Transportation & Tours Reader Updates

* I just returned from about six weeks in Belize and as a BELIZE FIRST subscriber, I wanted to get back to you about LEWIS AUTO RENTAL. I had contacted you in January for any information you had on Lewis Auto Rental. I had already had some e-mail contact with Mr. Lewis concerning the rental of an Isuzu Trooper with 140,000 miles on it. You expressed some concern about any vehicle with than many miles in Belize, and so did we, but Mr. Lewis seemed very straightforward and honest, and his rates were the best by far, so we decided to go with him. I am very happy to report that it was a most satisfying experience. Mr. Lewis met us at the airport with the car which was immaculate and complete with air conditioning which we did not expect. The car performed beautifully for the week that we had it which included driving from Belize City to Monkey River Village to Dangriga to the San Ignacio area (we camped at TREK STOP near San Jose Succotz) with day trips to Xunantunich, El Pilar, Caracol and Laguna Aguacate (north of Spanish Lookout) and then from San Ignacio back to Belize City. This included some pretty rough roads. We had no tire trouble or auto trouble of any kind. When we checked the oil it was fine and clear and the engine was also immaculate. Mr. Lewis again met us at the airport and wrapped up the checkout professionally and in short order. The total charge was exactly what had been agreed upon back in January (the rental week was the beginning of March). The total charge was US$529, the best by far in Belize. (We needed a vehicle of this size as there were three of us with all of our camping gear, food and a kayak). I would strongly recommend Lewis Auto Rental to anyone needing a car in Belize. When I return to Belize, I will definitely rent from him again. Wayne Hall, Anchorage, February/March 1999

* I had another excellent rental with BUDGET. This time, I got a Suzuki Sidekick, one step up from the Samurai. It was a fine little 4WD car, never a lick of trouble though we drove to all corners of Belize, and the Budget folks as always are highly professional, friendly and helpful. Lan Sluder, BELIZE FIRST, July-August 1998

* CRYSTAL AUTO RENTAL in Belize City is excellent. Jay and Bruce are the two that have worked with us so well for the past 10 years. They have been consistently fair and very, very helpful. Crystal also is one of the very few who will let you take a vehicle into Guatemala which has been great for us. They have always come to our aid as soon as we call them. We go into the back areas of Toledo District and travel extremely difficult roads. On six of 10 trips we have had trouble, though minor. On four of these occasions they either made arrangements to pick us up with another vehicle for us to use, or they fixed it on the spot. On the other two, we did some minor repairs ourselves. The vehicles are clean, but not new and consequently cheaper. I would recommend Ford vans or trucks. Avoid foreign 4WD mini vehicles as in my opinion they just won't hold up to the lower part of the Southern Highway. Bruce McNellie, May-June 1997

* My hub and I recently returned from a wonderful honeymoon in Belize, and I wanted to commend the pilot and staff of TROPIC AIR for their honesty: My husband inadvertently left his wallet with U.S. and Belizean dollars and traveler's checks on board our Tropic Air flight from Belize City to Placencia. When we discovered his wallet was gone -- and it could have been anywhere -- we called Tropic Air. They said they had it, were holding it safely, and would messenger it over to our bungalow at Serenity Resort ASAP. And they did, totally saving us from spending precious honeymoon-cooing time cancelling credit cards. I also might add that we particularly enjoyed the friendly disposition of all the Belizeans we met. So, go to Belize & have a blast! Deborah Kablotsky, Sharon, Massachusetts, July 1997

* We have driven in Costa Rica. Most of the roads in Belize are not in the same class of awfulness as the roads to Monteverde for instance. Even paved roads in Costa Rica require concentrated pothole dodging. We drove 560 miles between 5 March and 11 March, which is pretty good going since there was one day when we did no driving. We rented a Geo Tracker convertible (not 4WD and purple yet!) from TOUR BELIZE. It had 95,000 miles on it, and the tires didn't look too red hot. My husband said the spare looked dry rotted. However, we had no trouble with the car other than one flat tire after we got to Clarissa Falls. Getting it fixed took about 15 minutes and cost US$2.50. We did meet a couple at the Blue Hole who were on their fourth car. Western Highway: Just like a U.S. road. Manatee or Coastal Highway: We drove this twice (up and back), and it was -- in the dry season -- a good unpaved road. Twice in quick succession we bounced into a hole that we couldn't see due to lighting, but other than that it drove very nicely at about 45-50 mph. It was about 40 miles and took about 45 to 55 minutes. Southern Highway as far as the Placencia turnoff. Worse than the Coastal Highway, but not too bad really. The washboarding required driving (as on the Coastal Highway) at about 45-50 mph in order not to be shaken to death. The Placencia road was much better. It was about 50 miles from the start of the Southern highway to the end in Placencia, and usually took about one and half hours. Hummingbird Highway: Yes, it is a good road from Dangriga up to mile 37. This section took about 40 minutes. But between there and the Western Highway it was almost as awful as any road in Costa Rica. From the Belize Zoo to the Esso station on the corner of the Southern highway took us two hours and 15 minutes, and it was only 69 miles. Since the lower section took 40 minutes, that means that the top half probably took well over an hour. And you can see by the other speeds that my husband doesn't hang about when driving. The last section of road we drove was from San Ignacio to Hidden Valley Falls. This took us about two hours going up, and an hour coming down to the junction where the road goes to Georgetown. This was a pretty bad road too. Something really weird happened on the way back to Placencia from the Cockscomb Reserve. A man flagged us down and asked if we were going to Placencia, which we were. He then begged us to take his daughter back to Placencia to his wife at a Placencia grocery. His truck had broken down and was full of goods for the store and he didn't want to leave it. I think the baby was about eight or nine months old. I could only think of two scenarios which would have gotten us into trouble - they could accuse us of kidnapping, or we wouldn't be able to find the mother. So he handed me the baby and a bottle of water and a diaper bag. When we got to Placencia, the mother seemed glad to have the baby back. Rosalie Beasley, Leonardtown, Maryland, March 1998