View Single Post
  #1 (permalink)  
Old 12-26-2005, 01:04 AM
fossildoc fossildoc is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 337
Logistics for new students - part III: Mail

Mail
----
The mail system in San Pedro is very different from that in the U.S.

Sending mail
------------
There are no mail collection boxes in San Pedro. If you want to mail anything, you have to go to the post office in town and deal with the clerk. Don't try finding the Belize postal service web site, because there is none. There's no way to find out how much something costs to mail until you face off with the clerk.

Receiving mail
--------------
There is no mail delivery in San Pedro, and I have yet to see a number on a house. The school uses a street address as well as a post office box, but the street address doesn't seem to have any purpose except for online forms that won't accept a post office box address.

To receive mail in San Pedro there are two options:
(1) Rent a box at the post office. This is how the school gets its mail.
(2) Go to the post office every day and ask if there is any mail for you. They will hold letter mail for some period of time, after which it will be returned to the sender. For packages, they will hold it for seven days after which there is a daily storage fee of $0.10BZ; at the end of 21 days the package is disposed of according to instructions on the Customs form attached to the package.

The post office is on Front Street, across from Atlantic Bank. It's about the size of your bedroom.

Note that students' mail addresses are c/o the school, so you don't have to rent a box. The school will pick up your letters but will give you a Parcel Post notice for packages. If your packages get here before you do, Margarita for collect them and advance the Customs duty. Be sure to repay her upon your arrival.

Next post: laundry
__________________
Brain surgeon to another: "Hey, this isn't rocket science".
Rocket scientist to another: "Hey, this isn't brain surgery".

Forum Moderator - Xavier Aruba

Last edited by fossildoc; 12-29-2005 at 05:41 PM.
Reply With Quote