November 12, 2009
Cenote Azul to Belize City, Belize

Well it was not a long drive but an interesting adventure. First, there were no gas stations between Cenote Azule and the border so we had to turn around and go back about 3 miles into Chetumal and find a Pemex station and fill up with gas. Gas is 40% higher in Belize than in Mexico.
Next it was on to the border. First we had to exit Mexico and that meant getting our tourist visas stamped on the Mexican side. Well to have them stamped and the passports stamped so that we did not have to get new tourist visas coming back was about $18.00 US.
Now onto the Belizian side of the border. Firs off was to get the tires sprayed with insecticide ($7.00 US) then onto immigration to have the passports signed (no charge).
Were we bringing in any pets or animals? Yes a cat. Co you have a pet importation permit which you should have applied for in advance? Dud no. Well that will cost you now because you did not apply in advance for it ($50.00) plus a pet inspection of $10.00 US. So I got the cat into the agriculture inspectors office and he asked if the cat was tame. Yes but he is now very nervous as you can see and so be careful. He looked at Scruffy from 4-5 feet away and said he looks very healthy and well fed, ok. Next are you bringing any fruits and vegetables into the country. Yes oranges and a cabbage. Well, no oranges. So here is a bag to gather your illegal imports and you put them in here and bring them back into the office. Next was the vehicle import stamp for the motorhome and scooter. There is no charge for this but we now have 1 week to be in Belize and then we must be out because this is stamped with all of the vehicle information in it and must be stamped when we leave. Then you need Belize auto insurance and a sticker for it ($14.50 US).
We are now ready to be imported into the country. You drive up to the immigration checkpoint and a rather bored looking immigration officer just waves you into the country.
The roads are definitely more rural here in Belize than in Mexico. Mostly like our county roads (two lane paved and then rock and tar over that). They had few potholes though and the signs were pretty good (I only got lost once on the way to Belize city). You do pass through all of the small towns and villages such as Crooked Tree, Orange Walk and many others. Here they call the topes “bumps” and most of the bumps were marked but not all of them so one must be diligent and vigilant when driving. I did go over one bump that I was not vigilant enough for.
The vegetation has gone from sugar cane fields in the north of Belize to cattle grazing in the areas as we get closer to Belize city. Here the Caribes seem to predominate the population and you get to see dredlocks on some of them although most see to have short haircuts. The architecture of the buildings has definitely changed. Gone are the Mayan thatched roofs and cement walls. Now we see what I would describe as English colonial with small wood clapboard homes only one to three rooms with open windows and tin roofs. These are on stilts or well above the ground I think either for water or for insects. Yes, there are lots of those little critters here in the tropics. All sizes and colors that do bite.
The nice thing is that everyone speaks English and all of the signs etc are in English. Belizian currency is simple there are 2 Belize dollars to a US dollar. Things are more expensive here and you do have a choice now in gas stations (mostly Texaco and Gulf it would appear).
The population is a mixture of Caribs (blacks from the Carribian countries, Jamaica, Cuba, West Indies), Mayan Indian cultures, and Europeans mostly English. There are also a great many Canadians who live here, either full or part time.