by Peter Eltringham
Ambergris Caye – made internationally famous as “La
Isla Bonita” by Madonna and also known as “Temptation Island”,
the base for the contestants in the TV show – is one of the main attractions
for visitors to this beautiful country. It’s Belize’s largest island
and the former fishing village of San Pedro, just half a mile from the Barrier
Reef, is the only town on the caye.
The Caribbean Sea is the focus of daytime adventures; San
Pedro boasts numerous dive and snorkel shops and a sailing and windsurfing center.
And, unlike many other places in Belize, there’s plenty of nightlife.
You’ll find a band playing most evenings at Fido’s in the center
of town, and many other bars have happy hours with live music around sunset.
In August the town is packed with visitors and participants
for the International Costa Maya Festival, a weekend extravaganza of music and
dancing to celebrate the culture and people of the Mundo Maya – Mexico,
Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. This year the festival is being
held from the 5th to 8th of August and it seems set to be an even bigger event
than last year, with the arrival entrants from Costa Rica for the first time.
One of the highlights of the festival is the crowning of La
Reina de la Costa Maya. The current Reina is Leilah Pandy, who was also
Miss Belize at the time. Carina Velasquez of Guatemala was first runner-up in
the pageant. This year Belize is again represented by the reigning Miss Belize,
Farah Evans, from Ladyville, near Belize City. Farah, whose Belizean, Hispanic,
Welsh, Scottish and Irish ancestry mirrors the wonderfully complex mixture of
peoples in her country, is far more than just a pretty face – she’s
also the senior computer programmer at Naturalight Productions, a company which
produces some of the best websites in Belize. Guatemala will be represented
by Marva Weatherborn, who is also representing Guatemala in this year’s
Miss Universe contest.
Anyone heading to Ambergris Caye can be sure of a great time,
especially so during the Costa Maya Festival. It’s wise to book a hotel
in advance. For more information about Ambergris Caye, the Festival and how
to get there see the Rough Guide and visit www.ambergriscaye.com.
•
Peter writes and contributes to several of the
books in the Rough Guide series, and has recently completed the latest edition
of the Rough Guide to Belize.
