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New stuff that is practically free, so just do it, just in case!
-Don’t post on social media that you will be gone on certain dates, it is too easy to find all of someones personal info with very little effort. Don’t “check in” at the sweet places you are at, just post the pics when you get home.

-Decide what IDs you really need to bring. For most people this is passport, medical insurance card, driver’s licence, 2 credit cards, 1 debit card. Take a picture of what you are bringing, front and back, and store this in some sort of cloud storage, like dropbox.

-Put passcodes on your devices if they don’t have them already. Also download security apps that track or even shut off your phone, such as Find my Android. This costs you NOTHING and if you lose your phone or something gets taken, what a relief to know your stuff isn’t getting looked at!

-Bring a personal alarm with you, these are so easy, legal, and when you are walking home at night or doing anything you think there is a risk, it doesn’t cost anything to have this thing handy. Even keep it on your nightstand at night. Here’s a good one that should just be part of your packing when you travel:

-If you want to communicate with people back home, the most popular apps we have found that are low cost to free, are to download the Skype app, put a few bucks on it, and it works all over the world, just like a regular phone, not just video chat. For texting and sending pics, use WhatsApp or Kakao Talk. Have the people back home you want to talk to, download the app to their phone as well (except Skype, my favorite, you just call from your phone and the number shows up as a random US number to the other person, but they don’t need the app to answer-it just looks like a regular phone call to them).

Generic, tired old safety tips about travel…..that are STILL true and STILL people don’t consistently follow, until someone gets burned…don’t let it be you!
-Carry any meds with you on the plane…along with your electronics, basic toiletries, and a change of clothes.
Unnecessary purchase.

-Even though you might feel like a lil old lady with a pillbox, do pack some basic first aid things that are relevant to where you are going. Things like, emergency antibiotics for UTIs or traveler’s diarrhea (your future self will thank you!!!!), band aids, antibacterial gel like Neosporin, aspirin, and extra girly items even if you aren’t supposed to be on your special time of month.

Totally unnecessary purchase.

-Do just a little bit of extra work to find out how locals dress where you are going. It’s the worst to show up with a bunch of flip flops and yoga clothes and feel like a bum, or be an overdressed uptight person when everyone else is totally comfortable. This also makes you stand out much less, which you want!

– If you meet someone very interested in what you do for a living, where you are staying, etc, even another tourist, be very aware of impressing those around you with money talk – where tourists go, so do thieves, and they are really, really good at overhearing these kinds of things to mark those that have some money. Oh, and don’t talk about the exact place you are staying 🙂
-When you go out at night, bring the BASICS as much as you can. Leave a bit in different places on your body if you can if you are in a dicey place. BE DISCREET when you are pulling out your cash about where it is and how much it is.
-Leave wedding rings and sentimental jewelry at home!
-Stay in brightly lit areas with tourist traffic and don’t go off by yourself. This happens all.the.time when people are lulled into a sense of security. Also, just wear the SPF and bug spray….don’t be a hero.

(pinterest)

-If the people in town or the hotel staff tell you to not leave things on the porch, keep door locked, stay away from certain places, etc…..DO IT! They are telling you for a reason.

-Don’t make yourself a target by getting drunk, being loud, being obnoxious, being really strange, being rude to locals.

-Use the safes and don’t leave stuff out when you leave!! And LOCK your door at night. Amazing how many people forget this one. We have all done it.

A final note on safety, one of my BIGGEST PET PEEVES is when a US news site will post some crime committed in some exotic place in the world, and people make comments like, “well now that place is off my list.” Meanwhile in their own home city, crimes are going on by the dozens. DO NOT decide about where to vacation based on one random news story, because you may be missing out on some of life’s greatest experiences. If you are truly concerned about crime in a place you haven’t gone, look online at their local newspapers or stalk the city on facebook groups – in small towns like Placencia, you will find the most honest knowledge from people that live here about what is really happening.

Or, just come to Placencia, and on your first day, feed some treats to one of the beach dogs. They will then follow you around like a security team the rest of your trip 🙂 (not that you need it here!)

