Regular readers of this blog may have wondered why there were no editions for the last few days. Very simple reason really. I took some days off because Rose and I went to spend a night in Chetumal, Mexico.
We set off on Thursday morning when we caught the 8 am (well, it didn't actually depart until 8.30 am) San Pedro Water Jets International service.
We booked a return ticket at BZ$150 a ticket but because we were only staying one night we would travel back to San Pedro via Belize Express Water Taxi. The two companies operate the service on alternative days . Both companies operate the Chetumal to San Pedro route with a scheduled departure of 3 pm and only a slight difference in timing between the two for the San Pedro to Chetumal service with San Pedro Water Jets International scheduled to depart at 8 am and the Belize WaterTaxi service scheduled to depart at 7.30 am.
Both companies work together to cater for customers such as Rose and I who, because of our travel plans, wanted to use both companies' services for our trip. Nothing could be easier to book a ticket to ride from Ambergris Caye to Chetumal.
In addition to the ticket price -depending upon your status eg visitor, resident, Belizean, "QRP",etc- you have to pay BZ$10 Belize Port Tax per person for each leg of the journey and may have to pay (status determines this) an Exit Fee Tax of BZ$ 37.50 per person (we didn't because of our "QRP" status). You also have a fee of BZ$ 55 ($295 Mexican Pesos) per person Mexican Immigration Tax.
It takes around ninety to a hundred minutes to complete the coastal journey.
You need to allow around a further thirty to forty minutes to have your luggage checked (by a sniffer dog) and to pass through Customs. Once clear of Customs it took us only five minutes in a taxi to reach the Los Cocos Hotel where I had booked our one night's accommodation for the equivalent of BZ$ 114.
It's a reasonably priced, clean and well appointed hotel that is centrally located so that you never need to spend much more than the equivalent of BZ$ 3/4 wherever you want to go in Cheutmal.
Rose and I dumped our bags (a small back pack each) at the hotel and then headed off to visit the Walmart and Chedraui stores in the Plaza Las Americas. Oh, and the Burger King for lunch. I know how to spoil Rose!
The stores have such a range of goods when compared to Ambergris Caye that it creates the feeling of being a kid in a sweet shop - you want everything! But you can't.Why? Well because you have to pay tax on it if you take it back to Belize.
In the evening we enjoyed a very pleasant meal (Rose had spaghetti bolognese and I had sirloin steak) which we complimented with a nice bottle of Chilean wine.
The next morning (Friday) after a very filling (and inexpensive) breakfast at the hotel we spent a couple of hours at the Sam's Club store marvelling at the prices (so low) for the goods on display. So, if you have masochistic leanings and live on Ambergris Caye this is the trip to take!
We took a taxi from the store to the ferry terminal cleared Immigration and Customs in both Chetumal and Ambergris Caye uneventfully and were back in our rented condo by 5.30 pm (we 'gained' an hour when we re-entered Belize).
Ambergris Caye to Chetumal. A relatively inexpensive trip to make which Rose and I found to be very enjoyable.
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