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Now that we are booking guests, I am seeing the concerns and questions people have about coming down to the Caribbean. (Such as Crime in Belize) This is going to read more like a book report and not so much for entertainment, but still was an important blog post I have been wanting to write 🙂

The most common concerns are:

Is there a lot of crime in Belize?

Are the bugs bad?

Are the critters in general bad?

Can I get good wifi?

Are there a lot of power outages?

How bad is rainy season/is there a chance of a hurricane?

I did about a year of research on Belize before moving here, then asked a thousand questions to expats who lived here, and then have lived here pretty much since February. This is not a lifetime of research but a decent sample size 🙂

Crime in Belize — How safe is Belize?

Belize is sometimes shown as ranked #6 in the world for unsafe countries. This number is truly disproportionate. Belize’s murder rate is 44 out of 100,000. BUT as is widely claimed most of these murders (up to 60%) are in Belize City, southern, where the gang violence happens in a small pocket. Crime rates are rather hard to find, but here is some actual evidence for crime:

Let’s look at where I live, Placencia. Placencia is in the Stann Creek District. This is the 2nd largest district. There are about 35,000 residents but that doesn’t include people like me, here on a (long term) tourist visa, OR the number of the 300,000 visitors that come to Belize every year. (not including the 700,000 cruise ship passengers.)

The murder rate is 17/100,000 for my district (6 murders in a population of 35,000). This means, if you ONLY count ACTUAL residents,  for the whole year, for the WHOLE DISTRICT. Again, this isn’t counting the fact that the population swells during high season, or the people like me, who essentially live here.

THIS FACT MEANS——-this rate is about the same as visiting Milwaukee, Wisconsin, or Cincinnati, Ohio. When is the last time someone said, I can’t visit Milwaukee, the crime rate is just too high??? And please check out the rates of rape and robbery. If we compare it to a city I picked randomly, Cincinnati, the rate of rape is 11/100,000 in Stann Creek vs Cincinnati’s rate of 63/100,000. Robbery–Stann Creek-57/100,000….Cincinnati-582/100,000!! And the population of Cincinnati is not thrown off by huge tourism swells or long term expats. The rates would be even lower if you included these populations, but that would be pretty complicated.

Robbery denotes theft by force. There are non violent thefts here, and if you leave your stuff out in a third world country, where people don’t have much, yes, your stuff will be taken. I have had one thing taken in my time here, which was a case of empty beer bottles that were left out to be recycled. My friend that visited left a ping pong game out on his veranda which was taken. You certainly want to be aware of where your stuff is, and hide it away. I have heard that it is common knowledge here, that if you leave something out, you must not care too much about it, which makes it fair game. Good to know 🙂

Anyplace will feel safe to you, until something happens, of course. But I cringe when people hear a crime report and say, well take that place off the list, too dangerous! It is healthy to be suspicious and overly cautious when in a new place (in my opinion 🙂 ) Look at your own home town statistics–because you know the town, it feels safe. But burglaries, rapes, etc are happening there the same as here. Most people DO tend to be more cautious on vacations, and Belize has areas in every city where there are tourists walking around everywhere, lights, and a feeling of safety. I wouldn’t walk the streets at night, alone, ANYWHERE, or flash a bunch of cash anywhere, or leave my cell phone out in plain view when I am not near, and I use those same rules here. THE VAST MAJORITY of travelers anywhere–have a good experience and are not victims of crime. The tiny percentage that do have a problem, are publicized to the max, and unfortunate people use this as an excuse to not have any adventures in their life outside of Myrtle Beach or Disney World (and crime happens there too!!!). This is not recommended 🙂

Are the bugs bad? Critters in general?

I HATE bugs. I hate getting bit, and if I feel something brush against me I freak out. With that said, the bugs down here are not THAT bad. The ants are a problem. You will see ants every day down here, and worse if you don’t treat for them, or you leave any food out.

The mosquitos have not been a problem except for very recently, because it is called “mauger season” where the wind really dies down. Because of the constant awesome breeze off the Caribbean, it keeps the bugs at bay, except for a small portion of the year. Wear some DEET an move on 🙂

Sand fleas-I have had three times since February where I felt sufficiently attacked by sand fleas to be really sad about it. All three times, I was out after a rain, at dusk, and I was sitting on the ground or in the sand. It left about 50-100 bites on my legs that made me miserable for about 2 days and then they went away. They itch like hell. If you have no self control, like me, you will turn them into scabs and be sorry you did it. I got smart and use anti itch cream now, and I am careful to put baby oil on my legs at high risk times.

Other bugs–I see bees and other large flying insects but they seem to not care that much about me. I have heard of people getting bit by Bot or Botless flies, which are pretty gross. They can swell up and be itchy. There are a lot of geckos around, which just don’t bother me, they don’t want anything to do with people and they eat insects.

