Tuesday, November 30, 2010

IT IS STARTING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS



Yes, it is definitely starting to look a lot like Christmas at my house and Betty my granddaughter will be coming to town with her mom and dad for Christmas this year.  So I have been doing extra decorating this Christmas, pulling things from the attic I haven't seen in ages.   

I pulled out my Snow village houses, which have not been up in several years..but I always loved them.  I put up 2 trees, one inside and one outside, just to make sure Santa knows where to stop this year to drop off all of Betty's toys. 

Belizeans share the European or North American rituals of decorating a Christmas tree, hanging lights outside their homes, baking and sending out Christmas cards, but Christmas in Belize is a very multicultural holiday with over 10 ethnic groups.   Many different Christmas  traditions are shared or passed among these groups, but one thing they all share is that Christmas is a time to be shared with family and friends.


The Santa's




The doggies


The Pepper


The Fish


The bird


The bell that hung on my tree as a child.


Betty on her first Christmas.


The Tree


Mickey Mouse Santa


Front Door


Ho Ho Ho

Monday, November 29, 2010

THANKSGIVING 2010

 
Courtney, Me and Savannah
  
We had a great Thanksgiving day with lots of family coming to my house for lunch.  It was also my niece's 21st birthday..so we got to celebrate Kaiti becoming legal.




The Turkey

The turkey turned out pretty good as well and it didn't make anyone sick...so maybe I will cook one for Christmas too.




                                  HAPPY HAPPY 21st birthday Kaiti.


Josh and Charles

Creighton and Frankie

Nick and Liam

Norma and Josh

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Rent in Belize from $550.00 a Month


                Rent in Belize from $550 a Month   - see article here


International Living posted a great article about renting in Belize and yes you can rent for $550.00 a month in Belize and only be a few footsteps from the Caribbean waters or the beautiful lush jungle. We look forward to looking at these beautiful views every day. 

Even if you plan to build or purchase a home in Belize, it is always best to rent something for at least the first 6 to 12 months and get to know the area and make sure of where you want to live in Belize. 










Saturday, November 27, 2010

HIKING THE MAYAN RUINS



Belize is considered the heartland of the Maya civilization and has a number or Maya archaeological sites.  The Maya civilization flourished from 2000 B.C. to about 900 A.D.  On our Belize trip in 1998, we hiked the Mayan ruins of Althun Ha, which means "Water of the Rock".  The ruins are surrounded by the lush jungle and you can hear the howler monkeys in the back ground. 



Althun Ha (Water of the Rock) is famous for many reasons.  It is here that they found a Jade Head, the largest carved jade object in the whole Maya area, representing the Sun God, Kinich Ahau. It is the national symbol of Belize and can be found on the corner of every Belizean banknote in circulation. Althun Ha is located approximately 31 miles north of Belize City. 

Friday, November 26, 2010

MOVING WITH YOUR FURBABIES TO BELIZE

Benjamin, Barney, Alina and Snowy
  

We plan on bringing our 3 furbabies with us to Belize, we could not imagine leaving them behind.  They are 3 Siberian Huskies, Alina Moon, Snowy Moon and Barney Moon...and no Moon is not our last name.  Our daughter wanted Alina, our very first one's name to be Moon..so we just gave them all the middle name of Moon to make them all feel connected with each other.  We also had Benjamin Moon, but he past away last year, he was the most gorgeous of them all. 




They have some beautiful thick fur and they can stop traffic with their looks.  Everyone just goes crazy over them..and wants to stop and pet them.  They are friendly with other people..but they do not like other dogs or animals...They love going for rides on our golf cart, so they will feel right at home in Belize riding a golf cart through town.



Most people always think where we live in Mississippi is too hot for our huskies, but they have adjusted to the heat.  They are mostly inside dogs, staying inside where it is nice and cool.  I am sure they will miss what little bit of cool weather we do have here in MS. but they love the water, so they will be taking lots of swims to cool off in Belize. 



Dogs and cats can be brought into Belize without quarantine, unlike most other foreign countries which require at least a 30 day quarantine.  You must have a certificate from their veterinarian stating that your pet is free from any infectious diseases and has been vaccinated for rabies.




The Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) handles this process, you would need to contact them and request an application form from their permit department in order to bring in any domestic animals to Belize.  Domestic pets are allowed in the country once you have an import certificate, recent veterinary certificate (14 days), rabies certificate and your pet would have to be inspected by a quarantine officer, for a small fee of course.  You must notify the Director of animal health 2 days in advance of date and time of arrival and point of entry.  Make sure and check with director on times that they are open as well or you will be sitting at the border with your pet.








American and Continental are 2 airlines that I know will fly larger pets like ours into Belize.  Lots of people I know have driven to Belize in order to carry their pets with them..but we do not plan on driving, therefore our pets will be getting their first ride on an airplane..I am not so sure how much they are going to like it..but it will be much quicker than the drive would be.



Belizeans generally do not view pets as most Americans do, considering them a main part of the family..our children.  They consider them mostly for watchdogs..but we were told that most have no problem with pets and many people moving to Belize bring their pets with them to live in Belize. 

Here is the info for the BAHA's permit department.

Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA)
Belmopan Showgrounds
Belmopan City
Telephone 501/822-0197
Fax 501/822-3084
Email address  baha@btl.net


Thursday, November 25, 2010