We decided to mull it over breakfast. We found a tiny little café called Sunrise tucked behind the Garden City Market and had some eggs, ham, beans, and corn tortillas, and washed it all back with some watermelon juice.

Right next to the café are the public restrooms, which you can use for $.25 USD. I’m sure most tourists and visitors have a hard time finding these since they are so hidden.

We finally decided since there wasn’t much going on at home, and we were already half way there, why not take a road trip to the town of Dangriga. Plus it was very hot and we needed to cool off – an ocean breeze would do us good.

Dangriga is located at the junction of the Hummingbird Highway and the Southern Highway, right on the coast. It is primarily known for its Garifuna heritage, but there are plenty of other ethnic groups that live there as well.

Immediately I was struck by how much it reminded me of Belize City (so much so, that Nige and I took to calling it “Little BC”). A big roundabout, streets lined with vendors, and bridges over canals – the resemblance was striking.

However, in Dangriga, their ocean and beach are more accessible, in my opinion.  We settled on a spot called the Seabreeze Restaurant and Inn, right on the beach. We sat on their rooftop deck and enjoyed a couple of cervezas and the nice breeze.

However, the umbrellas they provided us weren’t really cutting it for shade, so we decided to head back to Belmopan, and perhaps stop for lunch on the way (unfortunately, Dangriga does not have a thriving dining scene-we saw several out of business eateries).

About 2/3 of the way back to Belmopan, we found “The Cool Spot,” located on the Hummingbird Highway, sitting up on a cliff, with incredible views of the Belize rainforest.

In my humble opinion, if you do one thing in Belize, you must drive along the Hummingbird Highway – it is breathtakingly beautiful, with coconut palms abundantly scattered across the mountain sides, as well as multiple varieties of other gorgeous plants and fauna.

After a fabulous lunch, it was 3:30 p.m. and time to go get the police report. When we walked in, it was minutes to 4:00 p.m. The room was packed, but everyone was sitting down or standing against the wall. Since there was a person at the window, Nige walked up and asked if his report was ready. She said yes and handed it to him. We have no idea why no one else did that, but I have a feeling after we left, they did.

Do you ever take spontaneous road trips? If so, what’s the last one you took?

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Yesterday I had an interesting situation arise involving something I’ve actually never encountered while living in Belize. Here’s the background.

I happen to be in the middle of a real estate transaction in the States.  As such, I am going to need to sign a lot of documents. Since I cannot personally be there for the signing, I was given two options.

1.  The title company can “overnight” the documents to me, I can take them to a U.S. Notary Public to witness my signatures, and then I can “overnight” them back. I explained to the escrow officer that there really was no such thing as over nighting in Belize. Even if she asked for a package to be over nighted, I probably wouldn’t see it for about 4-5 days, possibly 7. And vice versa for me returning it to her. 
2. I could assign someone I trust in the States with a Power of Attorney (POA) to sign for me. However, she needed to email a POA Authorization Form, which I needed to get notarized, as well. 

In the interest of time, choice number two seemed the best solution. However, I have never had anything notarized in Belize before and needed to verify exactly how this process worked. I knew if I needed a U.S. Notary, I could head on over to the U.S. Embassy in the capital of Belmopan and get it done – lucky for me, that is only a 35-40 minute drive.

However, I really wanted to know if there was a quicker solution – like perhaps a U.S. notary right here in Cayo. So I posted in a couple of groups I belong to and found out that no – I must go to the Embassy. Ok, that’s fine – but now I wanted to know if they took “walk-ins,” or whether I needed an appointment.

This answer was much easier to find after googling the U.S. Embassy in Belize. I found their website (http://belize.usembassy.gov/legal_information.html), and an entire section on what they will and will not notarize (luckily powers of attorney are acceptable). I also found how to make an appointment, and those must be done online (so glad I didn’t hightail it to Belmopan only to find that out!).