I will admit–since February, we have had one tarantula, one scorpion, and one small snake on the property (outside!!) There is also something large living in the tree above Dave’s truck that poops like a small child all over it. Occasionally Dave steps in a fire ant hill by his truck. We have dealt with termites here, they live everywhere, but this is not a concern of a guest, you will never see one, hear one, and they have no interest in eating humans. I have also seen a total of 5 cockroaches in our places. We treat for them so we only find them when they are dead. As gross as they are, they don’t want to eat us. They are just freakish with a bad reputation.

To summarize, as a guest, unless you seek out a wildlife adventure, you are likely to see some regular old boring ants and maybe a gecko. If you see anything beyond that, remember that this will be a good story you can tell later, and nothing will hurt or kill you. Case closed.

How are the wifi and power outages?

I have read countless complaints about both. I honestly am either lucky or only reading the complainers or outliers. The internet has been as good as at home, and the power has gone out a total of three times, for a total of about 15 minutes. *yawn*

How bad in rainy season/chance of hurricanes?

Rainy season I have heard can be pretty depressing. However, we are in rainy season now, and what I have experienced is a Cleveland summer. Frequent rain and clouds, but better than Cleveland, it rains hard and quick and then is over, not a dull, grey, drizzle all day. I’ll take rainy season any time over the weather in the Northern US. There is plenty of sunshine, very little temperature fluctuation, and the sun dries the rain up quickly. It doesn’t stop us from doing anything. As for hurricanes, it looks like Belize by history is susceptible to a big one about every 30 years. We are due in about 15 years. Go ahead and make those travel plans.

So what IS bad??

OK what IS bad is the stupid sea grass. It is flat out a pain in the butt. It has been one of the things I would say is worse than I expected. We are lucky (sarcasm.) enough to be experiencing Sargassum right now, which won’t leave, and it is flat out gross. (See my earlier post.) It is STILL HERE. It smells, it is dirty, it is ruining the shore, and you can’t even get in the water. You can’t even rake it because it will come right back. We hear it will be another week or two at least, and I heard a rumor that Placencia is bringing in a sea grass expert. I think where we are, in a slight bay, is getting it the worst on the whole peninsula (yay me!).

Another thing that was bad in early summer were the jellyfish. Because we are so close to the reef, when the tide is right, those little jerks float right over and invisibly enter your personal space. They can turn a pleasant swim into a blood curdling race for the shore. I hate them, Dave and I have both been stung. Dave mutiple times :(. Good news is, this isn’t Australia with box jellyfish that kill you, but it does suck to be stung.

The heat–it is freaking awesome here between 4pm-10am. Awesome. Breezy, comfortable, pleasant, no air conditioning needed. However, on most days, between 10am-4pm, you feel as if your IQ has dropped 40 points and your energy level is that of an 80 year old. It is especially fun when you can’t get in a water because of the Sargassum, or the jellyfish chase you out. You just have to figure it out and we have lived with it; if you have a sense of humor and can plan your day accordingly, it is part of the fun.

I am sure someone living here will have feedback or thoughts and I would love to hear what I left out 🙂

This is more of a wrap up of some fun events over the last week, especially for people looking at a typical week in the life of an expat down here! Here’s some PlaceWe met a few friends last night at the new Tiger restaurant–it is the newest restaurant on the peninsula. It is just north of Seine Bight on the beachside. It is truly amazing from the moment you walk in. The atmosphere is extraordinary-check out these pictures…I was thinking about adjusting the colors, but that red hue is what it really feels like!

Everything is open air–it feels like you are really somewhere exotic 🙂 I highly recommend the homemade mojitos–the Tiger one has a spicy kick and the ginger one was excellent, they cut the mint and peppers off of plants outside for each drink!

As a funny side note, when our friends arrived we noticed that 4 of the guys had on what must be the Placencia uniform–blue button down shirts? 🙂

Here is a picture of our group; for dinner, they offer a choice of three appetizers and then fish, chicken, or pork for your meal. The rice is served family style and is awesome–comes with a sauce to put over top, a side of exotic vegetables, and your main dish. Everything was great!

