Skippin' the Cities

It would be a struggle to find someone who went to the Czech Republic and didn't visit Prague. Most people are certain to see London when visiting the Britain. But a visit to Belize contradicts the practice of wanting to or having to spend time in the country's capital or biggest city. Belize's aptly named old capital, Belize City, has seen better days. And the new capital of Belmopan is not much better.

The vast majority of tourists to Belize come for either jungle adventure or island getaway. So it is not a huge leap to figure out that the country's capital was sort of left in the dust. But on top of just being run down, the city is actually quite dangerous. And it's not one of those paranoid “ohhh... i would be killed if i went to Iran” delusions often instilled by western mass media. Nor is it the sort of “we're trying to cover our asses” MFA sort of country advisement drivel written by suits in an office a million miles away from their so-called regional expertise. By the people of Belize City are freaked out too. Most shops keep up evening security bars during the day. Shopping through steel bars is never a welcoming site. In the evenings, any attempt to walk anywhere would bring a huge lecture of the dangers from a local. Belize City is not Disney. Still, if it is culture and history you're after, Belize City is the place to go. After all, it was the capital until the early '70s. It has the country's best museums (if they're open) and a few other sites of mild interest (best call ahead).

The newer “inland” capital of Belmopan isn't really all that bad. But a bit like Canberra in Australia, Belmopan has an artificial feel. The city seems very “purposefully” built. Hope of turning into a major urban centre are kind of slow going as the city only has 17,000 people. It's not an unpleasant city, as with a sprinkling of embassies the city is actually mildly cosmopolitan. But there is little to no reason for most travellers to even stop in the place.

Pretty much any visitor to Belize will almost certain have to go through either Belize City or Belmopan at some point during their stay. Occupying major road junctions, all buses seem to either start of finish in the cities. The airport and ferry terminal are there to whisk people away to the brighter sites of Belize. And i feel comfortable saying that neither Belmopan nor Belize City should be included into any visit the Belize, the country has SO much more to offer elsewhere.