Adventures in Belize: WHAT TO TAKE - PACK LIGHT

Adventures in Belize: WHAT TO TAKE - PACK LIGHT: When packing for your trip, pack light, take way less than you think you will need in the way of clothing. No need for any kind of "dre...

WHAT TO TAKE - PACK LIGHT

When packing for your trip, pack light, take way less than you think you will need in the way of clothing. No need for any kind of "dressy" clothes. The most dressed up I got was a sun dress. Life is shorts, shirts (tanks or tees), a light jacket, maybe one pair of long pants in case you go caving & swim suits!!!!
In just about every town you will find ladies who will do laundry really cheap. Drop off in the morning & pick up in the afternoon all clean & folded. Just ask at your hotel & they can tell you where to find someone, or they may even do it there.
We are going for almost 3 weeks & are taking about 8 pair of shorts, maybe 10 shirts, a pair of long pants & light jacket, rain jacket, sandals, tennis shoes (as we plan on being in the jungle) & I'm taking a sun dress. Of course you need to take you unmentionables. We also take our snorkel gear & Ron is taking fishing stuff. everything fits in 2 carry ons & one checked piece of luggage.
A few things to make sure you pack are sunscreen, bug spray, & all your personal care items,
everything is more expensive to buy there. A note on bug spray, everybody there says use deet, but since I refuse to use that nasty stuff, I take our natural bug spray & it works just fine, I did add some peppermint oil to it for the sand fleas, which can be nasty. If you don't know about sand fleas, they are not fleas, but tiny crab like crittters. they attach to your ankles with pinchers then sting like a mosquito. I had a bunch of bites last time, they didn't bother me, just left red dots on me, but if you are allergic they can be nasty. I researched & so we are trying the peppermint oil to keep them away. We layer on the trip down as it will be really cold when we leave Michigan, long pants over shorts & layers on top. those will be the long pants & jackets that we take with us.
Make sure to take cash with you, many places do not accept credit cards, & if they do there is a fee for using the card internationally. have plenty of small bills as 1US$ = 2BZ$ & small shops don't always have change.
The biggest thing to remember is if you live & eat like a Belizean it is cheap, if you need luxuries that are imported it is more expensive.

PLANNING OUR NEXT TRIP

There are different ways to see Belize. I know some people who have spent weeks at all inclusive resorts & loved it, this is also probably the most expensive way to go. When we decided to go to Belize we wanted to see the country & meet the people, really get a feel for what it was like there. I chose to plan everything myself. Since we are pretty flexible, I looked for cheap air fare. Cheap is relative when flying to Belize. There is only one airport & the taxes are pretty high, so it is more expensive than many other countries at the present time (they are planning a second airport which may bring the costs down). We decided to focus on March or April. I use sites like Priceline & trip advisor. We found the cheapest flights for those months to be in March. Days of the week for departure & return make a difference too. After considerable research I found air fare for under $700 each departing on March 3(a Monday) & returning March 20. Before I booked the flight I checked hotels in the towns we wanted to stay in for availability, it's kind of important at this time of year as this is the busy season, if you go in the fall you can get great deals & not much problem with availability. We had chosen to stay in Placencia again, Hopkins, & a few days on Caye Caukler. Hopkins & Placenica are in the same general region in the southern part of Belize, & we chose them as we plan on looking for property while there.
To find hotels I first try the town's web page. This usually lists the hotels, I then check the websites for hotels if they are available & trip advisor for ratings. Placencia was easy we stayed at the Sea Spray last time, it was very reasonable & right on the ocean & we really liked it. It's steps away from our favorite place to eat the Barefoot Beach Bar.

The room has Refrigerator, microwave, safe, & air conditioning (which we don't use) this time in the busy season it's $57.50 including tax a night. It's also right on the sidewalk, which is the main drag in Placencia.

In Hopkins we found the Windschief. We have the small cabana right on the beach, it has a refrigerator & it's $30 tax included a night.

