Perspective after 4 months

We figured it would take us about 4 months to settle in and get a new routine for our new lives.  4 months to get the boxes unpacked, and house expansions complete.  4 months of Michael adjusting to retirement life and adjusting into co-teaching the home school curriculum we use for our son.  4 months for all of us to find a healthy network of friends to fill the relationship void of leaving behind all our friends and family.  4 months to get accepted by our new church congregation (we are the outsider white folk here).  4 months for me to figure out how Mike's retirement will fit into my daily life i.e. can I really stand to have him home all day.  4 months for our 12 year old son to adjust to our new way of life and network.  At the end of 4 months, we would be back in Las Vegas for a few days, as Mike needs to return to UNLV every 6 months.  He teaches an online course for them, at the end of the course, his students present their masters projects on campus.  A quick trip to Vegas would allow me to have touch with "reality as I have know it for 44 years" and to see my mom.

Status check...Well, I have a closet of boxes left to unpack, not too bad.  Seems, I've always had a few boxes I never seem to unpack through our life moves.  The house expansion is complete! Actually it was one of the first things we started and finished within just 3 weeks.  Now we have ample space for visitors to stay comfortably in their own 800 sf area downstairs; not apart of our home.

Our son has made many friends, he actually has more friends here than when we lived at our last house.  Most are ex-pat kids.  All are great kids, he hosts and attends many slumber parties, attends activities, enjoys the unique experiences with his friends such as exotic bone digging alongside a local wildlife veterinarian while learning about animal anatomy.  He and his friends attended a seminar on the healing powers of the jungle plants from a well know local author on the subject of natural remedies.   So far,  he's trekked through the jungle, experienced mayan ruins, had a possum in his pants, (a real live possum), swam in local rivers, slid down local waterfalls, and hiked through caves.  Texting and Facebook help him stay in touch with his buds in the States.  We do have internet for his online games of Modern Warfare. Although, he had a huge "homesick" episode just before we visited the States, Belize has been exciting to him.  We have watched his personality bloom while he is here.

As with any move, it is good to network with "like" people immediately.  During our research trip last May, we found our new church home in Calvary Chapel Cayo.  We were here less than 2 weeks and we had our sleeves rolled up, cutting down jungle and clearing the land for our new church building.  We are leading the youth group of 15-25 kids on Friday nights.  We've painted the church bus, by hand in 4 days. On Sunday nights, we provide hotdogs before church, we serve over 225 meals to our congregation families each month.  Our son is the "Church D.J." as he runs the projector on Friday and Sunday nights.

Although we miss our friends in the States, we are blessed to have made many great ones here.   It's like a big family we have created.  We don't have a void in friendships and we meet new friends quite regularly.  Mike and I have always been able to make friends quite easy.  We're even making some "local Belizean" friends, which is quite a hard barrier to break as the outsider moving in.  Culturally, people will gravitate to the groups they know and understand.  Here in Belize, the barriers are  strong.  The Chinese have their own community, and so on.  Although, most of our friends are "white" we are slowly breaking the barriers of cultural community.  Yeah, to you it may not be politically correct to say "white", but here they say it.  One guy told me "you white people seem pretty honest".  I said excuse me?  What did you say?  He repeated the statement again, clearly and slower.  Yup, he said "you white people"  LOL.

On a funny note, when we walk into our bank, they don't ask for our names, they just pull up our account or hand us our bank statements without asking for i.d.  They must see us coming and think.."here come the white people".   10% of our community is made of "ex-patriots" and not all "ex-patriots" are "white" so we do stick out a bit and the vendors just assume we are tourists as they try and sell us trinkets on the main street.

Our biggest challenge is Mike's concept of being retired.  He obviously thought it meant sleeping in and sitting around watching t.v., staying up late to watch movies, and sleeping in again.  He was allowed a few days of this concept before I put a screaming end to this.  The start of home-school helped break this cycle a bit, although he still wants to take the afternoon shift so he can sleep in.  Once Rip Van Winkle started coming out of his slumber, his natural management skills kicked in.  Again, another adjustment for us as I informed him he will not convert into "managing" my chores and my day.  This will continue to be a work in progress as two strong willed adults learn to co-exist in a smaller home.  He thinks he is busy, but nothing to the schedules we used to keep in the States.  He says his image of retirement mocks him.

We couldn't wait to return to the States recently, as we all were a bit homesick.  There was a list of restaurants and foods we must have during our visit.  Domino's pizza, Red Robin, a good steak, McDonald's fries mocked our taste bud memories and we could't wait to enjoy it all.  We found out our bellies and taste buds adjusted away from all the greasy goodness.  Our memory of these foods was better than the actual foods!  Being back in Vegas also taught us about how deep some of our friendships are.  Long distance is hard on any relationship.  We are blessed to be welcomed by so many, and it just make my heart jump when I saw friends who took the time to seek us out to be with us.  Sitting in my home church with my girlfriends was so empowering to my heart and soul.  My friends even had their baby girl the night before we left to go back to Belize.  I KNEW I would see her face before I left.  I could envision her perfect little face in my mind.  She looked just like I knew she would...amazing.

My first morning back in Belize, I drank my coffee on the porch wearing shorts, (winter attire here) and watched the parrots jump from tree to tree.  A butterfly landed on my shoulder and I realized I am HOME, my new home is San Ignacio, Belize.  Returning back to Belize, our friends, and church family were happy we were home.  It is nice to be missed amongst our new found country.

I look back over the last 4 months,  I can't believe we have accomplished everything we did.  I still can't believe I survived moving internationally with 2 large dogs and 2 cats.  I still wake up in the mornings thinking I will be waking up in Henderson, NV.  I'm told it will take about a year or so to adjust to life overseas.  I wonder how long it will take for a family to adjust to having a newly retired man in the house all the time.

Flying with cats and dogs....

Leading up to our move, there was more than just packing moving boxes and saying good-byes.  We were moving with two large dogs and two cats via airplane.  In my mind (Amanda typing), this was my biggest fear of the whole move.  So many times I have heard of horror stories about animals that have died during flying.  We love our four legged family.  It was my goal to prepare them for this event.

With our two hounds weighing in at 85lbs. and 105lbs, the logistics alone had me a bit puzzled. First, we purchased jumbo dog carriers about a month before the big move.  With them in our home, we would pal around with our dogs and say in a happy voice.."wanna go bye bye?" and lead them into the crate to help create the association of "something good".  During the last week, we would actually lock them into the crates for small amounts of time to get used to being crated, as they have never been crate dogs.

