Not as tasty as at Chez Belize

PACKING

Pack as lightly as you can. You have to carry your luggage with you on a trip like this.

For a short trip, a pair of casual slacks, shorts, appropriate tops (button shirts are best because they are easier to remove when drenched with perspiration), underwear, socks, bathing suit(s) etc.

Pack at least one long sleeve shirt, a light, rain-proof jacket and something for your head.

Pay special attention to your footwear.  Running shoes are good, a pair of sandals, and, if you plan on much hiking, a well-made pair of hiking boots. (Wear your hiking boots on the flight there and back so you don’t have to pack them.) It may sound odd, but a pair of long johns might be a good idea. A drop of temperature from 95 degrees to 75 degrees could be a chilling experience.

We’ve learned to take our own snorkels and masks but you do not have to.  Fins are awkward to pack but they, along with snorkels and masks are available at the Tour Shops as rentals. Of course, if you are into scuba diving you probably have your own gear but it, too, is available as a rental.

Roll your clothes up when you pack rather than fold them. You’d be surprised how much more you can jam into a small space.

For two people taking a 7-10 day trip, a backpack each as your carry-on and a medium to small suitcase as check-in luggage.  For longer trips, you might want to take more, but remember, there are reliable laundry outlets almost everywhere with a three to six hour turn-around. You just have to ask your host for a recommendation.

You likely know that Customs has become an obstacle course at most airports. Don’t pack anything sharp in your carry-on.  Put your Swiss Army knife in your check-in luggage and your little mending kit with its thread and needles.  Check with the airport before you fly out for the latest up-date on do’s and don’t’s  and on what’s free and what costs.

If you visitBelize Cityfor any length of time, it’s probably a good idea to check in with the Canadian Consulate.  Phone from your hotel for an appointment. It is a quick cab ride from anywhere in Belize City and if someone has to contact you the Canadian Consulate will have a record of you and an itinerary of your travel plans.

ET PHONE HOME

Check out all the options before you leave home.  You can use your laptop or tablet as a means of communication. Most of the hotels I mention offer free wi-fi. If not, a wi-fi connection is a short walk away.

En Guarde with your Kabob!

 MONEY, TRAVELLERS CHEQUES, ATMs, BANKS

For the sake of convenience, take some American money with you, in cash. Travelers’ cheques do not have the status they once had.  An American dollar is worth two Belizean dollars. Simple as that, 1$U.S.=2$ BZE.  When shopping, note whether the item is priced in U.S. or Belizean dollars.

There are ATMs in Belize City, Caye Caulker, San Pedro, San Ignacio, Orange Walk, Punta Gorda, Hopkins Village and Dangrigra that can handle international access cards.

Credit cards are accepted in higher-end restaurants but don’t expect a small Belizean restaurant to accept them. Most but not all of the so-called Super Stores accept credit cards but it is always smart to find out before you complete the purchase. Visa is popular, Master Card a little less so and American Express a distant third. In fact, some places won’t accept Amex because it costs the vendor more. And, take note, some hotels and resorts will add a 3-5% surcharge on you credit card bill.

SPECIAL WARNING: If you plan to spend more than 30 days in Belize, you must renew your visa for another 30 days. Find the nearest Belize Customs and do it. It costs about $20 usd each but it beats getting caught at customs on the way home.

MEDICINE AND GOOD HEALTH

Check with your local Health Clinic for recommendations.  If malaria pills are recommended, find out what kind and what are the contra-indications before you decide to take them. Belize is in the malaria band of nations in Central America but outbreaks on the coast are not common nor are outbreaks in the interior if you spend most of your time in the towns.

In Ontario you have to pay for shots against Hepatitis A, B, and C.  You can get a prescription from the Health Clinic for a supply of malaria tablets (see above) if you decide to take them. There are those who argue that there is no need for malaria protection. Consult with your doctor. Check your Benefit Package if you have one to see if these medicines are covered.

There are flies and bugs inBelize that can mitigate your enjoyment of the country.  The sand fleas can be annoying and don’t seem to be deterred by insect sprays, though a friend of ours reported that a product called Skin So Soft worked for her.  The mosquitoes can be bad at dusk in some places such as Sittee River, just south of Hopkins Village.  Dress accordingly.

There is a nasty little creature called the ‘Doctor Fly’, so called because it anesthetizes the skin area before it digs in. Again, spray at night if you think you have to and cover up, but if you do get nibbled take some Benedryl tablets or the equivalent to relieve the itching that occurs post-bite.

It is not a bad idea to take ear- and tooth-ache drops but you don’t have to take an entire drugstore with you.  All the places we have recommended have one or more pharmacies, except Hopkins and it is only fifteen miles from Dangrigra.

Far from, yet close to Chez Belize

Touchdown in Belize

After you land at the Belize International Airport, clear customs, and are on your way into Belize City or are cutting cross country to some other destination in Belize, you’ll soon realize that you’re in the sub-tropics and you’ve just begun your journey into a third world country.

(Third World is not meant pejoratively.  Webster’s defines Third World as, in economic terms, an underdeveloped or developing nation, which Belize most certainly is. But when it comes to natural beauty with a climate to match, it is very well developed.)