Actual beach dogs that will follow you here.

Note: here is the official latest info; right now it hasn’t changed in a while. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/regulations/vs/iregs/animals/downloads/bh_cat_dog.pdf

1.) Before anything else, get your plane tickets squared away- you need at least a month to get the pet thing figured out. I fly United, and they are very pet friendly. Caveat – my dog is really small so he can go in the cabin with me. If you are traveling with your dog as cargo, I will have missed a few steps for you. I know Delta has just changed their pet restrictions and most can’t fly your dog as cargo during certain times of year. This whole thing is a much bigger pain for you. 🙁

Plane tickets – with United, I have to make a phone call to customer service to find out what flights are dog friendly (they have a limit on how many dogs per flight, and some planes are too small). If you just try to book online and check the “I have a pet” box, they won’t let you book. Also, I don’t book over the phone because you get charged now for phone bookings. The operator will confirm that you can have dogs on the flight you booked, and charge you $125 per way (:() and also give you a confirmation # for your pup. Make sure you leave 2-3 hours at layovers for your sanity, so you can go let the dog use the bathroom outside.

2.) First step –  you need an “Import Permit” from The Belize Animal Health Department (BAHA). This is issued by BAHA to the airport and is there when you arrive, but note that the BAHA people are only at the airport between about 9-5, 7 days a week – so schedule your incoming flight during that time. To get the permit, first print out this application:
https://www.baha.org.bz/images/files/Application%20form%20for%20imports/Animal%20and%20Animal%20Products%20Application%20Form.pdf
Note – if you don’t already have this, download the free app called Cam Scanner. You can hand write out the form, then scan it in picture form on Cam Scanner – this app is totally awesome and I use it all the time. Emailed docs look very professional.

Attach application to an email and send to this address: animalhealth@baha.org.bz. Current person I talked to was Ms. Melody Robateau; she is very nice.

The first email I sent looked like this:

Hello, I will be moving to Placencia, Belize from the USA and I would like to take my pet dog, a 3 year old Chihuahua, with me. I would like to request an approval import permit. Please let me know if there is anything else I need to do to get this approval.

If I can have this approval, can it be emailed to me? My email is _________________. I very much appreciate your help and assistance, and again please let me know if there is anything I can do to help the process. Thanks so much! Attached is my application.

**Being very gracious and nice always helps. Pink not necessary, just done to break up the page a bit.

Here is her other contact info:
Ms. Melody Robateau
Administrative Assistant/Permit Officer
Animal Health Department
Belize Agricultural Health Authority
Central Farm, Cayo District, BELIZE, C. America
Tel: (501) 824 4899/72/73
Fax: (501) 824 4889/3773

They are pretty good – they usually email you the permit within a week and it is good for 90 days – so you technically have a 90 day window to schedule your flight. Please note I did have to call this last time and it took 2 weeks, so don’t wait too long.  Print a copy of the permit they email you to have on hand at the airport just in case.3.) Now, make an appointment with a vet that is USDA certified. If you don’t have one, call the office and ask if they do travel forms for pets. My vet made me go through Pet Relocation – because vets have gotten sued in the past when people showed up in other countries with dogs and then had problems. Pet Relocation (https://www.petrelocation.com/) will try to sell you a whole bunch of services, but you don’t need them to ship your pet for you – you will feel like a wreck the first time you do this, convinced that your pet will be quarantined, but then after you do it once you will be a master. Just tell them you are going to Belize and want them to email you the latest rules. Latest rules say that vet needs to fill out 3 forms: the APHIS form, an Airline health form, and flea/tick free form.
APHIS form (if you want to print and bring in):
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/library/forms/pdf/APHIS7001.pdf
Pet Relocators told me I needed the Certification of Treatment against Ticks and Tapeworms, which I purchased here (and was never asked for, but just pay the few bucks and get them-I can’t find it free anywhere)
https://www.pettravelstore.com/pet-passport-ticks-tapeworm-certificate/
Pet Relocators also told me I needed this (this may be only for certain airlines, or if pet is traveling cargo, but it is free so just print it and have it on you!
https://www.mojpes.net/download/aviocertifikat.pdf

I brought these 3 forms with me to the appointment and your vet will fill them out. NOTE – your dog has to have proof of rabies and it has to be more than 30 days out from your travel time. I also brought my proof of rabies shots with me on the trip just in case.

