convenience store; his brother was supposed to be his partner but quit to work for the Batty bus company, so Carlos is still trying to get everything in order, fixing up the rooms and so on. When things are complete, he expects to charge US$10 for the double we stayed in, and US$5 for the tiny single off the balcony; the other two rooms are currently rented by the month by two Belizeans.

Ilana Stern and Britt Bassett, Boulder, Colo., February 1995

duPlooy's, San Ignacio; tel. and fax: 501-092-3301; in USA call 803-722-1513. 4.5 miles from San Ignacio via unpaved road with steep hill (shared with Chaa Creek), on Macal River upstream from San Ignacio. US$145 double with all meals. duPlooy's is competently run by Ken (a Zimbabwean expat) and Judy (from the Carolinas) and their five daughters. There are three levels of accommodation: "bungalows," set along a boardwalk above the Macal River, with en-suite bath, hot water, terraces with hammocks (US$130, 190, 235, 270 single, double, triple, quad respectively); the "Jungle Lodge," spartanly but adequately furnished spacious rooms with en-suite shower baths and screened porches above the lodge and by the office and car park (US $100, 145, 190 and 230) and the "Pink House," the original house on the property when the duPlooy's bought the land (in those days without water or electricity). The Pink House has several rooms with shared baths at US $35, 45 and 55 B&B. (Some guests mentioned they could hear neighbors snore in the Pink House.) All facilities have hot water and fans, electricity from about 6 a.m. to about 10 p.m.; kerosene lamps are provided for other hours.

duPlooy's enjoys a natural setting above the Macal River (in which one may swim), among extensive plantings of exotic and fruiting plants and trees that are Ken's strong interest, ranging from orchids to Macadamia nuts. The extensive bar is on a porch over the river and across from cliffs; one enjoys great bird watching here early mornings, with sightings of collared aracari, emerald toucanet, several species of tanagers and warblers, chachalacas, etc.

We liked the location, tranquil setting, access to other things to do, the duPlooy family's personal attention and warm hospitality. There was nothing we didn't like.

JosŽ Kirchner, Sacramento, Calif., December 1994/January 1995

ORANGE WALK DISTRICT

Chan Chich Lodge, P. O. Box 37, Belize City. Tel: 501-2-75634, fax 501-2-76961. In the U.S. call 800-343-8009. Thirty minutes by charter aircraft from Belize City, then a 20-minute van ride from Gallon Jug, Orange Walk District. Driving from Belize City is possible in the dry season, and takes 4-5 hours one way; four wheel drive is highly recommended. US$ 125 per person double occupancy, all- inclusive. Off-season (May-October) is $110, additional people in room at $100 each any time.

Chan Chich is the brainchild of Barry Bowen, seventh generation Belizean businessman (owner of Belikin Beer and Coca Cola Belize, not to mention hundreds of thousands of acres of farm and timber lands). The lodge was built in middle of a Mayan plaza, already cleared by illicit loggers and marijuana growers who were looting the structures. Bowen placed the lodge with the idea of preserving the surrounding 250,000 acres of northern seasonal rain forest, and to prevent further looting. Wildlife abounds: five jaguars frequent the area, as well as the other four species of cats; one regularly sees howler and spider monkeys, white-tail and red brocket deer, Morelet's crocodiles and many species of birds. (We saw 210 bird species during our stay, including the 23 endangered ocellated turkeys that roost nearby and browse in the courtyard.) There are nine miles of clearly marked forest paths navigable alone, or with a guide (trail guide books are sold as well). Chan Chich, Kekchi Maya for "little bird," is a nature-lover's paradise. Swimming in the river is possible and pleasant.

