PlanetEye

Sunday, March 30th, 2008

The Toilet Rules

Brendan

The Global Nomad

As a guide, there are always a handful of essential, on-the-ground pieces of knowledge I find people need to know about as soon as they arrive in a country—things they either don’t get from guidebooks, or are too important (like safety), variable (exchange rates) or personal (tipping) to trust entirely to a book.

Possibly the most important of these is something I call The Toilet Rules.

In literally dozens of countries it seems for some reason that nether guidebook nor tour guide mentions an essential fact about life in that country: toilet paper does not go in the toilet. Certainly the local tourism board ain’t gonna bring it up.

For those who are shocked by this, or think this only happens in the most backward of places, let me illustrate with a story.

My mother used to host English language exchange students from around the world at her house in Canada. One day I returned from various tours in non-TP-in-the-toilet countries and mentioned casually that is was hard to get used to putting the stuff back down the bowl. My mom’s ears picked up and she asked where, then, the soiled TP goes.

Used TP in countries like this (ranging from Mexico to Thailand to Greece) is usually deposited in a small receptacle, often a garbage can and often lined, within reach of the toilet bowl. This is my test when people are unsure of whether or not to wipe and flush or not: is there a small bin conspicuously placed within reach?

My mother’s eyes lit up. “Aha! Now I understand!” Turns out that over the previous month while some Mexican students were living with her, the bathroom garbage can was continuously full to the brim… with clean toilet paper (which she was going through at an alarming rate.)

The students were showing good etiquette: just because you put the TP in a bin doesn’t mean you have to look at it—cover it with some extra clean paper, or at least wrap it up nicely….

• Posted in  Customs & Rituals
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Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Fryjacks & Fritters - Culinary Belize

Brendan

The Global Nomad

When was the last time you saw a Belizean restaurant in a big international city? Yeah that’s what I thought.

Belize isn’t exactly known for its cuisine, and sometimes it seems like everything is deep fried. But there are some fun eats to be had, as long as you aren’t too fussy about presentation or trans-fat counts.

If you are lucky enough to be here during lobster season, cheap and plentiful lobster tops the list—for as little as ten bucks you can have a fresh lobster dinner; try it in everything from fritters (mmm) to tacos.

Speaking of fritters, conch fritters is my favourite way to have that most Caribbean of shellfish. If you aren’t familiar with the chewy meat from the shell made famous as an instrument, you can also find it in soups and stews, as well as fresh in ceviche, the Latin dish where seafood is chemically ‘cooked’ in a mix of lime juice, cilantro and other veggies like onion or peppers. (And it’s pronounced CON-k, at least here)

Of course, Belize is a world hot sauce superpower, and although food is usually not cooked spicy, hot sauce made with the regional habanero pepper (the hottest in the world) is a standard fixture on every restaurant table.

One of the least healthy but tastiest Belizean treats is fryjacks, essentially triangular fried bread served at breakfast, can also be stuffed with the rest of your breakfast—eggs, bacon, sausage all wrapped in dough and fried….mmmm. It’s no wonder Belizeans aren’t the slimmest of people.

• Posted in  Eating
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Monday, March 24th, 2008

Air Belize

Brendan

The Global Nomad

I pride myself on finding things to love about places others love to hate. As far as I’m concerned, every place has SOMEthing to offer, the secret is to find that thing and focus on it.

That having been said, I still haven’t found that thing for Belize City. My advice: get out. Preferably as soon as possible.

Buses in Belize are affordable, but if you can shell out just a little more, flying can be a very economical way to see parts of the country that might take too long to get to otherwise. Plus, most domestic flights can stop at Belize City’s international airport (BZE) as well, so you can easily get on your way as soon as you arrive.

(Important note: if you are pinching pennies but still want to fly, or are arriving by land, it is cheaper to fly from the tiny domestic terminal downtown. Not to mention if you are already in the city, you’ll save quite a bit on the taxi—about 20 bucks.)

