The first weekend in May is the annual Belize Agricultural and Trade Show. It’s held in the country’s capital, Belmopan. The weather has cooled some (mid 90’s instead of well over 100F!) so we jumped in the truck early this morning and made the half hour drive.
It was very neat. A small midway with kid rides was set up with all the usual carnival games and junk food. We saw several tables with operators playing games of chance. Not exactly sure of the rules but I have a feeling that the odds were stacked in favour of the house!
There were all sorts of commercial booths with everything from pets and plants to high end electronics. Actually, the cell phone places seemed to be the busiest in the fair. It’s no different in Belize than anywhere else. People love to have the latest, new and improved cell phones. Adam and I, on the other hand, have two year old ‘stupid’ flip phones and they seem to do the job just fine. Mine is starting to glitch some so maybe I’ll join the crowds at the cell booths at next year’s fair! Maybe....
It was very neat. A small midway with kid rides was set up with all the usual carnival games and junk food. We saw several tables with operators playing games of chance. Not exactly sure of the rules but I have a feeling that the odds were stacked in favour of the house!
There were all sorts of commercial booths with everything from pets and plants to high end electronics. Actually, the cell phone places seemed to be the busiest in the fair. It’s no different in Belize than anywhere else. People love to have the latest, new and improved cell phones. Adam and I, on the other hand, have two year old ‘stupid’ flip phones and they seem to do the job just fine. Mine is starting to glitch some so maybe I’ll join the crowds at the cell booths at next year’s fair! Maybe....
Lots of food stalls, of course. A good mix of traditional Belizean food and the usual hot dogs and hamburgers. Sausage on a stick seemed to be a crowd favourite. I didn’t see one corn dog, though. I’m sure that they were there....I just didn’t spot one!
About every third booth was for some kind of liquor. Lots of beer but I also saw several different wines, coolers, and of course rums. There seems to be a real growth in the local wine market. I remember when we visited Belize in 2007 the only local wine that I saw was cashew wine. It’s a favourite with the Belizeans but I can’t say that I like it. Now, we are seeing a lot of variety including pineapple (yummy), sour sop, craboo, and black berry.
About every third booth was for some kind of liquor. Lots of beer but I also saw several different wines, coolers, and of course rums. There seems to be a real growth in the local wine market. I remember when we visited Belize in 2007 the only local wine that I saw was cashew wine. It’s a favourite with the Belizeans but I can’t say that I like it. Now, we are seeing a lot of variety including pineapple (yummy), sour sop, craboo, and black berry.
One of my favourite exhibits was the Belize Defence Force (BDF)...the military. A rep from the Navy was showing off their latest acquisition...a shiny new jet boat all decked out with a respectable amount of fire power. It's heading to the north part of the country to patrol the Mexican border. Very impressive.