We also purchased new "airline approved" cat carriers which fit under our seat.  The thought of a cat meowing the whole time, as they do on the way to the vets, was a constant fear.

The airlines did not want our animals drugged and we abided.  They received their health checks from the local vet, made sure they were current on all shots 30 days before travel, and received our Belize Health Certificate from BAHA via fax.  We even did a dry run with Continental Airlines official animal lady in Vegas nicknamed the "Dog Nazi"; who will not let an animal travel until every sticker is correctly located on the crate, every crate must be within size and regulation standards, and every i must be dotted and t crossed for travel to happen.

The airlines do not take the dogs out of the crates and they had, with layovers and early arrivals...11 hours of crate time.  11 hours of bladder holding.  I hoped the extra cheese given the previous day would keep them constipated for a while.  We did not need an accident to happen.

Thanks to our friends, we had a Cyphers caravan enroute to the airport.  One vehicle held the humans, cats, and luggage.  The other, carried the dogs and their crates.

Actually, the dogs held it well, with no issues, no stress, and no barking.  It was our old cat named Bobby.  He is such a pain in the butt, I actually named him after a prior Henderson Mayor.  The name fits.

So we make it to the Las Vegas airport and Bobby aka "pain in the a__" decided he is scared to death and peed himself.  The canvas cat tote was soaked along with the cat.  It you know cat urine, you know this was not a good moment.  We haven't even got on the plane yet and we already had an accident.  So off to the ladies room I go, with cat and tote in hand to clean the tote and give the cat a bath in the sink.  I don't have to mention cats and water don't mix well.  If not for the sounds coming out of a scared wet cat, then I'm surprised PETA wasn't called for me holding onto the cat by the neck with one hand as I wash the tote with the other.  you should have seen all the double-take looks we got from ladies entering the restroom door to find a wet hairball, and me half covered in water.  Of course the site of me trying to dry the cat with the auto air machine was another first in my life experience.

While all of this was going on, I was a walking zombie trying to function and walk straight; a true scene out of "Weekend at Bernies".  My doctor made sure I was well medicated for this moment as I was scared to death about moving on top of freaking out about flying.  I've experienced panic attacks on my last airline flight and was told kindly from the flight attendant that people like me should not fly.

Poor Michael, dealing with a drugged wife, and 4 un-drugged animals, and a crying kid as he had to say goodbye to his best friend that night.


 Our trip consisted of a red eye to Houston,  a 3 hour layover and a flight to Belize.  We arrived to our new country at 10:30 in the morning.  From what I am told, (remember I was drugged here)  the cats and I did not make a peep the whole trip.  There were many forms and permits to pay to get the dogs in Belize, I'm sure the dogs had all four legs crossed during this time.


So we walk out of the airport and what an AWESOME MOMENT!!  We were greeted by our Belize friends Sam and Shelley, and our Pastor Patrick, his wife Deana, one of their sons, Caleb, and Deana's visiting dad.  Patrick brought the church bus (an old yellow school bus) to pick us, our luggage, animals, and dog crates to take us 80 miles to our new home.

As you know we sent our belongings a month ahead via container, which was here for us when we arrived.  A quick call from Mike to the shippers and the truck filled with our boxes arrived at our new home the same time as our bus crew.  Everyone rolled up their sleeves and carried our boxes to the appropriate rooms for us to un-pack.  Wow, we were blessed right away with a group of people who understand the real meaning of community; as we can only experience  life, with the help, understanding and companionship of one other.  No training needed on our end.  Belize immediately felt like home.  We are home.  Of course I realize this a few days later when I woke up from the chemical fog I was in.

The last few weeks was all a blur...

As of this date we are here in Belize, but I want to take some time to catch you up with our experiences on this journey.  I'll be posting a few blogs over the next week or so.  The movers picked up our stuff as promised (about a month before we left for Belize ourselves) and we found homes for all the stuff we didn't take.  We lived in a half empty home (we still had our fridge, couch, bed, washer and drier) up until the final few days when our friend who had purchased those items took delivery.   We spent the last week on an borrowed air mattress, a borrowed card table and chairs and many of our friends had us over for dinner since my pots and pans were packed...darn.

Two things happened during this time.  With all our "stuff" packed an on the way to Belize before us, we pondered if we needed such "stuff" to begin with.  Second, we had to rely on our community of friends for help.  It has never been easy for us to borrow things, but we learned the necessity of each other, a lesson heavily needed in Belize.

Personally, (Amanda typing) I had a rough time with the thought of moving.  Everything, I mean everything was changing in my world and there was nothing I could do to stop it.  This was a true leap of faith, a lesson I never am strong to learn.  I'm not proud to say, but I cried many tears of fear, I was held by many friends, and prayed many prayers for strength.

With our stuff on the way to Belize, there was no turning back.  Our things left on a container ship from LA, to a dock weeks later in Guatemala.  From there it was transported a few hundred miles through Guatemala to Belize.  I did have my worries about the safety of our possessions as we did not get moving insurance nor was it offered.  We found out our earthly possessions were all transported via a Chiquita Banana Container on its way to pick up more bananas from Guatemala/Belize.

It turned out our container (minus bikes, a mattress, couch & love seat which will be here in mid-September) made it to Belize without a hitch.  None of the boxes were opened at Customs and our boxes arrived a week before we did.  The moving company just stored the boxes until we arrived.  I would say we had a hand full of broken glasses/plates, but nothing of importance.

Michael retired from his career at same time House Hunters International was filming us for an upcoming show.  We were crazy to respond to House Hunters.  Dealing with the show taping, emotions, and retirement celebrations was exhausting on top of all the normal headaches of moving.

On Michael's last day of work, I met him at his office and hand in hand we walked out of the building he has worked in for 12 years.  He thought it wouldn't be an emotional big deal, as he continued to have his head in "cloud nine".  But he soon realized this wan't a typical day.  A new chapter was starting for us, as our professional lives had ended.

The last Saturday night in Vegas we were able to hold a bon voyage gathering at our typical weekend stomping grounds...the marina.  We had a wonderful turnout of friends and some surprise visitors and we will treasure the memories of that night forever.  For as many years as we dreamed of moving to Belize, we have dreamed of what our going away party would be like.  We hit it right on the head, a laid back gathering with good friends.  Two friends in particular and very close to us, were especially hard to say goodbye to.  One slipped out of the party and I didn't get to share a goodbye with, the other part of the dynamic duo, did stay and we had a hard time saying goodbye with many "monkey face" tears from both of us.  I don't know which is harder to deal with, saying goodbye or not saying goodbye.  But I do know this...you don't know the true depth of love for a friend until you have to say goodbye.

