We are breathing a sigh of relief after getting approved documentation to allow us to stay in Belize until our planned departure. Normally tourists are permitted a maximum stay of 30 days and a month extension will usually be granted. The extensions are handled on a case by case basis and cost $50 Belize per person. The staff at the Anglican Diocese in Belize City have been working on our behalf to obtain approval for us to stay the duration of our mission as volunteers and without paying fees every month. The rather lengthy process seemed to go on forever. The Immigration Office is just a three minute walk away from our house. The Officer who was working on our case, did not seem overly pleased that we were going to be getting away without paying our monthly dues. We had just met a Canadian woman who said that after six months, the monthly extension fees jump to $100. Andy and I had planned to take a boat from Consejo to Chetumal Mexico on the day we were approved the extension by fax by a government official in Belize City. The boat departs from a "gringo" development but only runs once a week on Wednesdays. We had determined that there was only one day he could juggle his Wednesday obligations. The catch was that we could not leave Belize without having our papers in order. Belize charges a departure fee of $19 U.S. per person to leave the country by land or $3.75 U.S. by boat which makes travelling by boat more appealing. To make a long story shorter, it would have definitely seemed that the Officer was trying her best to stall our plans for catching the boat. When we got to the end of the process, she insisted that we had to go to make photocopies (for her records!) of our passports. Luckily for us, when we arrived at the boat dock, it was 30 minutes late leaving and we just walked on after paying our departure fee.
My first impression was that of the size of the boat carrying everyone who was going to Chetumal with the intentions of filling up their large and wheeled carry on shopping carts. Hmm........it seemed like the boat was weighted down already with the amount of passengers and the thought of the extra merchandise on our return journey definitely entered my mind more than once. The passengers happily chatted about what they had planned on buying in the shopping mecca during the 8 minute journey. Everyone had their fair share of water splashes whether that be to clothing or hair but everyone took it in good humour......after all shopping is retail therapy isn't it? We passed through mangrove swamps and my mind wandered to my guide book information I had previously read about the American Crocodile being an inhabitant of those exact areas. Yikes! Even the elusive life jackets would have been a little more comforting had we needed them.
We docked at a tiny pier where we were required to fill out tourists cards in a very small office and then we were on our way. We were really impressed with Chetumal as we walked past the Palace of the Governor. We walked further and entered Sam's Club just to take a peek. We hailed a taxi and drove to Plaza Las America which is an indoor air conditioned mall much like Woodgrove Centre with a large food court. We really had no notion of what we were looking for but the experience was fun. As we were nearing our time to leave and catch a cab back to the dock, we passed a Supermarket............truly a real supermarket that enticed us both inside. To our amazement there was plenty of the foods that I had been craving. We wondered how much we could pack in our packsacks and at one point even debated on whether we should purchase a cooler as we only had one backpack each. Eventually common sense prevailed and we made it to the checkout with everything from Organic Mexican coffee, Gourmet Mexican Chocolate and things we could not purchase in Belize.......good bread. The bakery reminded us of home except the way the customer selects the items. First you take a aluminum platter and with tongs, you place all your intended purchases and pass to the lady who weighs your baked items. The store was clean, attractive and food handlers wore masks. Time was of the essence to catch our boat back to Belize but we were having fun......and I wanted more time to wander up and down the aisles looking at products and to read labels........even if I don't understand Spanish. I honestly did not think grocery shopping could be this much fun. By the time we were at the check out, our bill came to 925 pesos. Our cab ride back to the boat including a 33% tip came to 20 pesos........less than $2 Canadian.
Upon arriving safely back in Belize, we were met by Immigration Officers who were sitting at a plastic table under the palm trees. They requested that we open up our backpacks for inspection. There is a long list of foods that are not allowed back into Belize such as Pasta, Rice, Soft Drinks, Meat and Produce. We had our passports stamped and we were on our way.
Guess where I am going to next Wednesday?
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