So Long, Belize

Wow. That was quick.  The more I read about Belize, the colder my feet got. I'm sure I'll still visit there sometime...while I'm living in Mexico. One day, after reading a forum with several people who had known people who were killed with machetes there, I asked my husband, "If we have to shop in Mexico, get medical care in Mexico, buy wine in Mexico, etc., why don't we check out Mexico as a place to live?"

So...he said, "Check it out." I think he was getting cold feet too, mostly by looking at the cost of property down there. True, we live in a part of the U.S. where property prices are pretty low, but for a comparable house, we wouldn't be saving much buying down there. And that's not even on the beach.  

My SMART college kid son pointed out one reason that's so. Since their currency is tied to the dollar, their prices don't fluctuate in comparison to ours. Makes sense.

Anyway, after ONE DAY looking at Mexico, I was hooked. In Chelem, we can buy a house on the beach with white sand up to the door and a seaside pool for under $200,000.  And the music is better. And Merida, a  beautiful, culturally rich city is just 20 min. down a paved six lane highway. I don't think Belize every HAS six lane highways anywhere.

Yes, we need to learn Spanish, but you really need to know it to live in Corozal too. And I need to learn Pesos and Centigrade.  
BBC:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primarylanguages/spanish/
MIT: http://search.mit.edu/search?site=ocw&client=mit&getfields=*&output=xml_no_dtd&proxystylesheet=http%3A%2F%2Focw.mit.edu%2Fsearch%2Fgoogle-ocw.xsl&proxyreload=1&as_dt=i&oe=utf-8&departmentName=web&filter=0&courseName=&q=spanish&btnG.x=21&btnG.y=9

Shipping to Belize via Amazon

I've wondered what it would be like to get items from Amazon in Belize, so today I conducted an experiment. I was looking at a community where we might want to live and it listed an address and phone number. All I needed!  So.... I found a book and started the order process.

First, I found that my shipping speed options are very different than here in Oklahoma... I chose Standard. That's an average of 18-32 days.  Whew! I'm used to getting books in 2 days. I'll have to learn to plan ahead! I devour books.

Choose a shipping speed

Standard International Shipping (averages 18-32 days)

Expedited International Shipping (averages 8-16 business days)

Priority International Courier (averages 2-6 days)

So, how much would it cost me? Almost $10.00 for one hardback book. I am an Amazon Prime member and am very spoiled. I don't pay ANYTHING for delivery here. It's cheaper to buy online than to run to the store. And I still don't know what Belizian taxes and duties might be tacked on to this thing. I'm not willing to pay $40.00 to find out right now. I hope to find out more when we go down in Feb. of next year. Maybe I'll ship something to our hotel or something....

Order Summary

Items:	$29.98
Shipping & handling:	$9.98
Total before tax:	$39.96
Estimated tax to be collected:	$0.00
Order total:	$39.96

Please note that your country may charge import duties, taxes and fees that you may have to pay ahead of delivery. Learn more

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Great Videos About Belize

We've continued to look for sources of information about Belize. Yesterday I found an older, but extremely informative video to watch. Wasn't sure what it'd be like when I found it, but for Prime Amazon members, it was free, so worth a try. I think we hit gold. Watched it over breakfast this morning.....

"World of the Maya," as it sounds, examines the Mayan side of Belize, but as such, it covers areas such as Belize City, Corozal (Did you know it's built on an ancient Mayan city?), Placencia, San Ignacio, and other areas. It even crosses the border over into Guatemala near the end.  Those who are serious about learning about the country would really benefit from taking the time to watch this movie.

World of the Maya

A couple other videos that you may want to watch (Also free to Prime members at this time) are the two House Hunters International programs set in Belize. These are both set near San Ignacio and feature Macarena Rose. I've recently read they they're doing a third one in San Pedro.

House Hunters International Season 33, Ep. 4 "Canadian Biologists in Belize"

House Hunters International Season 31, Ep. 4 "Retiring to Belize" 

Can We Make it in Belize?

