Most people know Belize as a cruise port destination or as a place close to the US for a relatively inexpensive tropical beach vacation (see my related post 8 Must-Do Activities in Beautiful Belize coming soon). But there are 5 extremely weird yet wonderful things about Belize that most visitors would never expect!
US Dollars are Accepted Everywhere
When I researched Belize in advance, I read that I would need to get Belize dollars. So I took very little USD and planned to visit an ATM. But the visit to the ATM never happened (they weren’t ubiquitous like they are in most countries). So I spent my trip navigating with the $80ish USD I brought with me. Fortunately, credit cards were widely accepted. The only places I really needed cash were a few off-the-beaten-path restaurants and souvenir stands with native crafts.
I am sad I didn’t bring any Belizean dollars home, though. At the time of my trip, it would have featured Queen Elizabeth II. If I ever go back, it’s more likely I’ll see King Charles III on the bills! More on this weird thing about Belize below!
English is the National Language
One of the first things you will notice when you visit Belize is that English is spoken everywhere. Belize was a British colony from 1862-1981. Known as British Honduras during the colonial period, Belize was granted self-government by the British in 1964 and became fully independent in 1981. The name change occurred in 1973. Today Belize is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with King Charles III serving as King of Belize.
As a result of the British occupation and still recognizing the British monarchy as head of state, English is the official language of Belize. But don’t worry – you will still feel like you are visiting a foreign country when you hear people speaking Spanish, Creole, several Mayan languages, and often a mixture of all of these. You will also hear German and Chinese for reasons you will see further down on this 5 weird things about Belize list!
Of all of the languages I heard, Creole was my favorite. Our bus driver was Kriol, a descendant of enslaved Africans brought to Belize in the 18th century. When I asked him about the language, he explained it was an English-based pidgin language. He gave me a few examples – i.e. tek for take, don for done, bout for about, wah for what. Both our bus drive and our guide spoke fluent English, Spanish, and Creole.
Mennonite Population
My trip took me from Belize City where I flew in to San Ignacio on the Guatemalan border. Imagine my surprise when I looked out of the bus window and saw a White man dressed in black pants with suspenders, a solid colored shirt, and a straw hat driving a horse-drawn buggy on the side of the road. I felt like I was in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania!
It turns out that Mennonites have been immigrating to Belize since the 18th century. Most are of German descent who came from Russia in the 18th and 19th centuries. Other Mennonites came from Mexico after 1958, and still others from the US and Canada in the late 1960s. These groups speak different languages but all speak various forms of German. There are approximately 12,000 Mennonites in Belize, about 3% of its 400,000 total population.
We enjoyed seeing many bucolic Mennonite scenes as we traveled through the country. We learned they produce most of poultry and dairy products in the country. But what was most interesting is that while Belize definitely has modern technology and comforts, it wasn’t so long ago that everyone lived like the Mennonites in the country. Our guide Roberto was in his 50s, and he grew up in a house without running water or electricity.
Taiwanese Grocery Stores
Another super weird thing about Belize is that there are a million grocery stores. It seems like every few blocks there is another one. In one beach community we visited called Hopkins, there are at least 6 grocery stores for a population of 3,000 people. My hometown of 2,500 could barely support one grocery store! Granted, Hopkins attracts many tourists, but this still seems like a lot of grocery stores!
To top it off, more than 90% of these stores are run by Taiwanese immigrants. Belize is one of the few countries that recognize Taiwan as a nation separate from the People’s Republic of China. This recognition encourages trade relationships between the two countries and makes Belize an attractive place for the Taiwanese to immigrate.
Furthermore, Chinese immigrants have been coming to Belize since the 1850s as indentured servants working in the cane industry. And in 1986, many Chinese from Hong Kong entered the country through Belize’s citizenship-by-investment program. Today, those of Chinese descent make up 2% of the population. They are economically powerful, however, owning 10% of Belize’s GDP.
Don’t Expect to See American Icons
I have been to very few places where I couldn’t get a Venti Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks or a Big Mac from McDonalds. Not that I want to do these things when I’m traveling. But even the Great Wall of China has a Starbucks!
You won’t find any American fast food chains in Belize. The chains that have tried to establish a foothold didn’t make it. Instead, get your fast food from a hole-in-wall place that serves only one thing. One of my best meals in Belize was tamales in a road-side shack. Delicious and super cheap – only $3!
You also won’t see Walmart, Home Depot, or any other store that I’m used to seeing almost everywhere in the world. Instead, you will buy things at a series of tiny stores that likely sell imported products at high prices. But that’s OK – who goes to Belize to shop at Walmart anyway?!
What’s the most surprising thing on this list to you? Would you like to visit Belize?
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