Belize Insider Articles Archives

I learned that in Belize “fresh” actually means “this just came out of the ground this morning.” The first time I ate fresh carrots in Belize, I could not believe how good they tasted.

When people find out I left my life in the U.S. to move to Placencia, Belize, one of the first questions they ask is how it has changed me—and what life looks like compared to the U.S. The truth is, life is very different in Belize.

After 28 years in the military, it was time to do something else. I had had enough of the high pressure, busy, constantly changing lifestyle. It was time to relax a bit.

For three years now, Lisa and her husband Ronnie, have made their home on the island of Ambergris Caye. But this couple aren’t ones for just lazing on a beach all day. They enjoy an impressive array of water-based activities on Ambergris.

Ambergris Caye is a world-renowned vacation and dive destination. It’s largest town, San Pedro, is the heartbeat of this tropical island and its tiny airport is normally quite busy with crowded shuttle flights back and forth to the mainland.

The Cayo District in western Belize, is known for its winding rivers, honeycomb caves, dense rainforest jungle, colorful birds, elusive jaguars, and rich Mennonite farmland. It is also the Mundo Maya, the center of the Maya World.

The Cayo, a 2,000-square-mile region in Belize’s interior, casts an irresistible spell. It’s home to lush fields where Mennonites farm…untamed jungles where jaguars roam…and meandering rivers perpetually flowing toward the sea.

In my 30s, I dreamt of living on a romantic Caribbean island, surrounded by the aquamarine Caribbean Sea… I wanted to swim to my heart’s content in clear, lukewarm water, surrounded by vibrantly colored tropical fish, corals, and sponges.

Mark Baker and his wife, Jacqueline, learned how to adapt to living overseas during his career in the U.S. Army. “We lived in Western Europe, Central Europe, and Scandinavia,” says Jackie.

The Cayo District, in the foothills of Belize's Maya Mountains, is a region of meandering rivers that flow seaward through dense jungles. Majestic ceiba trees, sacred to the Maya, stand tall and proud on the hilltops of the fertile Mennonite farmland.