Good Things This Week On Ambergris Caye: Scooters, Murals, Chinese Ingredients and Fried Conch

Earlier this week, I did something I haven’t done in a while.  I grabbed my camera, I walked around a few parts of town and I took pictures.  I forgot how much I love doing this…

Walking around San Pedro town is where so much of the good stuff is.  And the other half of the good stuff?  Talking to people.  Asking your bartender, your taxi driver, a shopkeeper, fellow waiting in line for morning tacos…asking them for suggestions – how do you eat your tacos? what’s your favorite lunch spot?  where do you and your family go when you want to swim?  You catch my drift…

If you just stick to a golf cart – you are missing out on a bunch.  As always, if you’ve never been to the island, I recommend taking a lunch tour with my friends at Belize Food Tours.  Not only do you get an amazing introduction to the food of San Pedro but you get a feel for the layout of the town…and where some of the major landmarks are.

Here are a few things I saw and ate and purchased…

I’ll start with two very cute things I saw at Matachica Resort.

I’ve always dreamed of having a Vespa on Ambergris Caye…and I don’t want to hear about how the salt and roads would wreck it or how I couldn’t get parts for her.  I’m allowed to dream right?

I saw these two cuties parked at Matachica.  Not Vespas but a Mexican brand and far cheaper.  Cute, right?  And with the peso-US dollar so favorable…I need to figure out a way to raise some money…and then buy one of these just over the border and drive it to Ambergris Caye.  Border crossing…negotiation with immigration and customs…overnighting on a barge.  Now THAT’S A BLOG.

Scooters at Matachica

And then…this cute Yellow-Throated Warbler joined me at my table.  Apparently, in addition to ants and mites, they enjoy Taco Tuesday with half-priced margaritas at Matachica.

Pork (my fave), chicken, shrimp, fish.

Next up…running to town for some errands.  My #1 goal was to return with Shaoxing Wine.  No…I had never heard of that before this week – but the internet assured me that it was the different between ok Chinese food and Chinese food that tastes like it was made in a restaurant. I was making Char Siu pork in my Instant Pot (I was inspired by the tacos above!) and this was my one missing ingredient.

I checked the usual places – Greenhouse Market on Middle Street.  Superbuy in town (the largest supermarket on the island) and knew where I had to go.

Island Supermarket just south of town.  It is Chinese-owned and has a MASSIVE selection of Chinese ingredients.

Need a 5 gallon jug of soy sauce?

Maybe this was my wine?

I’ll skip to the end…I didn’t find it but I think that is only because I can’t read Mandarin.  It has to be here somewhere!  15 types of soy sauce, countless intriguing labels without translation.  Even the store management could not provide translations.

Lucky cat was not with me this day.

I did not find my wine (though they have about 8 different types of Chinese wine) – but I did find a jar of Lee Kum Kee Char Siu sauce for only $17.95bzd.  That’s cheaper than Amazon!  (You can’t say THAT very often in Belize)

Note:  This store can be…draining.  They have soooo much stuff piled ceiling-high…so many random things.  I can’t make it for more than 10 minutes in here.  See if you can beat my record.

I headed over to see (and listen to) the very cool mural just south of here.  Have you seen it yet?  It’s by two artists from Houston named Donkeeboy and Donkeemom and it’s beautifully done.

I was checking it out because if you get close, you’ll hear that it also plays music.

Sponsored by the Phoenix Resort and Wine De Vine…I love public art.  We need more more more!  Go check it out.

I stopped to check out the plant selection at this small stall on Back Street.  The woman who owns it has some plants on display out front but even more in the back.  Ask to see them!

I got a lovely little cactus and a yellow crown of thorns plant – both for $25bzd.  Free good advice as I lamented my sickly porch plants:  Stop loving them so hard.  (aka Stop watering them so much!)

And lastly…one of my favorite conch dishes in town.  They don’t have it every day but ask…they might have a few portions in the back.

It’s at Aba Isieni – a VERY popular take-out only, lunch only, get it from about 1130 to 2 pm and then closed spot between town and the bridge.

The jerk sauce is VERY popular – and I’ve been told the fish filet with jerk sauce is amazing.  But I was all about the fried conch.

Kiku, the restaurant cat with an attitude.

And because the 3 other people waiting were ordering it…I got a carrot juice.  VERY carrot-y and not too sweet.  Interesting!

I’ll leave it there!  I hope you are all having a fantastic weekend.  Let me know if you have any ideas for my Scooter-fundraiser.

Maybe I should learn to ride a scooter first….

Posted in: