After Chile's dry blue sky, what waited was a country where humid tropical air sticks to your skin. Belize — a Central American country that uses English as its official language. While it sits in the same Central America as Costa Rica and Nicaragua, the history it walked as the former British Honduras built a culture quite different from its neighbors.
I landed in Belize City. The country's largest city, but not its capital (the capital is Belmopan, inland). A port city facing the Caribbean Sea, it's also the gateway to the World Heritage Belize Barrier Reef.
The Caribbean at Dawn
I got up early and went to the sea. The sky was orange and the Caribbean reflected the same color. A scene completely unlike Chile's dry blue sky — humidity and tropical light. The waves were calm and you could see the silhouettes of distant islands. The kind of view you only get if you wake up early.
Breakfast and Street Food
Belizean breakfast is built on beans and eggs. Black beans cooked soft, fried plantain (cooking banana), and tortillas. The seasoning has a kick, exactly right for a tropical morning.
In the afternoon I went to a local ice cream shop called "Sarita." I ordered a double scoop of lime and mango. Tropical heat met fresh citrus tang. Belize uses English, but Spanish often works too — being able to order in Spanish was a relief.
"Japan" Found in Chinese Supermarkets
What surprised me in Belize City was the number of Chinese-run supermarkets. A few "Asian Grocery"-style stores sit along the shopping street, and inside, Japanese products were on the shelves alongside Chinese ones.
Nishiki rice (a Japanese-style short-grain rice produced in the US) was on sale at $45. Pricey for Central America, but presumably the demand is there. Sake, soy sauce, instant noodles… an aisle that tells you Belize has an Asian community.
Belize's population is mostly Garifuna, Creole, Maya, and Mestizo, and Chinese immigrants have been here for a long time. The blending in the food culture has that kind of background.