T minus 8 days until the movers are here...

Well, it's been 60 days since our decision to make the "big move" to San Ignacio, Belize.  I (Mandy typing) knew once we came back from our 19 day Belize Adventure, our lives would turn hectic until we unpack the last box in our new home.

I want to be truthful about this move.  It isn't easy.  Oh, everyone says, "How exciting!" or "Wow, I wish I were you!"  I just kind of chuckle inside because moving to another country is more fearful and overwhelming than one might think.

For the last few weeks, we have been sorting our possessions into piles...sell it, store it, take it, gift it, throw it, donate it, and my favorite...I'm too overwhelmed with this, I'll think about it later pile.  It's coming down to the wire of when the movers pick up our "take it" choices.  They show up at our home with a moving van, drive to Los Angeles to load on a shipment container.  Then they will pick up in port of Guatemala, and drive our things to our new home with a target date around August 16th or so...and this may be the easy part.

Traveling with two cats and 85lb. and 105lb. dogs via airline can be a hassle itself.  Shots have to be within 1 year and not less than 30 days. Health certificates have to be within 10 days of travel. Purchase of extra large dog crates and carry-on cat containers are not cheap.  Also, the airfare for the animals is over $1000 for all four.

Once the movers leave, we have 4 weeks in town until we depart.  This should allow us time to have some sort of "bon voyage" gathering, on top of filming for House Hunters International "back story", and Mike's celebration of "retirement at 46".

While Mike continues to have his head in "Cloud 9" about closing this chapter of our lives and starting another, I have my moments of questioning my insanity while I drag my feet on the long list of to do's before the big day.  Well, back to the packing, making final doctor and dental appointments, and all the details and logistics of international moving.

It's Official...Changes in Latitudes

At the end of our last blog we shared this quote of Alan Cohen..."It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new.  But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.  There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power."


In our past blog titled...Mayan Ruins, Monkeys and Ruins, we mentioned we were "up" to something, but we just couldn't share what it was.  Well, the time has come to share...we have found a house and a home in the Cayo District.  This will be an extremely busy summer for us as our target date is to be in Belize by the time school starts end of August.  We will be traveling light so we will be selling the majority of our material life away.


Although this is an exciting, exhausting time in our lives, there will be many "emotional" moments, as I (Mandy typing) don't handle good-byes very well.  I am sorry as many of our close friends will be hearing the news by this blog.  We just didn't have the time to call everyone personally to share the news.  For those we have personally spoken with and have followed us on Facebook and this blog, we are shocked that many of you didn't get it...come on...we were pricing dishes and refrigerators, and finding a church home for us!!!  Mike's official last day of work is July 28th.  As one of his favorite songs states. "I'm not calling in sick, I'm calling in gone."


We look forward to seeing everyone near and dear to our hearts during this summer.  Our future home has plenty of room for all our friends and family to visit.  We wouldn't have it any other way.  Yes, there WILL be a future bon voyage celebration.


In the meantime, we will have some fun with our situation. Do you ever watch "House Hunters International"?  Well, we will be playing the game with all our Facebook friends.  Let's see if you can guess which one we bought!


You may now have insight to the name of our blog "Our Belize Adventure 2011", it just doesn't include the research trip.  Stay tuned and follow as we post about the adventure of selling practically everything, and traveling with two dogs and cats to the small country of Belize.


Our Belize Adventure has only begun.

Last full day in Belize

Today was our last full day on Ambergris Caye.  We spent the day snorkeling, exploring, and getting to know the locals.  We learned from our guide that lion fish have become an invasive species and each tour operator dives with a small spear “gun”  to take any lion fish they find.    The company we were with is a smaller operator but they reported over 2000 lion fish caught.  Some of the bigger companies have a great many more.  We appreciate this common sense approach to the problem, and during our trip he caught two small juvenile lion fish.  

Our tour guide was also one of the people who won the “sea lottery”.  This is when the Mexican/Columbian drug boat runners ,traveling just 5 miles off shore in international waters, are intercepted by drug enforcement.  They throw over the side of the boat their product and drug money.  Our guide found a suitcase washed up on one of the Atolls (mini islands).  Inside was another suitcase filled with USD, the money was so water soaked, it just fell apart upon handling. 

As we finished this day, we were informed of a possible buyer for our property, and we are in negotiations that will have to continue from the States.  Ambergris is very booming, and as we reported in an earlier entry, there are still a great many people who find “La Isla Bonita” a hugely desirable location for a vacation, second home, or retirement.  

As we watched our final Belize sunset of this trip, by the crocodile pond we both agree our dream of retiring here is Belize is not dead, just altered a bit.  We are grateful for all our newfound friends and life’s lessons we have learned along the way.  Belize is a magical place that continually steals our hearts and molds our future.

  
Alan Cohen once wrote..."It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new.  But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.  There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power."

Where There is Opportunity, There are Opportunists.

Those who knew San Pedro 10 years ago all agree this place has changed.  Information booklets compare Ambergris Caye to a Mini Miami with California beach prices.  Those who have not been here before, see this town with new eyes full of awe and excitement.  The first-time visitors have fallen in love with the “New Ambergris” and study the homes/lands listed in the windows of every very busy realtor here.  The infatuation we have held in our hearts, is evident in the hearts and minds of the 20 something hipsters chomping to buy a piece of the island dream.  This is good for us since we have a Realtor, and we are already in conversations with a potential buyer of our property.

Mike was out driving in the golf cart yesterday when he spotted a woman with two young kids coming out of the polyclinic (medical/dental building).  The little girl had gauze in her mouth as she just had two teeth pulled. Mike offered to give them a ride, which is more customary in the Cayo District.  She was a single mother who subtly let Mike know that once she drops her kids off at home, she will head back to town to “hustle” for money.  I (Mandy typing) died laughing at him while he shared this story.

Six years ago, we stayed at a split level home rental here.   There were two US business men who rented down stairs.  One evening, they brought back two women with them and they started tequila shots, and more shots and more shots.  Over a period of too much alcohol, the guys passed out and the gals ran off with their wallets, money and credit cards.  The next morning the local police arrived to take their reports.  Later they pondered what story they could come up with as they needed to call their wives to wire them money.  How do we know this?  People take advantage of the cool Carib breeze and open their windows.  You pretty much know what your neighbor is up to...better known at the “Coconut Telegraph”.