Earlier this week, there was a celebration in the village for the battle of St. George’s Caye, which is a really fascinating story:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_St._George’s_Caye

Our friend Faizal was kind enough to send me these pictures of the parade: (as a side note, Faizal and his family have a fantastic story you can read about here: http://www.tejanisontour.com/)

 

And finally, the peninsula has a great presence in the Placencia Humane Society–like the Rotary club, this only exists because dedicated and passionate people give their time and money to help the animals down here, that suffer greatly without their help–they catch and spay/neuter stray cats, perform miraculous changes to the beach dogs, provide foster and adoptions, and so much more. I was lucky enough to be able to spend the day with them yesterday, at the monthly clinic. Here were some of my favorite stories from yesterday:

This sweet boy was adopted by a lovely family. You can’t see it very well but he is a bag of bones, a pit bull, who was left starving by somebody. He is unbelievably sweet and was giving everyone kisses despite his obvious malnutrition….I bet he will look much different after a few weeks in his new family’s care 🙂

Here is Wiley and Ralph….Ralph was so huge and took over the room in no time 🙂 He was completely unaware of his size and was like a cartoon…

Here is the website for the Humane Society….donations are VERY VERY appreciated!

http://placenciahumanesocietybelize.org/

The next upcoming couple weeks will be more typical expat stories….but we are trying to put together a trip to Honduras shortly, so stay tuned 🙂

A great news week for Belize…last week Belize was ranked as the second fastest growing tourist destination in the Caribbean…http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/belize-ranked-second-fastest-growing-caribbean-tourist-destination/

Then this week, CBS News ranked TWO cities in Belize as the best cities in invest in international real estate!!

http://www.cbsnews.com/media/top-10-international-places-to-invest-in-real-estate/?utm_content=bufferc919c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

I had a very eye opening moment when I posted these on facebook, in two large Belize expat groups. The group was less than excited about the articles; fact, most had quite a negative reaction! At first I thought, maybe Belize and other expat spots attract people who tend to see negatives, that is why they leave their home country. Or maybe living outside the US gets to you after a while and makes you get a bit jaded! But, it was neither–it was Cayo that was picked as a new expat hotspot, and the people who move to Cayo to NOT want this on the tourist/expat map, they do not want it to change, and are happy with it as is! The worry is, Belize is on the verge of blowing up into another Cancun.

This means, row after row of high rise resorts, lessoned character of the town, strip malls, chain restaurants, everything Disney-fied–where everything is sparkly clean, new, and also predictable. (ie, for some people, BORING/understimulating/not challenging/etc!) I have always disliked how whether you go to Jamaica, Cancun, Aruba, etc, you tend to stay at your all inclusive, and end up just seeing your beach and pool. You could be anywhere, and are not really experiencing a new culture, taking any sort of risk, or having any real adventure! (I realize this is just fine for some vacations as well, and I would enjoy this at times too!!)

There are barely any buildings over couple stories tall here, everyone hangs out together, it wouldn’t even be a trip to Belize if you didn’t spend time doing all of the activities in the village you are in. Just last night, it was Battle of St George’s Caye Day, and we went to Barefoot Bar to check out the celebration. It was packed, with great energy and a ton of fun. Tourists, expats, and locals all hang out together and everyone is so warm and friendly. You can walk around the village safely and not worry. The crime here is very, very low–of course in ANY country you can find stories of vacations gone wrong, but it is rare here. I can certainly see why Belize is popping up on everyone’s radar, and can personally say, that after building a small resort here, we are already over 50% booked through March-and we aren’t even technically open yet!

It is getting pretty quiet on the peninsula right now. We knew coming in that September and October are really slow months, because the weather is typically at its worst, the breeze dies down, it gets muggy, bugs get worse, and a lot of restaurants and businesses take weeks to months long breaks this time of year. We have had a LOT of rain the last few days, and on top of that, something called Sargassum has taken over the Caribbean Sea! Shores all over the Caribbean, Florida, Texas, etc are getting hit with it, and we haven’t been spared.Sargassum is a sea grass that links itself together out in the Sea and is a barrier for turtles and other creatures. Because of increased temperatures in the Sea, a huge island of the stuff “broke free” and so islands and islands of the grossness are washing up on shores. It is messy, smelly, and I feel really badly for anyone coming here right now for their idyllic beach vacation :(. Thankfully, while it is really bad this year, it is temporary and doesn’t mean that some disaster is going on 🙂

Here is an interesting article about it from just north of us, in Ambergris Caye:

http://www.ambergristoday.com/content/stories/2014/august/19/wheres-the-beach-sargassum-problems

There are great pictures of it in that article, and here are some pictures that I debated sharing, because it is so bad 🙂 but I will, because it is fascinating!!

Here’s what it is actually like to leave your life behind and move to paradise.

The best things about moving to an exotic place

2.) It also feels GREAT to let go of stuff-this is an obvious answer but it is VERY true. I can now get around with just a few suitcases and I am really careful about buying anything that won’t fit in 350 square feet. I admit I do have a small storage closet at home but I don’t even know what I am missing in it. I got rid of my beloved car and house, I gave away many things that felt really important to me. I don’t miss anything!! I do need my cell phone, computer, and my dog, and maybe some clothes. Everything else I can really live without.