The hotel itself is constructed of all natural materials, including local woods and Maya-style thatched roofs. There are 12 "cabanas," comfortable Maya-style bungalows with private baths (hot water), two double beds. They are connected by stone paths to the restaurant/ office/ library and a bar. Electricity is provided 24 hours a day (an innovation) by a well-hidden generator. The best plan is the all-inclusive, as it covers lodging, food, bottled soft drinks and Belikin beers, horse-back riding, canoeing, and the use of any of the three knowledgeable Belizean naturalist-guides on staff. Extras include any guides requested for night forest walks, laundry, hard alcoholic drinks and imported soft, as well as an optional tip, distributed quarterly to ALL staff.

We liked everything. This is a place to relax, bird from your hammock after the noon meal, walk day or night to observe nature, or to learn from the naturalist-guides about Maya medicinal use of the flora, of the fauna and the seasonal rain forest. Horse rides take one through jungle trails to different sites, ranging from lagoons to two "unimproved" Maya archaeological sites. I believe this is the best buy in Belize, considering what all is included in the fee and the quality of accommodation, service and food.

JosŽ Kirchner, Sacramento, Calif., December 1994/January 1995

CAYE CAULKER

We went from Banana Bank Lodge near Belmopan directly to the boat to Caye Caulker. We stayed at the Tropical Paradise Hotel, where the cabins were clean and comfortable, and the staff, like all other Belizeans we met, were wonderful, kind, friendly people. Nowhere on Caye Caulker was the food up to the standard set at Banana Bank Lodge, but we enjoyed the food at Marin's, Chan's Garden (Chinese) and the Tropical Paradise. For breakfast, we often ate pan dulce from the bakery on Back Street. Due to its location on the extreme other end of town, we did not eat at the Sand Box often, but the lasagna there was the best meal I had on the Island.

The snorkeling and diving were wonderful, as was the trip we took in a glass-bottom boat (for the little ones who don't swim well). During the dive near Hol Chan, we did our surface interval in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. The hour and a half spent on the hot, dusty, treeless, shade-free, over-commercialized Front Street may not have been representative of San Pedro, but it made me glad that we selected the smaller, less touristy (and much cheaper) Caye Caulker. For the whole trip, I have only one complaint: I should have planned more time in the Cayo district, and less time on the Cayes. To me, at least, beaches and coral reefs all look much the same, but the jungle and its inhabitants were endlessly fascinating, and deserved more time than we scheduled.

John Banta, Dallas, March 1995

OTHER CAYES

All I can say is Wow! I just got back from 8 days in Belize, and I have to say it was far and away the finest diving experience I've had to date! Let me give you a little background first. My brother Greg and I have been doing extensive diving together since '91 in the Caribbean in such places as Cozumel, Saba, Grand Cayman (mostly North Wall), Little Cayman and other traditional sites in search of the "perfect" undiscovered site. Well, after three years of looking and 130 dives later and a great deal of searching, I think we just found it.

We decided this trip to explore Belize, but having been on the "beaten path", and seen what that does to a dive site, we decided that considering how much each trip costs, we would go to the best site we could find for the best results instead of Ambergris Caye.

We decided on Turneffe Island Dive Lodge because of some incredible stories we had heard about Turneffe diving. It turned out we got GREAT advice. My brother and I flew down to Belize City on Saturday. The following week was unforgettable. We ended up doing 16 dives altogether (three dives a day, including one night dive), ate like kings and generally had a party for a week including dancing and drinking at the main lodge. During the diving, we saw turtles, rays, lobsters, green morays (one 7-ft. one completely out in the open!), a 9-ft. nurse shark on our night dive, and HUGE fish not to mention numerous other sightings including a family of three very large nurse sharks sleeping under a rock on our dive of "the elbow."

We even played with a family of dolphins three times on the way out diving who crested 3 ft. from our boat; I could almost touch them! The dive sites were never more than 15 minutes from the dock, and some were even uncharted. I have been diving for going on 16 years, and the coral was so colorful and unlike anything I had seen before, that I felt compelled to take a photo course to document it because I knew no one would ever believe me. Greg and I pushed the edge of our computers because we wanted to savor every moment.

The lodge service itself was superb. It was so nice that there was hot steaming coffee waiting for us each day as we woke up right outside our bungalow. One night we even had fresh lobster tail for dinner, and I suddenly developed an extra appetite. When they say "undiscovered Belize", now I know what they mean.

When I got back, I looked at the total bill for the trip ($1,300 all-inclusive for diving, lodging etc.) and $300 for air from New Orleans, I realized that it really wasn't that much more than Grand Cayman when you add in all the extras (car, food, etc.).
Michael J. Fox, New Orleans, January 1995

OTHER COMMENTS

Here are a few tips for travelers who may be going to Belize for the first time, or who may want an update on the current situation.

The cost of a taxi from the Goldson International Airport to anywhere in and around Belize City is US$15, fixed price. The cost of flights from the municipal airport (to anywhere) is almost exactly US$15 less than the same flight from the international airport -- so if you are traveling with a companion and don't mind the extra time, it's cheaper to use the Muni ... There is a US$11.25 departure tax on international flights. This information was unaccountably missing from my guidebook!

The cost on any one of the regular water taxis from Belize City to Caye Caulker or vice-versa is US$7.50 per person, fixed price. There are many Caye Caulker-based boats which leave at 8 a.m. from the caye, return at 9 a.m., and then make a second trip at 3 p.m., returning at 4 p.m. ... There is now a new (nine-months-old) bar/restaurant on Caye Caulker, Mad Annie's (named after a Jamaican liqueur), behind Pinx Fast Food, on the beach. Food is good but not great, Belikin is US$1.50, and occasionally they have music in the evenings.

The best coffee in San Pedro town, Ambergris, is at the Casa de Cafe. Decent breakfast, too.

Belize City shuts up like a clam on Sundays. Nothing is open, and even most hotel restaurants don't serve meals. Exceptions are Mother's and the Bellevue Hotel.

Scuba divers should be warned away from the Coral Beach Hotel's Out Island Express -- the engines were continually breaking down, the divemaster chain-smoked and acted as though he'd rather be undergoing root canal surgery than diving, the crew was surly and rude, and they put many more people on the boat than was comfortable. The food, on the other hand, was excellent, although a little too highly spiced for many of the unfortunate sea-sick divers. (If you are willing to brave these inconveniences, the diving is extraordinary, though!) ... Amigos Del Mar is an excellent dive operation on Ambergris Caye. Rene Paz was the best divemaster we had during the entire trip. They're less expensive, too, than some of the big operations out of the expensive hotels.

Ilana Stern and Britt Bassett, Boulder, Colo., February 1995

Lee's Chinese Restaurant in Orangewalk Town was very good. Highly recommended. They had lots of Spanish, English and what have you speakers, but I was the first white foreigner to hit them who spoke Mandarin. They're a bunch of Taiwanese expats trying to make it in Central America. Good food. It's just off the main street at the tower, 1/2 block -- to your right going south, left coming north. After you turn, it's on the right side of the street, parking in front.

Lynn Williams, Asheville, N.C., April 1995

BELIZE FIRST'S

RECOMMENDED HOTELS

IN BELIZE

Belize has about 3,400 guest rooms in some 300 hotels, ranging from tiny guest houses to modern hotels. The following list of recommended hotels is NOT by any means all-inclusive, but these are some that have been found to be visitor-friendly and offer good value in the price category. Hotels of special note, due to excellent value, friendly owners, attractive style or special Belizean charm are highlighted with a # symbol. If your favorite hotel is missing, write to us and complain! Price range: A (over US$100 double); B (US$50 to $100 double); C (under US$50 double). Rates are for typical rooms without meals (though breakfast may be included), may vary by season or with specials, and are subject to change.

