Dear Editor,
First, let me say that I have enjoyed visiting San Pedro for several years. We just returned home from a two week visit in January. Sadly, I think this may have been the last trip to San Pedro for me.
I have always enjoyed walking the beach into town and have never felt uneasy during the middle of the day. However, the first Sunday we were on the island, I took a walk into town and that was my last beach walk. Men working on a building made crude comments to me, young men or teens whipped up behind me and around me on bikes, and one group of three teens walked side by side in a row facing me, refusing to share the walkway.
On the pier near our resort, there was always a group of young men hanging out, singing loudly, and letting their dogs run up into the resort. I have never seen so many stray dogs as I did this year. It was pitiful NOT to mention the amount of garbage! Who wants to walk through garbage on the beach??? It doesn’t matter if it washed up or it was thrown down. It needs to be cleaned up!
Another thing that was upsetting to me was the amount of children and adults trying to sell things. I understand that this is how they make their living. I always buy something from them. However, we were there for 14 days and for 14 days we were hounded every time we dared to sit outside on the patio or on the beach. Some even came up to the patio. The most disturbing were the ones that would not take “NO” for an answer or would get mad and talk back to you. One older man selling carved animals told us we needed to support the people of Belize. We told him we did support them. He shouted that we supported the hotels not them! My friend shouted that we had already purchased things from people on the beach, but he continued ranting.
I am sure that other tourists were bothered by these things if I was. If walking the beach or sitting on the beach is not a pleasant experience, then I believe I will have to find another place to spend my vacation.
Sincerely,
Looking for Paradise
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