We met a California transplant on the beach walking her two dogs.  One was a golden retriever.  As we are dearly missing our own goldie back home, we asked if we could visit with hers a bit.  She too, visited Ambergris about 10 years ago and didn’t like the changes she has seen.  Living here for about a year now, she is a veterinarian on the island.  She complained about the lack of money she makes compared to the States and how she longs to go back to the U.S.  She pretty much lives on her boyfriends income here.  She says the vets and the doctors don’t make any money here and what she charges for an office visit is insanely low, but she needs to compete with the local vet who has been here for many years.  I told her in the Cayo District, the veterinarians do not charge for an office visit and make house calls, they make a minute income off the procedures and medicine.  She was appalled.  Well, the docs don’t drive Mercedes or have mansions. I know that all the doctors and vets who are practicing in Belize are not here to make money, they are here to serve their country.  In Belize, you will find many medical doctors, pharmacists, veterinarians, and such living in modest homes in modest neighborhoods.  Being educated is about service and assistance, not wealth accumulation.  She just didn’t get it.  Truly, I didn't get it until this journey.

In all the Belize towns and villages we have traveled, Ambergris Caye is the only place we see children used to sell trinkets or hand woven goods comparable to the chicklet selling kids found throughout Mexico.  Just as in Mexico, they have been taught to be aggressive, not taking the first “No, thank you” for an answer.  Using kids to sell products has never sat well with me.

We have been invited into a prominent business Belizean family home.  Their possessions were humble, they had what they needed, and were very active financially in providing for their community.  From the typical US standards, one would view their standard of living as poor.  In all actuality, they were rich in happiness and rich in their community provisions and activities.  I know if their family would face any hardship, the community would be there to assist them.

I wonder what the U.S. could learn from a little country like Belize. With limited government, Belizeans thrive and help and depend on each other.  With high import tariffs, this country creates opportunities for internal business and product growth.  As poor as this country is, you will never see a beggar asking for money while holding a cardboard sign on the side of the road.  Not one person has asked us for a financial handout.  Not one.

Toto, I don't think we're in Ambergris anymore!

Ten years ago, we fell in love with Ambergris Caye, Belize.  Ambergris’ town of San Pedro holds what I feel is the best Caribbean Sea view in all of Belize,  the worlds second largest reef can be seen from it’s shores.  There is much to do here, snorkel with nurse sharks, beach combing, and enjoy the typical life of a beach town with cheap prices.  We purchased property 100 feet from the sea with beach access right in front of our future retirement home, in a neighborhood promising mid-level development.  

I don’t know if you know the U.S. musician, Jerry Jeff Walker, his home is just a few lots over on beach front.  You can sample his songs on Itunes. We love his song, “Hey come away to Belize with Me”.  Over the years, we have come back to visit our beloved island and to watch the progression of our this community.  Although it has been six years since we were last here, a friend of ours visited vacation on Ambergris just last year and checked on our property.  We heard that our neighborhood is doing great and our lot location is awesome.  Plus the rumor that Jimmy Buffett, who frequents here and is a friend of Jerry Jeff, had purchased a home here next to Jerry Jeff.  A tour guide had pointed out Jimmy Buffett’s home buy in our neighborhood.  If you know us, you know we are “Parrot Heads” and dream of living the life Jimmy sings about.  We always dream about simple life retirement, removed from all the hustle and bustle of the U.S., enjoying the cool Carib breezes.  The daily excitement would be to go feed the crocodiles and hanging out at the local joints listening to our new found friends share their “Glory Days” stories as retired people do.  Then when Buffett comes to town,  I could casually see him walking the beaches.  At a Buffett concert we attended a few moons ago, Jimmy did a tribute to Johnny Carson.  Jimmy said the last time he talked with Johnny was when they crossed paths on the beaches of Ambergris Caye. Johnny was walking the beach and Jimmy landed his sea plane as he was coming in to stock up his travel supplies for his journey to Costa Rica.  Madonna’s song “La Isla Bonita” was written after her visit here.  A few years back, the buzz was all about that Oprah Winfrey and Leonardo DeCaprio just bought the Caye behind Ambergris Caye.  There are many “celebrity sightings” here.

As we have gotten older in our lives, and have a “tween” in our home, our desires have changed a bit.  We prefer to do family things together over sitting at a bar listening to exaggerated stories.  Interests have changed too.  My youth dream of sunning in a bikini (Mandy typing) and sleeping the day away by the pool is no longer my focus.  So after 10 years of planning the island dream, we see our interests change which is why we spent 13 days driving over 1000 miles to see all that Belize has to offer and to maybe refocus our goals.

If you have been following along with our blog, you know by now the Cayo area tops our Belize mainland picks.  So this week is about relearning this island paradise of Ambergris and weighing the pros and cons if we should sell our property here on Ambergris and focus on Cayo.  Oh, and to go snorkel with the nurse sharks.

So what have we found so far about Ambergris?  IT HAS CHANGED!  It’s not the slow paced town we fell in love with so long ago. There are expensive condo projects developing everywhere.  Real Estate is hopping. We spoke to a realtor, he alone has sold 11 high end condos since January with the price ranges from $400,000 to $600,000.  Who is moving here?  It’s the rich from the U.S. who have cut their losses from the economic woes of the states, and taking what money they have left and buying up this island of Ambergris.  The problem is, the people coming here want the fast paced life and treatment like they are used to in the U.S.   Food options have exploded, with any cuisine available...however, the prices are pretty much the same as the U.S. and extremely high compared to what used to be available.  We even compared some pharmacy prices and found them to be much higher (like a .10c BZ/pill in Cayo is $2.50 BZ/pill plus a $15 prescription fee!).  

We sat in a restaurant where people ordered sushi and wine, while being glued to their computers and smart phones. Remember the movie “Matrix”?  The majority of people were sedated and plugged into a computer system and unaware of life around them.  This is the how I compare our lives in Vegas.  We are all plugged into our laptops, smart phones, wii systems, and TV’s, and nobody is really enjoying each other and learning about the people around them.  Electronics have replaced our social interactions and true community.

The infestation of ego filled US businessmen with large incomes are killing the essence of San Pedro Town.  

We also went shopping in one of the supermarkets we had frequented in the past.  Where there used to be a smattering of U.S. goods available (for a lot more than local or Mexican equivalents), the entire store now looks like a U.S. Grocery store!  There were virtually no local goods and the prices...ouch!  How about a pack of Oreo’s for $7.00 U.S.   

