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Tacogirl Belize blog Est. in 2007

You came to the right blog for Belize Resources and Information.

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Fabulously Soulful at Mahogany Bay Village and a New Club

by tacogirl 08/05/2017
written by tacogirl 08/05/2017
Mahogany Bay village

It’s no surprise that “Socialite Sandie” was organizing a crew to go to the Science and Soul Wellness opening at Mahogany Bay Village this past weekend – she is a healthy soulful and big worthy cause supporter. I wanted to accept her invitation to join her and the girls but I knew I really just needed to rest (doing challenging food re-balancing) and keep preparing for a busy Monday. So my day ended up with work followed by selfie Netflix and chill time and more work. I picked a winner “Easy” and shared it with a few friends via messenger. Instantly I reeled in a simultaneous binge-watcher Lara Goldman of 12 Belize. She caught up fast as I paused a few times to do some planning of the new club which I will detail below. In regards to solo or otherwise Netflix and chill time, my pick a great binge watch and has lots of checkmarks – “Easy” is a unique comedy-drama written, edited, directed, and produced by Joe Swanberg. It currently has eight half-hour episodes. The show’s interesting storyline takes you on a funny and enlightening journey through the lives of oddly interwoven groups of friends in Chicago, putting together the “pieces” of a lifelong metaphorical mosaic puzzle on love, sex, and culture in a highly technology-based world.

It is also no surprise that when we were talking about her write up the “brownie queen Sandie” pulled one out of her bag that she scored at the event for her son Logan. One of the perks of being a “son of a socialite” on Ambergris Caye 😀 Onto the fabulous fun party and what Sandie had to say about it.

A Soulful Centering Party – Contributing Author, Sandie Betz-Eisenberg

On Saturday, May 6th, Science & Soul Wellness, the newest addition to the Mahogany Bay Village family of businesses, hosted a fantastic Grand Opening party at the Great House pool. The proceeds from the event benefited SHINE, the organization founded by former Miss San Pedro, Michelle Nunez, and directed by Britney Travis, which works to empower the young women and youth of San Pedro. The silent auction had an array of prizes such as gift certificates from Paradice Cream (which yours truly won!), CG Esthetic Salon services, and lots more. There were dance presentations directed by Zuzana, a fashion show with gorgeous local models, demonstrations of aerial and stand up paddleboard (SUP) yoga by Yoga instructor, Kerryann, healthy nibbles and drinks provided by The Hive (a new, healthy choice restaurant opening soon in MBV), poolside massage, and live reggae music.

We stayed to take the tour of the beautiful new studio, with the lovely proprietor, Ms. Paulette, and it is amazing ~ as soon as you enter the reception area, a feeling of peaceful zen warmth envelopes you and makes you feel at right at home. The angel artwork by Katrina Ancona adds to the tranquil feeling. There are private massage rooms and a huge Yoga/Pilates/fitness studio, with stunning hardwood floors, aerial scarves, a ballet barre, and a fully mirrored wall. Paulette has seen to all of the smallest details and will have drapes to cover the mirrors for her Yoga classes. As the event drew to a close, we shared a champagne toast with the staff, owners, and patrons over a stunning sunset, wishing them all of the best and wonderful success with their awesome new venture! Click through to San Pedro Scoop and see great pictures – one of mother nature’s blue pink and purple painted sky that day.

Another Healthy new Business Joins the Family – Britney Travis, Marketing Director, Mahogany Bay Village.

“Science & Soul celebrated a fantastic opening party at Mahogany Bay Village’s Bay Club over the weekend. The turnout was excellent, we are so thrilled to have one of the best yoga and Ayurveda centers in Belize right here at Mahogany Bay Village. For our friends & neighbors on Ambergris Caye, 6-month memberships are available now through the end of the week for $444BZD, unlimited yoga classes including aerial yoga and SUP at the MBV Beach Club!”

Want more info on Mahogany Bay? Click through to their about page on Facebook. You can also click and read traveler reviews on the great onsite coffee shop.

Mahogany Bay Village Party Pictures

Thanks to the helpful MBV staff for quickly and easily accommodating me with a few pictures and Sandie and Mary for your great Groupsie contributions.

Mahogany Bay Village

Stylish and elegant interior – images courtesy of Mahogany Bay Village

Mahogany Bay Village

Fashion Fun at Science and Soul grand opening party – images courtesy of Mahogany Bay Village

Ambergris Caye Belize

A little Groupsie (group selfie) by Sandie Betz-Eisenberg

Mahogany Bay Belize

A whole lotta Groupsie by Mary Rodriguez Associate Editor San Pedro Sun

A New Club on Ambergris Caye

The San Pedro Blood Team has recently started a new O Neg Club from a recent need and has expanded our rare blood types list to include one on-call donor in Belmopan. We are putting an ongoing request out countrywide for healthy people with O Negative blood type to please step forward. We would like to fill in every district with people who have O- so that we can all help strategically cover needs asap should they arise for persons with this rare type.

Membership definitely has its privileges. Saving a life can is the greatest reward you can give or get.

