inside. Plus, there were dogs surrounding the area, in which I preferred avoiding them by making the visit short and sweet.
On our way back to the port, Mr. Wallace shared his experience in life and dropped a few gems on love. No matter who you are, where you are, and what you do, it seems that love is truly a universal topic - something we have to appreciate.
Overall, I enjoyed the city’s rustic Caribbean charm and couldn’t thank Mr. Wallace enough for possibly sparing me from a less adventurous or tumultuous experience in the city.