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Richard Davies, a British traveler in the mid-nineteenth century,
wrote of the city: "There is much to be said for Belize, for in its
way it was one of the prettiest ports at which we touched, and its
cleanliness and order were in great contrast to the ports we
visited later as to make them most remarkable."
Most
of the features that elicited this praise have now gone, but several
of the city's wooden colonial buildings have been saved as
heritage showpieces, sometimes as museums or galleries, more often
by conversion into a hotel or restaurant. Yet even in cases where
the decay is too advanced for the balconies and carved railings to
be restored, the old wooden structures remain more pleasing than the
concrete blocks that have replaced so many of them.
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 Belize
travel guide
Caribbean
guide
Before the construction of the first wooden bridge in the early
1800s, cattle were winched over the waterway that divides the city -
hence the name Haulover Creek. The Swing Bridge, focal
point of the city centre, was made in Liverpool and opened in 1923 -
today it's the only manually operated swing bridge left in the
Americas. Every day at 5.30am and 5.30pm the endless parade of
vehicles and people is halted and the process of turning begins:
using long poles inserted into a capstan, four men gradually lever
the bridge around until it's pointing in the direction of the harbor
mouth. |
Belize
Belize City
Where to go
When to go
Getting around
Costs, money, banks
Currency, exchange
 Eating
and drinking
Mail &
communications
Safety and the police
Work and study
Information
The media
Holidays
and festivals
Shopping,
souvenirs
Belize city
Arrival and information
Restaurants
Nightlife,
entertainment
Tours,
buses
Listings
Travel details
Explore Belize City
North side
South side
Cayo and the west
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Belize city
to San
Ignacio
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Belize zoo
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Belmopan
Practicalities
Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
Guanacaste
Park
Benque Viejo del Carmen
Caracol Ruins
Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve
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San Antonio
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San Ignacio
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Arrival
Restaurants
Kayaking,canoeing
Xunantunich, San Jose
Corozal, Orange Walk
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Travel details |
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