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View from the pool. Our room was the middle balcony across the water. Madonna has a song called "Isla Bonita," you may have heard of it. Well, its about San Pedro, Belize. She couldn't have been more right, and the idea that most people get compared to what Belize really is couldn't be more wrong. I got to spend part of my Easter break there because of 2 amazing women that invited us to hang out at their condo they had for the week.
Views of the Grand Caribe Condos
I got out there on a Wednesday and left on Saturday. I had originally planned to leave on Good Friday but as you can see, there were better things to do than go back to the village and read. Instead, I could sit out by the swim up bar and read there with ocean breeze keeping me cool. Much better than the Orange Walk heat.
Swim up bar and a view from our room. Life was tough.
We stayed at Grand Caribe, which is about 3 miles north of the bridge to mainland San Pedro and its a paradise that is discovered but you wish hadn't been. San Pedro was amazing. It was like Mexico, except people spoke English. And not like Mexico at all because most of the people you saw were white.
Need advertising? Not here, just put the word "Bar" really big out in the ocean. Someone will stop. Who? White people with $!
This was tourist haven. There is nothing wrong with a place like this. But there is something wrong if you come to Belize and this is all you see. San Pedro is just one of the many things that are amazing about this country, but its a place like this (and pictures like these) that make people from back home think there is nothing wrong with Belize.
This was tourist haven. There is nothing wrong with a place like this. But there is something wrong if you come to Belize and this is all you see. San Pedro is just one of the many things that are amazing about this country, but its a place like this (and pictures like these) that make people from back home think there is nothing wrong with Belize.
We may have been enjoying our time a bit too much. Sometimes this is needed from a break in the village life.
Being able to go snorkel and watch amazing fish or sea turtles float by is great. Don't get me wrong, I had my fair share of fun. Fishing in the ocean for my dinner, you bet I did. They were damn delicious too.
Fish we caught and made for dinner and me getting ready for my photo shoot.
I have now been to most of the tourist destinations of Belize and I can say that San Pedro is the most beautiful but my least favorite. The problem? Too many white people.
I have now been to most of the tourist destinations of Belize and I can say that San Pedro is the most beautiful but my least favorite. The problem? Too many white people.
White wine? These lovely ladies brought a case of it. Best idea ever.
You may be saying to yourself, just like the people in my village, that "Kevin, you are white!" I will have to disagree. I may have a slightly clearer skin than most in Belize, but I no longer act like a white person. Wondering what that looks like? It's hard to imagine because its probably like looking into the mirror and we all think we are better than that. Even me, even though I'm really not.
The two lovely ladies who made this happen. Cant thank them enough. Aunt Carol and Momma Ronna are new members of the PC family.
Look at those pictures... Those are white people at their finest. They are usually drunk, they wear flashy colors, always have sunglasses on, eat at restaurants that accept Visa and Mastercard. They are the people in Belize that I despise. Why? Because they are the people that give Americans all over the world a bad name. Despite all of this, despite all of my ranting about how I think I'm better than that... I become one as soon as I get off the water taxi.
The sign says it all... "Living the Dream."
The sign says it all... "Living the Dream."
Sure I pretend to talk a little Kriol here and there and I can converse with the waiter in Spanish about what I want, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to order a drink that no one with a Belizean residence card ever has. I become a tourist. Guilty as charged. It's worse than white trash in my mind. Am I ashamed? You bet I am. Does it stop me? Hell no.
I may have worn my sunglasses at night, but look at those fishes. Yes, I said fishes... it's Kriol
I may have worn my sunglasses at night, but look at those fishes. Yes, I said fishes... it's Kriol
San Pedro is not Belize. It probably used to be. But it has been taken over, bought out, and reclaimed as the USA just a few hundred miles south. This is one of the few places that tourists many outnumber the number of people who live there.
Adam, doublefisting, why is this not surprising? This is just before I hated both of them for talking nonstop about Magic the Gathering. Hot tub. Necessary? Nope. Appreciated because we can? Yup.
It's easy to forget people live here all the time when the people you meet who are white live there too and they seem to be on vacation for life. Some would call it retirement, others call it privilege. I know one thing is for sure, laying in sea on a tube while beers are being lowered down to me on a rope is something I never expected when I signed up for the Peace Corps. I guess the blog title does fit from time to time.
It's not floating down the Poudre, but its close and its still great.
San Pedro was a great getaway and I recommend it to anyone who is coming to Belize. But I must warn you, if you are coming to see me, I will not allow you to just sit on a resort and have this be all you see. There is so much more to Belize than just a coastal view with umbrellas in your drink. There is real culture here and its hard to find on an island like San Pedro where everything from the land to the music (thanks Madonna) has been sold away to foreign investors. 
Meet Fred. He was our mascot for the week. He was too good to eat. Just like Emily, who gets sexier by the day. We don't know how she does it.
June 2, 2010 at 8:57 PM
Looks like you have a really good time in your vacation. The pictures are very nice and I can see that the place is really good. Hoping to visit there myself. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Ronald
all inclusive vacation