- Swimsuit (wives brought two or three) and swimsuit cover-up wrapper or shirt
- Two pairs of Shorts
- Three short sleeved shirts
- One nice Hawaiian shirt and lightweight long pants for the guys, and a lightweight skirt and blouse for the ladies for wearing to nice restaurants
- Flippers, mask, and snorkel
- Small bottle of Deet or Off mosquito repellent - we worried about Malaria and took Malaria pills before we came, but in talking to people, it is not really a problem.
- Sunscreen - lots
- Binoculars for bird watching
- Camera
- Good walking shoes and socks
- Lots of small bills, ones and fives, along with your larger tens and twenties - food is really expensive; take whatever you are budgeting for food and double it or maybe triple it - that will be just about right.
- Ask your hotel if they provide a hair dryer and shampoo in the room. Some do and some don't. Ours didn't, and Kathy was glad that we e-mailed the hotel to ask before we came so she could bring hers.
Showing posts with label Hints. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hints. Show all posts
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Things to Pack
As is our wont, we over-packed. Here is all you need for a happy week on Ambergris Caye:
Language
Everyone on Ambergris Caye speaks English. Many have Spanish as their first language, and many use Creole among themselves.The Creole that we heard in Belize is a total hoot. One of our guides told us that it originated among the slaves as a way for them to communicate among themselves so that the slave owners could not understand what was being said. He told us that the Creole of Belize was a mixture of English, Spanish, and other words. The end of many words is snipped off, they are spoken quickly and kind of run together, and frequently there is a warm, humorous twist.
For example, I saw two guides saying goodbye to each other at one of the Mayan ruins. Rather than saying "See you later." or something, one guide said to the other "Don' step on no tourists, mon."
Other examples we heard were: "Bot Go" meaning "The boat is leaving." and "Dat known 'roun de worl." meaning "Everyone knows that."
After we talked to our guide about Creole, we started listening carefully, and we could indeed begin to understand what they were saying. Nevin started telling shop keepers "Hide de conch, mon. Our wives be shopping."
Tipping
The government of Belize keeps posting that there is no tipping in Belize. We found this to be inaccurate. Like everywhere else, good service in a restaurant deserves a tip.
We also tipped our tour guides, but at the very least give them a sincere "thank you" at the end of the trip. One of the guides told us that when people he took out just got off of the boat and walked away, it made him feel that he had not done a good job. These guides work long and hard on designing the whole experience, and creating explanations for things that carry a Belize sense of humor along with the factual information. We really appreciated this.
We also tipped our tour guides, but at the very least give them a sincere "thank you" at the end of the trip. One of the guides told us that when people he took out just got off of the boat and walked away, it made him feel that he had not done a good job. These guides work long and hard on designing the whole experience, and creating explanations for things that carry a Belize sense of humor along with the factual information. We really appreciated this.
Tips and Tricks for Having Fun in Belize
We learned a few lessons about Belize that we want to pass along:
1) If a restaurant/bar doesn't have tablecloths, asking for water with your meal costs you at least $2BZ for a plastic bottle of drinking water.
2) Everyone accepts US dollars. The exchange rate is two Belize dollars for one US dollar, and everyone is quite adept at making the correct transaction. No one ever tried to cheat. However, in EVERY case, when you give them US dollars, you will get Belize dollars in change, and if we asked for U.S. dollars in change at a restaurant or the hotel, they "just don't have any right now." This is no problem at all, but you have to carefully manage your Belize money collection, or you will end up with a giant load of Belize currency which you are totally stuck with if you don't spend it in Belize. TAKE LOTS OF U.S. ONE AND FIVE DOLLAR BILLS! We ended up using our Belize money as tips for the tour guides, hotel staff, and restaurant tips.
3) Take some Deet or Off insect repellent. The mosquitoes are very hungry in the early morning, early evening, and can get vicious about two days after a rain leaves puddles of water around.
4) Be a good representative of the US. Everyone we met in Belize was just great - friendly and willing to talk and explain things. However, on one of our trips a loudmouth from the East coast kept, for some not clear reason, calling on and on in a loud, obnoxious voice that he didn't like the rum punch, and he wanted "JACK DANIELS!" His poor wife was embarrassed, the tour guides were embarrassed, and we wanted to throw him overboard. The world has a bad enough opinion of the US right now, don't make it worse!
5) Wait until you get there to be sure you really need a golf cart.
6) Buy fruit from the little hole-in-the-wall places that dot the town. The very best pineapple, mango, bananas, etc. are available for not much money. We made several meals of just those fruits.
7) The tap water on Ambergris Caye seemed to be fine; we didn't need to use bottled water. Our hotel told us that it was filtered and treated. We didn't have any problems using it, and we did get ice with our drinks in most restaurants, and it also seemed to be fine.
8) The cost of food is unbelievable. Really. Unbelievable. Expect to spend a LOT on food whether you buy it in a restaurant or in the grocery store. A lot. Expect it. Big expense. No kidding!
1) If a restaurant/bar doesn't have tablecloths, asking for water with your meal costs you at least $2BZ for a plastic bottle of drinking water.
2) Everyone accepts US dollars. The exchange rate is two Belize dollars for one US dollar, and everyone is quite adept at making the correct transaction. No one ever tried to cheat. However, in EVERY case, when you give them US dollars, you will get Belize dollars in change, and if we asked for U.S. dollars in change at a restaurant or the hotel, they "just don't have any right now." This is no problem at all, but you have to carefully manage your Belize money collection, or you will end up with a giant load of Belize currency which you are totally stuck with if you don't spend it in Belize. TAKE LOTS OF U.S. ONE AND FIVE DOLLAR BILLS! We ended up using our Belize money as tips for the tour guides, hotel staff, and restaurant tips.
3) Take some Deet or Off insect repellent. The mosquitoes are very hungry in the early morning, early evening, and can get vicious about two days after a rain leaves puddles of water around.
4) Be a good representative of the US. Everyone we met in Belize was just great - friendly and willing to talk and explain things. However, on one of our trips a loudmouth from the East coast kept, for some not clear reason, calling on and on in a loud, obnoxious voice that he didn't like the rum punch, and he wanted "JACK DANIELS!" His poor wife was embarrassed, the tour guides were embarrassed, and we wanted to throw him overboard. The world has a bad enough opinion of the US right now, don't make it worse!
5) Wait until you get there to be sure you really need a golf cart.
6) Buy fruit from the little hole-in-the-wall places that dot the town. The very best pineapple, mango, bananas, etc. are available for not much money. We made several meals of just those fruits.
7) The tap water on Ambergris Caye seemed to be fine; we didn't need to use bottled water. Our hotel told us that it was filtered and treated. We didn't have any problems using it, and we did get ice with our drinks in most restaurants, and it also seemed to be fine.
8) The cost of food is unbelievable. Really. Unbelievable. Expect to spend a LOT on food whether you buy it in a restaurant or in the grocery store. A lot. Expect it. Big expense. No kidding!
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