In the 5️⃣ months since moving 🚚 I’ve discovered 💡 8 Unusual Things to Know About Belize❣️
1. Tourist Season
Most people vacation 🛫 from June to August when kids are out of school 🏫 However, Belizean tourist season runs from November to February 📅 Flights and accommodations 🏨 are at peak pricing 📈 beaches and restaurants are more crowded 🎉 but with so many options it’s easy to find something for everyone 👨👩👧👦
The 2️⃣ airlines that fly in Belize are Maya Island Air and Tropic Air 💺 I prefer Tropic Air because of the pricing 💵 but both airlines come equipped with small island hopper planes ✈️ and extremely helpful staff 👩🏽✈️
2. Belize Beaches
The most popular beaches are on San Pedro (Amergris Caye) if you like underwater activities 🤿 Although I have not been I’m told it’s like Vegas 🎰 if it had a beach 💯 Traveling to San Pedro next week for Carnaval 🎊 so will give you an update 🔜
Caye Caulker is much more of a backpackers 🎒 paradise with tons of hostels 🏩 all over the island❗️ Caye Caulker wasn’t really my vibe 😎 but I understand why so many young people enjoy vacationing there 🚣♀️ Created a video 🎥 so make sure to subscribe ⬇️ so you can see when it posts 📬
My favorite beaches are on the resort peninsula 🗾 of Placencia in the Stann Creek District. Below are 3️⃣ videos but have many more to come 💗
What makes Placencia unusual 🤪 is False Caye which is an overwash mangrove caye (virtually no land) 🤯 located east of Seine Bight & Maya Beach.
3. Umbrellas Will Save You
Knowing I was traveling during the rainy season 💦 I packed a push-button compact umbrella ☔️ and a few rain ponchos. When looking for the same type for my son, couldn’t find a single 1 in the 4️⃣ cities we lived. You can find tons of long manual hook handle umbrellas ☂️ everywhere. However, if you want a small umbrella 🌂 that fits in your bag 👜 then bring your own or order it from the states 🗽 It is not only to protect you from the tropical 🌴 rain which occurs almost daily but the beating sun 🌞
4. Renting A Car
The first time I rented a car 🚗 was to take a trip to the west of the country to look for rental properties 🏢 Having no idea 🤷🏽♀️ where I was going I figured I would enter the address 📪 into the car’s GPS 🧭 When I got the car was told rental cars 🚘 in Belize rarely have a GPS 😧 due to the lack of cell towers 🗼 along the highway 🌉 Fortunately, I knew Google Maps has an off-line map app 📲 The gentleman at the car rental place had no idea 🙅🏾 He even messaged me days later to get the information again to give 2️⃣ another customer 😂
5. Beauty Product Taxes
When packing my boxes 📦 to move to Belize, created a list 📝 of items in each box to help 🆘get them cleared ✅ through customs 🧑🏻⚖️ Throughout the first month 📅 discovered the sand flies 🦟 here are no joke 🚫 & had to purchase bug spray. I was shocked at the high cost for a small can 😿 When talking to a 🆕 friend she explained beauty products like nail polish 💅 and sunscreen 🧴 are taxed 🪙 more than say kitchen appliances 🥣 If moving 🚚 to Belize make sure to investigate 🔎 how to get your beauty items here 🆗
6. WhatsApp is Everywhere
My main concern when moving 🛫 was how 2️⃣ keep in contact 📱 with my family & friends; have had the same phone ☎️ number for more than 3️⃣0️⃣ years 😮 Found most people & businesses 🏭 in Belize have a WhatsApp #️⃣ Why do people use WhatsApp❓ Because it’s 🆓 secure 👮🏽♀️ and end-to-end encrypted 🥳
7. Immigration is Easy
To become a resident 👌🏾 in Belize you must extend your 3️⃣0️⃣ day tourist visa for a year ⏳There are only 7️⃣ immigration offices 🏬 in the country 😬 My first renewal ♻️ I completed in Corozal, where you had a 6 minute walk 🚶🏽♀️ to a separate office to pay 💵, return with a receipt ➕ wait to complete the stamp 😱
Fortunately, I now live in the capital city 🌇 of Belmopan where the immigration headquarters is located❣️Here you not only can pay 💰 in the same office you can renew up to 3️⃣ months in advance. I won’t 🚫 say how much it costs as it may change 🆙
Another fun fact 🥸 I discovered 💡 is they take tourist renewals before helping 🆘 other immigration cases. This is to make it easy for people wanting to live here 🆒 If you had to wait hours ⏱ every month to renew ♾ you would just pack up 🧳 and move back home, RIGHT? ✅
8. Sending & Receiving Mail
I have not seen a mail person 🧑🏽✈️ delivering mail or even mailboxes 📫 in front of peoples homes 🏡 Not to say they don’t exist but I just have not seen them. Even my year old apartment building 🏢 does not have a place for people to send or receive mail 💌 There is a post office 🏣 near by so when having someone send something 📨 you have to pick it up 📦
Needing to send my son’s computer 💻 back to Maryland I stopped at the post office to find out the process ✅ The mail lady said I would have to pay $80 BZ ($40 US) to have it packaged 📦 and shipped 🚢When I asked how long it would take she said 3-5 weeks 🤯 I asked about express shipping 📨 and she said that was the express shipping ❗️ When I asked how long a simple letter 💌 would take she said it was the same 3️⃣-5️⃣ weeks. If you need to ship something to Belize keep this in mind❣️
Currently waiting for a part for my hot water heater so it’s been 2️⃣ weeks of ice cold showers 🥶
Hope you have enjoyed the 8 Unusual Things to Know About Belize 💗
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