betterbelizeit — Katya Rowny

Every winter the family and I try to escape the gray and wet PNW for sunnier skies and warmer weather. For the past three years we’ve gone to Coasta Rica and have fallen in love with the country. Although this year, my husband wanted to try something different and suggested Belize. Having never been and not knowing much about the country, I said why not?! So we booked our trip for the darkest days in the PNW. I packed two film cameras, my trusty Olympus XA2 and a new to me Nikon One Touch that I got at a thrift store. For film I brought some Kodak gold and expired Kodak Max 400 for the Nikon to try out.

We were able to take a direct flight into Belize City and hired a driver to get us to our hotel. Our hotel was located in Placencia which is about 2 1/2-3 hours by car. Belize is a beautiful country with a rich history and culture. I absolutely loved hearing everyone speak because they have the most beautiful accents! (Did you know English is one of the main languages they speak?)

Our initial stay was at the Itzana Resort. It was a gorgeous hotel with a pool and views of the Caribbean Sea. We stayed for a few days before things took a turn for the worst. Unfortunately, my son caught a stomach bug which then got passed to us so one of us was sick for the rest of the trip as the virus hit us at different times. Below are some pictures from the resort and walking along the beach.

After a few days we moved on to our next air-bnb which was close to the city of Placencia. We were in walking distance of the beach and a boardwalk filled with shops and restaurants. We stayed in this area for a few days before moving on to our last air-bnb. Here are some photos from the boardwalk and riding around in a golf cart we rented. Unfortunately, this is where I was the sickest(thank goodness for home health nurse that came and gave me IVs!) so I wasn’t able to photograph as much as I wanted.

Finally, here are a few photos from our last air-bnb. Of course this was were my husband was the sickest during our trip so we weren’t able to do any excursions or trips. On our last day we walked around Placencia and the pier.