Belize City: A Town Grows but Stays the Same

 

When I first visited Belize City in the 1970s, the former capital of Belize possessed a certain seedy charm.

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The city in 1978

I hadn’t been there in years when I revisited the country in April of this year. The Belize River, which divides the city in two, didn’t look much different.

The river’s mouth from the ferry dock. The building on the other side was, unsurprisingly, for sale

I strolled the town with my son and his friend.  Belize City has a reputation as an unsafe place. While we saw a good number of homeless men and poor people, at no time did we feel threatened in any way.

The oldest Anglican church, a Brit import

The interior, suitably lavish, one supposes, to impress the locals

The north side of town,which in the 1970s had a bad vibe to it, was now positively chic, at least by the water.

The shoreline as seen from the famous swing bridge

We stayed a night in a hotel that had seen a number of remodelings of both looks and purpose.

The Chateau Caribbean Hotel

We had fine waterfront views.

The hotel’s front porch

And the next day we departed for Cay Caulker in a small ferry that was a bit warm while sitting at the dock (it had no passenger deck space) but was breezy enough once underway.

Inside the ferry

 

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