Charlotte Magazine – July 2019

32 CHARLOTTEMAGAZINE.COM // JUNE 2019

THE GOOD LIFE

WE’RE CONDITIONED IN AMERICA to think that big cities—Portland, Chicago,

New York City—o er the best samplings of culture. Belize bucks that. There isn’t

much to do in Belize City. But just outside the Central American country’s dusty

capital, beauty and cultural excursions abound.

A cheery green and yellow “Welcome to Belize” sign arches over the main road

as I leave the airport, passing palm trees and a few people waving. I’d chuckled at

the instructions from the car rental oŒ ce: “Turn right at the power transformer.”

Charlotteans will be happy to know that Belize has only ‘ ve major roads, and none

of them has the same name.

The weight of my regular life rolls o my back as I watch the landscape so’ en

from dust and brush in Belize City to thick trees and vines as I approach San

Ignacio—a two-hour adventure west over construction-laden roads with potholes

that could swallow my Jeep. Fresh fruit juice stands dot the roadside.

San Ignacio is a quiet respite at the end of the road, about nine miles before the

Guatemalan border. It’s a small town of almost 18,000 people, full of locals who are

eager to welcome travelers. The open-air Ko-Ox Han-Nah restaurant near the Macal

MILES FROM

CHARLOTTE:

1,304

FLYING TIME:

3 hours,

42 minutes

NONSTOP

SERVICE ON:

American

Airlines

DIRECT FLIGHT

Belize

Where the weight of daily life rolls off your back

BY KATIE RATH

SHUTTERSTOCK

At 130 feet, El Castillo

(The Castle) is the

highest point of the

Mayan archaeological

site Xunantunich—but

it lacks guardrails, so

watch your step.

Continued on page 34 