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.