 

3.) Not having that itch in the back of my head that I am wasting time or not doing something really cool with my time on the planet. Everyone’s goals and comfort levels are different; this dream of mine is not the dream for everyone. There are many discomforts involved as well–but for me, I dreamed about living on a beach since I was a teenager and spent a lot of time daydreaming about palm trees and warm weather. I always got mad this time of year that I was preparing to hibernate for yet another depressing winter. I would think at every milestone date that I wasn’t doing anything new or different, and my behaviors weren’t matching what I really wanted for myself. After my move to paradise, this feeling has dissipated 🙂

4.) I already mentioned this, and I don’t mean to be smug, but I HATE HATE HATE winter. This is the first time in my 37 years that I will not have impending doom this time of year that winter is coming and everything sucks. I used to get very upset when weather would ruin things because great days were few and far between. Now I don’t bat an eyelash!

5.) I have also gotten a feeling of confidence in overcoming all the objections that make a person NOT follow their dreams. I DID give up a lot to come here and I was really scared and insecure at times, but I did it anyway because I trusted my gut. It has made me better able to set boundaries and limits and say no, and be more bold and confident.

6.) The international friends we have made down here, and the ability to walk down any night of the week to a beach bar and meet new people has been spectacular. I love people and new friends, and we have made some friendships already that make us feel at home. We had a barbecue before our last trip to Cleveland and nearly 20 people came, from all walks of life and all over the world, and I am able to think about and talk about things I didn’t even know I was interested in!

7.) Some randoms–the sound and smell of the beach everyday, wearing beach clothes and never having to dress up, being tan, walking or biking everywhere, being around tourists in great moods, seeing my dog able to be outside all the time without shivering and also bringing him everywhere with me, seeing and hearing palm trees, and farmer’s markets…among many others 🙂

8.)Really getting a chance to start over with new routines, rethinking what goals are really important, not getting caught up in the grind and boredom, (really a complete lack of boredom), seeing what I am really made of and pushing through challenges in a new way.

1.) Air conditioning.

 

2.) Feeling clean all the time.

3.) Calling people when I feel like it and not thinking about the bad connection on my cell.

4.) Whole Foods.

5.) Of course, family and friends. This is the biggest. Especially after this last spectacular visit, the easy connections, history, old inside jokes, comfort level….we really, really, miss them.

6.) Cleveland has been on fire and is pretty much awesome in every way. It has shed its bad attitude about itself and new fun things are happening all the time. We missed the boat on our timing there.

7.) Target-the store. I love going to one place and knowing what I am going to see there. It is a crapshoot here and you can’t count on finding freaking anything.

8.) That comfortable routine that I said I hated….I knew when it was time to work, when it was time to relax, there was a comfortable stability in that. If I have an off day here it is up to me and only me to pull it together-no external structure.

9.) Knowing that if there is an emergency, the US is where you want to be. It does sit in the back of your mind that the police and medical presence here is not what we come to expect in the US.

10.) Good roads 🙂 and, good drivers with police to enforce them.

11.) Knowing that if I see a stray dog, I can call someone and get it taken care of. Here, you do occasionally see animals that are hurting and if you have a soft spot for them, it is like watching a Sarah Maclachlin (sp?) commercial that you can’t turn off. Same of course with poverty…

12.) Not having to worry about getting passport stamps and other residency requirements that we take for granted as a citizen.

13.) For Dave’s sake he would say–FAST FOOD!

14.) Indoor gyms.

These are not weighted in any way, some are a big deal and some are not. Overall….I am ecstatic at this choice. I would never have gotten rid of the itch to move away, and no matter what happens, Our move to paradise has been worth it 100%!!!!!

We are back to Belize after a couple weeks away, in Cleveland, OH, to attend weddings and connect with family and friends!!!We realized that our bodies did in fact adjust to the heat here, because 80 degrees felt COLD in Cleveland! Ridiculous! And now we have to readjust to heat index of 100. At least now we know it can be done. I am not sure how long it takes….will start to run that experiment…, onto our Placencia Vacation review:

Right before we left, we had a good friend here-Ray. Ray is a PhD and a very analytical person, so we were very curious what he would think of Belize. We had a great time with him and he stayed an extra week after we left to explore by himself. He wrote a vacation review for us, that I think would be very helpful to those coming down! Things to know about Ray….he has been all over the world, so he has places to compare Belize to; Ray is very “frugal,”:) and he is a germaphobe. So, if you can relate to any of these experiences(/issues), you might find his outlook helpful for your experience 🙂

Hey Laura and Dave,

While you have been up in the US, I have been enjoying life down here in Belize.  Most of my time is consumed by reading on the hammock and eating from the really non-tourist restaurants.  My top three of the local fare restaurants are Mary’s (next to the soccer field), Vern’s (in Seine Bight) and Mim’s (one minute from Caribbean Beach Cabanas).  Other than eating and reading, my most interesting day since you left was a motorcycle excursion.

I still had daylight left and needed to refill my gas tank.  So I shot up to Belmopan and grabbed some food at the Belmopan Market.  The market was not glamorous, but definitely worth the fifteen minute drive, to get some local fare.