CAYO DISTRICT (600 hotel rooms): #Chaa Creek Cottages, A; #Hidden Valley Inn, A; duPlooy's, A; #Blancaneaux Lodge, A; #Banana Bank Ranch, B; #Maya Mountain Lodge, B; #Mountain Equestrian Trails (M.E.T.), B; Windy Hill Cottages, B; Hotel San Ignacio, B; #Ek'Tun, B; Bull Frog Inn, B; Nabitunich, B; Five Sisters Lodge, B; #Parrot's Nest, C; Las Casitas, C; Venus Hotel, C.

AMBERGRIS CAYE (900 hotel rooms): #Victoria House, A; Belize Yacht Club, A; #Captain Morgan's Retreat, A; Journey's End, A; Ramon's Village, A; #Paradise Villas, A; Sun Breeze, A/B; Rock's Inn, A/B; #Caribbean Villas, B; #Changes in Latitude, B; Spindrift Hotel, B; Paradise Resort Hotel, B; Mata Rocks, B; Barrier Reef, B/C; #Hideaway Sports Lodge, B/C; Ruby's, C; Martha's Hotel, C.

CAYE CAULKER (300 hotel rooms): #Tropical Paradise, B/C; Rainbow Hotel, C; #Vega's Far Inn, C; Shirley's Guest House, C; Jimenez's Caba–as, C; Sea Beezzz Guest House, C.

OTHER CAYES: #St. George's Lodge, St. George Caye, A; #Blackbird Caye Resort, Turneffe Islands, A; #Turneffe Island Lodge, Caye Bokel, A; #Lighthouse Reef Resort, Lighthouse Reef, A; #Spanish Bay Resort, Spanish Lookout Caye, A; #Manta Reef Resort, Southwest Caye, A; #Blue Marlin Lodge, South Water Caye, A; ReefŐs End, Tobacco Caye, B; #Cottage Colony, St. George's Caye, B; Reef's End, Tobacco Caye, B; #GloverŐs Atoll Resort, Long Caye, C.

PLACENCIA: (140 hotel rooms): #Rum Point Inn, A; #Kitty's Place, B; #Turtle Inn, B; #Nautical Inn, B; Ran's, C.

COCKSCOMB NATURE RESERVE: #Dormitory Cabins, C.

DANGRIGA: Pelican Beach Resort, B.

PUNTA GORDA: #Fallen Stones Butterfly Ranch, A; #Nature's Way Guest House, C.

NORTH OF BELIZE CITY: #Maruba Resort, near Altun Ha, A; #Chan Chich Lodge, Chan Chich, A; Chau Hiix Lodge, Crooked Tree, A; #Tony's, Corozal Town, B; Crooked Tree Resort, Crooked Tree, B; #Lamanai Outpost, Lamanai, B; Adventure Inn, Consejo Shores, B; Hotel Los Cocos, Chetumal, B; Nestor's Hotel, Corozal Town, C; Lagoon Campground, Corozal, C.

SPECIAL SECTION ON AMBERGRIS CAYE

Welcome to Ambergris Caye, Belize's most-popular visitor destination and No. 1 choice with expats. Yet, despite its popularity, Ambergris -- locally pronounced Am-BUR-griss -- remains surprisingly friendly, laid-back and uncorrupted by mass tourism.

In this special section, BELIZE FIRST brings the island alive for you. World-traveler and prolific guidebook author Harry Pariser takes you on a tour of San Pedro and the rest of the caye -- the best hotels, restaurants and shops. Alex Bradbury, guidebook author, biologist and professional diver, explains how you can responsibly enjoy the pleasures of Ambergris. Phil Lanier shares his favorite places to eat, and Lin Sutherland gives an inside picture of how it is to live in San Pedro.

Come, enjoy Ambergris Caye with us!

ADVENTURE GUIDE TO BELIZE AUTHOR HARRY PARISER GIVES YOU A TOUR OF AMBERGRIS CAYE

By HARRY S. PARISER

One of the most famous of the cayes, Ambergris is the nation's major tourist destination: More than one-half the visitors to Belize visit only here, and the majority are divers.

