Read Around the World October 2022 – Belize

Map link

October and we spend have a spooky (or not really) time in Belize

Fun facts from this website:

• The people of Belize are known as Belizeans. They are of a diverse range of African, European, Asian or Amerindian descents.
• The country’s most exotic delicacy is the gibnut rodent, also known as the “royal rat” because it was once served to Queen Elizabeth.
• A large area of the land is covered by forest and has inspired the country’s motto, “Under the Shade, I flourish.”
• Thumb locking is a sign of greeting in Belize.
• About ninety percent of the population can read, write, and speak in either Spanish, English, and Creole.
• It is considered rude to greet a Belizean using their first name
• Belize is home to the second-largest barrier reef in the world, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System.
• The national animal of the state is the tapir or mountain cow.
• Despite being a British colony and its proximity to the US, there are no McDonald’s, KFCs, Burger Kings, or any other major fast-food chain locations in Belize.
• It is the only Central American country whose official language is English rather than Spanish.
• It is home to the noisiest monkey on earth, the howler monkey. Its shriek can be heard from two miles away.
• The image of Queen Elizabeth is still portrayed in the Belizean dollar.
• The entire country has only four highways.
• The Belizean version of Big Foot is known as El Sisimito. It has no knees and its feet face backward.

I chose to visit Belize via Cry Among the Rain Clouds: The Belize Detective by John Alexander Watler. This book provided me with what I wanted which was an insight into life in Belize however the translation is not done very well and there is frequent use of the wrong tense and often random words scattered throughout. This would benefit from a good edit to maintain cohesion.

Alongside the main story of bribery, blackmail and corruption there are also historical details interspersed throughout the narrative. While they are very informative these historical details also read like a school lecture and completely pull the reader out of the story.

I would recommend this for anyone wanting to know more about Belize but I wouldn’t recommend it as a good read.

Other readers visited in the following ways:

Currey from Litsy – Beka Lamb by Zee Edgell rated pick and Cry Among the Rain Clouds rated so-so.

Did you join us on this leg of our trip? Let us know what you read