Belize

Lying only 10 Kilometers from Amergris Caye, would make getting to Belize to renew a Mexican tourist visa seem like a very simple task. As life has proven lately, it too would not be. Planning this trip was difficult, because there aren't many black and white answers when dealing with things in Mexico, including processing official government documents. For example, no one seems to know how long you actually have to leave the country to renew a six month tourist visa. We settled on going to Belize for three days and hoped it would be enough. Of course you can only get to Ambergris Caye by boat from Xcalak and without an official port, cannot then get your visa renewed, so we had to go the long way. Three hours by car, another hour on a Bluebird bus from the 70’s to cross the border and then another hour plus by taxi to our final destination. The bus ride went surprisingly smoothly, but we were met with a 500 peso exit fee each to leave Mexico, which we were warned might happen or might not, depending on the border guard. Standard operating procedure in Mexico.

Our bus stopped in Corozal, a small town of about 4000, just over the border. It has such a different feel to it than the places we have been in Mexico, Panama and Colombia. A strange, sort of hustler vibe, as the streets are lined with a number of shops and markets, where everyone is trying to make a buck. Even street hustlers, claiming to be the go to source for anything you need in town, are circling. Not a single thing for Rebecca, a vegetarian, to eat in town. Not even someone willing to throw cheese in tortilla, so we were keen to grab our one hour taxi to the area of Orchid Bay. Our taxi immediately went off road and started its trek to the Bay, where our bed and breakfast awaited. We had to cross two rivers to get there and were pleasantly surprised by the very old school hand-cranked barges on a winch system that took us across. A much needed and uplifting experience from the long day of travel thus far.

Orchid Bay is a very quiet part of northern Belize, with a few rural communities surrounding it, but shared with many expats living in a new, gated and developing community. We got to enjoy some much needed time away from the casa in Mexico and our responsibilities there, while relaxing with each other and exploring the area a little. Meals by the beach, relaxing in hammocks on boardwalks extending over the water and paddle boarding across the turquoise water was all we needed to make this short trip feel like a week. The journey back was inevitably not going to be easy and fees to leave Belize and then more to get back into Mexico were added bonuses. Still, we were both glad to get back into Mexico and a culture we are loving so much. In the end, our visas got renewed, the purpose of the trip, allowing us stay in Mexico until December.