So I made my online appointment, and the soonest one was May 30. Bottom line, if you are trying to do any serious or complicated transactions from your home country while in Belize, allow yourself plenty of time, because you will face several hurdles that can take time to resolve. 

One other note about getting something notarized at the U.S. Embassy – it costs $50 USD per page!! To me, this is just highway robbery. Thank goodness I didn’t opt for Option 1 above – that could have been one very expensive transaction! I wonder what other Embassy’s charge?

Have you ever had to have something notarized in a foreign country? If so, what did you pay?

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Front yard of Succotz, Belize Rental Home

For those of you not familiar, Succotz is located on the Mopan River and home to one of the most famous ruins in Belize, Xunantunich. This home is one block over from the river and sits on a hill, so that if you go up to its expansive verandah/deck, you can actually see it, along with incredible mountain and rainforest views.

Some of the gorgeous views from the rooftop deck

This Belize rental home is a one bedroom, one bath, fully furnished property, and we’re offering it for $400 USD, which includes electricity, water, and yard care. We’re looking for a long-term tenant (six months to one year), so if you’re interested, just email me. You can see more details here: 

http://belizehouserentals.redroofpropertymanagement.com/available-succotz-village-belize-house-for-rent-furnished/

Kitchen and dining area

The bedroom

Yesterday Cayo got some major good news for the travel industry. Trip Advisor came out with their “Top 25 Destinations in Central America,” and San Ignacio was named #5!!! This is very exciting for all of us in the travel industry, which since Red Roof offers vacation rentals, includes me! It looks like all of our wonderful tourist attractions, climate, and gorgeous foliage and fauna helped propel us to the top. Here’s a list of the attractions they recommend you “don’t miss” when you visit: 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g291971-Activities-San_Ignacio_Cayo.html

Speaking of travel, there’s also a new blogger in town (well, the whole country, really). Kristen Edwards is a Spanish teacher living in New Jersey, and ever since she visited Belize, she’s been hooked. She has incredible photography skills and will be blogging about diving, snorkeling, underwater life, sailing, fishing, dining, and just about anything that a person interested in vacationing in Belize would love to read. So if you’re into that stuff, check her out:  http://downinbelize.com/

The rains didn’t stop all day yesterday. It was crazy how hard it was coming down. Unfortunately for me, I came down with some kind of chest cold, but it was a good day to stay in bed and rest once I’d finished the mandatory work I had to do. I’m feeling much better today, thankfully.

Have you visited the Cayo District yet? 

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Yesterday was Commonwealth Day, a national holiday in Belize. Not being from a Commonwealth country myself (the U.S.), this holiday is one that I wasn’t familiar with at all when I first moved here. I remember researching it last year, but frankly, forgot everything I learned.

Back in the day, it was first introduced in 1898 as Empire Day and was celebrated on the last school day before Queen Victoria’s birthday of May 24. It involved a multi-faith service, speeches, and much fan fare. However, around 1973, Canada suggested it should be celebrated by all commonwealth countries on the same day, and so in 1975, the second Monday in March was selected.

However, it appears as if Belize didn’t get the memo, because they continue to celebrate it on or about May 24 – the date it was originally celebrated when it was called Empire Day. Leave it to Belize to be a rebel about this whole issue.

So, since nothing was open, and it poured rain off and on all day, we did pretty much nothing yesterday except for some computer work, reading, watching some movies, and cooking. Lazy days are always welcome in my book. 

On another note, lately, via several different communications I’ve had with clients or seen on forums, I’ve come across what appears to be a wide-spread misconception about how one portion of the QRP (Qualified Retirement Program) works. It seems that a lot of you are under the impression that you must deposit the required $2000 USD monthly income into a Belize bank. Some of you actually think this must be a lump sum deposit for the entire first year, prior to applying for the program.

I just want you to know that this is absolutely false! If you know the rules and regulations of the QRP (which I do, since not only am I in it, but as part of my Expat Relocation Consulting, I deal with advising others on it all the time), it makes perfect since why this is not a requirement.

