Belize Expat Forum

Tenagra
Joined 2022
Posts: 6

1 year ago

The First Blush

1 year ago

Greetings all!

My wife and I have been considering Belize for permanent retirement. So, we visited for 10 days having returned last night.

What did we learn and what do we want to know? First, I fell in love with Belize. But I have been a world traveler (about 40 countries) and it is difficult to put me off, compared to Americans who have traveled less.

We arrived at the international airport and rented a car, rather than take the puddle jumper to Placencia, our rented place. Why? What better way to see a part of the country? And we did! In fact, the drive was a kind of voyage of discovery.

Reading this forum, watching Youtube videos etc. really paid off. I expected the condition of the roads, which is not as bad as I thought. Within a week, I automatically knew where the speed bumps are and if you think about it, they are not such a bad thing.

We were not surprised about the apparently disenfranchised Belizians on our drive into Placencia. But it's not my place to judge a culture that is relatively new to me.

We found, from our trips around Belize, that it is a good idea to have "free days". It is easy to sit home on the computer BEFORE you leave an sign up for a new experience every day. DON'T. Both young and old should SLOW DOWN, because I think THAT is the heart of Belize. And the humidity can get to you in a sly way.

We did the usual. Monkey River, Xanantunich and underground tubing and great snorkeling. The rest of the time we explored. One event, VERY SPECIAL, I only found using FB (the apparent mode of local communication), a Mayan family in Red Bank who took us into their kitchen, taught us how to make make corn tortillas, did a demonstration of the Mayan Way of making chocolate. Just my wife and I and our good friend Steve. IT WAS AMAZING.

I should add that meeting Steve on the internet BEFORE we came was a treasure trove of local knowledge, having lived permanently in Placencia (and very happily) for 5 years.

Real Estate. Much of our free time was looking for a year long rental starting next month. What I learned. With the exception of one property, all other properties we were shown were FOR SALE. I learned that a buyer of building can give you the boot, canceling all leases. Just what I would want. Move down, decorate, settle in and get a notice we need to move. A word to the hopefully wise.

The decision to have a car. There is the fuel, expense, alternate ways of transportation. But we have decided on it, because we feel we have barely touch the Belizian culture, which is rich, deep and VERY friendly. While Belize may be the size of New Jersey, it has about 1,000,000 times the fascination. History, etc.

Unfortunately, we came away without having rented anything. A good reason for this post. It is the wife and me, We will need a place to park, outside of Placencia. And we have a dog. Just a medium sized, aging guy, but you animal lovers understand. Looking for a 2 bedroom place. Place to park. Preferably with water frontage and OUTSIDE of Placencia proper. Budget? $2,000US. And I have the world's best spam filter. My email: [email protected]. The name is Michael. My wife is Rachell. If you wish, we can talk about our backgrounds and hopes and dreams for Belize life.

Thanks all!

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Contribute
Help others in Belize by answering questions about the challenges and adventures of living in Belize.