Belize: The start to a year abroad
Where would you start a year-long adventure abroad? I wanted a place that offered:
The opposite of a Canadian winter — sun, heat, humidity and water
Super laidback vibes and fun, kind people
A place that made geographic sense for forward travel
Somewhere that was allowing travellers into the country / quarantine requirements I could manage
After much research, I landed on Placencia — a small village in the Stann Creek District of Southern of Belize. Placencia has an average January temperature of 26°C / 80°F and is nestled on a peninsula between the Caribbean Sea and the Placencia Lagoon. The tourism infrastructure seems to be less developed than nearby Mexico, Cuba and Jamaica, but it offers a relaxing atmosphere with genuine and fun people. And it’s a perfect mid-way point to where I knew I wanted to go in February — South America.
Getting to Belize was meant to be easy — a quick flight to Toronto and then direct on to Belize City. But nothing is simple in a global pandemic. So, two flights in one day turned into four flights, a night in Toronto, and a night in Atlanta. Plus $550 CAN in COVID-19 testing. But before I embarked on this trip, I knew I’d have to go with the flow when it came to health restrictions and requirements. So beside being diligent about keeping myself healthy, the travel was stress free.
I’m a week into my stay in Placencia and have settled into a nice routine of coffees on the patio, walks along the beach or the Sidewalk (it’s a proper noun here), books, crossword puzzles, naps, swimming and beers on the beach.
When I imagined this part of the trip I dreamt of:
Not knowing what the daily COVID-19 count is here (or anywhere)
Forgetting what day of the week it is
Learning how to be comfortable doing nothing (rejecting the cult of productivity)
Doing just what I wanted to do (not feeling pressured/obligated to tick boxes on some tourist must do list)
Ten days into the trip and I’m almost there.
xx Rachel
One of my favourite views on the The Sidewalk. View more here.
The morning view from my patio. View a tour of my Placencia Airbnb here.
An evening walk to the grocery store.
Morning coffee on the beach.