One big blog entry

Not my usual blogging style but had internet limitations. So here is one big blog for the first week in Belize.

Sat Jan 30 - Our first day

Full day of travel

Brief synopsis to keep you from getting bored:

Flight from Toronto 6am

1 ½ hour layover in Washington DC

Flight from Washington 9am

Bus from Cancun airport to Playa del Carmen 1:05 pm - approx 1 hour (106 pesos each)

Taxi to north bus terminal – 5 minutes (30 pesos)

2 hr layover in Playa

Bus to Chetumal 4:35 pm – 4 ½ hours (214 pesos each)

Taxi to Princess Casino in Belize – 20 minutes with stop at border to depart Mexico - 150 pesos (12.5 pesos to 1 USD). Mexico exit & entry fee (can't recall how much).

Belize transfers shuttle (Henry) to Corozal 9:30 pm - $25 USD

Arrive 10pm (11 pm Toronto time) at Jim and Melanie’s house

John told us that there is a small plane that will take you from Cancun to Chetumal for USD $100 so that is a consideration if the above seems too long and complicated. They only fly Tues and Thurs.

Sunday

Got handed the keys to our new truck. It’s a silver Nissan Frontier and it drives nicely. We’re very happy with it and our decision to buy it so we’d have our own transportation on this trip.

We visited our neighbours Gail and Earl and got the keys to our house (I call it our house from now on until Mom decides to come down and claim rights and until we get our own house built). It is bigger and nicer than the pictures show, so we’re very pleased with the size and finishings. It is definitely a success especially considering that it was all done without us being here.

Prepare for your first time learning experience. Here's mine.

I had an old cell phone which I unlocked in Canada to prepare for use in Belize. So, getting ready to go buy a SIM card for it, I realized it wasn't there. My guess is that it got stolen in Mexico at the bus terminal because we checked our luggage so we could go have lunch at HC, the best beef place in Playa. Anyway, I also carried my regular cell phone with me so figured I might as well unlock it and use it here. That cost me $44 USD at White Saffire. The alternative was to buy a phone for $60 USD. So I figured I made a wise decision. Well, not long after I realize I didn’t bring a charger for that phone (didn’t think I’d need it). So, down to one bar of battery life, I decided to buy a charger in town. Well, no chargers to be found for that phone, so I ended up having to rent a phone! Lucky for us and because Carlos took us to this shop, Dave the owner offered to rent us a phone for $15 USD for the remainder of our stay. We could also have bought a used phone for $30 USD from Dave. But all’s well that ends well ....then we stepped outside to see our parking ticket ($25 BZD) for parking too close to the corner. So off to the Civic Centre again (some may recall our parking ticket in May - but in our defense it was a different parking violation). I pleaded foreigner ignorance again but this time I threw in my most innocent look. Neither worked. Third time might be the charm.

Monday

Bought some essentials like a bed, fridge, stove, dining table, microwave and a toaster from Courts which will be delivered on Wed. So that’s the first night in our new place.

Tuesday

Drove to Orange walk to do some shopping (about an hour away). Had some really good curry chicken at a chinese restaurant. Oh, and picked up a few household items but nothing major.

Wednesday

Our appliances and furniture got delivered 4 hours later than promised but at least it arrived because we had already moved out of Jim’s place. They were nice enough to set up our bed because we have no tools.

Bought a hammock from a vendor who drove up to Jim’s house and was selling out of his van. We got him down from $200 BZD to $140 BZD and it’s a good, well made hammock. We got some hammock hooks set up under our house so already enjoyed the swinging. The hooks are a little too low so when Jacques and I get in together we’re about a foot off the ground. Oh well, guess we’ll do one at a time.

Thursday

Our first night here was wonderful…..gentle breeze all night….and nice, quiet and peaceful. When we woke up, we sat up in bed and saw the sun rise over the lagoon. Truly magnificent.

Took care of all the necessary steps to put the truck in our name and get insurance. Third party liability insurance is $270 BZD a year. Sure beats car insurance rates in Canada. We can also suspend the insurance while we’re not here.

Painted our electrical post up by the road a blue stripe so people can find us. Hope BEL does not object. Went over to John to draw up a new design for our house (again). We think this one is finally it! John loaned us his ipod stereo which was really a god-send because it is very quiet without a TV or radio. We also borrowed some DVDs that we can watch on the computer. We’re saving that for another day. Tonight was a night for music.

Bought one frying pan today so I cooked my first meal, chicken with sweet potatoes (not together).

Friday

Drove into Belize City to shop for a fouton. Nowhere seems to have any at the moment so it seems it might be best just to have one built. Instead though, we picked up a plastic wicker patio set which will eventually be moved to our real house. We got it from Mirab’s but I think we overpaid. However, it is very nice so it is what it is.

Saturday

Carlos and Jose are building a bridge and gate to Gail and Earl’s house today. They cut down trees on the property and in the adjoining property deep into the bushes which was difficult. It looks good and fits with the terrain. Jacques’ first project and he’s in his element.

Jacques and I painted some signs – one for the poison wood tree that is just beside the house. The locals tell us to cut it down because if you’re allergic it’s a pretty awful burn/rash. We’ll leave it unless it becomes a problem for anyone. It should only cause a problem if you get the sap on your skin.

Took John and Ena to dinner at RD’s then went to Jam Rock then Hailey’s (both are bars and Jam Rock was playing Bob Marley music as tribute to his birthday). On Sunday Jam Rock will be showing the superbowl using John’s projector and big screen on the wall. Maybe we will invest on one of these projectors. Had a great night!

Sunday

Carlos and Jose were here before we were up this morning, hammering away. The bridge and gate are finished so the next project is the gate the roadway so people don’t come in to fish in the lagoon. We’ve turned away 3 vehicles since we’ve been here.

We’ve made a decision to start our house build. See what happens when you get here and the excitement gets to you. I know if you’ve been following our plans we have changed the plan a million times in regards to house design, schedule of the build, guesthouses, restaurant etc. So stay tuned lol. After seeing Pip and Jason’s house, we were going to go with an adobe style house but were cautioned against a flat roof because of the heat. So we came up with another house design! Poor John….but this one is it! John can start in March and finish by July. We will choose the tiles, the roof and house colour while we’re here. We will also visit the cabinet maker and decide on a cupboard style and colour. So, we’ll be here sooner than originally planned!

It truly is lovely here. We love waking up and looking at the lagoon and the trees and the sunrise before we even get out of bed or laying in bed and looking up at the stars at night. It is serene and beautiful! Priceless! Mom is going to love it here (I’m going to work on getting her here sooner).

Tomorrow, Gail and Earl are having the plant vendors over at their place so I’ve ordered a mango tree. Will buy a lime tree, banana trees and avocado trees from Carlos and get them all planed before we leave.