It’s hot in Belize in January, February and March, with temperatures ranging from the low 80’s to the mid 90’s F.  (Belizeans use Fahrenheit to measure temperature and miles to mark distance).  And remember, the sun rises around 6:00 a.m. every morning and sets around 6:30 p.m. every night

The terrain outside of the airport and for some miles north and south is flat and not too pretty – lots of mangrove swamps and scrabbly bushes, but there are patches of green splattered with multi-coloured bougainvillea, hibiscus, and other bright flowers and vegetation. 

The main highways in Belize (North to Orange Walk and Corozal, South to Punta Gorda, West to San Ignacio and Benque Viejo, and the Hummingbird Hgwy to Dangriga) are two lanes, paved and well maintained.  Conditions deteriorate quickly off the beaten-track, especially after a rainfall.

If you’re thinking of renting a car or a jeep, be prepared to tackle some really rough terrain off the main highways.

If you take the bus, be prepared for many stops along the way unless you can take an Express Bus between major towns and Belize City. Milk Run or Express, the bus is the least expensive way to travel in Belize and likely the most interesting.

If you arrange for a pick-up at the Airport to take you to your first destination, ask the driver to explain what you are seeing as you drive along.

Whatever your mode of transport, as you travel along the main roads, you’ll see villages of thatch-roofed clay houses, often with no signs of electricity.  You’ll pass through towns with large, brightly painted estates surrounded by single-story, tin-roofed wooden shanties.

And you’ll see the Belizean people as they go about their business on foot or bicycle or riding in buses, cabs and cars.  Black Belizeans, many of them Garifuna, a people descended from slaves from West Africa, and Creoles, Mayans, Indians and Spanish-Central Americans or Mestizos.

In a couple specific communities, you may find yourself buying ice cream or fruit from a Mennonite, likely a descendant of the Mennonite diaspora out of Mexico many years ago when Mennonites sought sanctuary in Belize …and South-Western Ontario in the vicinity of Langton, Ontario, Canada.

If you want to complete the picture, you’ll have to dab on the sensual blues of the Caribbean and the lush greens and yellows of fruit swelling in the rain forest.  It’s all there for the willing traveler, the person who savours new experiences and likes meeting people on equal terms.

 Willing travelers like Evelyn and Brian, your hosts, who are comfortable in retirement but far from rich. Travelers who are looking for value for their travel dollar, not fly-by-night bargains or misplaced status symbols.  (You can spend a lot in Belize if you want to, or very, very little.  We consider ourselves middle-of-the-roaders.)

Travelers looking for accommodation that provides a private bathroom, electricity, hot water, screened windows and rooms or cabana that are clean, comfortable, well kept up and secure.

Travelers who prefer the smaller hotel or resort where you can get to know the owners and staff on a first name basis and from them learn a little about what’s going on in Belize, what life’s like out on the streets and in the village from day to day.

Travelers who are hankering for some adventure in their lives and travelers who want to wrap themselves in a different cultural cocoon before the journey back home

UP NEXT:  WHAT DOES IT COST TO TRAVEL IN BELIZE? Updated for 2015

Belize lies south of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, bordered on the west and south by Guatemala. On the east coast, from top to bottom, the Caribbean Sea laps its shoreline, and in some places the Barrier Reef is less than a mile away.

Belize was known as British Honduras before it became independent in 1981.  It is small in size (23,000 sq. km., about ½ the size of New Brunswick) and population (approx. 300,000) but that makes it all the more manageable, all the more easy to make plans and get around the country.

Its topography ranges from sandy beaches to scrabbly flat lands, to lush rain forest and the Mayan mountains. Its people are a diverse mix of ethnic groups.

English is the national language of Belize and, while many Belizeans speak Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna and Creole, English is the language of instruction in the schools from kindergarten to university, so you shouldn’t have trouble communicating no matter where you travel.

Belize is a democracy based on the British Parliamentary system, the same as Canada and other former colonies of Britain. I’ve experienced first-hand  4  general elections and have be impressed by the campaigning and the electoral process.

Belize, as a former colony, also adopted the British legal system which is based on the premises of rule-by-law and innocence until proved guilty, which should comfort visitors with similar legal systems.

Belize is renowned  for its scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing, kayaking, white water rafting, horseback riding, caving, hiking, bird- watching, eco-tourism and the Mayan ruins now called Mayan sites.

But you don’t have to be athletic or adventurous. If you just walk to kick back and enjoy the sun, sea and sand, Belize is a good place to do it.

Tourists and travellers we have talked to over the years praised Belize as a warm and friendly country where tourism has not brought with it social and economic blight.

Main Towns and Roads of Belize

ARE YOU READY TO BREAK OUT OF THE COCOON OF A PACKAGED VACATION AND TAKE ON A CARIBBEAN COUNTRY ON YOUR TERMS? ARE YOU READY TO GO ON LINE AND MAKE YOUR OWN ARRANGEMENTS AND PLAN YOUR OWN ITINERARY FOR YOUR FIRST ADVENTURE IN BELIZE?

LET ME HELP YOU PLAN YOUR FIRST TRIP. I’VE GOT SOME TIPS AND IDEAS I’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU AS YOU MAKE YOUR PLANS. AFTER THAT YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN.

DON’T BE A STRANGER. DROP BY THE CHEZ BELIZE FROM TIME TO TIME WHEN YOU ARE HUNGRY FOR MORE INFO. ORDER OFF THE TAKE-OUT MENU WHATEVER APPEALS TO YOU AND AS OFTEN AS YOU WANT.

AND LET THE CHEF KNOW WHERE YOU HAVE BEEN AND WHAT NEW DISHES YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED.