I am a member of the Rotary Club of Placencia, and we are running a raffle, the winner of which will win an amazing trip to Belize! We’ll pay for your round trip air fare from Miami or Houston, and once in Belize, you’ll stay first at a resort on Ambergris Caye (Key), the most developed resort area in the country. Your stay there will include First Class accommodations, golf cart rental, and a snorkeling trip out to the barrier reef. The biggest barrier reef in the western hemisphere is off the coast of Belize, and should not be missed!
From there you’ll go to a resort in the Cayo District, in a jungle setting in the Maya Mountains. You’ll enjoy a side trip to the important Myan ruin at Xunantunich, and have a full spa treatment at the resort.
After several nights there you’ll come to our home village of Placencia, where the laid back atmosphere and friendly people might make you cancel your trip home! You’ll have a trip to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, which is a Jaguar Preserve, where at the end of a hike through the jungle you can take a dip in a pool of cool, crystal clear water at the foot of a waterfall. Or, you may have enjoyed that snorkeling trip the week before, and want to do it again, but this time from Placencia. We would love to have you join us at our weekly meeting at Yoli's Restaurant over the water on Tuesday at noon!
You’ll receive a $100 USD food allowance so that you can eat at the wonderful restaurants we have – and here in Placencia that includes Austrian, Italian, French and Belgian cuisine!
The prize does not include souvenirs, your departure fee at the airport, and your other minor expenses. It does include transportation in the country, your accommodations at three First Class Resorts, and a real chance to visit what is called The Jewel for ten days. The prize is for two people, and there are no blackout dates!
How do you get in the game? What are the resorts? How does it work? Go to our Rotary Club’s website at www.rotaryclubofplacencia.org and click on the raffle tab. We are only selling 500 tickets, and they are $50 each. We will hold the raffle when 500 tickets are sold.
The proceeds that are not used for your trip will be of great help to us in furthering our goals!Questions? Use the comment section here and I'll be sure to respond!
One of the reasons I moved to Belize was because I was tired of being cold. Never thought that would happen, always thought I needed 4 distinct seasons, but have learned that not only can I get along without New England weather, but can enjoy the subtle changes that take place in a tropical climate. I arrived here last March, having stopped outside Mobile, Alabama, to ship my winter coat back to Maine. The average daily temperature here seems to be about 85 degrees Farenheit, or about 29 Celsius. In direct sun it is hotter, so you see more folks with umbrellas (even on bicycles!) using them to provide shade than you see them for rain. One of the delights about being on the coast is that there is usually a breeze, which provides a cooling effect. If you don't have that breeze, ever-prsesent ceiling fans and pedestal fans do the trick. Or you turn on the AC. I expected substantially higher temperatures in the summer months, but it didn't really happen. We had more days when the temperature would creep up to 89 or 90, causing even the locals to comment about the heat, but summer brings the rain. So rainstorms during the day or night cools the air, although when the sun comes out again the humidity rises.So what has been the "lifestyle effect" of this weather? I always wear shorts. I always wear sandals, unless I'm barefoot, which I am, most of the time. I wear shirts designed to be cool in hot temps. I drink lots of cold fruit based beverages. And then yesterday it changed. A front passed through, the wind came from the west, from the Maya Mountains. The temperature plunged to 74 F, 23C. Today I had a dentist appointment in Dangriga, and I wore long pants, a first. It has been overcast now for two days, with occasional drizzle. I slept under a sheet last night, instead on top of the bed. 74 feels cool! I guess my blood is getting thinner, which is OK by me. I saw the highlights of the Patriots game on Sunday, when they frolicked in the snow, and saw that nighttime temps are in the low 30s in Portland. After being here for seven months, I don't think I could face going into a Maine winter, with cold lasting for eight months, especially after suffering through a cold wet start to summer as my many friends in Portland did. So I don't complain about the heat here; I enjoy it, adapt to it, and stay sensitive to the changes that take place, although they are considerably less dramatic than they were for the first six plus decades of my life. Be well, my friends, stay warm.
Also on a more positive note are the actions being taken by the Government’s Police Chief, who took office last April. As part of a week long examination of the crime and violence issues, a local television station interviewed him. He has six officers in the U.S. being trained by the FBI in evidence gathering and analysis, more at a facility in Roswell, N.M. being trained in police work, and still more in Guatemala in training. In all, over 100 officers are being trained outside of the country. He is very aware of the problem and seems quite capable.
What is also important is that the Belize “community” is talking about it – people do not accept that “this is the way it is, and always will be” - the crime and violence are unacceptable. So they will find the skills, mechanisms and will to turn the problem around.
An article in Sunday’s paper reports that the prison has 1500 inmates, reportedly making Belize have the highest incarceration rate in Central America, and one of the highest in the Caribbean, and in the top 10 internationally. As I recall, the United States heads that list. The good news is that none of those 1500 is a political prisoner, Belize is a functioning democracy.
The other interesting thing I learned as a result of reading today’s paper is that the prison system is managed by a non-profit organization called the Kolbe Foundation. Apparently, in 2002 the prisons were so bad the government sought outside help. Members of the Rotary Club in Belize City formed a separate organization, a received the contract to manage the prison system. Included is the only drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility in the country – entirely within the prison’s walls. Because drugs and alcohol account for so much of the crime, and that includes the U.S. as well, it is a huge benefit to have a 90 day rehab in the prison, staffed by ex-cons who are in recovery. It’s too bad that enlightened course of incarceration and treatment isn’t used in the U.S. You can read more about the facility at www.kolbe.bz, although the site hasn’t been updated for a while.
So there is a high level of crime, especially in the inner city of Belize City, but the government, the media and the public are taking steps to correct it that could be a model for other communities in the world, and that includes the U.S. The last word: Anyone considering visiting, moving to or investing in Belize should not be dissuaded by crime statistics. My experience has been very positive.
