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PUNTA GORDA(Stop 17 of 18)
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The Belize Virtual Guide PUNTA GORDA(Stop 17 of 18) |
| Known locally as "PG", Punta Gorda is the southernmost town in Belize, located 100 miles from Dangriga. In the past, most travelers only passed through Punta Gorda en route to somewhere else (it is a port of call for twice weekly ferry service to Puerto Barrios, Guatemala and Puerto Cortes, Honduras). Today people are seeking out Punta Gorda and its genuine atmosphere of a frontier outpost without the rough edges of Belize City. | |||
| The air is crystal clear here , possibly due to the annual 160 inches of rain continuously washing the dust from the air. Perched on a limestone escarpment, much of Punta Gorda lies only 15 to 20 feet above sea level. Concrete walls, some leaning into the water as if under tremendous weight, appear to hold the town upright. |
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| The coastline on both sides of Punta Gorda slopes to pebbly, dark sand beaches where fishing dories lie pulled up on shore. Further south, the Caribbean ceaselessly nibbles away at the land, dragging old houses and grave yards into the sea. | |||
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Only 6,000 people call Punta Gorda home, with cultures varying from Garifuna, Creoles, Ketchi, Mopan Maya, Chinese, Lebanese and East Indians. The pace of life is slow in PG, even by Belizean standards. The town is spectacularly overgrown: nature has gobbled up most remains from the colorful past and now seems to be working on reclaiming the town itself. Huge mango trees tower majestically along the streets, flowering bushes and potted plants decorate the verandas of lichen-stained clapboard homes, and tall grass flourishes in most yards. | ||
| There are few tourist attractions within the boundaries of the town, yet Punta Gorda has the highest number of tourists rooms per capita in the country. The slow pace of life and friendliness of the people, as well as the diversity of peoples and the rich Mayan heritage of the district are strong attractions for adventurous travelers. | |||
| Fishermen leave in their dugout canoes at sunrise, returning around noon with fish for the market. Little blue herons, snowy egrets and flocks of sandpipers forage for invertebrates on the beaches north of the town, all but ignoring quiet bird watchers. In the center of the town is a stocky clock tower, built by a local politician to commemorate himself and his political party. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, the main street of Punta Gorda swells with color as Indians from all over the district converge to sell produce, embroidery and plastic wares. |
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| Moves are underway to create a Punta Gorda Nature Trail, which will lead visitors around the town's physical and cultural attractions. Prominent will be the Garifuna Village Project, known locally as the Habiabara Garinagu Cerro project. Although nearly half of Punta Gorda's population is Garifuna, they are finding it difficult to keep their culture alive, so a small group of progressive Garifuna are using 40 acres of ancestral lands to build a "conservation of culture" project with a small museum, restaurant and arts and craft shop. | |||
 
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