We are going back to the US for a visit and we have been keeping track of what we can’t get down here, to shop for at home. I have been asked a few times what things to bring to Belize that you can’t find here, and it is a common courtesy to ask your friends if they need you to bring back anything when you go for a visit.I have been trying very hard to simplify while we are here, so by no means is this an exhaustive list. I also haven’t bought any clothes for 3 months….today I was told that there was a 4 inch hole in the back of my shorts in an unfortunate place. I am now down to 3 pairs of shorts. This is a must buy 🙂 Different things are obviously important to different people; this is just a snapshot of our experience.

I so miss Target 🙂 It is really the only store I miss. I like going and getting everything I need at one place. When I get to go to (blissfully air conditioned) Target.

Here is the definite list of things to bring down to Belize:

• Flea collars (for the dog, not me)
• Dog treats made in the USA (no judging of other countries dog treats, just a precaution:) )
• Queen sheets-hard to find sometimes, in the variety at home
• Acrylic paint-pretty expensive and hard to find here
• Sunglasses-these are pretty pricey here ($10 US–Ok that is not expensive, but I go through these really fast so I buy like $3 ones at home)
• Razors-much cheaper at home and the brand I like is not here
• Frisbees-can get cheaply
• Snorkel gear-cheaper at home
• Curtains-same reason as the sheets
• Hand held can opener-for some reason the ones down here don’t hold up we have heard!
• Eye drops-this comes from Chris, who needs them due to an eye condition, you can’t get good ones here
• Clothes-you really can’t buy a large variety of clothes here
• Flip Flops-same reason
• Faucets-not a good selection here
• More bathing suits-and not frilly ones, more like down to business sporty ones
• Some things that we didn’t think we would need, already own, but are now bringing down:
• Air pump
• Label maker
• Board games
• Satellite radio
• A computer to TV hook up
• Iron
• Hand Vac
• Kitchen stuff like canisters, tongs, grill equipment, cookie sheets, casserole pan
• Hiking boots
• Galoshes
• To go coffee mugs
• A few other random bar and cooking tools

Lastly, we are bringing cornhole baggos and we are going to build cornhole boards–Cornhole is at most parties in Ohio–I don’t know how prevalent it is anywhere else but we are going to bring cornhole to Placencia!! I can’t wait!! it is the perfect environment for it 🙂

This will be another post at some point, but some things that came to mind of what we DIDN’T need and brought back…

Long sleeves

Dressy clothes

Dressy shoes

Blankets

Jewelry

Nail polish and remover

Hair dryer/curler/straightener

Perfume and body spray (Off Woods DEET and SPF are my perfumes now)

Much less socks and underwear than you think you’ll need

(there is a definite theme here.)

And last thought on this topic….what I was anxious about doing without, but found I don’t miss…

Makeup-specific brands

Perfume and nail polish

Doing my hair all fancy

Wearing different varieties of clothes and dressing up

All of the super healthy food I ate at home (Vibrant Greens, quinoa and kale, Whole-Foods type stuff)

Protein Shakes

Good haircuts

Manicures

Specific skin regimen stuff

Really awesome detergent and dryer-dried clothes (hanging the clothes makes them crunchy but who cares)

The gym (just exercise outside)

The awesome coffeemaker we had-the coffee down here is good even in a drip machine

A huge kitchen

A big house 🙂 (As long as I have a big bed 🙂 )

My own garden (with all the farmer’s markets and year round warmth….no complaints 🙂 )

Do you like our list of Things to Bring down to Belize? Leave a comment below!

In other news, this week we have been having  a great time with Ray. We had the Rotary Beach Olympics, where local businesses sponsor their teams and the winner gets a trophy, bragging rights, liquor, and a fun time. It was HOT Sunday, but beautiful, and here are some shots of the day:

Only to find out that it was our friend Chris and his friend Tom! They stopped up and had a visit, they were awesome at maneuvering the boat!

We also went to the new restaurant on the lagoon side of Belize Ocean Club, and it had a BREATHTAKING view of the Maya mountains….gorgeous place to have dinner!

The week is already flying by. We plan on finding some new free places to snorkel while Ray is here…and we are going to attempt to organize a beach BBQ while Ray is here, before we all leave 🙂

You can really blow a lot of money on any vacation by taking excursions every day, going to expensive dinners every night-but realistically, most of us need to find at least SOME fun and cheap Placencia activities to do on the “off days.” Some people are OK with lounging by the pool or beach for days, but others want to do adventures, so here are some ideas you can use! I recommend taking at least a couple excursions, but you can have a very fulfilling and meaningful vacation doing these too! (note, I used some googled stock photos so credit for some of these pics goes to the internet )

1.) Rent a bike! You can rent them at Captain Jak’s (northern village on the main street). We offer bike usage to guests for free as well. So what do you do when you bike around? Some ideas:

-bike down to the pier and watch the fishing boats

-have a picnic on the MANY beaches-stop at street food stands and farmer’s markets, where you can eat very cheaply

-bike up to Mariposa and have a drink during happy hour-they have a pool and good specials!