As much you may be accustomed to planning and booking ahead, especially when it comes to air travel, you should get rid of this habit when it comes to flying in Belize (or Honduras for that matter). Flights are frequent, cheap and flexible; locals rarely book more than a day ahead and I have several times shown up at the airport and just hopped on the next flight without a problem.

Belize is also a great place to experience the fun of small airplane travel. Many times I have been able to hug the pilot from behind, and on my last flight a final passenger was able to squeeze on my flight by sitting in the co-pilot’s seat! There’s nothing quite like seeing a country from a small low-flying airplane.

Belize has two main domestic airlines: Tropic Air and Maya Island Air.

Also Note: there are both domestic and international departure taxes when flying out of BZE airport. At writing the domestic one was very cheap (no more than a dollar or two) but if you are flying internationally it is quite steep—about USD$35.

Whether you have to pay this or not depends on whether it has been buried in the price you paid for your ticket, and this depends on your airline. TACA for example had already included it in our tickets, but American Airlines had not. In this case you will have to pay this tax in US dollars on the spot. They do accept credit cards but will not accept Belize dollars.

If you can’t see it in the fine print breakdown of your ticket price, ask your airline. The other important message is that when you are leaving the country use up your Belize dollars before you go through security, as the duty free also only accepts US dollars, and you will only have beer and souvenirs to spend your remaining cash on!

• Posted in  Transportation
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Thursday, March 20th, 2008

Placencia, Belize

Brendan

The Global Nomad

If you like Caye Caulker, you’ll definitely like Placencia.

Sitting at the end of a long, narrow strip of sand in southern Belize, Placencia is far enough out of the way that it requires an effort to get to. (If you don’t have a ton of time, check out the Flying Belize post, soon to be up after this)

Perhaps this explains why so many people who do make it tend to stick around longer than they expected. Like 10 years longer.

Blessed with beautiful beaches and affordable accommodation, Placencia is a great place to kick back and do sweet f**k all. Aside from the beaches its claim to fame is the narrowest main street in the world: a footpath leading through the sand for the length of the village, originally built for wheelbarrows full of fish. However, if you are looking to leave the hammock (to say, eat) here are some cool things to keep you occupied:

Beer and Mexican-Belizean fusion at the Barefoot Bar. Location, location, location. Barefoot is more than just a name. A beachfront location, quick service and great soft tacos. A popular hangout for the long-timers.

Breakfast at the De-Tatch Café. If your system can handle it, go for the grease-laden fryjacks, then pull up a beach chair and…you know. Also has internet access and wireless.

Karaoke at the Purple Space Monkey. Join the battle—for serious cash (like USD$250!) once a week at this great restaurant. Service isn’t great actually, but they have good food, a row of computers or customers to use, and wireless for those with laptops.

Darts at the Pickled Parrot. One of our favourite spots to have a Belikin or five, the PP is run by two Canadian sisters who cook up some serious comfort food. Once a week they have an impromptu, but vicious, darts tourney.

Do a boat trip. The water is impossibly blue, and chances are good you might run into anything from dolphins to manta rays to nurse sharks. There are several options, but the coolest one is to take a catamaran—you can take your rum punch and go sit in the net between the pontoons between bouts of snorkelling.

Next Wave Sailing
USD$90 gets you a full day, including drinks, lunch and snorkelling gear.
http://www.nextwavesailing.com/

Of course, longer charters are available from several companies—why not take a boat trip for a week?

• Posted in  City Review
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Monday, March 17th, 2008

Chillin in Belize V.1: Caye Caulker

Brendan

The Global Nomad

Caye Caulker, Belize

How fast can you go on an island where the only vehicles are golf carts? The biggest event you’ll find on Caye Caulker is watching the sunset every evening from the beach bar at the end of the island.

One great thing about Caye Caulker is its easy access from Belize City. From the main pier regular speedboats leave for Caulker, taking about 45 minutes, about USD$10 each way. Be aware that these are usually open air boats so brig whatever sunscreen you need for the trip or cover up. If you fly it’s a short, beautiful hop.