O Neg Club’s First Dance With Emergency Preparation

Due to availability, Sandie and I were the blood team crew that came to the Director General’s aid Friday afternoon at her request.

Every time we do a sudden collection, we learn so much. This time around, as we were instantly catapulted into action. It was not lost on us that Belize Blood Services was about to close for the weekend and the 4 donors we had were just all a plane ride away. Even if we could convince Belize Blood Services to wait, there was not enough time for the group to donate and get home the same day.

Thankfully, the woman was able to wait until Monday. That is a huge “what if ?” As BRCSP does our blood advocacy work to help strengthen the system, one of our many goals is to have a few good answers to blood-related “What if” questions so that we can always have a plan B and C.

We mobilized our O Negs from our rare donor list. Sandie and I both felt grateful we had people to call and something important to say beyond a time and place.

It was important for them, and everyone living in Belize to recognize the following information:

I am sure most of you know someone who has needed blood in Belize. In case you are not familiar, currently, the required number of replacement units needed by a patient, be it for a planned surgery or an emergency, is the responsibility of the patient to provide. In general cases, the blood does not have to be a match. In the case of the rare O negative, it is a completely different situation – replacement units have to match your type. Easier said than done in a country like Belize with a largely unknown small amount of rare blood types and the fact that blood has a limited shelf life of only 35 days.

Donate From the Heart

There is a whole component of the blood that people rarely think about. The peace and security during a hard time that a blood donation brings are invaluable, especially when the need is for a rare blood type. The Blood team understands and witnesses the challenges people face during a time of need. It is often very difficult for the patient and their families causing stress, worry, and feelings of uncertainty.

In preparation for the emergency blood drive, it was important for our Rare Donors Club to consider that the elderly woman they were about to help in regards to the policy above. Suddenly she had 4 of 6 much-needed pints of her rare blood type coming. That is a huge deal.

Really stop and think about it for a moment- what if you were the one in a Belize City hospital on a Friday afternoon and needed 6 pints of rare blood, with Belize Blood Services about to close for the weekend and as far as you knew there was little to no supply on hand. How would you feel?

Now imagine how relieved and grateful you and your family would be if 4 strangers came forward as fast as they could to donate a pint and help you be well. Your stress level would go down and you would be able to find some peace of mind that your body can heal. As the time drew closer your body would start feeling excited and grateful because it knew you were about to get what it needed to survive.

Be the Type of Blood you Would Want

Another area that the blood team feels strongly about is the quality of health. As the O Negs got scheduled it was important to remind them of their duty as donors.

Especially in light of it being Sunday Funday. It was important for everyone to pause and consider the kind of blood they would all want should they be in the other person’s place (hopefully never) – Healthy, Strong and Clean.

Easy homework to think RED 24 – 48 hours before donating.

  1. Rest well
  2. Eat a healthy iron-rich meal beforehand.
  3. Drink lots of healthy liquids (water is best).

Help Fill the Bank

Remember, Belize is a small and precious jewel, it easily could be someone you know in need of life-saving liquid gold.

In accordance with our mission statement, “Changing History through Saving Lives and Helping Communities”, Belize Red Cross – San Pedro is working hard to help improve emergency response and ultimately save lives. BRCSP strongly advocates building our country’s capacity through Blood Drives and Countrywide Training. This also includes a Club 25 youth group, teaching them the importance of living a healthy lifestyle in all respects to be a future donor and providing them tools to work with.

We need your help to grow this effort strong. If you would like to get involved in any aspect of donation and collection, please email blooddrive.brcsp@gmail.com or info.brcsp@gmail.com with the subject line Blood Advocate.

World Red Cross Day

Worldwide people just celebrated May 8th throughout 190 countries – Happy World Red Cross Day from Belize 🙂

This year’s theme was “Everywhere for Everyone” which was fitting to the blood team in spite of what you will read below. Sometimes when you are doing volunteer work, especially in a developing country you are faced with the concept of dropping everything and being there when someone needs help.

You also have to remember to be grateful when some emergencies turn into dry runs which turned out to be the case this time.

The emergency rare blood drive was canceled late Sunday night – over the weekend, mainland Belize residents mobilized, and rare blood was found.

This allowed me to switch gears from “being everywhere for everyone” to a much needed me time and a hot disco shower wit spa time and was I thankful we had good running water that day.

Luckily no one was inconvenienced by the last-minute cancellation, everyone felt as we did – happy the woman got her O Negative pints sooner than later.

Planning is never a waste, and we definitely got a lot out of this experience. It brought Lily Bowman, the Director-General of the Belize Red Cross and the San Pedro blood drive team together to streamline our process. We all got to see what we are capable of in what time constraints and identified areas where we need more answers and structure regarding future emergency blood needs.

Thanks, Nurse Doreen Belize Blood Services, Dr. Owen Vellos of Dr. Otto Rodriguez Poly Clinic and Dr. Giovanni Solorzano for your speed and flexibility in emergency planning, we could not do it without you. You definitely qualify as people who are “Everywhere for Everyone” and we love that you are there for us and make it easy.

