Happy Birthday, Leslee!!!

Wow! It's your birthday again. You know, it seems to happen each year...I don't know why.

When thinking about what to give you...something that would be new and exciting, I decided to delve into the past and give you something you already have! How's that for re-gifting. I give you: Belize City.

Belize City is the former capital of Belize. The new capital, since 1970, is called Belmopan, which was established when British Honduras was given a new name. Belize City was founded in the mid 1600s by British lumber people who cut down the mahogany trees. Before that, it was a little Mayan town called Holzuz.

Belize City is the nation's principal port and its financial and industrial hub with an unofficial population estimate of 70,800 people. It is frequented by cruise ships that moor off-shore. It was nearly entirely destroyed in 1961 by Hurricane Hattie, and as recent as 1999, almost the entire town has been leveled by fire. There are improvement projects all the time, but many of the British colonial era roads and infrastructure are all that's there.

The city itself is divided in half with a river running through the middle. It has two airports, a multi-campus university, colonial heritage parks and museums,


















Belize is a very attractive travel location in the Caribbean. You can see the lovely scenery pictures and the very clean, clear air. It is a subtropical climate with the July being the month with the most rain, approaching 30 inches. The temperatures vary widely from 50* at night on the coast to almost 100* during the day in the interior. The official language is English, though the article that reported that indicates that this is what is taught to the school children, but perhaps not spoken by anybody else.

Belize became independent from the British Crown in 1981, and except for an occasional border spat with Guatemala, it has enjoyed peace and prosperity.

Enjoy!

Lewis