As a QRP member, you only have to live in Belize one month out of the year – that’s it! So how could they convince potential applicants to deposit that much money in a Belizean bank if they don’t have to live here year around? In order to qualify, all you have to do is provide your bank statement proving the $2000 a month income stream, or proof that you’re in a pension program of some kind, and the monetary value meets the program’s requirements. In some instances, they may even accept lump sum bank statements if the amount is large enough to prove that you can take care of yourself while in Belize. 

The misunderstanding of this rule is right up there with the one where people think you can’t buy or start a business in Belize and then work in it (see items 10 & 11 on the Belize Tourism Board’s website). After all, the minimum age for entry into the program is 45 – who do you know that’s ready to retire at 45 (I wish!)? That’s why I’ve always said they should rename the program to the Qualified Relocation Program, but they probably never will.

Do you worry that you have been given other misinformation about Belize? 

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We didn’t have much going on Saturday, so we decided to go to the Aguada Hotel and have some lunch (it’s one of our favorite new spots).  Last time we were there, they had a wedding reception they were setting up for, but this time we had the patio all to ourselves.

We both ordered burritos – mine chicken and Nige’s shrimp – along with a glass of white wine for me and a Heineken for him.  His first beer was fine, but when the second one came, he showed me that it kind of looked black in the bottom of the bottle. He also said it tasted funny.

When the waitress came to check on us, I asked him if he wanted to tell her about the beer. At first, he didn’t want to. Belizeans are not usually uppity customers and rarely complain if something isn’t right. I, however, have no issue bringing something to a server’s attention, especially if it could be potentially spoiled or harmful.

So we showed her. She came right back with a shot glass and asked if she could taste his beer to see if it was good or not (sure, if you want to drink it and get sick too, knock yourself out). Seriously, she was quite nice about the whole thing, and after a small sip, she agreed it tasted funny and brought Nige a new beer. I thought she handled the entire situation quite well. 

After lunch, we headed to the market for my yogurt, farm fresh eggs, and produce. Unfortunately, my yogurt lady, who also sells the eggs, was out of eggs. She told me she’d hold some for me for next week. Luckily, I think we have enough to last.

Later that day, we had some friends who came over about 5:00 p.m. for a barbeque and to hang out a while. About 8:00 p.m., just after we had pulled the meat off the grill, it started pouring rain – what luck. So we all ran for cover under our verandah and continued the party there. I had also made some beans to go with the chicken, and all of our guests (who are all Belizean, by the way), complimented me on them. They said they were delicious and asked for more!

The next day, one of Nige’s cousins had stayed the night. He had told me the night before that he never has eaten Escabeche Soup. Since that is a traditional Belizean soup, I was astounded by that. I just don’t know how it could be possible that he hadn’t, but he says since his mom has lived in the States for a number of years now and doesn’t cook for him, he just hadn’t. 

So that Sunday, I decided to rectify the situation, and I made a big pot of it. He absolutely loved it, and in fact, had seconds later in the day. Since I was the first person to cook it for him, I’m certainly glad he enjoyed it.

Do you feel awkward bringing problems at restaurants to the server’s attention, or do you go for it?

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SIRH is the nicest hotel, by far, located right in downtown San Ignacio. There’s plenty of nicer hotels in the area, but none within walking distance of town, like SIRH is. Besides the hotel, there is a pool folks can swim in, even if they’re not guests, for $10 bze per person; restaurant; bar; and next door, a casino and club.

Several of the women commented it was their first visit to the resort, some of who have lived in Belize quite a while. I found this surprising, since it’s the best place to get a filet mignon at their Running W Restaurant (maybe they’re vegetarian??). The place is pricey, so maybe that’s another reason too – although they had a hamburger for $8 bze ($4 usd) and sandwiches for $12 bze ($6 usd), so price shouldn’t stop you from visiting, since it is a really pretty spot.