Going back to Cayo, Cayo, Cayo.

The only district we didn't have time to travel to was the southern most part of Belize, the Toledo area and Punta Gorda.  Toledo is another farming area, know for rice and cacao.  YES!  Chocolate!   Toledo holds most of the true rain forest of Belize.  Their Chocolate Festival is next month.

During our visit in Placencia, we spoke to a few about the "Doctor Fly" and the "Bot Fly"  We learned how the Doctor Fly will land on you and coat an area of your skin with an anesthetic, then return to the site to bite the area and worse.  The Bot fly is known to leave it's larva under your skin.  A local from the Seine Bight Village of Placencia stated her son got bit by a Bot Fly, they smoke out the larva.  When she pulled out the worm, it was still wiggling.  I (Mandy typing) wigged out and was fearful of any fly during that time.  Well enough about flies!

We traveled back to the Cayo area of San Ignacio/Santa Elena, known as the twin cities, to get a better feel of the place and people and prices.

People from the surrounding areas go to the big social event every Saturday...The San Ignacio Farmers Market.  This market is a mix of everything, not just fresh fruit, veggies, and meat.  There are food vendors, gently used clothing booths, kitchen wares, avon, bath and body sprays, cd's and DVD's and chickens.  If you have something you would like to sell on Saturdays, just show up and display your items!  I have found many clothing labels found in the US.  If you take the best of the best used clothing donations from 2nd hand stores in the US, this is what you find at the market.  The US couple selling chickens have lived in the area for 2 years.  They live comfortably on her social security disability on a 20 acre farm.  The weather here doesn't bother her MS.

Saturday night we attended a Battle of the Christian bands from the surrounding areas.  About 400 people filled the chairs and bleachers of this large grassy park.  They had food stands to benefit the local churches.  Mike was thrilled to have 3 homemade tostadas for 50 cents USD.  This event was held in Spanish, but when we knew the English versions of the songs, we sure sang along.  It is so nice to find similarities between our own church and the culture here.  It has been unseasonably hot and dry here in Cayo,  even the locals are complaining about the 91 degree heat of the day.  Once the sun falls, the cool Carib breeze is heavenly. Most people eat dinner around 7pm, once the sun sets.  The majority of the restaurants have outdoor seating to take advantage of the "always beautiful" evenings.

English is the "official language" of Belize, and all the schools teach in English.  There still is a population of Spanish speaking only here.

We headed over to the local ice cream joint and met another new friend.  She and her husband lead worship for many of the Christian Churches here.  They have lived here a year and said it was the best decision they had ever made.   She had a craving for cookie dough ice cream, but it was not available anywhere in Cayo... so she now makes chocolate chip cookie dough, chocolate/peanut butter cookie dough, and oatmeal cookie dough and sold it to the ice cream parlor to mix in the ice cream...she made signs of "Cookie dough ice cream sold here".  It is so popular, they run out of it most evenings.  She said "I could never do this in the States.  Belize is such a young country, if you have an idea here, it is easy to make your dream a reality.  There is OPPORTUNITY here."  Imagine life with no governmental red tape to stop ingenuity.

We stopped and talked with a licensed pharmacy.  There are no prescriptions needed in Belize.  I priced a few of the items we currently take:

My dog takes prednisone 5mg once a day...a months worth will cost us $3 USD.  This costs me $12.50 back in the states.

Piroxicam 20gm (anti-inflamatory)  once a day will cost $4.50 USD for a months supply.
Tramadol 50mg (light pain pill-Mandy is still recovering from knee surgery) 25 cents each USD.
Ambien 10mg (1/2 a pill can get me to sleep) so the cost would be $7.50 USD a month.
Albuteral inhailer (asthma) will cost $5USD, I pay $20 in the US just for my co-pay.  Funny thing, with the moist air here, I haven't needed to use my inhaler to open my lungs before I go to sleep.
Valium 5mg is 5 cents USD each.  I suffer from airplane panic, like many others.
We all suffer from allergies in the US.  We have not had one symptom of allergies here.

A doctors visit (if you need one) is $25.  For the Belizeans, health care is free.

We stopped by and talked with the local Veterinarian to learn of any issues with ticks/fleas.  People just use "Frontline" drops for preventative maintenance and commonly found heartworm meds.  Veterinarians do not charge for an office visit, one only pays for any vaccines, meds, or grooming.

I pay my US Veterinarian $49 for an office visit, and then $25 for 2 months of doggie allergy pills.  In Belize, the this same visit would cost me $3 USD.

The town businesses are all closed on Sunday except for grocery stores and restaurants.  How nice is that!   Sunday night we attended Calvary Chapel Cayo, a congregation of about 20-30 people.  The pastor drives an old school bus to pick up the members who don't own a car to bring them to church.  The message is spoken in English, but there was a Spanish interpreter who sat in the back to help the one Spanish only speaking couple who attends.  The church is only 3 years old and growing.  The worship leader strummed on guitar many of the songs we sing at Central Christian.  He says he struggles because he has learned these songs from listening to the Christian radio station here.  He wished he knew more or knew the right chords for the songs.  I told him I will send him the sheet music, with chords, and worship tapes right from our own church.  He was so excited to have the opportunity to learn more songs.  The pastors son (14 years old), plays the conga beat to the songs by beating on an empty 5 gallon water jug held between his knees.  We rode along on the church bus with Pastor Patrick as he took home a few people,  our son stayed back at the church and had a great time "hanging" with the pastor's son.  Our son did not want to leave.

During the bus ride, one of the church kids was fascinated to hear we are from Las Vegas.  I asked if he had seen Las Vegas on TV?  Again, I have to learn not to say such silly things..his family like many here do not have a TV.  He looked inquisitive and said he learned about Las Vegas in his Geography Class.  He then told be about all the wild animals in Belize and asked if we had any wild animals in Las Vegas.  He was fascinated with my description of a coyote.  He asked if I could bring a picture of a coyote next time I visit.

If this country doesn't steal your heart, the kids will.

Monday morning we left this amazing place to head back to Belize city to drop off our rental car and take a boat to Ambergris Caye where we haven't been in 6 years.  We bought property on Ambergris 10 years ago with the intent to build our retirement home.  It will be interesting to see how things have changed.  Will our retirement dream continue to be on the island or will it be the mainlands of Cayo, hmmm....

Overall, we put 1,015 miles on the rental car driving around a country that is only 180 miles long, and about 90 miles wide.   By the end of this portion of our journey, we no longer needed maps to direct us, we know the roads of this country quite well now.