-for the adventurous-bike all the way to Maya Beach–bring your own snorkel gear, or rent it from the gas station down by the pier–you can snorkel off of Maya Breeze, or further south, at Los Porticos. You can see a bunch of coral and fish!

-You can also bike to Maya Breeze and rent a kayak for cheap, and kayak to False Caye–a 30 minute paddle and you can see amazing underwater life!

-Bike to Belize Ocean Club, where you can hang out at their pool, paddleboard or kayak off their beach for free-just buy a couple drinks at their awesome bar 🙂

-Bike to Seine Bight and visit the Goss chocolate factory-right by Blue Crab Beach

2.) Fishing- if you bring your own pole, you can fish anywhere you choose, and if you take your fish to JD’s, they will cook it for you. If you stay with us, we have a beach barbecue you can use for free! You can also talk to the fishermen at the pier and get fish from them too 🙂

3.) Visit Sunset Point behind the soccer field…you can walk out on the dock and get an amazing view of the sunset….see here!

4.) If you can stomach taking the bus-take the bus to the Inland Blue Hole-this is a turquoise hole where you can swim, you can hike, this is a really great cheap thrill!

5.) Happy hours at Tipsy Tuna and Barefoot Bar–the scenery can’t be beat….beachfront comfortable chairs where you can chill out and people watch….always something entertaining to see!

6.) Yoli’s on Friday night….there is music and great specials, this is a highlight for most people!

7.) Lunch delivery–I mention this a lot….get lunch delivered to your door, HUGE portion….for $5 US! You can try all the local food and not really leave your chair.

8.) At Caribbean Beach Cabanas, we have snorkel equipment, floats, palapas, beach chairs, etc that come with your room. I would recommend staying at a place that offers this kind of amenity because it allows you to have a couple very fun and free days. A SUPER FUN thing we do frequently is to snorkel out and collect shells and coral, which are also great souvenirs 🙂

9:) Speaking of souvenirs–do yourself a favor–visit any grocery store and buy a bunch of small bottles of hot sauce for people back home–less than a dollar and it is very local and fun present 🙂 Other ideas–small jars of guava/mango/habanero/banana/coconut jellies, which are a couple bucks.

10.) Go on a dolphin watch–ask around when you are here–there are times of year where you can almost swim with them right off shore!

So, what do you think of our Fun and Cheap Placencia activities?

In other news, we are finally on Trip Advisor, and thanks to some internet magic, we are rated #14 of 24 specialty places in Placencia! The more good reviews we get the higher our rating so come on down! 🙂

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g291977-d6954263-Reviews-Caribbean_Beach_Cabanas_of_Placencia-Placencia_Stann_Creek.html

We are also now on VRBO-

http://www.vrbo.com/613065

And finally, Here was a picture of a great sunset from the last couple days….

 Nighttime under the palapa…..

And, Ray, Dave’s best friend from childhood, made a last minute visit to us and we are having a great time with him! 

 

Most people will come to Placencia for relaxation, because the minute you turn to drive down the peninsula, you are surrounded by beautiful images of the water, gorgeous homes and hotels, palm trees, birds, the shoreline, etc. I have heard that Placencia is where people from the rest of Belize go to vacation. It may not be a place people visit to necessarily have a food or drink experience (no craft beer here– only Belikin beer can be sold…..but there are other unique drinks here); you can’t get all of these elsewhere, and it will really enhance your vacation(to have authentic local stuff as opposed to chains!) This Food and Drink list is based on my experience in the last 6 months, as well as the opinions of visitors and locals that I have talked to…

(not based in order of importance 🙂 )

10 Food and Drink Must Do’s in Placencia — A list

1.) Marie Sharps–a carrot based hot sauce made locally. It is so, so good, much better than tabasco or any other regularly used sauce in the US. There are many varieties, and at Ming market they sell small sample bottles for $.90 US–this is also a great souvenir to take home!

2.) Tutti Frutti Gelato-it is as good as it looks in the picture! It is ridiculous. The owners bring their ingredients from Italy. It is in the heart of town, right by Rumfish, and you can walk there from our place!

3.) Coconut rum with coconut water and a lime (preferably out of a real coconut!) Barefoot bar calls this “Crazy Coconut.” Not all the bars have coconut water. If you can find Marlin on your trip, he will sell you a large container of coconut water for $5 US, and you can keep this in your fridge and mix it with local coconut rum all week. You can also buy coconut water at any local store. The local brand Old Master is the tastiest coconut rum in my opinion 🙂 At our resort the first thing we do when you settle in is make one of these in a coconut!

