Oranges are no longer grown in the northern district of Orange Walk. Instead of citrus, travelers should expect to find the Lamanai Maya ruins, Belize’s best tacos, Mennonite and Mestizo cultures, and crocodiles.
The district is nicknamed “Shugah City” because of the sugarcane. Also, ask any Belizean the best place to party in the country and you’ll get the same answer: “Definitely Orange Walk.”
Watch two young girls perform a traditional Mestizo dance in matching gala dresses hand-embroidered by their proud grandfather. After they finished dancing, they ran inside their thatch-roof house, put on jeans, and cranked up Justin Bieber on repeat. Yes, the version where Ludacris raps.
Strangely, my hosts insisted on driving me to the Mexico/Belize border where there’s a duty-free zone for tourists. Since I’m not in the market for out-of-date fashion or cheap Heineken, it wasn’t really for me.
* Poolside at D Star Victoria Hotel. Be forewarned, though: no PDA allowed.
* Orchid Palm Inn, voted “Small Hotel of the Year” by the Belize Tourism Board and located right across the street from the bus terminal.
* In Orange Walk, breakfast has to be chicken tacos wrapped in homemade corn tortillas and drenched in hot sauce, sprinkled with grilled onions. Friendly families line up their taco stands on the street and cook until the food runs out. Did I mention six tacos cost one US dollar?
* Chop suey from Hong Kong Restaurant on Queen Victoria Avenue. Another place where sex is banned — a sign on the wall reads “No Foreplay Allowed.”
* Homemade relleno, a Mestizo tradition, which is chicken stuffed with egg and breadcrumbs, served in a rich, black soup.
Ten minutes after arriving in Orange Walk, I was invited to witness a wedding at the courthouse. The bride and groom had been together 12 years and have eight kids. They decided to get married three days before the ceremony. Embarrassingly, I was the only one who cried.
The Lamanai Maya ruins are unforgettable. The best way to get to them is by water taxi down the New River.
On the way, I spotted turtles, crocodiles (Lamanai means “submerged crocodile”), and toucans. The ruins themselves are well excavated — it’s easy to imagine being a Maya ruler once you climb to the top.
If you’re looking for quick access to the Caribbean, Orange Walk probably isn’t the best bet, since it is landlocked. But, like anywhere in Belize, the district is well serviced by bus.
Orange Walk may be an agricultural town, but it has the best club scene in Belize. Belizeans drive from all over the country for Club 21 and Aquario Night Club.