Belize City is an interesting place to visit in Central America. It is also the largest city of the country, but not the capital. (the capital is Belmopan).
** I uploaded some of this pictures to my Print on Demand galleries. If interested, please click on the links to see all the versions and options
The city is also the gateway to Ambergris Caye and other tropical islands in the Caribbean Sea. This is the reason why the harbor is so popular.
All sorts of tourists from all over the world of every budget and interest are blending in to the already very interesting mix of population, cultures and lifestyles.
The Harbor and Marinas
The harbor is a busy picturesque place with a lot of things to see. However, for many, this is just a transit point. Sailboats and marina in Belize City harbor, ready to bring tourists to the Caribbean sea and surrounding islands. I got inspired and added a painterly look to my travel photograph.
Hundreds of boats, of all kinds and sizes are carrying merchandise and people through the three canals.They connect the core of the city to the sea and further on to the islands.
The canals cross the city as waterways for small embarkations transporting people and merchandise.
The City
This yellow one is quite a large metal bridge. It’s a swing bridge – “the only functioning, manually operated swing bridge in the world.” according to Wikipedia.
After taking a jungle tour to visit the Lamanai Mayan ruins, we couldn’t miss the main city – and explore it for about three days. I took quite a few photos in this place and you can find more in my main gallery. The harbor definitely deserves special attention, but there is more to see…
The old British colonial architecture blends with the Caribbean style and tropical vegetation.
While wandering on the streets, I saw this scene of a man sitting in front of his apartment window, looking out. I asked him permission to take a photo and he agreed. I was motivated by a photography contest I was participating and I’m proud to say that I got the 3-rd price 🙂 Here it is – you can see it in my art gallery collection at Fine Art America:
Downtown
The city’s downtown and it’s harbor reside on the South side of the River. Here is where you can find governmental buildings, hotels and other establishments built in the time of the English colonists.
Facts and lifestyles
In case you didn’t know, the official language in Belize is English. In the spoken language though, they mix it with Spanish and native dialects. The neighborhoods also blend into each other…
While exploring many neighborhoods, I stumbled upon this house and observed things. It really captures the way people are living in this city. I called it “Everything is beautiful in its own way“, and made a post by its own with it 🙂
Travel
I took this picture below from the hotel’s terrace you were staying in. BTW: don’t expect to go there directly to find your night host. I highly recommend that you go with a reputable online booking website. Also, make sure and read some reviews before you make a reservation..
The city is not a safe place, especially after the sun goes down. I called this image below “Murder in Paradise” … Fortunately the car was not ours 🙂 As a matter of fact, we did have our rental car broken into. That happened however in Guatemala. – They liked the old cheap radio 🙂 Make sure you always pay a little extra to have full insurance – it can save you big money!
However, Belize is a travel destination you should not ignore on your way down through Central America.
This is a picture of the harbor at sunset, coming back from a Caribbean Island boat trip we took. I got inspired again and gave it a painterly look
I also made a digital paint of this harbor scene, available in my art print galleries – click on it to see a larger format:
Stay safe and enjoy your Belize travel! 🙂
Cancun has the most turquoise water I’ve ever seen. A friend told me about this before, but it’s not the same as seeing it with your own eyes… Indeed, when my husband and I had the chance to visit this place for the first time, I just couldn’t believe it…
** I uploaded some of these photos to my Fine Art America: Cancun gallery, and they are available as prints. Click on the photos to see them in larger versions:
** No, that’s not me – I was the one behind the camera 🙂
The tones of blue, turquoise, teal and aqua vary with the depth of the water and the light, and mix with each-other in a beautiful harmony.
Early in the morning everything looks different…
I took this one also during the early morning hours. The clouds above gave the Caribbean Sea water a different nuance of blue-green color:
At sunrise the colors of the Caribbean get really dramatic.
Blue, turquoise, green and gold; sunrise, seawater, and walking on the beach… What a beautiful life!…
In the day time the turquoise water looks totally different 🙂
In Cancun, the pools water at the beach resorts have the same color as the sea. – You almost don’t really know where one ends and the other starts 😉
I really like to photograph waves and surf, and some days the water gets a little rough. That’s the best time to get the sea-foam, over the sand and rocks of the beach…
Art Prints Bonus
… And here is a bonus for you. I photographed these cuties in the Caribbean turquoise water at Xcaret ecological park, Puerto Morelos 🙂 * Just Click on them for details!
I hope you liked my turquoise water photos in Cancun, Mexico… 🙂
Water Water Everywhere | A Photo a Week: Water
Power lines are not the most desirable elements we want to have in a picture… in fact, photographers are trying hard to avoid them, by taking different angles or even alter their shots in post processing.
However, we have to admit that they are part of our daily life… ubiquitous – so to say, and depending on the photography, sometimes we have to accept them…
As a casual documentary photographer, I often leave them there.
But sometimes I actually like them and take them in purpose. Just look up!:)
In the winter, when covered with frost and shining in the sun, they can be even artistic. However in an urbanscape, where there are power lines, the lampposts are present too… – Not too much to do about those either 🙂
I also like to see and photograph birds on lines they look to me like musical notes… 🙂
I took this photo in a gray winter day in Ontario and this scene brighten my mood 🙂
Power lines can create interesting patterns, too.
Here is a more colorful image I took in Arizona – these pigeons where so nicely aligned on the power lines, popping against the blue background sky of the Mohave desert…
Next is a print from my Fine Art America’s galleries:
I took it while traveling Quebec in the golden light of the evening, and called it ” Bed Time” – I really liked the picturesque image of the power lines with the swallows aligned on them, over the french style barn.
But the power lines can hold many other things…, like old discarded shoes, for example 🙂
While the shoes are quite common, here is something you don’t see everyday…
These are Bromeliads plants growing naturally on lines in Mexico and other tropical areas – aren’t they cute?
I have many pictures featuring power lines but this will be the last one for the post:
I called it “Technology vs. Nature” and I took it in the desert, near Death Valley, California. I just liked the contrast of the elements 🙂
For the fun of challenges, I posted it to:
FOWC with Fandango — Lamppost
Lens-Artist Photo Challenge: #13 Look Up