Real Life Recess - Play more, work less. Expat living in Belize

Unique food tour to the Spice Farm in Southern Belize

Jun 14 2021

Another food tour post! Belize is killing it when it comes to agritourism and I must admit, I’m IN to it! It’s fun, it’s flavorful, it’s educational…what could be better? In Southern Belize we have a bounty of bananas, a surplus of citrus, a plethora of papaya, a copious amount of cacao, and too many mangoes. The climate is conducive to year-round growing and the soil is rich; which was the inspiration for the creation of the Belize Spice Farm and Botanical Garden– a beautifully special property you…

Jun 11 2021

The Tipsy Strip is a hub of shops and restaurants on the sidewalk near… you guessed it: Tipsy Tuna. I’ve been watching some changes to the Strip in the past weeks and some exciting things are happening in that little section. If it’s been awhile since you walked the sidewalk here then you might be surprised to see a few new additions to this segment of walkway. There are two new tour operator’s offices: Capt. Dermin Shrivers Fishing Charters and DTOURZ/ Doyle’s Smoke Yaad retail shop. Dermin is…

Jun 08 2021

“Daaammmmnnnn,” was what I thought when we pulled up to Bowen and Bowen’s new flagship pub, Di Bruwry. This place is MASSIVE, and MODERN, and what the heck are we in North America right now?! Bowen & Bowen, you have me shook. It’s been quite awhile since we’ve ventured out of the village and up to the city so I was completely unprepared for this expansive and exquisite new facility near the International Airport in Ladyville, Belize. Di Bruwry is Belize Brewing Company’s (a subdivision of the larger…

Jun 04 2021

Are you in Placencia this weekend? If so, you should definitely certainly 100% for sure participate in the charity 5K run/walk on Sunday morning at 7am. Sign up the day of (pre-race registration begins at 6am, race starts at 7) and give your $10bzd donation to the Placencia Volunteer Fire Department as your entry fee. There will even be cash prizes for top finishers! (made possible by community donors) This is the first in-person event we’ve been able to have since the pandemic began. The race will begin…

adventure paintball belize captain hooks shrimp farm

Jun 03 2021

Belize has so many oddities. Fantastic oddities like some land out in Ladyville (Belize City adjacent; where the International Airport is located) that is home to a working shrimp farm and restaurant…and a public pool with a little lighthouse tower that is a waterslide…and a paintball place that is unsettlingly close to a live ammunition firing range! It’s oddities like Captain Hook’s Shrimp Farm and Restaurant/ Lighthouse Bay Pool/ Adventure Zone Paintball that made our weekend wonderful. Some of our Placencia peeps planned an overnight trip to Belize…

Build a Business in Belize

May 28 2021

In my best infomercial voice: “Do you want to build a business in Belize? It’s easier than you think!” …and harder than you can imagine haha! Actually, it’s really straightforward to form a new business in Belize; it’s all the other things that business entails that can become a huge irritant to entrepreneurs- work permits, POS systems, availability of products or import duties, etc. But if you’re game to give it a go and want some ideas of what I think would work here in Belize, but specifically…

May 22 2021

An un-belize-able experience, no trip to The Jewel is complete without a chocolate tour and tasting. Ixcacao in Toledo, the southern most district in Belize, is my top choice for a chocolate tour in Belize. From bean to bar you can see how cacao is grown and harvested then processed in the authentic Maya tradition with ancient stone tools and elbow grease. You’ll complete this tour sated and with a greater appreciation for this food that the Maya people regard as sacred. I had the supreme pleasure of…

May 17 2021

Whooooo boy! The beach has provided some treasures for me. I love a good beachcombing session. What wonders will you find? An interesting shell, a beautiful piece of polished sea glass, a battered and barnacle encrusted buoy? PRIZES! I (owner of a guesthouse named Driftwood Gardens) feel like I’ve won the ocean lottery this weekend with the riches that have washed ashore for me to find. I added two interesting pieces of driftwood to my garden collection and I’m downright delighted with myself. My husband doesn’t share the…

Dr. Lyra Spang of Taste Belize culinary tours Placencia Belize

May 16 2021

There are legions of great guides not just in Placencia but throughout Belize; organized, friendly, and knowledgeable are hallmarks of a good guide and the Belize Tourism Board actually has quite rigorous requirements for licensing guides. Guides must complete a training program as well as keep current first aid certification and annual renewal up to date. In the crowd of good guides on the peninsula there are a few that stand out for their greatness, Dr. Lyra Spang of Taste Belize Tours is exceptional and is my choice…

real life recess and friends zip lining bocawina belize

May 13 2021

I’ve visited and written many times before about Mayflower Bocawina National Park in the Stann Creek District of Belize, easily reached from the popular tourist destinations of Placencia or Hopkins. The park is one of my favorites- tons of great trails and waterfalls, unexcavated ruins, and on-site activities like rappelling and ziplining. Read my previous posts on the best hike in Southern Belize or the waterfall rappelling. Our friends were itching for an adventure off the peninsula the other weekend so we zipped out to Bocawina for a…

Blog

Unique food tour to the Spice Farm in Southern Belize

What’s happening on the Tipsy Strip this weekend

Di Bruwry- di biggest pub in Belize

Sunday is RUNday in Placencia

Paintball/ Shrimp Farm/ Waterslide- weirdly wonderful weekend near Belize City

Build a Business in Belize

Best Chocolate Tour from Placencia- Ixcacao

Driftwood Days- beachcombing in Placencia

The Top Tour Guide in Placencia

Belize’s Longest Zipline Course- Bocawina Adventures