First Few Days in Placencia, Belize

After 2 days of traveling, 3 time zones and 4 airplanes, we were more than elated to finally arrive in Placencia. Hungry and in dire need of a stiff drink, we headed down to the nearest restaurant/pub suggested by our landlady. Across the main road and then a short walk down a sandy road, we came to Buba Wuba’s Grill and Smoke Shack – right on the lagoon.

We were greeted warmly by Peter, the manager, who set us up with beer and a frozen mango drink (rum, of course) made by the barman who first walked to the nearby mango tree and picked two mangos! You can’t get any fresher than that!

After that, we ordered the traditional Belizean meal of stew chicken and rice and beans which was delicious. We learned that a lot of Canadian and American expats frequent this establishment and we made a note to come back.

The next day, we set out to explore our surroundings. Placencia is a skinny spit of land  – a peninsula – jutting out from mainland Belize into the Caribbean Sea. It’s19 miles in length and up to 1/2 a mile wide, with a mangroved lagoon on one side and a beach on the other.  At the tip – Placencia Village.

First stop, the beach, also a short walk from our apartment

where we were came across this charming little sign at the entrance.

The water was warm and I knew I was going to be able to come here and swim every morning

We arrived during the “low” season, so not much going on at this time of the year. It’s also the rainy season, so rain and storms – mostly at night. During the day, we had a few bursts of hard rain which lasted only a few minutes before going back to hot and humid again.

We set off along the famous Placencia sidewalk in search of breakfast. Our house is at the end of of this “road” so we kind of started backwards by tourist standards.

It has two main “roads.” One is an actual road – the continuation of the one road that runs up and down the peninsula, the other is The Main Street. The Main Street in Placencia Village is just a sidewalk! In fact, the Guinness Book of World Records recognizes it as the narrowest main street in the world.

But first, breakfast! We found a restaurant called De Tatch, right on the beach and ordered eggs, fry jacks and beans.

Fry Jacks are a staple in Belizean culture, delicious golden and crumbly fried dough. They are very similar to the New Orleans beignet (without the powdered sugar), typically topped with either honey or jam. Very delicious and they hit the spot.

We sat by the window and watched the ebb and flow of the sea.

Shortly after that, the wind picked up and the rain started teeming down, so we sat back down, Michael ordered a beer, and we chatted to the owner and other patrons until it passed about 15 minutes later.

Fed and watered, we continued with our exploring. Lovely little holiday cabins

Beautifully carved doors on this one

A school and a book store/book exchange

By that time, it was becoming very hot and humid. Just in time, we saw a sign for The Tipsy Tuna and decided to stop in for a drink

Mango Mojito for me and beer for Michael

It was clearly a popular place and shortly after we sat down, a two man band set up and played Reggae music.

After we left, we realized that we weren’t going to be able to walk the entire sidewalk that day, so we made our way home, stopping for lovely tamales along the way.

The rest of the sidewalk would have to be for another day.

The cats are settling in well and are loving the freedom of being able to come and go and they please and explore the area around them.

Although, they spend a lot of time inside trying to stay cool

We decided to leave the Placencia sidewalk for later in the afternoon when it’s cooler.