Obviously, many people dream of Belize, even build or move there, then find out they can't cut it, or don't want to cut it. I'd love to see stats on how many U.S. citizens move there and don't last, or how long the average stay is. And where in the country do they last the longest. I'd love to hear interviews with some who came home. Why did they leave? If anyone reads this who has left Belize or knows someone who did, please post a comment about it.

And why do we think we're different, that we will enjoy the life? Here are two reasons:

We live in Oklahoma. 

Places on Earth have hotter, drier weather and places have colder weather and places have extreme storms, but we have it all. The saying goes, 'If you can live in Oklahoma, you can live ANYWHERE." Actually, I have Corozal weather on my phone and compare it with ours often, and ours is often a few degrees hotter. Of course, here we have to switch to winter mode and ice storms in a few months. I could cut my wardrobe in half living down there.  Give all my coats to charity. 

We already avoid processed food.

I had a diabetic scare and started eating "clean" a few years ago. Thank goodness I grew up in the country and know how to cook and preserve food and grow a garden. I can make biscuits or pancakes or grilled flatbead from scratch without a recipe. We don't eat chips (except when the kids are coming over) or use mixes.  I pretty much make our own sauces and am learning to make hummus. 

We love to eat out sometimes, but eat most of our meals at home because we know what's in the food we prepare, and it often tastes better. We haven't eaten fast food in years (Except breakfast burritos at Sonic when the power was out a few weeks ago). So, in Belize, we wouldn't feel deprived of all the fast food and processed food so many U.S. citizen take for granted.

Starting Our Education About Belize

Until we really started to get serious about Belize, I knew very little about it. I knew my husband and his two sons had vacationed on Lighthouse Reef back in the early 90s, before I knew them. I knew that Ambergris caye (means orange whale vomit) is a fun tourist spot, and the topic of many trop rock songs, like the Jerry Jeff Walker music video below. 

I knew that Belize's official language is English and that off shore is the 2nd largest coral reef in the world (why it's such a hot diving spot).

My husband only knew the country from a tourist's perspective. We had a lot to learn if we planned to actually move there. One of the first things I did was to put together a YouTube playlist of all aspects of Belize. I included many news clips of the crime that can be found most places in the world, but also tourism ads and interviews with citizens, visitors and expats. We learned a lot that way, and had fun watching them, even through quality and content varied greatly.  It was a start. The one below is very informative.

We also started looking at real estate to get a handle on prices down there. We want something on or very near the water for around or under $200,000. I think it can be done, but will take some work. For one thing, we found that, unsurprisingly, the prices you see online are "rich gringo" prices. We decided that when the time comes, we'll probably rent for a year before we buy. That way, we'll have a much better idea exactly where we want to live and find out about good local deals. We may build, but many people have invested money in property down there, found they really are not suited to the life and just want OUT! We're hoping to find a great deal.  Anyone want a waterfront castle?

http://global.remax.com/House-with-Commercial-Space-For-Sale-Corozal-Corozal-District-Belize_900321001-12

Dreaming of Belize

You may have noticed that I haven't posted in a while. I guess I kind of let go of the dream for a bit, but the dream, and I, are BACK!

But....the dream has changed....a little. Key West is probably going to be too expensive for us to retire to. So now we have our sights set on Belize. 

Just a quickie that I wrote to a friend on Facebook about Belize:

Well, Belize is on the Atlantic side of Central America and has lots of cayes. We probably will not be able to afford a place on white beaches, but will, instead, get a place in Corozal, which is on a giant bay, with Mexico on the other side. Near nice water, but not white beaches. Also more protected from hurricanes. 

However, nothing is very far in Belize. It's a very small country. They speak English and are a part of the British Commonwealth. Prince Harry visits often. The queen pretty much stays away ever since they fed her a giant rat when she asked for a local dish. 

It's an interesting place with mountains, waterfalls, caves, many rivers, ziplines everywhere, and lots of beaches. It's more expensive than many Central American places, but cheaper than the U.S.!!

Here's a map. Belize is South of Mexico. In fact the area we're looking at is only a few miles from the Mexican border...about seven hours driving from Cancun. 

And we're taking a trip down there in Feb.! Are you ready for pictures? Video? 

In the meantime, we're doing our research. And what better place to post it but here!?!?

Let the fun begin!!