Cayo will get about 60 inches of rain a year, although it never rained while we were here.  They are waiting for the rains to come and cool them off.  In Nevada we are lucky to get 4 inches of rain a year, but without fail, we will always have rain after Mike washes the vehicles.   Before we left Cayo, Mike had the rental vehicle washed and detailed for $7.50 US.  As we left the Cayo area, we saw the rain clouds forming in our rear view mirror.  Looks like the "Nevada Rain Dance (car washing) Ceremony" will work here too.

Day in Placencia with Manatees

Full day here in Placencia; a southern beach town in Belize.  It’s a booming place with large condos and houses being constructed.  We almost didn’t stay in Placencia during our journey, the hotels here are more expensive than any other area we have experienced.  The home of the Guinness world record for the narrowest main street...a sidewalk...this place is best explained as the feel of any California beach town, with an art and hippy flair.  Many ex-patriots come here to run their “dream businesses on the beach”.  The Belizeans here have pretty much been priced out of their land and are found as workers in the ex-pat run hotels and bars here.  There is a definite division in economic status.

We joined the locals and tourists watching 7 manatees during mating season. This mating process lasts all day.  There were 6 males and one female per one of the locals.  We spoke to a fisherman bringing in his catch of mullet snapper.  The Belizean fish authority makes sure all the fish is transported properly on ice and only permitted species are in the catch.

We’ve listened to a lot of ex-pats talk about their experiences here. Like when sugar or flour is limited.  I guess when the Mississippi floods, it affects the wheat crops sent here to be ground into flour.  I told them to start storing up soon, because we have had horrid flooding currently in that area. 

The prices of food are a bit higher here than other parts of Belize. We were told the best food prices are in the Cayo District where many things are grown.

Today, during our travels, our rental vehicle started a loud clunking sound.  Though we were worried that we could incur “issues”, it turned out as a great experience.  The company had us take the truck to their mechanic here in town, it’s just a sway bar linkage issue but we are good to keep going.  

We left the last three days of our mainland trip free of reservations so we can revisit the place which tops our list of possible retirement places.  We’ve decided to head back to the Cayo area of Santa Elena/San Ignacio.  

As it is customary to stop and offer rides to those needing them...we transported the maid, the maintenance guy, and the morning waitress to their little towns on the way to Placencia today.  One gal has 7 kids,  she got such a big laugh when I told her she needs to watch more movies or read a book.  

Hummingbird Highway to Placencia, Furniture Tour and Sink Hole Swimming

Today we left Belize City to travel to Placencia, a beach peninsula in the Stann Creek District, the whale sharks are here breeding in April and May during the full moon. 

With this research trip, we stopped by a local furniture maker to get a feel of the price and selection available to us. We ended up getting a personal tour of  how they make their bamboo and rattan furniture.  This is high end beautiful stuff, hand crafted here in Belize.  Everyone here is unbelievably accomodating in every situation.

We traveled via the Hummingbird Highway which is Belize’s most picturesque highway.  You wind through beautiful jungle hills, villages, pines, orange groves, a few amazing parks, and more orange groves.  In this area is where many tourists come for cave tubing, cave exploring or to take a refreshing (about 72 degrees) dip in a natural sink hole of spring water called the “Blue Hole”.  There is another more famous “Blue Hole” which divers visit off the coast of Belize; made famous by Jaques Cousteau.

We visited the inland Blue Hole and St. Hermans Cave for the cost of $4 USD each.  During this trip, the scene was straight out of Indiana Jones movies, and the bird sounds were straight out of Disney’s Jungle Cruise.  When we entered the mouth of the cave, a fine cool mist arose from the entrance just like expected special effects of any jungle themed movie.  2 miles down the road of the cave, we swam in a natural sink hole filled with spring water which turns into a jungle stream.  In this sinkhole, are a few yellow cichlids (fish), with exotic birds flying overhead.  One would swear you have found the lost “Eden”.

On the way to Placencia, we saw many orange groves and banana plantations.  I remember watching a documentary about the Belizean banana pickers.  They wrap the heavy hanging banana pods which contain about 70 bananas each in blue shipping bags...we have pics on our facebook pages.  Picking bananas can be very hazardous to the pickers because of the black scorpions known to hide in the banana pods.  They won’t kill em, but it is very painful.

Placencia is a peninsula in the southern part of Belize.  There are many high end houses and condos and currently many more under development.  It’s a beautiful beach town and would be a great place for a vacation, especially now during whale shark season.  We opted to wait on snorkeling with the whale sharks for now.  It’s a 50% chance of seeing one, and we are told to expect 3-4 foot sea waves...with a still healing knee, and our son being still a bit young to handle such, we have decided to wait for another time...we know we will be back to vacation here.

More Price Comparison and the People

Today, we bought 5 bananas, a pineapple, 2 mangos, and a papaya for $4.50 USD at the farmers market in San Ignacio.  The bananas alone are 5 cents USD.  The pineapple is so sweet, one does not “core” them here.  The middle is edible.  We also purchased banana bread which was amazingly moist and we all agreed it was the best banana bread we have ever had.  Our new friends Anna and Jose who work one of the many booths found at the farmers market even sliced the mangos, papaya and pineapple for us.  They didn’t know we were secretly watching “how” to skin a papaya.

A 750ml bottle of Travelers “One Barrel” in Las Vegas runs $19.43 with tax, here in Belize, the same bottle costs $9.69 USD.  

Sales tax here 12.5% for pretty much everything bought at a “store” including food.  There are many side road fruit stands, and centrally located farmers market found, where there is no tax on these items.  

We have also noticed many road-side stands “unmanned” with a sign reading “Please leave 50 cents per item (which is 25 cents USD).  I love the “honor system” shopping.  

The cheese is creamy and provided from the Mennonites.   We’ve had the feta and classic “American” cheese.  

Compared to the USA, we haven’t found a limit to food options besides processed or canned foods.  Belize is not just limited to the stereotype of “Rice and Beans”.  Majority of Belizeans are slim but eat hearty and healthy.

You will not find a McDonalds, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, and such in Belize.  There are no fast food restaurants here.  My son says the chicken fingers are the best he has ever tasted.  It’s real breast strips, breaded and cooked in coconut oil.  Not formed or flattened.

In comparison, their fish prices are higher than their farm meats.  I thought this might just be more in the interior areas but the same is found about the coastal areas. Yet, fish is priced lower than US standards.  The lobster season starts in June and a typical 5-6oz fresh lobster tail will run you about $5 each USD.