4.) On to the Drink part of “Food and Drink”….at Rumfish they have premixed drinks at the bar, with fresh ingredients, and they make all kinds of margaritas and mojitos. The best one is a watermelon mojito and the orange jalapeno margarita. Ask what the mixes are that day, you can’t go wrong 🙂

5.) Eat gibnut because it is a good story (you can tell people you ate rat). Gibnuts are cute, weird, and gross all at the same time. They taste fine and it is a local delicacy that even the Queen ate when she visited Belize, where it got its nickname The Queen’s Rat. It looks like Bambi and a rat had a baby. Just eat it. There is a spectacular local place to get local food called Mim’s–it looks like a shack from the outside but it always has a line of locals and tourists for lunch.

6.) Seaweed shakes–either from the Shak or Brewed Awakenings–they are so good and also nutritious. I felt I was coming down with something not long ago and after one of these I felt fine. Psychosomatic or not, they are fun and that is what matters. Brewed Awakenings is always crowded and has all kinds of coffee drinks that are way better than Starbucks–even their espresso shots–it should get its own listing.

7.) Espresso martini from Maya Beach Bistro–this is a drive but you are going there anyway, so do yourself a favor and get one! This one is courtesy of Shannon, an espresso martini connisseur, and we agreed that it was the best ever.

8.) Stewed chicken, rice, and beans-if you don’t add this to your Belize food list it is just not legit. A fun way to do this is–call Dawn’s Grill, Crow’s Nest, or the Galley, and ask them to deliver you lunch on a day you are lounging at the beach. For $5 US, these three places will deliver you the food and all three of these places are very good. Throw some Marie Sharp’s on it. It also comes with potato salad or coleslaw–mix that all up with the rice and chicken juice if you really want to have a good time. I have been eating this lunch about 4-5 x a week for several months. I still love it and despite white rice’s bad reputation for making people fat, I have never felt better and am in fact not fat yet. This also comes with a fried plantain which deserves its own listing. Yum.

9.) This one is a real sleeper and really sets my list apart. I originally thought that the tortilla chips down here were not so good. Then, I found these:

These are the best tortilla chips ever. One day you are here, stop at one of the many farmer’s markets and buy 2 large avocados, an onion, a couple tomatoes, some cilantro, and a lime. Maybe a jalapeno if you are so inclined. Mash all this together and add some salt. Then, get a belikin and sit on your beach chair and feel smug because you made this happen for like $5 US.

10.) The last item on our Food and Drink list is brought to you by one of our guests: Our guest Kate said that this wine was the best she had ever had, and the only place they have it is at La Dolce Vita-I am adding this to the list because there is a complaint that wine is not good here and it is expensive. This was good and not expensive, yay! They bring it over from Italy. That is two things on the list brought from Italy if you are keeping track. They are known for good food and wine, so that makes sense, and, you can have it in Belize instead of across the globe.

Some other random going ons here. Ray, Dave’s best friend from childhood, is coming to visit this week so Dave is like a kid on Christmas. We leave soon for a visit to the US and 2 weddings, and then we are back to start the end of low season and our first high season! We are starting to get some reservations for December through February and we couldn’t be more excited!

Dave and Vic are working on building brand new custom beds, kitchens, and built ins for the cabanas. It looks amazing but I am going to try to hold off on the pictures until it is done. I will add this picture of the bedroom in the casita–yes, we jammed a king bed in there temporarily, because it is the only bed we can tolerate sleeping on together, between our abnormal heights and the dog. Even though it is the smallest bedroom I have ever had it is my favorite 🙂 I mean, a turquoise ceiling??

And finally, this was this morning 🙂 Are you thinking “awwwwww!” I bet you are! The poor dog has oil based paint all over his back and legs, due to me painting the door frame yesterday (we held him for 99% of the time needed to dry. How does that 1% always get you??) so my next project is going to be to deal with that.

Because after watching YouTube and Jaws, like me, the above fish will actually look more like this to you: (Also an actual barracuda but I am sure this one doesn’t swim near shore.)

P.S. If you’re in the mood to watch TV, why not watch our own appearance in HGTV’s beachfront bargain hunt?

Belize is a little different than other places in that when most of us think of an exotic vacation, we may picture luxurious resorts and hotels, expensive restaurants, trendy bars, etc. I created this article to get some information out there on what to pack for a Belize trip.

Belize also has some interesting (awesome) cultural differences that make a trip here a bit unique. There appears to me to be a huge difference in the materialism between the US and Belize. In the US I think most would agree that we are judged on what we have, drive, are wearing, are carrying, etc, and others decide if we are worthwhile to get to know based on these factors. I do not see a lot of mixing of socioeconomic statuses in the US. Not the case here! In fact I have gotten the impression that if I were to walk down the street decked out in luxury brands, I would stick out like a sore thumb; it is NOT considered impressive or that you are a worthy person to know if you do this, and in fact I would look like a douche bag very out of place.

