Cruise 2014 - Belize, Seaside City

As the tender drew away from the dock on its way back to the ship, the seaside expanse of Belize City came into a larger view.  Both shots in this post look nice, romantic, idyllic, etc. (with the exception of the obvious run-down condition of the big yellow building), but the truth is that Belize is something of a dump.  After visiting there a couple of times I couldn't figure out why Americans are willing to part with good money to live here in retirement.  Guess we didn't see the nicer areas of town or the country.

On the river boat, however, we did actually stopped once to see the edge of a Quaker settlement from Europe, which was much nicer looking and well-kept.  According to our guide, it was the only part of the population that could not only sustain itself, but introduce a bit of prosperity to the region.  It was way out in the boonies, though, and far away from the dirt and squalor of the city.