this may be a stupid question but...

[ff1diver]

Just go diving and have fun. My sister lived in Belize for several years teaching English and has not had any problems. Use common sense.

 

[darkstar]

Have you been to Belize City? No I'm not calling you out or doubting your assesment. I too live in Ottawa and if you;ve been to Belize Cirty could you provide a comparison between that and say Vanier, Ritchie Street/Britannia, Caldwell etc?

I've spent about 7 days total in Belize City over two trips in the last year, and so not an expert by any means. On my first trip I intentionally planned two days in the city before my dive charter (long story) then had my flight home canceled and spent three more there. I walked around the city during the day while waiting to hear about my flights and like Downing, I was sometimes warned by locals to head back to the main roads, or back in the direction of the 'financial district'

I'm not saying Belize City is particularly dangerous. In fact thousands of tourists each year walk from the Tourists Village down to the church/Government house area without issue. Like any city, there are places you don't want to go even in daylight though, and the folks in the hotels will tell you where they are. I think Downing is describing Pinks Alley, which is a place I was told to stay away from.

Not sure how much traveling you've done, but Belize is not at all like anything you've seen in North America. The Fort George area is a little like Britannia in that you have some upscale (by Belize standards) places where people with money hang out that are very close to some areas that can be dangerous. At night groups of men sometimes hang out in the park or along the seawall drinking. More like a Central American version of Jane/Finch in Toronto. Stay out of alley's and other secluded areas and take cabs at night and you'll be fine.

On the first trip, my buddy dragged me into this place that you get to from an alley on Regent St. I thought he was crazy.

We drank Belekins there a few afternoons and I took groups of divers there on my last trip without being shot, knifed or robbed. Seemed pretty safe during the day, but I wouldn't go there in the evening and probably wouldn't go alone.

Ambergris Caye is a way better time because you can get all of this flavor without any danger and you can walk most places even at night.

From what I've been told, the violent crime in Belize City is mostly from the gangs that are more or less a recent development. Coming from a family of cops, I've heard enough cop stories about gangs to know that you just don't walk through their territory for the fun of it.

And Downing, no offense intended, but I still think you are nuts.

 

[Downing]

And Downing, no offense intended, but I still think you are nuts.

LOL, none taken.

Just don't call me late for supper.

I took some photos of other alleys, btw, that I would have never even considered walking down.

 

[Gaz]

Well your a braver man than me downing no way I would go donw that alley that particular area is very very dangerous and normally those alleys have lots of gangbangers hanging around.

After having lived in belize for 18 odd years I would never walk down alley in that area of Belize City I think you got lucky cause there is some seriously dangerous people in the city and its not wise to walk inot there den unarmed your asking for troublle.

Gaz

 

[Downing]

Well, I will certainly concede there's a fine line between bravery and stupidity. Maybe I crossed it, but I don't think so.

On the other hand, here's an alley I didn't go down since unlike the first one I wasn't sure where it would lead and the Queen Street police station was a few blocks away. Plus I had already said goodbye to my bodyguard.

 

[Storm]

I've spent about 7 days total in Belize City over two trips in the last year, and so not an expert by any means. On my first trip I intentionally planned two days in the city before my dive charter (long story) then had my flight home canceled and spent three more there. I walked around the city during the day while waiting to hear about my flights and like Downing, I was sometimes warned by locals to head back to the main roads, or back in the direction of the 'financial district'

I'm not saying Belize City is particularly dangerous. In fact thousands of tourists each year walk from the Tourists Village down to the church/Government house area without issue. Like any city, there are places you don't want to go even in daylight though, and the folks in the hotels will tell you where they are. I think Downing is describing Pinks Alley, which is a place I was told to stay away from.

Not sure how much traveling you've done, but Belize is not at all like anything you've seen in North America. The Fort George area is a little like Britannia in that you have some upscale (by Belize standards) places where people with money hang out that are very close to some areas that can be dangerous. At night groups of men sometimes hang out in the park or along the seawall drinking. More like a Central American version of Jane/Finch in Toronto. Stay out of alley's and other secluded areas and take cabs at night and you'll be fine.