One of the nicest restaurants on the peninsula is the Maya Beach Bistro, and on our first trip here, after being told about this restarurant, I turned to Dave and said, “well let’s go up there for lunch, but I have to change.” I had been on a bike ride and had on what I would normally wear to the gym. The local guy who told us about it said, “Don’t be silly. In that outfit you will be the most dressed up one in there.” This sums up the fashion here. It is so true. If I wear a dressy sundress to the beach bars here, I am not comfortable and feel out of place. the more casual you pack, the better! I can’t stress that enough.

Also, you will want more casual, comfortable, clothes like you would wear to the gym or to do yard work (seriously!) and more bathing suits than you ever thought you would need. Only flip flops or whatever sandal you wear, and some running shoes if you are planning on doing hiking. I live in a bathing suit, cotton tank top and shorts almost every day. Bring twice the amount of bathing suits you think you needs, and half the amount of nice dressy clothes you think you need! No need for any long sleeves from March-Oct at least.

Here is an easy list on what to pack for a Belize vacation

-Every bathing suit you own. And buy a couple extra.

-Several–at least one for each day you are here, unless you do laundry-pairs of comfortable shorts (you will sweat A LOT and will not want to re-wear).

-The same number of tank tops or tee shirts.

-A sturdy pair of flip flops or Tevas, or whatever really comfortable walking sandal you have. I would bring a back up pair, and also a pair of running shoes you can hike in. I also brought a pair of water shoes and I recommend this. If you are interested in some no shit deep jungle hikes, maybe even a pair of galoshes.

-Bring a travel umbrella and a poncho–everyone looks like a tourist in a poncho but sometimes, who cares–it really can save a day from being ruined into being salvageable if you can be outside.

-Sunglasses, sunscreen (like 4 bottles), deep woods off (3 bottles), Avon Skin So soft or baby oil (the only repellent for sand fleas–DON’T leave this one out!), benedryl (in case of jellyfish sting).

-Bring one long sleeved shirt if you are here in the winter months–don’t bother from March-Oct–I have not needed or worn long sleeves since we have been coming here at the end of January. Sometimes people like to snorkel in these too.

-Bring all your scuba diving needs if this is your thing. Bring snorkel gear in case your hotel doesn’t have it (we do!!)

-A surge protector is recommended–we have had no problems here, but during a storm the electricity can be erratic, and it can fry your electronics.

-Bring lots and lots of ziploc bags. We provide these for guests—but in case of rain you will want to put your cell phone in one, if you go kayaking this serves as a waterproof bag, in your room–you will want to put any food in this as the bugs have food radar that is not of this world.

-For females–seriously, coming from a former high maintenance hair and makeup person—do not bother bringing a hair dryer, curler, straightener–I have not used one in 6 months and I am seriously high need in this area. you will not do anything but let your hair air dry once you are here, and if you try doing anything fancy with your hair, it will look like crap in 5 minutes. The more natural the better. A little mousse or gel if you have curly hair and let it air dry looks the best. Straight hair people–not sure what to tell you as this is really foreign to me. But hair doesn’t stay straight down here unless it is natural that way. For makeup, some lip gloss with SPF and some waterproof mascara really will be enough. Don’t bother with a manicure or pedicure as it will last 2-3 days down here!

Me before Belize: (note straightened hair, makeup still on face/not greasy, relatively together looking)

Me after living here 4 months: (Note wet hair in a bun, sweatiness, sea water coming through my shirt because I have a bikini on, an outfit I used to wear to work out in, and harder to see but no makeup-this is pretty normal)

Back to this list — What to Pack before coming to Belize

-Bring a small backpack/athletic bag/tie string bag for your adventures. Always carry a ziploc bag, bathing suit, and towel, along with the SPF, baby oil, and bug spray wherever you go on your trip. Read more on the essential things to bring down to Belize.

In Belize you just get used to feeling kind of sticky and dirty, but it is in a fun way!! You do need to keep up on the SPF and the bug spray, and because you are on the coast pretty often, you are frequently on the sand. You just become a dirty mess with all of this. It becomes the new normal and hopefully by the end of the trip it doesn’t bother you at all 🙂 I was on the fence of being a prissy person when I got here. This place has thoroughly shaken me of that. My nails and feet are always dirty, I am always sweaty and sticky, but I love it now 🙂 Being cold is WAYYYYYYYYY worse! I just take a shower every night before I go to bed and this is always the best shower in the world.

It was a heat index of 106 yesterday….and this is the only place I have been where somehow you can tolerate it without air conditioning! You get to close so close to the sea here, and the breeze is so constant, that it really is bearable.