DAYS 1-3 as Belizean Residents! Exploding Kittens(food), Sticker Shock, Secret Beach Road...
A note should you try to pack canned pet food in a checked bag - 5 of 7 of mine EXPLODED inside the luggage - chicken with gravy was everywhere. The Village Market has the same tins I pay 79 cents for from Chewy for $2.50 U.S., so these cats just got a lot more expensive.
DAY 1: Journey to Secret Beach
Day 1 (Tuesday) found us in town for breakfast at The FryJack House, home of inexpensive yet exceptionally filling breakfast and lunch! They have made some improvements since our last visit summer of 2023, including closing in the dining room (Air conditioning..? Hallelujah!) and printed menus, instead of a chalkboard. They did bump their prices slightly, but it's still incredibly affordable and an excellent value.
From there, we headed to Saul's Cigar & Coffee House for iced Coconut Rum Cream coffees - the best way to start your day!
A quick stop back home to pack up for Secret Beach - the west coast of Ambergris Caye, where we will build our new home. It's about a 30-minute ride by golf cart from our villa.
We park at Sunset Palace and get a round of drinks before walking to our property, but on the last road before Sunset Palace, we came upon two mystery mammals in the road! I was able to grab my phone and capture one of them when we approached. What do you think it is? Mystery Mammals at Secret Beach - Jaguarundi? Fox? Coati?
The experts on FB were split; either fox or coati.
First fu-fu cocktail at Sunset Palace
Reaching our land, we were disappointed that our fence was gone, as was a lot of our sand. Could be tidal, more likely sand pirates stealing it. Crushing feeling, especially since we have owned the land since 2018. Not being here to protect our property has led to lumber theft, sand theft, and fence degradation. Our hope is with us being more present, the issues will cease, or at least, slow down.
On the way back, we tried out the new paved road! This is big news on the island - Secret Beach is the top tourism draw, so having a smooth, passable road regardless of weather is a big step. Here is a video of the new Secret Beach Road sections.
We came back into town for dinner, deciding on Hurricane's Ceviche Bar - they have an over-water restaurant and after a mosquito invasion at Waraguma the night before, we welcomed the sea breeze that keeps mossies at bay. It is certainly slow season already - we were the only table in the dining room. As always, we had epic seafood meals, they never disappoint!
Full as ticks and slightly sunburnt, we called it an early night.
DAY 2: Wednesday
The FryJack House is closed on Wednesdays, so we instead navigated to Estel's, an island pillar. It's more touristy, an open-air restaurant on the beach, but a hearty breakfast is $11-12 U.S.
In the past, we have waited too long into our trip to book diving or fishing excursions, and with a potential tropical storm inbound, I asked the men if they wanted to book fishing for Thursday before the water became choppy. I was tickled to reach Tacio, a FB Legend of Tour Guides, and he was available and VERY affordable! Quick response, too.
After breakfast, we again hit Saul's for iced coffee and returned to Secret Beach.
Once back in town, I checked that our U-Pack trailer had been picked up as scheduled, and it was - so now, we wait for our goods to be shipped.
For dinner, we opted for Big Taste for their legendary Birria Quesadilla - 3 of 4 of us ordered this dish, so the accouterments were on a separate plate.
I cannot express to you how great this dish is in words! Last year we brought Zach and his friend as Ethan wasn't available, and the guys fought over my leftovers. Copy-and-repeat this year. It's a little restaurant on the side street that Mayan Princess is on. We spoke a bit with the owner's daughter - her mom does all of the cooking - the daughter runs the counter. Food made with love, and different specials each day. We had told a few service people that we had moved, and the daughter was the first to be genuinely welcoming. It caught me off-guard that a few others asked questions like, "Oh, you like it here...?" or seemed indifferent to our permanent arrival. As vacationers, we have always been welcomed with open arms.
DAY 3, Thursday: Fish on!
Nathan and the boys were up to meet Tacio and G at a dock across the street from our neighborhood, meaning I had a day to do Sharon Stuff, like grocery shop, get gas at the new gas station, and pick up more drinking water. Glamorous, I know!
I started at Super Buy, the big fancy grocery store on Middle Street. It definitely caters to ex-pats with a lot of American products, and certainly gave me some sticker shock. I purchased some non-perishables like capers, olives, and cookies and noted pricing on things like cat food and litter, champagne, and other creature comforts that we regularly purchased in the U.S.
From there, I headed to Walk Mart, just south of the Tropic Air terminal. Still targeting ex-pats, but a little more cost-effective. Here I bought tea bags for iced tea, cat litter (Arm & Hammer Super Scoop, 14#s for $19 U.S.), an 8oz block of generic cheddar for $7 U.S., and a box of Big Cheez-Its for $10.50 U.S. which I hid from Nathan - I figured when the boys leave, he is going to be sad, and Big Cheez-Its are his favorite!
Last, I rolled by a fruit and vegetable stand just south of the bridge and picked up an avocado - they are now in season! And they grow them big here, it's larger than my hand. I also bought 2 guavas, and a purple juice (chamoy? I need to go back!). I am going to commit to try at least 1 new thing a week, because I am a creature of habit that always orders the same thing at the same restaurant because it's safe, instead of branching out. Time to live a little!
I returned home with my loot and was doing some general tidying up when the guys came back home with fish. 5lbs fileted!
They said Tacio and G were exceptional guides, they learned a lot and had a fantastic time! Genuine, appreciative, and like fishing with family. Please do reach out to them for tours - they do reef fishing, beach BBQs, and snorkel trips - always posting photos and videos of what they see!
Tacio Badillo's Fishing & Day Tours
With a large haul of fresh fish, we loaded it into Pyrex and dropped it off at El Fogon, a traditional Belizean restaurant. This is our third time bringing our fresh catch in, and each time, they have absolutely wowed us with the preparation! We chose 3 different styles when we returned that evening - fried, creole, and citric - plus steamed veggies and rice, rice and beans for sides. Nathan winced when Ethan picked "fried", but we all agreed, it was the best fried fish we have had anywhere!
El Fogon also made some serious improvements - the restaurant is now enclosed, air-conditioned, with a concrete floor. Nathan and I ate here when I first brought him in 2014 - it had sand floors, was dimly lit, and was so hot as they cook on a fire hearth.
As you may be able to tell, food is a big part of why I love Belize - everything is so fresh, I feel so much better without all of the preservatives and garbage in American food!