Once you’re there, you may even choose to go barefoot. The island consists of only a few main streets, only one or two of which you will likely need. Accommodation is reasonable, and there are enough options for restaurants that you aren’t likely to get bored.

Diving, snorkelling and drinking are the main pursuits, with excellent reefs all around and reasonable access to the Blue Hole—a perfectly circular limestone sinkhole 500 feet deep, 300 feet across and 60 miles off the Belize coast—a Mecca for divers.

Oh, and for the record: “Caye” in Belize is pronounced “KEE.” There, I said it.

Caye Caulker Water Taxi Association
www.cayecaulkerwatertaxi.com

• Posted in  City Review
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Monday, March 17th, 2008

Barefoot and Belikin - Chillin in Belize

Brendan

The Global Nomad

Busy, busy, busy…why is everyone always trying to make you DO stuff? Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing at all, and some places seem perfectly designed for…well, nothing. Try Being rather than being busy, and you might even see another side of where you are—or of yourself.

Some places become famous for the sole reason that they are so laid back that people tend to go…and forget to leave. These kinds of places collect their own genre of traveller-expat, one that ranges from escapist to lost to just simply relaxed.

Wherever you fit on this spectrum, the next two entries will focus on places in Belize that are designed for just chilling out.

Hang up your hammock, grab a Belikin beer (or the Belizean favourite—a “Panty Rippa”) and kick back.

Panty Rippa
1 oz. coconut rum
1 oz grapefruit juice

Stir. Drink. Repeat.

• Posted in  City Review
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Monday, March 10th, 2008

Virtually here - Communication on the Road V.2

Brendan

The Global Nomad

Ok, so you have a Skype account, and are happily chatting away to mom and the boyfriend back in Kansas. Free. Not bad, eh? But what happens when you aren’t at a computer?

Cell phones are great tools but international roaming charges are notoriously expensive, phone cards are a hassle. Don’t even think of using a hotel phone.

The first solution is collecting SIM cards.

Step one: First, make sure you have a GSM phone.

Step two: Next, make sure it will work on at least one frequency used in each place you are travelling. It’s easy to check—here is one listing:

http://www.simoncells.com/scripts/gsmzone.asp

Tri-band and quad band phones are now inexpensive enough that this shouldn’t be an issue.

Of course, one way to avoid the last two steps is to buy a phone once you arrive, which may depend on your language skill and patience; I find there’s usually someone who has an old phone they aren’t using anymore that is perfect for travelliing—you won’t cry if it gets destroyed.

Step three: Once you arrive, go to a cell provider and buy a local SIM card. Your new local phone number will be associated with the SIM, and if pay-as-you-go there should be a minimum of paperwork. Presto, you have a local cell! Buy cards with credit at your local street kiosk and you are ready to go.

At this point there are lots of options, including

-forwarding your home or home cell to your new international number (if your plan or provider isn’t going to kill you with the long distance)

-forwarding your internet phone to your new local number. If you have an internet-based phone like a SkypeIn number, you can usually forward it to any number, meaning you only pay the equivalent of a Skype call—usually pennies a minute (plus your local cell usage)

-doing the same thing in reverse: when you want to call someone in another country, calling a local access number, and then having the call routed cheaply

The possibilities are endless. Happy talking!

• Posted in  Technology
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Tuesday, March 4th, 2008

Virtually Home – Communication on the Road V.1

Brendan

The Global Nomad

Once upon a time, communication while travelling went something like “oh, yes indeed we would being happy to place a call for you! Please to eating dinner first…” and someone would come find you once the operator got through half an hour later.

Then came GSM roaming. And it was good. But expensive. Text messaging was a great, but limited option.

Then, as the internet spread and web-based email became common, we wondered how we ever made do without it, not to mention online chatting with the likes of Messenger.

Today things have continued to evolve to the point where the Internet is replacing traditional phone service. All of this is manna to the ears of travellers, especially those of us trying to ‘work’ remotely as much as possible.