Related

tacogirl

Laure Norton grew up dyslexic and was very challenged by the school. She never dreamed she would move to Belize and become a writer. A year after her move to Ambergris Caye, Laurie became an entrepreneur and professional writer starting tacogirl blog in 2007. Since then she has helped many people plan their vacations or move. She also has been published in Great Destinations Belize Guidebook, Moon Guide to Living in Belize, Insight Guides, Island Magazine several times and USA Today. Currently Laurie resides in downtown San Pedro and enjoys being a "city girl" on a tropical island.

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Corey Holm
Corey Holm
04:38 25 Feb 20
I take the seniors from our academy to Belize every year for their senior trip. One of the first people I contact when... I start planning the trip is Laurie with TacoGirl Belize. She knows the island of San Pedro better than anyone else out there. Trust me, I have looked. If you are looking for the best restaurants, hang outs and shops then Laurie help plan your vacation.read more
Carol Taylor
Carol Taylor
15:53 24 Feb 20
Love Taco Girl Blog @LaurieNorton! I've been reading this blog since I started visiting Ambergris Caye in Belize almost... 10 years ago. It is filled with helpful up-to-date information and recommendations that I wouldn't necessarily find on my own. Laurie Norton's knowledge and extensive network on the island provides her with the ability to share perks/discounts/coupons with her readers, which come in handy year after year. Things on the island change daily - new businesses pop up constantly and LaurieNortonstays on top of these developments. Whenever I plan my return trip to the island, I always check her blog first - and I recommend you do the same. Trip Advisor ain't got nuttin' on Taco Girl!read more
Heidi
Heidi
20:01 20 Feb 20
Laurie's blog is my official “go to” source for tourist and local information on San Pedro. Of course, it’s... always nice to see her guides on “what to do” in San Pedro, but I also appreciate her “insider” advice and human interest stories on what it’s like living as a local on the island. There is so much information it's amazing! Thank you Laurie!!!read more
Nick Goodman
Nick Goodman
21:23 30 Nov 19
I am considering a move to Belize and I have serendipitously found tacogirl.....what a treasure! She is full of great... advice, helpful hints.....knows everybody on Ambergris Caye and has a thousand useful recommendations and suggestions. Whether you are planning a vacation or relocating, you should make use of the many services she has to offer…..read more
KellyDivePhotography
KellyDivePhotography
20:58 30 Nov 19
I’m so pleased to see tacogirl's blog on Google. Laurie's blog is my official “go to” source for tourist and... local information on San Pedro. Of course, it’s always nice to see her guides on “what to do” in San Pedro, but I also appreciate her “insider” advice and human interest stories on what it’s like living as a local on the island. I especially enjoy her guest articles, providing a different perspective of all things San Pedro. Her tipping quide is a classic, and don’t forget her Tropic Air flight code and on-island discounts. You’re not up-to-date with what’s going on in San Pedro if you’re not regularly reading tacogirl's blog.read more
Sandra Godfrey
Sandra Godfrey
15:58 23 Nov 19
I have known Laurie (Taco Girl) for several years. She has been a wealth of good information for me in all of my... pursuits in Belize. I highly recommend her for any services you may require.read more
William Jones
William Jones
13:39 06 May 19
Do yourself a favor. Read this BEFORE any trip to San Pedro - Ambergris Caye or Belize in general. Not saying “do... what everyone else says”, but Laurie has frank and honest info which will make your stay in country a little more fun, a little more informative, and often at a great cost savings. Best thing: it’s unbiased, honest, and factual. Personal note: thank you for your personal tailored help in answering mine (and my wife’s) questions.read more
Kimberly Robinson
Kimberly Robinson
18:28 03 May 19
Taco Girl (Laurie) is amazing. She has so much knowledge about Belize and has great connections with many of the... businesses in Belize. Because of her connections she is able to offer many perks and discounts that you wouldn't have been able to find otherwise. She is super responsive and I always go to her for all my travel needs. From golf cart rentals, to spas, to places to eat. She's got the inside scoop on all!read more
Michael Rieck
Michael Rieck
20:22 21 Apr 19
Since 2003, my wife and I have been to Ambergris at least once a year to experience the fantastic diving. About twelve... years ago we me Tacogirl on a blog giving us discounts on golf carts, local airfares, and restaurants. Over the years we have grown a friendship and I look forward to her weekly blogs about he changes on my favorite home away from home. The island changes every year, and she always shows you what to see, do, and eat.read more
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THE ORIGINAL BELIZE BLOG

ABOUT ME

I took the plunge and moved to San Pedro Town on the Island of Ambergris Caye, off the coast of Belize, Central America. Originally from Canada, I made the life-changing move to escape winter for good (in 2006) after one three week vacation.

If you have any questions or want Belize discounts, Contact me.

SPARKING MY DESIRE

3 childhood memories that shaped my desire to move to Belize from a young age.Sailing in the Virgin Islands, seeing a rainbow out the window of an island hopper as we flew from Virgin Islands to Puerto Rico, Christmas in Hawaii and many trips to Florida.

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