Belize Music Festival

The little passenger compartment of the plane filled with the steamy scent of salt air and hot asphalt as soon as the door opened. We collected our bags and found a bit of shade under the eaves of the airstrip's little bungalow terminal building to check the map. Our hotel was just a few blocks away, so we rolled our suitcases through the gravel airstrip parking lot and down the hard-pack street in the mid-day heat.Dangriga, in the middle of Belize's 200-mile long Caribbean coastline, used to be known as Stann Creek Town. It once was the second largest population center in Belize after the capital, Belize City... until Orange Walk Town up north surpassed it. (Orange Walk Town currently claims 18,000 souls compared to Dangriga's 12,000. The entire country has only 300,000 people in it, nearly a third of whom live in the capital.)Dangriga is a Garifuna word that roughly translates as "Standing Water." The name was changed from Stann Creek Town in the 1980s during a resurgence of Garifuna cultural pride in Belize. (The Garifuna are a cultural and ethnic group of mixed Carib Indian and African ancestry that left slave colonies on the Caribbean islands and spread ... [more..]

Belize is a tropical paradise located on the edge of the Western Caribbean Sea. Belize features more than 200 tropical islands that range from several acres to 25 miles in length. The largest of these islands is Ambergris Caye. Ambergris is better known as whale vomit that is used to make the most exclusive of perfumes. However no one is sure that ambergris was ever found on this beautiful island.The island is best be described as a long sliver that is 25 miles in length and is separated by Mexico by narrow channel that reportedly was dug by the members of the Mayan civilization. There are several Mayan ruins located on the island as well as nature preserves that teem with rare and unusual birds.The only town on the island is San Pedro Belize also known as San Pedro Town. It is also the commercial center for the entire island. It has a small airport that provides transportation to and from the mainland on an almost hourly basis. You can also reach the island using one of the water taxis. Sandy streets with small colorful houses, hotels, guest homes and bungalows make up the town. A year round population of ... [more..]

If you wish to explore the tropical paradise of Belize on your own, then it is best to know the ins and outs of driving and renting your own car in Belize.There are several Belize auto rental companies scattered throughout the country. In Belize City, there is Budget Rent-A-Car, Buy Belize Auto Rental, Crystal Auto Rental, Euphrates Auto Rental and Sales, Jabiru Auto Rental, Nexgen Auto Rental, Pancho's, Smith and Sons, Thrifty Car Rental, Hertz/Safari Car Rental, and Vista Auto Rental.In other locations are Avis Rent-A-Car in Ladyville, Barefoot Rentals in Placencia, Cayo Auto Rental in San Ignacio, Matus Car Rental in Cayo District, and Ready Rentals in Dandriga.First off, you need of course a valid driver's license in order to rent a car in Belize. Credit cards details are usually held as deposits but sometimes, Belize auto rental companies also accept travelers' checks or cash. If you feel uncomfortable giving out your credit card information, then you can inquire if they accept the two latter options.Purchase the maximum amount of auto insurance available from the rental company. You also may be able to get additional coverage from your credit card company. The people of Belize are a gentle people ... [more..]