One of my clients, who I hardly ever get to see, showed up, along with one of my snowbird forum friends. We had a great time chatting and catching up. There were a couple of new gals too. One lady, named Susan, announced her husband and her have a new Eastern Chinese medicine and chiropractic business they just opened up in Santa Elena, our sister town.

I’m very excited to hear about this, since when I moved away from the island of Ambergris Caye, I left behind my chiropractor and have yet to find anyone reputable to take his place. The unique part about them is they do two person (or four hand) adjustments – sounds heavenly – for $75 bze ($37.50 usd). Now that’s equivalent to what I paid in the States, however I understand their adjustments are 30-45 minutes long (in the States, they were usually 15), and it is two people, so the price is probably pretty fair. I know I’ll probably try them.

After my lunch of steak salad and two glasses of sauvignon blanc (yum!), I went home to get some office work done, while Nige checked in new guests at the Kumquat Cottage.  Another busy day, but made more fun by a little social time.

Do you tend to shy away from the pricey-er restaurants, or do you treat yourself once in a while?

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 There was a very interesting discussion on a forum I belong to yesterday, whereby the concept of what we consider to be an “Expatriate” – or “Expat” as they are called for short – is.

By definition, an Expatriate is someone who is temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person’s upbringing.  The word happens to come from the Latin terms ex (“out of”) and patria (“country, fatherland”).

The jist of the conversation was that basically, in Belize, we tend to associate the term with people from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe and Asia.  But the population of Belize is made up of a lot of different types of Expats. This according to the 2010 Belize Census:

Guatemala 18,876

El Salvador 7,067

Honduras 6,904

Mexico 2,821

Jamaica 397

China 1,567

Other 4,651

TOTAL 42,283

USA 3,279

Canada 664

TOTAL:  3,943

The list is broken out to show just how small of a number of people actually come here from North America, which I find surprises many people when they realize that. In a country with a population of a little under 345,000, North American expats represent an underwhelming segment (about 1%).  I’m assuming that the “Other” category is where the majority of the Europeans are represented, although I have no idea why they didn’t earn their own category.

In any case, I thought the list in and of itself was very interesting, and I realized that I have never actually considered the Guatemalans, El Salvadorans, Hondurans or Mexicans as Expats. Perhaps it’s because they either share borders with Belize or are located in Central America already, but it was a telling acknowledgement on my part.

So when you hear the word expat, what comes to your mind? Did you find some surprises on this list?

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My pedicure place in San Ignacio Town, on the Benque Road.

Yesterday I took a little time out to pamper myself.  After the three hour river day on Saturday, my feet were a mess! Definitely time for a pedicure.  My normal gal, Jane, still has not found a permanent place to open her own shop, so I visited her friend’s shop again.

While there, I took some time to read a book that has been taking me forever to finish.  I absolutely love to read, but normally the best time for me to do so is at the end of the day. However, by then, I’m usually exhausted, and since reading makes me tired, I usually opt to watch TV instead. But I seriously need to find a way to fit more quality reading time in, because I do miss it.

After my “me” time, Nige and I met up with our contractor and headed over to the Kumquat Cottage.  We are going to be installing a fan in the living room to help improve the circulation during these hot months. I’m sure the guests will appreciate that. It’s funny, because most guests don’t have a problem with the humidity in Belize, especially when they come during our hottest months, since they expect it.

But every once in a while we get someone from the West Coast who just cannot take it, being as they’re not used to humidity at all. Obviously, being from California, I can appreciate this fact, so that’s why I decided to try a ceiling fan instead of just the two standing fans we already provide. If that doesn’t work, they can retreat to the air conditioned bedroom, or take a cold bath, lol! 

We headed to Spanish Lookout to buy the fan at Universal Hardware. We found an incredible deal – a 56” Industrial Antique Brass fan for only $164 bze ($82 usd). Keep in mind that the other fans were starting at $250 bze, so we were psyched to get this deal. The best part is that it looks industrial, which will fit in perfectly with the existing light fixtures and motif there currently. And it comes with a wall mounted switch to control the fan speed, which is very fortunate, since those ceilings are high and guests could not reach up that far to pull a chain, which is the way most fans control the speed.

