Tropical Life
I have been living on Ambergris Caye, an island off the coast of Belize just over 1 year. During this time, met many wonderful people and seen a lot of interesting things. Best of all I followed a dream that made my great escape from winter a reality. As far as living in Belize as a Canadian ex-pat, I have no complaints – so far it has been an easy process and I feel very welcome. I started volunteering with a local island school and have made some good friends. I made the right first apartment rental choice close to the heart of San Pedro Town. I have always been lucky to find good apartments easily, this was the first one I saw. A modest mostly furnished upper floor 1 bedroom for $450 USD/$900 BZD plus extras. electric roughly $25 USD/$50 BZD a month, water $10 USD/$20 BZD a month, Direct tv cable $22 USD/$44 BZD, and internet about $34.50/$69 BZD.
I am glad I ended up downtown since I don’t own a golf cart. The core area of town is about one and a half miles long and in some places about a mile wide. Walking through town at many cross streets you can look to one side and see the turquoise waters of the Caribbean sea and to the other, the lagoon. My apartment is also within flip flop distance from the airstrip which is handy when company comes.
The picture below is Middle street also known as Pescador drive, I took it just a bit north of my old second-story apartment. If you were to head in the other direction (south) you would hit Tarpon street, make a left (east), it would point you at Front street, Wild Mangos Restaurant, Belize Chocolate Shop, the library, and the beach. Make a right (west) and head straight would bring you to Back Street, Neri’s tacos, and the lagoon side of town. A right then fast left and you would land in the airport area and heading south again.
The shot below is Front Street also known as Barrier Reef drive before it got cobblestoned. This street is mostly souvenir shops, real estate agents, banks, a couple of hotels and restaurants, and a few homes up above the shops. One of the nice things about the town is that there is currently a building cap of 3 stories. All along the left side are side street beach access options. As you walk north, you will find Central Park, with tasty street food options, right on the water and the immigration office a bit further up to the left. It’s conveniently located right above is my favorite coffee place, Island Perk. Keep going north and you’ll more shops, a few bars, a self-serve laundromat, and the Phoenix Resort at the end of the road.
Island Geography
Ambergris Caye is the largest of over 200 Cayes (pronounced keys) on the coast of Belize. It is roughly 25 miles long and a little over a mile wide in some places and about 4 miles at the widest point. The popular Belize island is located on the Caribbean Sea close to the tip of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Being on the barrier reef makes Ambergris a great tropical place to visit for divers and snorkelers – a colorful aquatic paradise.
Ambergris Caye History
The island used to be a trading post for a thriving Mayan civilization during the Postclassic period, which spanned approximately 1200 to 1400 CE. The Mayans were an industrious civilization and in order to make a trade route, it is believed they dug the narrow channel that still separates Ambergris Caye Belize and Mexico. This was done around 600 A.D to make the Bay of Chetumal more accessible. If you continued walking north in the south-facing picture below, you would come across the channel between Ambergris and Xcalak Mexico.
I will leave you with today’s forecast – warm and Sunny in downtown San Pedro with highs of 81° F / 27° C and lows of 77° F / 25° C. Average Weather for March on Ambergris Caye offers endless warm tropical days with a daily high in the range of 83°F / 28° C and the opportunity to be grateful for slightly cooler evenings with lows around 74°F/23° C.
16 comments
HOW DOES ONE GET FROM AMBERGIS CAYE TO THE MAIN LAND OR SAN PEDRO. BOAT OR FLYING?
THANKS,
PAUL GERBER
San Pedro is the town on Ambergris Caye Island. Depending where on the island you are you can get to San Pedro by foot, bike, golf cart, cab or boat. To get to the mainland Flying takes about 15 min and boat roughly 90 min.
Cool. Thank you so much for all your help! It’s awesome to get first hand information from someone.
Thanks again,
John
Sure thing John
No kidding? That’s funny. A buddy of mine is there alot.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I was thinking something that was furnished so I wouldn’t have to worry about finding a bed and such. I would also want a kitchen and bathroom… Thoughts? Is there a website for the San Pedro Sun classifieds?
Lot of places come furnished or semi furnished here. Sometimes you can luck out and get a fully stocked kitchen. When we came here I brought ikea cutlery – did a dollar store shop for kitchen stuff and we brought cookware so we were pretty set. Of course shopping here is a bit better now for things like than than it was 4 years ago. http://www.sanpedrosun.com/classifieds/page1/ Try these as well http://www.mandmrentalsbelize.com/ and http://www.cayemanagement.com/ If you do not line up something in advance you may want to consider a couple days stay at a cheap hotel like Pedro’s while you apartment hunt.
Gotcha,
So normally the business that you work for will take care of the paper work/legal side of working? What is the best way to find a place to stay (9 months – 1 year)? Price range?
I’m from Fort Worth.
Thank you so much for your speedy response to my first question.
John
People often opt for finding a place to work who is willing help them get papers. Some people will go freelance and get papers on their own and then find the place. As for finding a place to live what price range are you thinking? You can find a one bedroom apartment for around $500 – $600 range we paid $450 for our first apt here one bedroom in town. There are lots of property management places here and San Pedro Sun classifieds is a good spot to look as well.
Met a lot of people from different parts of Texas since moving here.
Hey there,
A friend who works with Ramon’s Village told me about your blog. Cool stuff. I am thinking about moving there to work as a scuba instructor for about a year and wanted to know the first step. How did you guys start out? If you have time, any insight would be awesome.
John
From Texas
Hi John
Scuba instructor is one of those tricky things. I am not sure exactly where that particular job falls in regards to non locals and a tour-guide license unless you are planning to own a business. A couple scenarios include – finding someone who is willing to hire you and help you get work papers or look into buying a business and getting papers that way. You might want to contact a couple of local dive shops and ask them about the whole non locals being scuba instructors and what it takes to do so.
What part of Texas are you from?
Hi Tacogirl! I have also been enjoying your blog, starting from your first entry. My hubby and I are dreaming of relocating from Manitoba to Belize. We’ve spent some time there, but as tourists, on the mainland, and not yet been to the islands. We are in our late 30s, early 40s…and have 2.5 more years until baby #3 graduates from high school. I just finished my degree in nursing, and hope to make enough $$ in the next couple of years to have a cushion so that when we sell our home, which will take care of all our debt, that we’ll have enough to live on for while so that I can volunteer (or whatever) as a nurse in Belize. We’ve been planning this for 4+ years now, and can hardly wait to make it reality! Thanks, again, for your blog. You’ve provided lots to think about and lots of guidance.
Hi Corissa, great plan. I am sure that Manitoba winters are helping keep focused on your turning your dreams into reality. I am glad you have found my blog useful.
We are Canadian and planning on relocating to SP. Where in Canada were you from?
Thanks Denny – good to see you back on the net.
Born on Montreal Audrey but lived long time in Toronto – tacoboy is Toronto too and about 2 h away in the country. Where you at Audrey? Lots of Canucks here.
I am originally from Montreal but been long time in Toronto. tacoboy was born in Ontario and been in Toronto long time. Where are you at Audrey?
Congrats on the Blog!! I’ll be sure to be a regular visit!