Unbelizeable

Forgive the corny title but I had to do it. It’s my first time in Central America, and I’m loving Belize.

At the start of this year, I wanted to visit Costa Rica but my plans fell through, and I’m glad they did! So why Belize? I didn’t know much about the country before this trip but I watched this Youtube video and honestly, that’s all it took.

I started my time here with a vacation in San Pedro. This beachy town is located in the Northern part of Belize on Ambergris Caye. As far as vacations go, this is the most unprepared I’ve ever been for a trip.

I knew where the airport was and how to get to my Airbnb and that’s about it! I had nothing planned for when I arrived. Thankfully, San Pedro has a relaxed and unpretentious vibe, so there’s no pressure to rush around. My Airbnb was within walking distance of nearby restaurants and minutes from the beach. I spent Thanksgiving Day floating on an inner tube and reading my Kindle.

Here are a few bites I enjoyed in San Pedro. Belizean food has similar flavors and ingredients as Haitian or Dominican cuisine, which felt delightfully familiar. Most of my dinners involved rice and beans or plantains. And all the seafood was incredibly fresh!

A popular breakfast here is refried black beans, scrambled eggs, and fryjacks, which are the crispier less-doughy cousins of beignets. My favorite restaurant in San Pedro was Maxie’s, where I ordered several lychee martinis. Most days, I lounged in an Adirondack chair overlooking the Caribbean. I would recommend exploring the area by golf cart so you can see more of the local spots. After San Pedro, I headed to Placencia to join a digital nomad co-living community. Noma Collective offers a digital worker community, private accommodations, and organized excursions for 3 or 4 weeks. (Shout out to our community manager, Sarah who was amazing). For anyone thinking of remote work abroad, I recommend them. I’ve never traveled with a group before but Noma makes the experience easy.

Week one went by so fast. We went to Maya Beach Bistro for dinner and visited Placencia to explore the town. They have a cute boardwalk-style downtown with restaurants and bars right on the beach. In the mornings, I worked from my apartment or a local coffee shop, and every night there was an optional activity. My favorite group dinner was at Rumfish y Vino, which served the best food and drinks. Many evenings, our group ended the night drinking coladas and rum cocos at Barefoot Bar, while folks danced and the ocean waves crashed on the shore behind us. Traveling in a group like this makes it a lot easier to get to know people. I’ve met so many other nomads who’ve been traveling the world for the past few years.

On the first weekend, our group had a snorkeling tour of Silk Caye, a tiny island maybe a few yards in diameter surrounded by a gorgeous coral reef. Our guide, Akeem took us onto the reef and pointed out the marine life including starfish, spiny lobster, and tons of blue tangs. He also shared a ton about Belize’s history and ecology, including how their barrier reef protected Belize from early colonization attempts and how their creole derived from Jamaican Patois.

After Silk Caye, we headed out to snorkel with sea turtles. The local fishermen stay at sea for days while they wait for their catch. Schools of fish, nurse sharks, and sea turtles follow the boats to eat whatever the fishermen throw over. This was my favorite experience so far. The sea turtles swam so close that you could accidentally touch them. (Though I was told later that they do sometimes bite). We stopped the local fisherman and I bought fresh lobster tails that we had prepared at our next stop, King Lewey Island. This location is a pirate-themed island with lawn games and a bar. By the time we got there, it was mostly deserted and felt a bit like an abandoned Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. I’d say it’s one of the spots you can skip.

Here’s a little highlight reel of my first week of adventures in Belize. I hope you enjoy watching it!

I’m now officially near the end of my trip and it’s hard to imagine leaving. Three weeks go by so fast that I find myself wanting to stay longer. And thanks to the other nomads, I’ve been inspired me to consider other places I might want to visit. One day, I hope to return to Belize and explore San Ignacio and a few other locations, but Placencia will have a special place in my heart.

P.S. Special credit to my Noma crew for capturing many of the photos and clips I shared!

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