Here is another source of free forms that can be helpful if you are told you need any others:
https://www.dryfur.com/library-of-free-pet-airline-shipping-forms.htm
IMPORTANT – this vet appointment must be made EXACTLY 6-7 days before your trip. Total pain! This last part gets tricky and annoying.

Make your vet appointment for the first thing in the morning. Then, immediately after your appointment, you have to go to a FexEx office and overnight these to your local USDA office, because a SECOND veterinarian (USDA approved) has to stamp your APHIS form. (Unless you are lucky enough to live driving distance to one – then, call them and find out if you can show up). Here are the USDA offices:
https://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app

Google Image that probably reflects your feelings right now. We are almost done.

So you have to FedEx overnight to USDA – the original APHIS form vet #1 just filled out, the rabies proof of vaccine, and then hand write a note that says they can charge your credit card $38 for the stamp fee. (This is the current cost, call to find out if it has changed.) You also need to enclose a SECOND (same kind of overnight shipping) envelope that is self addressed, prepaid overnight as they will ship these forms right back to you (this will not be their first rodeo, they know you need to get these right back – I sent mine in Monday afternoon and got them back Wednesday afternoon).

When I went to FedEx, they made me sign up for an account which was a little annoying, word of warning. While I was there I had them make copies of everything I was sending just in case. You will receive these forms back within the week before you leave. THIS IS THE STRESSFUL PART!!!! You can’t guarantee that you will receive these forms, that the USDA vet will sign, that they won’t get lost, etc. We could start whining about why the system is set up to be so last minute, as it really is stressful. But, I am sure they have their reasons, so you just have to do it this way :). Just enjoy your anxiety that week before you leave.

Google image of stress. Relevant to dog topics.

Finally, the first time I flew with Sticks, I actually stopped by the United airlines desk a few days before to show them my pet travel bag to ensure it was OK. I met a guy who was traveling with a pet and they told him his bag wasn’t OK and it screwed up everything for him.

Appropriate travel bag and a picture I actually took myself. Actual dog of blogger.

I will also tell you my experience of showing up at the Belize Airport. (By the way, if you are taking a puddle jumper after your other flight, they don’t give a hoot about your lap dog. I took my dog out of the bag on that flight, no charge and you don’t have to worry about that one on Tropic Air. Love them.) When you show up at the airport, I was very concerned about letting my dog pee, and this was not an option for a while. You have to get in line for immigration and customs, and then right past customs they will show you to a door that says BAHA. The guys in there were very nice. They just looked at my APHIS form, made a couple jokes, and charged me about $65 Belize dollars for the dog permit. I THEN was able to finally find a door on our way to check in for our Tropic flight (door to the right) where the dog finally peed.

Finally, I want to note that getting the dog back INTO the US was a total cake walk compared to this. All I needed to do was go to a Belizean Vet within 10 days before we flew out, and he filled out a form (International Vet Certificate) saying the dog had all his shots. At customs, the guys just eyeballed the form and we were on our way. That is literally all it takes to bring him back into the US.

Let me summarize and organize this by saying- the paperwork you should have when you leave for Belize is this:
1.)APHIS form signed by your vet and stamped by USDA vet (no one but you will know/care about all the hard work you did for this form. Nice work. There.)
2.)The 2 forms stated above (flea/tick and the IATA form)
3.) A copy of the Import Permit just in case
4.) Proof of rabies shots just in case

And that’s it! :-p Your dog will love Belize….it is my dog’s favorite place in the world 🙂

Actual dog of blogger, in an unfiltered image of him enjoying the beach in Belize. He is smiling as you can see.

