I definitely meant to write this piece last Tuesday, but accidentally wrote my Iceland piece that day, which was supposed to be for Thursday Thoughts last week. Oh well, can you tell I'm new to keeping a blog schedule? Hahaha whoops.
One of my good travel buddies, Christina, and I be-bopped down to Belize for about a week or so in August of 2018 to celebrate my turning 30. The plan was to stay the first few days on the peninsula-town of Placencia and then head north to Caye Caulker (pronounced key koker). Christina was set to arrive the day after me due to our schedules being a little off, but no big deal, I was definitely ready to travel solo...not nervous AT ALL. Completely confident. Yup. 100%. Especially after landing in Belize and seeing the teeny tiny plane that would take me to Placencia from Belize City. Yikes! Look at that thing! I was actually surprised by how sooth it was in the air, and during take off and landing. I've been on much rougher flights on much bigger, "comfier" planes.
There was no need to worry though because our AirBnb host Jacki, of Casa Placencia, made me feel super safe and pointed me in the direction of some places to try and some cool things to do. Always in search of food, I took the bike that came with my room and explored the island. On my way I even ran into some iguanas, who seemed way less thrilled by my existence than I was of theirs. I found a place called the Tipsy Tuna, which we would frequent during our few days here, and had myself a nice little meal with beach views. My first two days were mainly spent eating, enjoying the beach, and swimming in the pool.
Christina arrived late the next day, just in time for our nighttime jungle hike with DTOURZ. She couldn't have planned it any better honestly. Our tour guide Ky helped us scope out the wildlife in the Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Preserve. During our time in Placencia we got to know Jacki better- she was a baker and a chef, worked with Francis Ford Coppola (who you may know for his wines, but he also has a resort in Placencia), does construction, was instrumental in implementing a police force in Placencia, and also in building their station. She's done so much in her life and I was both inspired and impressed by her stories. We also got to explore, and eat (can you tell I love food yet?), our way down the peninsula. Restaurants of note were Dawn's Grill (the stewed chicken and coconut rice here were amazing), Rumfish and Vino whose food was okay but the rumpunch was noteworthy, Cozy Corner had amazing breakfast, and Wendy's Creole Kitchen. Tipsy Tuna had a lot going on, which was awesome; karaoke nights, wing nights, great food in general (less than thrilled about their drinks though), and one of the nights there was a traditional Garafuna drum and dance performance that encouraged audience participation. That was probably the coolest thing we randomly came across in Placencia, we went in for the wings and were treated to such a fun performance right along with it.
What I really and truly love about Plancencia, and Caye Caulker as well, is that you can legitimately bike anywhere that you need to go, and nothing is strenuous. Just a nice, peaceful little bike ride to grab ingredients for a boozy smoothie (we made these with fresh island fruits and, oh my god, so delicious), cure a rumbling belly, grab you're own slice of the beach and enjoy the view, browse souvenirs, go to the bank, or whatever else you want to do.
Before Belize I had this go, go, go mentality that made its way into my travel itineraries quite easily. Its hard not to have that happen when there is so much to see and do, you have only a limited time, and you don't know when you'll be back again. But this trip helped me chill out a bit, especially in Caye Caulker, which I'll be writing about next Tuesday. The whole vibe in Belize is so laid back its almost palpable. Every detail of the place is made to keep you at ease. The soft breeze through enormous palm tree leaves, the constant 80 degree temperatures, the friendly people, having to bike or walk everywhere instead of drive, the sun beaming down, and the soft lapping of waves anytime you're near the shore. Even the crazy rain storms we experienced, which should have felt out of place, made themselves convenient. They only happened at night, and only for short bursts of time. Man though, were they intense. That wind is something that shouldn't be underestimated, especially when it gets going!
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