So you might be wondering where we eat here – given that it is a little rustic. Well, we stocked up big time at the Chinese market (really – it is run by the Chinese and that’s what they call it).  So we cook at home some nights, especially when I am working.  And we always have breakfast at home (usually cereal).

But we have ventured out, too.

Here’s the best spot in town for aperitivo – right on the main drag watching the world go by. You see everyone here, so it’s a fun place to catch up with folks.  It’s run by Janette, who is our property manager.  She’s British, came to Belize for volunteer work 25 years ago, and has been here ever since.

We had probably the best hamburger I’ve ever had at Loggerhead’s. They open-air grill it to order, and it’s huge and delicious.  It is owned by a former restauranteur from New Orleans, who has another place down on the beach – both with a bit of Louisiana flair.

We also loved Barracuda’s – right on the water with a more upscale vibe (run by a couple from Alaska). We both had fresh snapper.

But our favorite so far is the Curve Bar at the Sittee Point Marina. It’s at the other end of our road (away from town) on the Sittee River.

We were heading out there and saw two guys walking along the road.  They asked for a ride on the back of our golf cart.  We weren’t sure what to do (they warn you about bandits in Belize), but said ok.  It was a good call because one turned out to be the bartender at Curve – the other does yardwork at the marina.

Anyway – the restaurant sits on the river and serves very good homemade tortilla chips, guacamole, and fish tacos.  And since we have the bartender a ride – they greet us as “Hello Mr. Frank and Miss Christy!” when we go there.

We are starting to feel right at home.

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As I’ve said, our little village is definitely off the beaten path – and our house even more so. We had read that many people rent golf carts to get around.

While that sounded like a fun outing, the price for a month was a little pricey, so we said, “No thanks.” The nearest restaurants are about a quarter mile (equivalent of a few blocks) away, and the town is a mile.  We have sturdy legs – after all, I just did the Avon 39 walk – and our house came with bikes.  We might rent a cart when we got groceries, but other than that, we were self-reliant.

Well . . . that didn’t last very long.  I’ve posted before, but here is what our street looks like:

It’s not paved and those potholes are like Olympic skiing moguls.

Plus there have been freak rains here- fairly unusual for this time of year. They come upon you fast and hard and leave everything a big puddle of mud.  Riding a bike is next to impossible – you bob up and down constantly and then splash yourself with mud (don’t ask how we know this!).  And walking is not much better – ok in the daytime, but really hard to miss those holes and puddles at night when it is pitch black – even with a flashlight.

We thought – no problem – we can just walk along the beach instead. But – one afternoon we walked to the end of our beach, which is very private and a little marshy and think we saw a crocodile!  Yikes!  He didn’t move (and could have been a log) but we definitely wouldn’t want to encounter that in the dark.

So – all of a sudden, the price didn’t seem quite so bad. And we are now the proud (monthly) renters of a golf cart – we even opted for the fancy kind with a windshield, headlights, and sturdy wheels.

The world is once again our oyster!

We found our Belize home on Vacation Rental By Owner (VRBO) – similar to AirBnB. We have had good luck with these types of sites and have used them all over the world.  You can usually find more unique homes than through a resort – and at much better prices.  And feel like you are a local.  We love going to the market, cooking meals, and “living” in a new town or city.

I have a routine I follow when I book. I scour the homes and only look at those with reviews.  I like a place that has at least a handful of reviews and make sure they include at least some negative feedback – so I know they are real.  Then I email the owners a few times to get a sense of who they are.  If I feel funny, I don’t move forward.  Kind of like online dating.  : )

Anyway – I have been emailing with the owners of our Belize home, who live in Kansas, and had a great feeling because they were super nice and so helpful. We worked out a monthly deal and here we are!

We were astounded. They have a beautiful home – much nicer than I even dreamed.

And right on a gorgeous beach.

The village is about a mile away, then there are a few resorts, and then a little enclave of houses, including ours.  The houses share a security guard who patrols at night, “yard guys” who clean the beach once a week, and a man who sprays for mosquitoes and sand flies.  Most of the owners we’ve met are either Canadian or American – a very friendly bunch.

We have our own little section of beach with chairs, hammock, grill, and kayak (the dock belongs to our neighbors, and Frank is desperate to fish from it – he’s buttering them up hoping to get an invite – but there’s a public dock down the way).

We could spend all day just sitting out watching the world go by. We think we’re going to like it here!

Today we head to our new home for the month. We got a good deal on VRBO so decided to jump right in.  I will work from here, and we can escape the cold back home.

But first we have to get there. Our little village, Hopkins, is a bit off the beaten path.  It is down south and not one of the more touristy spots.  But it is on the water and sounds perfect for us (and a much better deal than the more populated areas).

We have hired someone to pick us up and drive us the 3 hours to get there – and to take us to a larger grocery store on the way, as we have read that the village only has a smaller market.

Adam is our guide. He is South African and moved to Belize to start a new business doing transfers for tourists.

He explains to us that all grocery stores in Belize are run by the Chinese. Who knew?  So he takes us to the what they call the “Chinese Mall” – which sure enough, has just about anything you would want, all in one place.  We load up, and are on our way.  Those are BOTH of our buggies in the picture!

We continue on to Hopkins to see our new abode.

Stay tuned – as a teaser, this is our street:

Like I said, a bit off the beaten path.   : )

We made it! We are on the ground in Belize.

Our goal was simply make it to the airport hotel We will re-group to head to our little village tomorrow.

And what an airport hotel it is! We’re staying at the Black Orchid Resort, about 15 minutes from the Belize City Airport.  They sent a shuttle to pick us up and showed us to our beautiful room, with flowers strewn about everywhere – even in the bathroom!

We settled right in with drinks in the screened-in bar.

And then were welcomed by a family of monkeys – I caught one in mid-flight (this is not zoomed in – that’s how close we were!).

We feasted on grilled lobster for dinner and got a very good night’s sleep – seeing as how we got up at 3:45 am to catch our flight.

The Black Orchid Resort is on the Old Belize River, which is very fast-flowing and filled with crocodiles!

We had a little porch and just whiled away our time sitting out watching the river.

We know tomorrow will be a little tough with getting to our new place and getting all the provisions. So we are just going to sit here and watch the world go by.  We are already getting on Belize time!

When we started our trip planning, our main goal was to go somewhere warm. We had heard good things about Belize so started browsing VRBO rentals.  I fell in love with a house in a little village called Hopkins – right on the water.  It was a good deal for a monthly rental, so we jumped right in.  We have been dreaming of walks on the beach, interesting village life, fresh grilled fish, and snorkeling the clear waters.

But . . . a couple of weeks ago, we finally sat down to read the guidebook’s  “Survival Tips.”  Well – it turns out we needed 5(!) vaccines, malaria pills, and a pretty robust first aid kit, since apparently supplies down there are hard to get.  Plus we heard dire warnings of not drinking the water, eating the vegetables (unless thoroughly cooked), and disease-carrying mosquitoes.

What did we get ourselves into?

After much consulting with doctors, our rental homeowners, and fellow travelers, we feel like we are well-prepared with a duffel bag full of meds and bug spray, a cautious outlook, and good travel (and evacuation!) insurance.

Frank is even pre-spraying all of our clothes before we leave with some type of special bug spray that stays on through six washes.

But we do have to be careful of the water and vegetables. Our house has a purification system, so we should be ok washing dishes and taking a shower, and we will drink and cook with bottled water – not that much different than the boat!

So we are ready for adventure- bring it on!

(And stay tuned!)