Is your inner Robinson Crusoe yearning
for a new adventure? Set him free on the Central American
side of the Caribbean, where the beaches are every bit as
beautiful, the culture equally as colorful, and the mood even
mellower.
Kevin Hiestand, a 36-year-old attorney from
Sacramento, California,
has seen the Caribbean. He's turned himself into a bronzed god on
the sugar-white beaches of
Jamaica. Learned to dive in the Virgin
Islands. Climbed the majestic Piton Mountains of St. Lucia. Danced
in the mud-encrusted
Carnival ritual of J'Ouvert in
Trinidad. Now
he's ready to declare Laughing Bird Caye as the most beautiful spot
in the entire sea.
The surprise for Hiestand is that, until recently, he'd never heard
of Laughing Bird Caye, a tiny island sanctuary a few miles off the
coast of
Belize near the mainland town of Placencia. Now he's
seeing what other travelers are discovering. That there's another
Caribbean out there - one beyond the traditional leeward and
windward islands southeast of
Florida - a paradise of up-and-coming
beaches, islands, and countries that make up the Central American
border along the sea's western edge.
And while on your visit you probably won't brave snarling
crocodiles or level three river rapids, these outings are absent
four-star restaurants and a place to plug in your modem, which for
some of you, is adventure enough.
Belize
Located on the Yucatán peninsula, just south of
Mexico, Belize is a
Caribbean country of about 250,000 people, which makes it a little
mellower and a lot slower than the city you probably live in.
Belize is close to the U.S. (a couple hours from Miami), the
official language is English, and vacationers' favorite pastime is
eating the catch of the day and downing Belikin beer after a day of
snorkeling on the fertile reefs protecting the coast.