Grocery Shopping and Waiting on the Gas Man

I purchased this beautiful conch shell down by the beach yesterday.

I spent most of the day grocery shopping and waiting for the gas man to show up.  In Belize you have to shop around.  It is nothing like at home in the US.  Here you will American products next to Belize products.  The American products are going to be much more expensive since they have to be shipped in to Belize.  On some items the name will be written in Spanish, so with what little Spanish I know, I am trying to guess what it is or look at pictures on the packaging.  Shopping for day to day items in Belize is a completely difference experience and I have a lot to learn.

Stocking up on groceries.

You can get pretty much anything you want in Belize, you just have a limited selection.  Prices will vary from store to store, so you have to go to several stores to get everything you need and for the best prices.  Then you may need to go to other places to get your fruits and vegetables.  It is definitely a learning experience.

I finally found a diet Pepsi today.

I  love this Goss dark chocolate made here in Belize.

My new gas stove.

We have a nice new gas stove in the house.  I have never cooked on gas before.  I know lots of people say they won't cook on nothing but a gas stove.  We use butane in Belize, and they come and pick up tank, fill it up and then bring it back.  The tank was just filled and returned late today, so we haven't been able to cook since we have been here.  We have pretty much lived off chips and salsa for the last two days, but I never get tired of chips and good salsa. 

Caramba!!

Caribbean jerk chicken.

Hanging out on Middle Street.

Belizean kids loving on Alina.

Alina peeping through the staircase.  She smells food.

We decided to go downtown on our bikes this evening and take Alina.  We stopped in at Carabma on Middle Street since we could sit outside and have Alina there too.  As always Alina got all of the attention.  Everyone wants to hug and have their picture taken with her.

Our First 24 Hours in Belize-We Made it

We spotted this guy on our walk to Estel's on the beach.

We spent out first 24 hours getting settled in to our new home in Belize.  I had all of our bags unpacked before we went to bed Friday night.  It was only 4 suitcases, so it didn't take long.  We made a list of things we still needed and planned to get out Saturday and hit the streets.


First thing we did was stop by our favorite place to have breakfast on the beach, Estel's. The food is great, service is great and the view is amazing. On our way back home we stopped off at the Belikin Beer Distributor, it is located just around the corner from us. We ordered several cases of drinks, Belize coffee, and 2 pounds of ground beef. They had it all delivered to our house in no time.

Estel's Dine by the Sea.

We took Alina with us for breakfast.

Fry jacks, eggs, grits and bacon.

Bill and Alina playing in the water.

Guys raking the seaweed on the beaches in the morning, they have job security.

Lot of drinks to choose from besides just beer.

That's a lot of Belikin.

Alex at Belikin wanted his picture taken with Alina.

Kids are turning in their empties to get money back on bottle and crate deposits.

Saturday I contacted a friend that I met online prior to moving to Belize, she moved to Belize in September of last year, I asked her if she could pick me up and take me around town.  Gigi has a golf cart and we could get around town faster.  I was only able to bring what things I could carry in our suitcases.  So we still needed a few items to hold us over until we have the rest of our things shipped down in a few months. 

This guy down at the park wanted his picture taken with Alina too.  Alina is a popular girl.

Saw this this little fellow on our street yesterday, he had just gotten ran over by a golf cart and was still moving.

We hit up Caye Mart, A & R, Caye Supplies and Wings.  I also did some grocery shopping at Super Buy, went by the local fruit and vegetable market which is just down the street.  I purchased a few supplies and dog food from Caye Mart and had it delivered to my house.  It makes it nice, you
can continue to shop and just have it all delivered later.  I am totally liking this. 

All of this for $10.00US.  The salsa was great, going back for more today.  The pineapple-banana bread was awesome.

Coffee from Belize and 1 Barrel Rum.

Our new Beach Cruiser's with baskets.

That afternoon I told Bill we needed some wheels and I wanted to go purchase some bikes.  I asked a few locals who had the best prices on bikes and San Pedro Hardware seemed to be the place.  So we walked to San Pedro hardware and road out on our brand new beach cruisers. 

Ah, another day in paradise.

Belize-Here We Come!!!!

I'm back!!!!!!, sorry it has been a while since my last blog post but so much has been happening.  We sold our house in October and had to be out in 2 weeks.  So the race was on to get out.  Thank goodness we had actually been packing and moving things out for the last year, I really don't think I would have ever made.  I actually had everything moved out of the house and had the house clean and ready for the new owners a day ahead of time.  It was such a relief, I just cried because I truly could not believe I got everything out of our house that quick. 

We rented a storage building for things that we plan on having shipped to Belize.  Some family pieces of furniture were taken to my sisters.  Everything else was moved to my dad's and put in a large storage building.  We will start trying to sell off everything else in the next few weeks. 

We are living with our 3 dogs at my dads house until we figure out when our actual move day will be.  Things have worked out pretty good at my dad's and it is nice getting to spend time with him before we move to Belize.

Thinking About Retiring or Relocating to Belize?

If you are thinking about retiring or relocating to Belize, you may want to check out two new sites that I have added to my blog, Wealth Ships' Expat Relocation Consulting and Red Roof Management-Belize. Sharon Hiebing, an American expat who moved to Belize is now helping others follow their dream. You will find both these sites under my "All About Taking Belize" section. Through her expat relocation consulting, Sharon will help you with all phases of relocating to Belize. 

Sharon also has Red Roof Management in Belize. If you are looking for a property to rent (long or short term), property  management, caretaker and house sitter services in the Cayo District, Western Belize, you will definitely want to talk to Sharon. 

You can email Sharon at sharonhiebing@gmail.com.

Belize-Then and Now

Our first visit to Belize was in July 1998. We stayed at the Maruba Jungle Spa on the mainland for a few days and then flew to Ambergris Caye and stayed there for the rest of the trip. We did not go back to Belize until September of 2010. We went back in September to determine whether we wanted to retire to Belize. After a few days back on the island, we knew that is where we wanted to be. 

Pictures of San Pedro, Belize in 1998.

Pictures of San Pedro, Belize today.

What do you think? Do you think Belize has changed much?

10 Reasons Why You Will Love Retiring in Belize

1. Sub-tropical climate - Belize has a sub-tropical year round climate where frosts and freezes are unknown.
2. Hol Chan Marine Reserve - Hol Chan is a national park that includes part of the barrier reef.
3. Shark Ray Alley - Belize is one of the best places to get up close and personal with sharks and stingrays.
4. The Barrier Reef - The Belize Barrier Reef is the largest in the western hemisphere and is 190 miles long.
5. The Howler Monkey – Belize has a rare breed of howler monkey that is known as one of the top ten loudest animals in the world.
6. Mayan Ruins - Belize has a rich Mayan history with over 900 historic locations.
7. The People – Belize is home to some of the most interesting and friendliest people who are very accepting of other cultures.
8. The Jungles – 60% of Belize is forested, hiking through the jungles is an amazing experience.
9. The Caribbean Sea – The waters off of Belize are known to inhabit more than 400 species of sub tropical fish.
10.  BELIKIN BEER – “The Only Beer Worth Drinking”

Photo:  AJ Baxter, Picture Belize