If you are a vegetarian, this could be your Mecca. If you are a meat eater, you will love the beef and pork here.  The chicken parts are smaller than found in the U.S.  Of course, these chickens are not fed processed grains nor housed in “poultry farms” where they are packed in tight quarters and never see sunlight.  We typically see the adult chickens roaming the neighborhood with baby chicks following behind.  There are chicken farms, but again, they are not raised in the dark or overloaded as found in the US.  From observation...fruit, veggies, beans and grains and eggs are the main staple of choice, compared to any of the meats.  

I (Mandy tying) spoke with a security guard of our hotel today.  He was born in El Salvador, moved to the US, and he graduated Hollywood High school when he lived in the L.A./Pasadena area.  He feels that the cost of food is “high” here compared to other Central American Countries.  I’ve been told that the typical weekly wage is around $20-25 USD a week.  He said Belize is very cheap for Americans who retire and move here, for the average Belizean family, Belize is viewed expensive.  Many households do have their own fruit trees and bread items can be made from the many bread-nut trees in the area.  

The eye contact and smiles continue when passing on the streets.  I ran into a lady I met 4 days ago.  I waved and said, “Hi Elisa!, she waved back and said “Hi Mandy!  She remembered my name.  

Travel to Belize City - Lessons Learned

We travel to Belize City...

During most of our online research, we read over and over again...”Don’t stay in Belize City, it’s full of crime and the most dangerous city in Belize.  This is where most of the serious crimes happen.  Of course this is grading on a scale.  So far on are adventure, we have felt totally safe in every town, village, situation, and encounter with Belizeans.  We were told not to travel at night, but we found quite the opposite.  People don’t drive too much at night because the horses and bulls can still be tied up by the side of the road (form of road shoulder mowing) and you don’t want to hit one.  We met someone who hit one.  Also, some do tend to tie-one-on a bit too much and drive home.  The majority of the roads here are two-way.  The caution for driving at night is more for one’s safety...not a security issue.  A friend in the Cayo area informed us that Belize City is fine, it’s just certain areas can be a bit shady.

As we arrived in Belize City,  we were pleased with the areas we traveled.  We found a few shady streets, which we would compare to the backstreets of downtown Las Vegas.   The population in Belize City is around 70,000 compared to the 280,000 total which live in Belize.   In comparison, the crime in Belize City is no more, and probably less than found in Las Vegas and mostly related to gangs in that area.

Again, as in Corozal area, there are no beaches found in Belize City, just seawalls.  The temperature is cooler and there are more trees than in the Corozal area.  Corozal is majority a farming district.  We are currently experiencing high temps around 86 degrees, with a good breeze, and a typical “beach city” level of humidity.

Community is “very important” to everyone here.  Community is not just a neighborhood park or an event.  It’s about being helpful to everyone that needs help, saying “Hello” and making eye contact with happy smiles to everyone who walks by.  It’s about taking interest and learning about everyone you meet.  A friend in Cayo who moved here about 25 years ago said to us (when we told him our city population is about equal to their whole country)  “Have you met half of your city?  I have met half of my country.” 

The majority of the households do not have a television.  Society is important to everyone here.  Belizean kids are happy, and their free time is spent playing outside, rarely with toys from a toy store, with the exception of the soccer or basketball.  They are creative, making up games with each other.  With lack of household televisions, there aren’t Play Stations or Wii systems keeping the kids occupied.  Every kid we have talked to has not shown “stranger danger” as we teach back home.  They have all been polite, optimistic of life and well spoken.  A few local kids ran up to our son and said “Hi, do you want to play? So off he went playing simple games. I’ve never seen my kid so happy.  He was so excited when they were finished.  He said he had the “time of his life”.

We had a long conversation with our hotel desk hop, who lives in a village about 20 miles from work in the Corozal District.  He has a wife and three kids, his youngest is his two year old is a boy.  Like many homes we found in the Corozal District, he has a water well just outside of his home.  He was proud that he has a pump for his well which provides kitchen and bathroom water via a hose to his home.  He, like all Belizeans, lights up when they speak of their families and their towns and villages.  He said, “I am so blessed!  I have a job, a home and a family.”  His statement put a lump in my throat.  I am quietly learning many life’s lessons from the people here.  It’s the simple things that count.  I guarantee tonight this man, like the majority here, will sleep in a home without an air-conditioner, and just enjoy his family and his community.

We are staying in a hotel/casino here in Belize.  It was funny to see they had a clock of a few different world locations.  The first one was Las Vegas.  Well, we are looking out at the full moon coming up over the sea, knowing many of you are looking at the same moon we are.

The Dream Becomes a Nightmare - explanation why not to stay in a thatched shack

We purposely picked the hottest season in Belize to see if we can handle the temperatures.  So last night we stayed, or tried to stay, in a thatched roof shack on the beach.  When we walked in the room, I (Mandy typing) should have known something was up by the giant can of bug spray, but I didn’t catch it.  The real problem was the air-conditioner was only blowing mildly cool air, which could not handle the room temperature of the high thatched roof.    The two visits from the shack manager to tinker with the air-conditioner didn’t work.  One would normally open all the windows/doors to allow the cool sea breezes to ease the suffering, but the breeze for some reason just stopped.  The room was like a giant sauna from the heat, humidity, and extra moisture  from the showers moisture I tried to take to cool down.  If you know the beach, you understand that the breeze helps keep the mosquitoes and sand flies away.  The hotel manager did not have a floor fan available to help move the air.  The final straw was when the manager noticed a spider on the wall right over our bed pillows.  He quickly grabbed Mike’s sneaker and ran over and smacked the creepy crawler.  Then swatted the residue off the wall.  Gravity would insure squished parts had fallen onto our pillows.  I asked Mike what kinda spider it was...he said, “A big one!” in an alarming tone.   At that moment, I grabbed my purse and walked over to the adjacent hotel in my pajamas and found us another room.

Corozal vs. Cayo

Today we said goodbye to all our new-found friends in the Cayo district and made our trek to check out Corozal.  Corozal is the most northern part of Belize.  It's full of farming and many villages along the way. Orange Walk and Corozal are very "sleepy" and slow compared to the Cayo district.  The same exact meal we had in Cayo for $25 cost us $55 in U.S. dollars.  There is no beach in the Corozal Bay, only sea walls everywhere.  No real sea life to be found per our waitress, only a river fish or two.  So, in searching of our final retirement destination, Corozal does not compare to Cayo. Tomorrow we head south in our journey.