On the first trip, my buddy dragged me into this place that you get to from an alley on Regent St. I thought he was crazy.


We drank Belekins there a few afternoons and I took groups of divers there on my last trip without being shot, knifed or robbed. Seemed pretty safe during the day, but I wouldn't go there in the evening and probably wouldn't go alone.

Ambergris Caye is a way better time because you can get all of this flavor without any danger and you can walk most places even at night.

From what I've been told, the violent crime in Belize City is mostly from the gangs that are more or less a recent development. Coming from a family of cops, I've heard enough cop stories about gangs to know that you just don't walk through their territory for the fun of it.

And Downing, no offense intended, but I still think you are nuts.

Oh I've seen a more than few places outside of North America (mostly second and third world type places) and even had the experieince of being in a few places where one group of folk's idea of a good time was to dress up like army dudes and take pot shots at another group of folk sort of dressed like army dudes.:shocked2:

I actually lived in Jane/Finch for almost a year...it was quite...umm...educational.

I sort of use the sniff test when traveling....if it smells bad (metaphorically speaking) I tend to leave it off my "must see" list.

BTW Downing that last alley looked like a place you would need a whip, chair, .45 and can of Raid to get through unscathed

 

[peterbj7]

When I lived in Africa Lusaka (Zambia) was said to be by far the most dangerous place in the world. Yet I arrived there (hitchhiking) at around 9pm and wandered around by myself until 2:30am when I was to catch a bus out. I had no problems whatsoever. Maybe my attitude helped, I don't know, but I never felt seriously nervous or afraid the whole time. I saw lots of people and groups of people hanging around, but none bothered me. I've also wandered around Belize City in the daytime, by myself, and went to all sort of unsavoury places. Again I had no problems. I still recommend people not to go there though.

 

[darkstar]

So this is an interesting read that suggests Belize City's problems are getting worse, at least up until last year.

https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=102760

An interesting trait of human beings (I'm a slave to this as well) is that we tend to rely on personal experience, sometimes in defiance of knowledge or even common sense. If I did this thing once, and I lived, then it mustn't be dangerous, or at least I somehow mitigated the danger by awareness or the sheer awesomeness of my being.

The truth is that in reality, it was chance and the presence of a mediator that saved your bacon. If you'd happened to spin the wheel that day and landed on the 1 in 100 dudes that gets knifed in an alley, then you could be dead.

I've seen this trend a lot in some of the technical divers in my area who often believe that by getting away with something risky once, or because others have done it, that the odds somehow change for them and so repeating the risk is not likely to end in their demise. Diving beyond recommended limits and going into sketchy alley's in Central America are really the same thing. Every time you do it, you spin the wheel of death :reaper: and 1 in X times the odds get you. Getting away with it once, or even a few times, doesn't make it safe. If you don't have something other than your awesomeness to swing the odds in your favour, then you can die the first time or the X time that you do it. Stay in the recommended zone, and the odds are already in your favour.

I'm as guilty of this as the next guy, and when I was in Belize City, I took some stupid risks, like walking from the Celebrity to the Radisson at 10:00 p.m. Knowing the risk, I wouldn't do that again. Ignoring the risk can end up making someone one of the 34 per 100,000 in Belize who doesn't live to tell the tale.

YMMV

 

[Hank49]

I wonder what, statistically, is more dangerous? Walking through Belize City at night? Or driving out the Western Highway to San Ignacio?

 

[Doc]

Since this is SCUBA Board, it should be well noted that these concerns evaporate once you have transited through Belize City on your way to an island paradise in the outlying Belizian Cays.

I have always thought that this and similar discussions are more properly found on a Central American Trekker message board. Scuba Divers won't see much of Belize City unless they really went out of their way to make that occur.