Belize

As a former British colony (not Spanish or Portuguese, like most of its neighbors), the official language of Belize is English. Spanish, Maya, Garifuna (Carib), and Belizean Creole are also widely spoken in various parts of the country. Especially in Belize City, locals speak Belizean Creole among themselves, but English to tourists.

The primary meal found virtually everywhere is red beans, clean rice, and chicken. Most chicken in the country is prepared and served on the bone. Rice and Beans is a mixed dish with some spices and usually coconut milk added to make a sweet and hot staple of the Belizean Diet. Beans and Rice is white cooked rice with a side of stewed pinto beans. Citrus plantations are numerous, so fresh oranges and grapefruits are abundant. Pineapple, Papaya, Bannana and Plantain are also grown and sold in roadside markets.

Belikin is the national beer and comes in four varieties: Belikin Premium, Belikin Beer, Belikin Stout, and Lighthouse Lager. All the Belikin beers are sold in returnable bottles, so make sure you are aware of the deposit if you are taking your beverages to go. One Barrel Rum is the locally-distilled molasses-tasting rum. Travelers Rum has a distillary on the Northern Highway about 6 miles from Belize City with a gift shop and hospitality bar. You can purchase rum in a variety of colors and sizes, up to a 70 gallon cask. Both are widely available around the country. But if you also like wine there is cashew wine (which is very popular in Belize ), ginger wine, sorrel wine and blackberry wine.

The Belize dollar (BZD, usually symbolized with a "$") is officially worth exactly 1/2 of a U.S. dollar. Because of this simple and consistent exchange rate, U.S. dollars are widely accepted, but this means you should be careful to clarify which "dollars" you're talking about when negotiating prices. It's often better to assume Belize dollars because many merchants will jump on your uncertainty and attempt to double their price by saying "No, in US Dollars". Belize dollars come in denominations of $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100; $1 and smaller amounts are coins. The 25-cent coin is often called a "shilling".