Although it's also the largest caye (about the same size as Barbados), most of the island is composed of mangrove swamp, and the bulk of the residents live in the attractive seaside village of San Pedro at its southern tip. Some of its residents are the descendants of British and French buccaneers but most are of Yucatec Maya-Spanish (Mestizo) descent and are remarkably bilingual.

Once a fishing village, the town's sandy streets now abound with locals and tourists driving golf carts. If you're a middle-class North American or European, then you'll feel right at home in San Pedro. But if you're a backpacker or low budget traveler who likes lots of local flavor, you may find San Pedro to be a bit sanitized for your tastes.

NATURAL FEATURES: Flanked by a long beach, the island's windward side is straight in comparison with the leeward. The largest of the 12 lagoons is the Laguna de San Pedro to the west of the village. About 2.5 mi. long, it's fed by 15 creeks. Navigable channels at the island's south end traverse mangrove swamps and a number of the lagoons. Except at Rocky Point, the beach parallels the reef. The Boca Bacalar Chicona 6-ft. wide and 2.5 ft.-deep tidal channel said to be dug by the Maya so that they could bring their canoes through - separates this caye from Mexico; it was enlarged and deepened by the Mexicans in 1899. Approximately 20 miles long, it is 2 to 4 miles wide. The passage between Ambergris and the mainland has served whalers, pirates, and smugglers through the ages. Many of them wrecked. The most famous is the British frigate the Water Witch which went down off of the island's southern tip along with a cargo of gold and silver bullion, some of which is still believed to lie below. The nationŐs richest fishing waters are found around the caye, and the Barrier Reef is approximately 500 feet offshore; channels or breaks in the coral permit the local fishermen to pass through safely.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS: Marring the island's placid atmosphere, there is confrontation between residents and expatriate developers whom the locals hate "because they always talk in six figures." One on-going conflict is whether or not to build the North-South Road. Advocates claim that it will relieve the population pressures on the southern six miles, allowing expansion to the north 20 miles. Opposition comes from landowners, who wish to keep their property secluded, and from environmentalists who charge that the road will devastate the delicate environment. A related question is how will development take place on the 22,000- acre former Pinkerton Estate in northern Ambergris, now owned by the Belize government and the subject of several controversial land-use studies.

GETTING THERE: Most travelers arrive by air. Reliable San Pedro- based Tropic Air (tel. 501-2-45671 in Belize City) flies direct from Belize City, Belize International, and Corozal. Maya Airways and Island Air also fly. Expect to pay around US$35 to $40 each way from Belize International and around US$20 each way from Belize Municipal. The Andrea (US$14 one way) departs from the Bellevue Hotel's dock (5 Southern Foreshore) at 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 1 p.m. Saturday, returning at 7 p.m. A number of skiffs also depart from the Swing Bridge area. Ask around. The Triple J generally departs at 9 a.m. It may also be possible to catch a ride with one of the cargo boats departing from the Custom Wharf near the Fort George Lighthouse.

FLORA AND FAUNA: On the main part of the island, which is still separated from San Pedro by a waterway, a great deal of wildlife survives. You might see frigate birds, herons, flamingos, or egrets. Ocelots have been sighted in the mangrove forests, and sea turtles still come ashore to nest. Nearby Bird Caye hosts the nesting grounds of some 30 species including the cormorant, spoonbill, a variety of ducks, avocets, and the both the greater and reddish egret.

HISTORY: The island was formed from a connected chain of coral islands formed from the accumulation of coral fragments first as a shoal patch. These patches tend to build up in long lines paralleling the mainland. It is believed that their orientation may correspond with submarine geological strata as opposed to being solely the product of sea current flows. Little is known about the first Maya residents except that they routed the Spanish in 1508. Presumably Ambergris was a stopover point for Maya traders. Pirates settled here during the seventeenth century. Artifacts and even skeletons, which have been unearthed all over town during the course of construction projects, attest to San Pedro's long historical roots. Although it is believed to have been named after the sperm whale secretions that were thought to

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