To Belize and Back Again - on Being There

Upon arrival at Ambergris Caye we proceeded to Immigration, presented our papers, then collected our luggage and headed for Customs.   Esay Peasey!

Then, not knowing the distance, we grabbed a taxi, well with the 8 of us we grabbed 2 taxis, and headed for our hotel, Pedro's Inn.

I guess it was about 7:30pm by the time we got our rooms, and our luggage stowed  - so now time to get to business!

 So that's Day 1, Getting There!

Good Grief!

Belize is expensive!  period!

Ambergris Caye is crowded, and choc a bloc of cars and golf carts - I mean it's like a little train - they are one right after the other.

And it feels closed in, the streets are narrow, the buildings are mostly 2 or 3 floors high so you feel a little claustrophobic.   The colors are awesome! and the gingerbread adornments on many of the buildings is so cute and quaint.

I really liked the tourist map signs - each one topped with a tropical fish

We had rain 2 nights, and one of the days was quite overcast.

Those are the negatives.  These are the positives

We were with a group of friends and we had fun, we walked the beaches, we ate, we drank...

we didn't rent a bike, but we talked about it!

 we saw some pretty beach scapes

We went on a snorkel trip and swam with turtles, tropical fishes, nurse sharks, and rays.  We even saw a big green moray eel.  Hol Chan reef is fabulous, its been protected for quite a while so the reefs are well populated with both flora and fauna.

Six of us rented a 6 person golf cart and toured the island so we got a bit of birdwatching in, we saw an osprey, an eagle, several different herons and egrets, lots of warblers, and assorted other birds.

one day we spent at the hotel pool, reading and visiting.

There's even a Caye (K) Mart - but we didn't shop!

AND we even found a wine bar -

and we saw a frog, but not a one of us women needed to bother to kiss it!

to Belize and back again! Getting there!

A Group of us, and for whatever reason we seem to travel in packs these days, just got back from a few days trip to Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Tom and I, as divers, have been to Belize and the Caye's a number of times, but never Ambergris.   We always shunned it because it was 'the' place to go.

We started off from the local CAME bus station at 7:30 AM.  The ADO buses are quite nice, comfy seats that recline, TV screens where they blast movies at you the entire trip, gotta love those mp3 players and headphones.  Plenty o AC, brrrrrrr!
and an on board bathroom.

The trip from Merida to Chetumal is 5 1/2 to 6 hours depending on travel conditions, with a short stop about midway for potty and snack break.  We chatted, laughed, read, watched silly movies, listened to music or podcasts, snacked, and watched the scenery pass by.  I must say, bus travel is THE way to go!

We arrived in Chetumal, and caught taxis to the muelle (dock) where the ferry to transport us to Ambergris would leave.  Bought our tickets, checked our bags and walked a short distance to a great little seafood place that apparently has a branch here in Merida.

after some fabulous fish tacos and a beer, well that's what I had, we went back to the dock, went through Immigration (leaving Mexico entering Belize) and we were nearly there!

At the dock all our checked luggage was lined up on the side of the dock and we were requested  to place our hand luggage in a line in the center of the dock.  We were then all asked to stand away.  The sniffer dog did two or three passes and we were cleared to retrieve our stuff and board!  Pretty cool!

Oh, current fees for exiting Mexico and entering Belize -
our ferry was 37.50usd p/p
I believe there would have been an Exit the Country fee of some sort except that we are residents of Mexico.
and a port fee of 5usd p/p
I read a lot of forum discussion on these port fees, opinions vary on whether they are legal or not!  Regardless, you want to ride, you pay the fee!

ok, so now we are ready for our hour and a half boat ride!  During the trip the young purser passed around a box of cookies and snacks for us to each take one, and he pushed a cooler into the aisle with water and sodas - full service - although I never looked to see if there was a head!

sit back, relax, and enjoy the very bumpy ride!

arriving at the dock on Ambergris Caye

Manana, Being There!