On caye caulker, we decided on De real Macaw. Pretty much everything on the caye is on the beach as it is an island. there are no cars, you get around by walking, bikes, or golf carts. This is a beach view room at $52.00 tax included a night. The time we are spending on  Cake Caukler is purely for fun. Since it is part of the Barrier reef, snorkeling is super cheap & 15 minute boat ride away. Fishing is great as well.

Once hotels are set, I booked our flight. We then contacted the rental car company AQ auto rentals. They didn't require any kind of deposit as we had used them before. They are by far the cheapest rental company & they give you a cell phone (you just have to buy minutes) & a cooler. You just have to request with your reservation. they will meet us at the air port. You don't need a car if you are staying in one place, you can take a bus or a small plane, but since we plan on driving around to look at property we are renting the car for the first 2 weeks. If you decide you want a car for a day or 2, most towns have car rental places. You can also rent golf carts & bikes. Be prepared that many places in Belize do not accept credit cards & if they do there is a fee for international charges. Make sure you check before you go. We usually just take cash & use the credit card for the car, but that's about it. Since we are trying to save money we have decided to use the local markets to buy fresh fruit & breads or fry jacks for breakfast rather than eating out.

Lunch will be fast food Belizean style

Everything is ready to go now it's just counting down the days & looking at things you might like to do while you are there. the Belize home site can give you tips as can the District sites & town sites.

there is something for everyone. The Belize Zoo is a definite do if you have time. Mayan ruins are everywhere. There are jungle excursions like cave tubing, zip lining, waterfall rapeling (we are doing this for sure). If you love the water, there is never a shortage of things to do, Belize is home to the second largest barrier reef in the world, so snorkeling & scuba dive are awesome. Many hotels have kayaks for you to use & of course fishing is great, some restaurants will cook your catch for you. Of course you can always just chill in a hammock on the beach if you choose. Just remember never sit or stand under a coconut tree!

We will be back in Belize in 10 days!

DON'T STAND UNDER A COCONUT TREE & OTHER INTERESTING NOTES

We learned never to stand under a coconut tree - the coconuts fall with no warning, unless you know what to listen for. People get hurt & killed by getting hit in the head by a falling coconut.

Fast food as we know it doesn't exist in Belize.  These are examples of Belizean fast food. I'm pretty sure it's much healthier than all those burgers & fries we eat in the US. The food in general is healthy. Belizeans eat what they grow or catch. they don't use hormones & such in their growing. The food tastes so much better, we couldn't believe how good the chicken tasted,  I am sure that is due to the fact that it is natural.

If you're a Pepsi drinker, forget it, Coke is the only thing you'll find & it tastes different, more syrupy. Everyone drinks it.

Local beer is cheaper than water most places, so people drink a lot of beer. You have to be careful if you are out in the countryside to make sure the water is safe to drink or drink bottled water, we got a cooler with our rental car & kept water with us just in case.

People are so friendly, you can hardly walk down the street & carry on a conversation because everyone says hello & smiles. They are very welcoming & accepting of others.

They are a happy people, everyone smiles, including the children. They take care of their families, there are often 3 or 4 generations in one house that is maybe 600 square feet in size.

Crime is much lower than in the US. Although the two large cities - Belize city & Belmopan have some areas of crime, the rest of the country experiences very little crime. It is mostly petty crime, like theft & B & E's. I went for walks after dark in Placencia Town & felt totally safe, which is something I can't do at home even in our small town.

Churches play a very active role in the communities. There are many different denominations, with the most notable being the Roman catholic. The churches run the schools for the most part, with the government's approval. All of the kids wear uniforms, each school has a different color uniform. the kids either walk to school  or walk to the bus stop.

The country overall is pretty low tech. One hotel we stayed at had VHS tapes for us to use. There is WIFI in most hotels, but not out in the country. Adults have cell phones, but everything is prepaid. Most people don't have air conditioning, even some hotels don't have it. Electricity is one of the few things that is expensive.

Kids are happy & smiling like the adults. They play outside, swimming in the ocean & rivers, riding bikes or playing some kind of ball - soccer is big. they don't have a ton of toys, but appear to be happy with what they have.