While in Spanish Lookout, since it was another hot day, far be it from us to pass up a Western Dairy Swirl Cone (you may recall we had one last week – I think Nige has created a monster)!

What do you do to stay cool in the heat?

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When you first arrive in Belize, you will learn about this Belizean delicacy.  Gibnut, for those of you who don’t know, is “rat!” You got it, they eat rat here. Now, I’m no vegetarian, as most of you who loyally read my blog know, but the whole idea of eating something that trolls sewers back in the States, where I came from, was exceedingly repulsive to me.

So when I arrived at Erva’s Restaurant yesterday and saw the special sign declaring they were serving this dish, immediately I knew the challenge was on. You see, lots of my friends, family, and especially Nige, have been giving me a hard time for not eating it yet.

Gibnut has quite a history here in Belize. Apparently, on Queen Elizabeth’s II first visit to Belize, back when it was still British Honduras, she ate Gibnut, unaware of what kind of animal it was. Ever since then, Gibnut has been anecdotally referred to as the “Royal Rat!”  So, if it was good enough for the Queen, I supposed I can try it too.

I will say I might not have if it hadn’t been for the wonderful savory smells coming out of the kitchen.  And when I received my plate, I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed.  The meat was cooked perfectly, seasoned to perfection, and had a small amount of a very tasty gravy. 

Honestly, it kind of reminded me a bit of pork. The biggest difference I noticed while eating it was the bones – they were quite small – and that was a tad disconcerting, but I tried to overlook it and focus on the taste.

So, now I can proudly say I have conquered my fear and eaten Gibnut. Next up, Cow Foot Soup!

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Pop's Restaurant on West Street in San Ignacio Town

Had a really great Mother’s Day Weekend – I hope you did too.  Saturday I somehow managed to work until about 11 a.m. without eating a thing, so Nige and I were both starving. We decided to head to town and have brunch at our favorite breakfast joint, Pops.  For $12 bze ($6 usd), I got a vegetarian omelet, fruit, beans, and fry jacks.

We had a leisurely meal, in no rush at all. Afterwards, we headed to the market to get my weekly supply of yogurt and my bi-weekly supply of fruits and veggies. I eye-spied some pias (avocados) in my normal stall and got so excited, because they’ve been out of season. So glad they’re back! Unlike the States where you can get most anything year around, fruits and vegetables have seasons here.

Afterwards we headed home and brought along Nige’s step-dad. He is playing bachelor this weekend, as Nige’s mom went to San Pedro to visit Nige’s two brothers for Mother’s Day weekend. So that he wouldn’t starve, we’ve taken him under our wing all weekend, ha-ha. In order to reciprocate, he did some mechanical work that needed to be done on Nige’s truck.

San Ignacio Town produce market-Saturday's are usually busy!

Once that was done, we were all dying of heat, so we headed down to the river. We literally sat in it for almost three hours-swimming, talking, and drinking rum, of course! The water was the perfect temperature, and it sure beat sitting outside sweating to death. After that we had a small barbeque and called it a night.

Sunday morning we woke up to pouring rain! Exicted, because normally that will cool things down, our happiness was short-lived when we went outside, because it was still quite hot and muggy, even early in the day. Oh well, I guess more river days are in my immediate future.

That morning I also called my step-daughter and grandsons, so I could wish her a Happy Mother’s Day.  When I call back to the States, I use BTL’s “1010199” long distance code. It cuts my costs to about $.25 bze a minute.  It’s worth every dime to me so I can stay in touch with them.

Since Nige’s mom wasn’t home, and there were no Mom Day celebrations that we knew of, we just stayed in and had a relaxing day of doing almost nothing.

Did you do anything fun and exciting for Mother’s Day?

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