Total Cost to bring your dog to Belize: $125 per way on the airline, $25-75 for your vet visit, $38 stamp fee, about $35 for import permit. Total $223-273. (plus maybe $9 for extra paperwork, $50 for travel bag, etc) However, as they say, having your dog in paradise = priceless!

For more locally authentic wildlife, if you are in Belize from now through March, a huge attraction is to see the Scarlet Macaws! Here is some more information:
https://www.mybelizeadventure.com/red-bank-village/

Doyle with Dtourz often goes on this tour! He also has a night jungle hike…where he has recently seen TWO elusive jaguars!
https://www.facebook.com/dtourz/

Right in the village, at Secret Garden Day Spa, there is a new yoga deck!! Here is the new schedule of classes….is there anything more relaxing and exotic than doing beach yoga on the Caribbean??

Sue posted this very endearing picture today….the guests at Caribbean Beach Cabanas had an exciting day, as Sue and Carlos went out kayaking on our shore out front with a guest, to Placencia Caye, where the guest had a manatee swim right under her kayak!! Here are the guests discussing their adventures, the rest went bone fishing and to a private island today!

And for your dinner plans……if you are looking for a unique and exotic place to eat while you are in Placencia, we recommend a quick 10 minute cab ride to Tiger, an Indian Caribbean restaurant that is one of the most exotic and memorable places meals I’ve had! Here are some pictures from their facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tiger-Placencia/1473513099582954?fref=ts

High season is in full swing and it has not disappointed!!! Here are some recent photos I found….if you want to get excited for your trip, do yourself a favor and type #placencia into google. You will hit on all the photos that tourists and locals have recently taken….here are some of my favorites from Instagram!

After that fun, depending on timing, you may stop at a Mayan family’s home, where they will explain how they cook in their outdoor kitchen, tell you some really interesting stories about their family set up, and show you how they make those Mayan baskets you see everywhere!

Finally, you stop at Nim Li Punit Mayan ruins, where Mark gives some great history about burials, culture, and the village structure.

Everyone on the tour loved it, and it has been unanimously highly recommended!

Another highly recommended activity is to hike at Bocawina National Park, There are several hikes to choose from, as you can see on this map:

Look for signs to the view–you climb over to a ledge where you are treated to this amazing view all the way to the sea….this picture doesn’t capture its awesomeness at all!

My mom came for a visit, and we had such a great time. She is terrible with knives so I thought it would be fun to teach her to machete a coconut. (she didn’t even break its skin.)

General comparisons

In general, you will read that Hopkins is a “sleepier” village, more rustic, and perhaps tourist wise, a bit behind Placencia. Some travelers choose Belize because they want to have an authentic experience, and do not want to feel like they just went to another all inclusive resort. I believe the average tourist will not feel that either place is TOO touristy–I mean really, it is very hard to find a place that has NO traveler comforts unless you are going wayyyy off the beaten path. Both if you are looking for a lot of warm interactions with locals, where the experience IS the village, there are no chains, plenty of local excursions and restaurants, but it is still safe, manageable, and you can get by with English, then you are headed to the right places. I added in a few pretty pictures of Hopkins to enjoy 🙂 So, the comparison….

Hopkins

Hopkins has an interesting divide. After you drive the road in, if you go left, you head into a very authentic Central American village. You will see a few tourists riding bikes, but for the most part, you have all local owned businesses, a lot of very simple and rustic shack restaurants, parts of it look a bit rough, but you can safely navigate it. The roads are dirt and moderately hard to bike in places. The ride in is quite bumpy.

If you go right, you will see a bunch of signs that look pretty touristy–and you will quickly enter into a town where it is all tourists. However, this is a seriously cute little town, we were told it is called Hollywood Boulevard :). There are a bunch of really cute resorts on the beach–Jaguar Reef, Belizean Dreams, Hamanasi, Almond Beach. Any of these will make a traveler happy. Very first world. We stayed at Jaguar Reef – they had a nice clean beach, free bikes and kayaks, good restaurant on site, and a fun pool bar. I also realllllllly appreciated that the resorts banded together to keep the beach clean….in Placencia, we rake our beach, but many parts of the beach aren’t touched too often. This is annoying and aesthetically unpleasing when the seaweed comes in.

Closer to Excursions

One huge plus of Hopkins is that you are closer to the excursions. You are saving about 45 minutes of a drive to most of the inland excursions. If you are looking for a first world resort where you can easily hit the inland excursions, it might be the right choice for you.

Authentic Experience?

I would say that for MOST people–if they stayed IN town (taking a left) they might feel it was a bit rough looking with not a huge amount of village activities to do. So you get a more authentic experience on that side but you need to be ready for a town that is not geared for the average tourist. The “Hollywood” side of town – great restaurants including Barracuda’s, Chef Rob’s, and a cute shopping center that I’d kill for sometimes in Placencia. There was a very fun bar called Loggerheads that I recommend. BUT overall on that end of town, you might feel like you had a more tourist-contrived experience. The prices were all in American dollars which tells you a lot right there 🙂

Cons of Hopkins

The water was a bit muddier than Placencia and the bugs got me bad in Hopkins–but this is entirely unfair to say this is the norm, as it really just depends on luck sometimes. A consideration is that while Placencia has an airport a couple minutes from town, you have to fly into Dangriga and get a ride from there, which can be 20+ minutes, and there may be a charge for that, with a bumpy drive in. I am trying very hard not to be biased here….but Placencia is just a perfect mix of authentic and what you see on a Caribbean postcard. Everything is is one place (not separate sides of town for tourists). The village experience IS the experience here. There are too many good places to eat to name, and while we don’t have a super polished resort area in town, we have adorable guest houses and a unique Caribbean looking village that just works. While you are farther from the excursions, it makes up for it by the village experience you can have (just head out for an afternoon turned evening here and you will see what that means!!) And, you can drink the water in Placencia.

Overall, Hopkins has a more polished (tiny) resort village on one end/more authentic Central American village on the other end–where Placencia is a perfect mix of the two. Hopkins is closer to excursions; however, with that, there is more to do and experience in the village of Placencia. I’d say you may want to stop in Hopkins and do the excursions, then check out Placencia for a few days to have the village experience! 🙂

Placencia is extremely proud today–for the first time ever, PLACENCIA was chosen as the TOP BEACH DESTINATION of 2015, as voted by a large number of countries, at World Travel Awards!! Here is more details on the award….we were up against some stiff competition!https://www.worldtravelawards.com/award-mexico-and-central-americas-leading-beach-destination-2015

Let’s just take a moment to explore a few  reasons Placencia is awesome. Our beach has been picture perfect for weeks now, the weather has been spectacular, and Tutti Frutti opened back up today! Tranquilo also reopens this week! Here are a few pics from the last week or so, it has been amazingly beautiful.

The whole village is getting ready for high season. There is so much construction and updating going on, and we have been doing our share here at Caribbean Beach Cabanas. We took a little time off of having guests to do some updates, and here are the latest pictures of the upgrades we have made!

On a different note, another option when you come here that I wanted to plug is BB Yoga Flow. I love yoga, and going to a class is always better (for me anyway). I had heard about Agnes, and started attending her classes a couple weeks ago. The people in the class are awesome, Agnes is a GREAT teacher, and I love her little studio. From CBC, it is a short bike ride, just past Turtle Inn. Her classes are at 6 and 9am, and you can find both advanced and beginner classes. Here are a couple images I took–this is highly recommended when you come, she’ll make you never want to leave!

Another awesome recent find I want to share….we get a lot of athletic people here who want to do active things (note, on vacation I usually want to lay on the beach and be lazy. But, if you are the type who likes to hike and be active, listen up!) Dave and I drove to Cockscomb this past week and did the Tiger Falls hike. This was SO awesome. You’ll want to bring a small backpack with water, your bathing suit, a towel, and a change of clothes and shoes. You will hike about 4 miles to a FANTASTIC TOTALLY WORTH IT 2 waterfalls, where even with my fears of spiders and snakes, I jumped in and swam. It was just amazing and a must do for hikers. You will also see a breathtaking view of Victoria’s Peak, check out these pictures! Note–this hike was, for me, grueling. I was exhausted afterwards but also had that nice natural high. It was a lot of uphill hiking! You can really earn your drinks later in the day. I am not the only one who loved it….

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g291976-d300701-r166942344-Cockscomb_Basin_Wildlife_Preserve-Dangriga_Stann_Creek.html

For those of you on your way here soon, ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Live music Fri. July 17 @ Tranquillo with Los Estebanes

Blues, Folk, Jazz, Rock, Pop & more

The Best Place in Placencia to watch the sunset and to enjoy a sunset shot and a wonderful meal. Call 660-7263 for the free shuttle boat to pick you up. The sea-to-table and farm-to-table menu changes weekly. Check out Tranquilo’s facebook page for times, menu and pricing.

Rumfish–

The “RUMFISH SUMMER SPECIALS SERIES” is kicking off with an EARLY BIRD SPECIAL!

ALL MENU ITEMS 25% OFF BETWEEN 5-6:30 PM for any and all Placencia Locals & Residents (or anyone who mentions this post)! Begins today through Sunday!!!

Belize Ocean Club Shuttle times for the International Film Festival this weekend!

SHUTTLE TIMES FOR BELIZE FILM FESTIVAL BETWEEN PLACENCIA AND BELIZE OCEAN CLUB! Pick up point Scotia Bank!

Friday July 17th

Departing Hotel: 10am, 2pm, 4.30pm, 5.30 pm, 7pm, 8pm and 9pm

Departing Placencia: 10:30am, 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 6.00pm, 7:30pm, 8:30pm and 9:30pm

Saturday July 18th

Departing Hotel: 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 5pm, 7pm, 9pm and 11pm

Departing Placencia: 10:30am, 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 5:30pm, 7:30pm, 9:30pm, and 11:30pm

Sunday July 19th

Departing Hotel: 10am, 2pm, 5pm, 7pm, 9pm

Departing Placencia: 10:30am, 2:30pm, 5:30pm, 7:30pm, 9:30pm

Belize Ocean Club lineup this weekend:

Belize Film Festival 17 – 19 July.

Single movie ticket $10

Movie Pass $50 (buy via https://www.belizefilmfestival.com/)

Friday: Red Carpet Opening cermony 5.30pm – 10.30 pm $40

Friday: Afterparty 10.30pm – 2am $10

Saturday: MOVIE DAY cinema 10am – 11 pm

Saturday: Free beach screening of Awaken and Mad Dogs 7pm – 11pm

Sunday: award ceremony, dinner and entertainment $75 5.30 – 9.30

Un Wine’d at Los Porticos:

Un Wine’d is featuring a “Specialty Drink” & Appetizer today & tomorrow. “Very Superstitious” is a refreshing drink made with Arbor Mist Blackberry Merlot, Mango & Pineapple Nectar for $8.00/glass. Enjoy a platter of locally made hummus served with Ritz Chips for a special price of $5.00. You may also chose from the regular wine/beer & appetizer menu. Open 2 to 6 pm Thurs & Fri.

Saturday at Pickled Parrot:

Sat. July 18:

The bi-weekly Sat. jam @ The Pickled Parrot , WEBEJAMMIN’ (again), Jam hosted by HOT PAPAYA. Musicians welcome.

Starts around 6:00 PM.

A Placencia landmark and long time local favorite, the Pickled Parrot offers a cool, laid back Caribbean experience with a full bar, good food (killer burgers) great people and cool music. You haven’t been to Placencia if you haven’t been to the Parrot!!

Mariposa next Saturday:

July 25th Wine and Cheese tasting at Mariposa from 3:00-6:00 with mellow background music provided by Lost Reefers.. RSVP please 523-4474