Today there are lots of options—and they change every day—but here are some tools I find most useful for staying in touch on the road:

Skype – Essentially an internet phone tool, Skype has been around for some time. However, it’s only in recent years that internet speeds have gotten fast enough (and Skype technology better) that your average 3rd world internet café can still deliver decent call quality.

Today Skype can do a whole lot more then just make phone calls between computers—you can call any phone in the world for rates like 3 cents a minute. Once the small program is installed, calls between Skype accounts are free. Yesterday I had a conference call between myself here in Brazil, my brother in Taiwan, and my father in Canada, for about an hour, for free. Quality was about as good as an average cell phone.

If you aren’t travelling with a laptop and you don’t want to rely on cafes having headsets, you can get a small USB phone for about 20 bucks. Here are some ideas of what’s available:
 http://www.i-voip.co.uk/

Note: as VoIP internet-based phones for your home are becoming common (if you don’t know your IP from your VIP, read this primer: http://voip.about.com/od/voipbasics/a/whatisvoip.htm), you may already have one and might like to “take it with you.” I originally switched my home IP phone—which was tied to a gateway (read: box too big to want to lug it around)—over to a software-based system so I could keep my number. But Skype’s experience showed in its quality and reliability and I eventually dumped it. Try for yourself.

Also important to note is that if you want an incoming phone number as well as just the ability to call out, things are slightly more complex. In my case at least, Skype doesn’t have numbers in every country; Canada is notably absent. There are solutions to everything, though.

If you want more info feel free to write me at globalnomad@planeteye.com and if there is interest I can post more on this topic.

To be continued….with more tech tools to come

http://www.skype.com/

• Posted in  Technology
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Saturday, March 1st, 2008

Got Maya?

Brendan

The Global Nomad

The area that corresponded to the world of the Maya extends from present-day southern Mexico, through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and northern Honduras.

After running seemingly countless tours of the Mayan World, I definitely have my favourite ruins. Here are the GlobalNomad’s top 5 Mayan Ruins list, and some tips for seeing each.
 

Tikal – Peten region, Guatemala. The mother of all Mayan sites in my opinion. Truly huge (lots of walking), with some of the tallest temples in the Mayan world rising out of the remote Guatemalan jungle. Take at least a full day to see them—plan on spending two nights in the area.

Palenque – Chiapas, Mexico. Also saved from being overrun by its relatively remote site. It may still be possible to gain entry permission to the main temple tomb by going to the Archaeological office and writing an explanation of why you are interested! They give you a reservation time and you meet at the back door.

Copan – Copan Ruinas, Honduras. Famous for its stelae (carved ceremonial pillars), Copan is great also for its location—overlooking a pretty river valley and at an altitude that makes the climate easier than other sites. Plus colonial town of Copan Ruinas is a hidden gem.

Lamanai and Caracol - Belize. A tie for these. Caracol is the larger of the two and farther in the jungle, but the road to it was recently much improved—see it before the cruise ships descend (à la Tulum). Getting to Lamanai is half the fun: the only way is via high speed boats upriver for the better part of an hour.

Uxmal - Yucatan, Mexico. Unique and very cool, it can be combined with some smaller sites in the area like Labná and Kabah, which are also great. Stay across the road at the gorgeous Hacienda Uxmal, where the archaeologists stayed while excavating.

Runners Up: Secret cool sites not many people go to but which are well worth the effort:

Xunantunich - Belize. A hand crank ferry takes you across a river to this site, with a view over the Guatemalan border

Cobá - Yucatan, Mexico. Mostly under shade, it’s flat so you can rent a bike to ride around the site. Has some great recently excavated ball courts

Bonanpak – Mexico. Seriously hard to get to, famous frescoes

Note: for those who wonder why Chichen Itza was not included…well, it doesn’t need my help to be promoted. Great site, but the zoo it has become detracts from the enjoyment. If you go, stay at one of the nearby hotels so you can visit the site in the morning and evening when the tour buses are fewer. Ditto for Tulum, a minor site with a spectacular location on the ocean which has sadly been turned into a Disneyesque charade.

• Posted in  Culture
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