It's the little differences...

It's the little differences in Belize that intrigue us...

Horses are used as lawnmowers. It's common to see a horse tied to the side of of property to maintain the grass height, not people using a lawn mower.  Of course, we did see a guy ride his horse carrying a weed-wacker.  As someone who owns a horse in Southern Nevada, I know how expensive it is to feed and maintain...not here.

They are passing a law which states "sagging" of pants is not allowed.  As a parent of a pre-teen, Amen!  Although this may seem like Belize is a "nanny style of government", it's not.  The Belize government pretty much stays out of the lives of the Belizeans.  You can typically find the local police unarmed, and it seems that they spend most of their time just checking for insurance, not running speed traps.

Groceries are cheaper.  Belize groceries on average are about 50% less than U.S. groceries, as long as you don't buy imported goods; which are heavily taxed.  They don't use preservatives in their food.  Tons of the fruit we buy in the U.S. are from Central America which then are coated with preservatives to last the months of process it takes to make it to the shelves of U.S. grocery stores.  In Belize, the fruit is FRESH.

Education is extremely important and advanced in Belize.  School starts when a child is 3, just like in England.  If a teacher sees any underage drinking or other such offenses, it can reflect on their school grades.  For primary eduction grades 1st-8th at he most popular Sacred Heart Catholic School, the cost to attend is $32 USD for the year. Thats $4 a month. For "junior college", 9th-12 grade for us in the U.S., the average cost is about $250 U.S. currency per year; which is a lot of money for most Belizean parents.  If the kids are not respectful, they can be held back.  It's about education, integrity, and respect. A typical Belizean kid is known to be excelled by U.S. standards, whereas a U.S. kid in Belize is known to be at a lower level of education.

If you are driving in Belize, and you see someone walking, it is customary to stop and offer them a ride.  In the U.S. if I am walking down the street and a strange car pulls up along side of me, I tend to put my guard up.

In Belize, lunch is considered the larger meal and is usually 12 - 3pm.  Dinner happens between 7-10pm and is lighter in portion.

In Belize, trash pick-up is run by the government and is FREE!  Diesel is CHEAPER than regular gas because it is not taxed to death as in the U.S.  More cars run on diesel in Belize.

Many Belizians cross to Guatemala to buy clothes and such.  A local Cayo mother was sharing with us that her kids school uniform shirts are $4 U.S. in Belize, but only $2 in Guatemala.

More to come, we are off to the district of Corozal tomorrow.  Cayo and it's people are very special to us.  We made many friends here.

Mayan Ruins, Monkeys, and Rivers...

What have we been up to?  Well, we can't share just yet, but we took the day to enjoy all that San Ignacio/Santa Elena has to offer.

First we visited the Cahal Pech ruins which happen to be within walking distance of our hotel.  See our facebook sites for photos.  As amazing as the ruins were, our guide John was twice as interesting.  Not only did he teach us all about the site, the Mayans and the history, we also got some hands on knowledge of local plants and medicines.  We tasted all-spice leaves right off the plant, learned about "grandpa's balls", a fruit that when cracked open has a bright orange middle that attracts flies and a white "elmer's glue" like substance that traps them.  Natives used this as a natural fly catcher.  The name, well let's just say the fruit grows in pairs.   We learned about the bread nut tree and it's fruit.  Not only can it be made into coffee, but treated another way it literally becomes bread like and is used to make tortillas!  We also learned about sap that is used as incense, boiling cedar bark to drink to cure all kinds of maladies, and another plant for deodorant!

From there we went a whole 6 miles, took a hand-crank ferry across the Macal River, and visited the Xunantunich ruins.  The main pyramid here rises 135 feet above the jungle floor and you can see for miles.  At this ruin we also watched a troop of Howler Monkeys eating in a breadnut tree!  There were even two babies that kept us entertained watching their antics.   Check out our pics and see just how close we were.

After hiking two ruins in the heat of the day, we made like locals and drove over to the Macal River which separates the towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena.   This spot is the afternoon cool off location and there are families, teens, vendors selling conch fritters, boiled corn and drinks, and just an awesome relaxed feel as people swim in the 82 degree water.  Mike's favorite part was watching a guy back his car up  close to the edge, grab a bucket, and wash his car by the river!  

We finished up this awesome day with dinner at a local restaurant built on the edge of an orange grove.  This place is designed for families and, being a Friday night, it was hopping by 7pm.   Dinners here are later in the day to avoid the heat of the day. Our photos show some of the family attraction, but don't show the arcade, ice cream stand, or juke box.  Oh, and the ice cream cone was one buck USD. The Cheeseburger and fries was 5 dollars USD and too much to finish, and of course, they had our Belizean One Barrel Rum and and a rum and coke was 2 bucks USD.

We know this entry is kind of detailed...our next post will delve into some of the small differences between the USA and Belize, many you will find quite amazing!

The Plan

The Rainforest of Belize

The plan looks like this...4 days...Cayo, 1 day... Corozal/Orange Walk, 2 days...Stann Creek/Toledo, 3 days...unplanned to return to any of the 6 districts of Belize we love, 6 days...on Ambergris Caye.  Little vague in description?  Well you just have to wait to learn the details.

It has taken some time to plan this Belize adventure of ours.  Packed with bug spray, Tilly hats, buffs (you see them worn on the show Survivor), and Teva sandals...we look ready to explore and experience all the wonders of this place which has held our hearts for 10 years now.  The mosquitoes have been awaiting for our return.

The Planning Stages of our Return to Belize

Ten years ago, during a trip to Ambergris Caye, Belize, we were engulfed with the island dream of moving to Belize to obtain a "simpler way of living".   We purchased a "little piece of paradise" just outside of San Pedro town, one block from the sea; to hold a place marker for our dreams and to build our home and add to the number of ex-patriots of Central America.  Now, our count down to retirement is just over 5 years away.  Although, it has been many years since we have been back to Ambergris Caye, Belize, we are in the planning stages for this Spring 2011 to return for an in-depth exploration focusing on the mainland territory.  We plan to rent a vehicle once we arrive at the Belize International Airport and travel to the areas of Corozol, Orange Walk, Stann Creek,  and Placencia with a few tourist stops along the way.  Then, we will hop back to Ambergris Caye to check out the changes of the island, visit our property and make final decisions of our plans to "Live the Central American Dream" or decide if our dream may really be a nightmare in disguise.