I was not prepared for Belize.
I’ve been itching to go to Central America for years and I was hoping it would be the same nostalgia I had when I went to Vietnam for the first time. For our 7 year wedding anniversary, my husband, sister and I jumped on a plane and made it happen.
I couldn’t have been prepared for what it would be like when I arrived in San Pedro but it felt exactly right. It reminded us of a seaside town that would be in Vietnam, like Da Nang. There were people driving around in golf carts, fresh seafood is served everywhere, dogs hanging out on the street and almost everyone speaks English.
The flights were actually pretty easy. We took a flight from Toronto to Miami and then Miami to Belize City and then a small plane to Ambergris Caye and the San Pedro Airport.
We had originally planned to take the ferry but a 15-minute flight from Tropic Air for 80 USD really seemed handy over the 1 hour and 45-minute ferry ride. You can get a 10% discount if you ask for one.
Day One:
We arrived in San Pedro at 10:30am and immediately rented a golf cart from Billy who is right across the street from Tropic Air. For 45 USD, this was the deal of the century. I would highly recommend getting a golf cart so you can tour the island and don’t have to pay for taxis.
There are no real street addresses – our directions were “over the bridge, go North, pass the police station and it is a tan building and beside the Bamboo House”. Luckily, the island is that small so after driving up one way and turning around, we were able to find the compound. We arrived to a pool full of expats who welcomed us immediately, gave us all Belikin Beers (the beer of Belize) and we exchanged stories and where we came from. Some live here full time and others go back and forth. Belize provided a very warm welcome from all angles.
We stayed on the Lagoon side of the island where you can watch the sunset each night but aren’t far from a view of the sun coming up when positioned on the roof. The island isn’t very wide so you can choose from the Lagoon side or the ocean side and both addresses would be very close to each other. Both sides are great.
We decided to go for an adventure and find out about diving. We were recently certified and were super happy to find out Belize has the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world after Australia. We went to a place called “The Dive Bar“, ordered a few drinks and some food and discussed a snorkel trip to Shark Ray Alley as well as a dive to Hol Chan Reserve. It was $60 USD for both scuba and snorkeling which seemed like a great deal. The team was very meticulous and PADI certified which made us feel comfortable for our diving expedition. My sister doesn’t dive so it made it an easy decision to book with these guys. We are all set to go for our dive tomorrow!
I wasn’t warned but watch out for the mosquitoes! They can be crazy in the morning, dusk and after rains. They are the super tiny ones so they are difficult to catch before they bite you!
They are relentless so make sure to buy some bug spray. We finished the day by hanging out at the pool and taking in the sunset.
This island town is full of adventures and we are looking forward to a big day of snorkeling and diving tomorrow. Until then!
xoxo Ashley
