A slice of Belize turned up in Cartagena in September, courtesy of the San Pedro Lions. From 9 to 13 September, Belize's Provisional Region 59 — including the San Pedro Lions and Leos Club — joined the 46th ELAC Leos Convention (Encuentro Latinoamericano y del Caribe) in Colombia's famous walled port city, alongside delegates from El Salvador, Panama, Venezuela, Chile and beyond.

Club president Rosalyn Tzib led the six-person delegation, which included secretary Nesher Acosta, Lions Ana Ico, Dayrin Mar, Shaherah Young and Aliyah Dennison, and Leo Alexander Cano. The programme leaned heavily on youth leadership and community development: workshops run by Lions Clubs International, debate panels, and plenty of peer-to-peer sessions where young Leos swapped tips on marketing and social media outreach.

The cultural set pieces were where Belize made its mark. The delegation carried the flag during the Desfile de las Banderas — the Parade of Flags — and handed out Belizean products and souvenirs, with Marie Sharp's hot sauces doing diplomatic duty. Tzib admitted many delegates didn't know where Belize was before the week began; by the end, they certainly did. The Noche de las Naciones brought the region's cultures together for an evening, and the convention wrapped with a city tour, service awards and a closing dinner. There was also an optional Día de Playa — a beach day at a resort roughly ten minutes by boat from Cartagena, a neat reminder of what the host city offers visitors.

Tzib called the experience unforgettable and said the club hopes Belize might one day host an international Lions and Leos event of its own. The next ELAC gathering is already set for Lima, Peru, in 2027.

Why should a traveller care? Two reasons. First, it's a good nudge to look at Cartagena itself: a Caribbean-flavoured Colombian city with a UNESCO-listed old town, island beaches a short boat ride away, and a busy year-round events calendar. Second, it shows how community and service organisations double as travel clubs — if you're a member of Lions, Leos or a similar group, conventions like ELAC are a legitimate, structured way to see Latin America with locals rather than as a bystander.

For everyone else, the story is a small but real piece of destination marketing for Belize — and a reminder that a bottle of Marie Sharp's hot sauce apparently travels better than any brochure.