Belize is an easy country to visit & get around. It is  English speaking, so communicating is pretty simple. Their currency is a Belizean $ & the exchange rate is simple one US$ = two BZ$, It's the same everywhere no negotiating. there are only four main highways - Northern, Western, Southern & Hummingbird. Highways is a term used leniently - they are 2 lane roads with a speed limit of 50mph. We rarely did that as you never knew when you would happen upon a small village (most of which aren't marked) & the crazy speed bumps to slow you down, often these weren't marked & if you went over them at 50mph you probably damaged the bottom of your car. the only thing you knew for sure that if you came to one speed bump there would be a second at the other end of the village. There are also speed humps at all the schools. These are like cross walks, only elevated like a huge speed bump. The bridges are all one lane, so whoever gets there first goes.

 With a decent map, it really isn't hard to get around, & people are helpful if you need directions.

Belize reminds me of the US of my childhood. Maybe that is why I fell in love, or it could be the beautiful country that has average temperatures in the 70's & 80's year round, or the ocean, or the jungles, or waterfalls. Not sure, but before we left we were already planning to return, now in a matter of days we will be back in Beautiful Belize.

Adventures in Belize: OUR LAST DAY IN BELIZE - FOR NOW

Adventures in Belize: OUR LAST DAY IN BELIZE - FOR NOW: It's Wednesday morning & Ron was up early for a "business" meeting, basically it was a coffee club with Tom & the owne...

OUR LAST DAY IN BELIZE - FOR NOW

It's Wednesday morning & Ron was up early for a "business" meeting, basically it was a coffee club with Tom & the owner of our hotel & a couple of other guys. It was good for him to meet contacts for our future visits. Back in the room I'm finishing packing. One last breakfast at Omar's & we hit the road. Have to make a detour back to Lower Dover to pick up my camera charger, then it's back to Belize City, which we have managed to avoid until now. This is like driving in the US only worse! Found the bus terminal, but can't buy tickets for the overnight ride until 5pm, so it's time for late lunch. "King James" from the water taxi company recommended a restaurant to us & pointed us in the right direction. The main streets in the city are worse than the highways. Two lanes, but with cars parked it's almost impossible to get through the streets, finally out of the downtown & out by the water to the restaurant & our last meal overlooking the ocean.

Now it's time to find our way out of the city - fun!  Dropped off our rental car & they drove us back to the bus terminal for our 5 hour wait for the overnight bus to Cancun! this bus terminal is about as bad as the one in Cancun, except no place to check luggage & no McDonalds.  We stocked up on water & a few snacks & waited for our bus, which of course was late.  Once the drunk on the bus settled down we were on our way about 8pm. Of course we now have our 2 customs stops. Belize is very simple, but going through Mexico is fun again, of course. They have a simple red light, green light system. You push a button - green light means you go right through, red means they search - & I do mean search your luggage! One passenger right behind Ron got searched. Finally we are on our way again & when we can get the drunk back to sleep, I'm out until we get to the airport, at least this time we don't have to go to downtown Cancun, just the airport. Of course, nobody knows where Delta flies from & nobody speaks English. so we hang around the lobby, there is one restaurant that of course is outrageously expensive, but we had breakfast. Again we have a wait from about 5am til 11 am when Delta finally opens & we can check our luggage, & go through security. There is a food court here, but again food is crazy expensive & like everywhere in Mexico you get change in pesos. Since I don't ever plan on retuning to Mexico, I really don't want many pesos left. Finally we board our plane & we are  on our way home. So may wonderful memories, a few not so wonderful that I will definitely remember so I don't make those mistakes again, & a definite plan to return to Belize as soon as we can for a longer stay. We miss the beautiful country & people already. So many friends made in such a short time. We have definitely found our special place on earth!

Adventures in Belize: OUR LAST DAY IN PLACENCIA!

Adventures in Belize: OUR LAST DAY IN PLACENCIA!: It's Tuesday & our vacation is quickly coming to an end. this is our last day in Placencia (also known as Paradise) tomorrow we hit ...