Article Contributed by John Acott of RE/MAX BELIZE.
Living in Belize is great. Life is so much easier in a warm country and
the whole life-style here is slower and more casual. Everybody is friendly and
it’s a really nice place to live – for the whole family.
But it is different!
I guess by now I should know better than to be surprised at some of my
clients’ reactions when they first come to Belize. One woman flew all of the
way from England with her young son, stayed the night in a cheap and nasty
hotel near the airport, then flew home the following morning. She had decided
that she didn’t like Belize.
Another woman arrived in Cayo almost in tears after driving from Belize
City. She had no idea that people could live in little wooden shacks and that some
children walk around without shoes.
I guess, in a way, arriving in Belize could be a bit of a culture shock
if you have no idea what to expect and hence the purpose of this letter, to give
you some idea of what Belize is really like, before you actually arrive.
Belize is probably very different to what you are used to. It is a very
small country (320,000 people), and it is a poor
country. Poor is a relative word because Belizeans have a higher standard of
living than people in other Central American countries. Of course, Belizeans
are generally poorer than people living in developed countries in North America
and Europe. Being such, Belize cannot afford
a lot of the things that the inhabitants of other countries take for granted.
What is more important; large, smooth highways, or schools and hospitals?
Speaking of roads, you will definitely find ours different to yours. I
once had a desperate phone call from one of my clients who was driving around
Belize and was lost and couldn’t find the Northern Highway. It turned out that
he was calling me from the Northern Highway but he was expecting a multi-lane
freeway and not a two-lane road with on-coming traffic.
We don’t have any super highways. Saying that, our roads are not that bad,
apart from a pot-hole here and there. Most of the main roads, including the
ones in towns are paved but you will definitely come across some unpaved road.
Drive slowly and don’t drive near to the edge.
We don’t have many police patrol cars or any radar speed traps so we
mainly use speed bumps to slow traffic down, normally near schools. Watch out
for these if you are driving because they are not all sign-posted or painted.
Likewise, there are few directional signs in towns so you just have to follow the
direction everybody else is going. Don’t worry, the police are not going to
fine you if you make a mistake. Please note that if you are driving into Belize
from Mexico or Guatemala, 3rd party insurance is mandatory here and
you can buy it by the day or week at the borders. You will be in trouble if you
drive without insurance.
Also, if you are importing a
vehicle into Belize, we have a new law governing the degree of window tint.
Dark tinted vehicles windows are not permitted any more. Low sports cars are
also not very practical in Belize.
Something else on bringing
cars into Belize. Import duty on cars can be expensive. An old, 4 cylinder,
pickup will not cost you much, but a new, 8 cylinder SUV is going to cost a
lot. Gasoline and diesel here are expensive so think twice about bringing a
gas-guzzler.
In many ways, you will find Belize as your own country was 30 or 40
years ago (if you are that old to remember). Children mainly walk to school,
sometimes long distances; you will see the occasional horse walking through
town; women openly breastfeed their babies; and, as you drive by the rivers,
you will often see women and girls standing up to their waists in water doing
their laundry.
Life is a lot slower in Belize and you will not see many people rushing
around in a hurry to get somewhere. You will see them standing around chatting
to their friends though and they will all have time to say hello to you, even
if it means stopping their car in the middle of the road for a quick chat. Life in Belize is summed up by the saying, “Go slow.
Be happy”.
Not everybody has a car and buses are cheap and frequent, although often
full to bursting. Although not the fastest way of getting around, buses are a
good, inexpensive way of seeing the country. Nobody is going to bother you on
the bus.
I want to put this paragraph somewhere and I guess this place is as good
as anywhere. If you intend seeing different areas of Belize, it makes no sense
to book one hotel for two weeks; especially in Belize City. In fact, there is
not much to see in the City so I would suggest trying to get to your
destination the same day that you arrive, if possible. I always think it makes
sense to book a hotel in San Ignacio or Santa Elena for a few days to give you
a chance to look around and do some tourist stuff and then decide where you are
going to go next. You can always find room in a hotel somewhere.
Ladies, there is no need to bring your ball gowns to Belize and,
gentlemen, likewise, leave your dinner jackets at home. Belize is a very casual
country and most people just wear shorts or jeans, and casual shirts or t-shirts.
Suits and ties are rarely worn, if ever, and you really don’t need to fill your
suitcase with a whole load of heavy clothes that you will not wear. I have worn
a light sweater once in 27 years.
We do not have Wal-Mart in Belize, or any of the other mega stores. With
a total population of 320,000, it wouldn’t make sense. Saying that, you can
normally find everything you will need to live here. If you can’t, there is a
large city called Chetumal just over our northern border in Mexico, and they do
have Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club, etc. Or you can take a weekend trip to Cancun or Guatemala
City (US$25 by bus), and go shopping there. Of course, the internet is
available everywhere and you can order goods on-line.
One of the good things about Belize is that we don’t have all of the annoying
laws and permits and licenses and authorities and regulations, etc. that you
have in your country. And, we are in no hurry to get them.
You may have seen the beautiful Belizean beaches on your travel agent’s
wall, or on Belize travel shows. Well, here is a disappointment as we don’t
have miles and miles of white sandy beaches. The reason for this is because we
have a magnificent barrier reef (the second largest in the world) along our
coastline, and, while being a snorkeler’s and diver’s paradise, this reef prevents
the pounding wave action that produces beaches. We do have some beaches, naturally,
but if you don’t want to snorkel on the gorgeous reef and check out the spectacular
fish life, but are looking to spend all day traipsing along beautiful beaches,
you should do what I do and drive up to Cancun or Playa del Carmen in Mexico
for a weekend. They really are very close and are good, party cities.
If you want to live on a beach in Belize, you can really narrow your
search to Placencia or Hopkins on the mainland, or Ambergris Caye and Caye
Caulker off-shore (caye means “island”). These are popular with North Americans
but be prepared to pay a lot higher prices for property and in the cost of
living. Other towns on the coast but without beaches are Corozal to the north,
Dangriga and Punta Gorda to the south. These places tend to be a little boring
and not too many ex-pats choose to live there. All of the coastal towns are on
flat land.
When you drive west from Belize City on the Western Highway, you will
find the land very flat and boring with just savannah-type vegetation until you
reach Belmopan, the capital of Belize (and the smallest capital in the world).
You are now in the Cayo District of Belize, very popular with people
re-locating to Belize, and continuing westward, the terrain and vegetation
rapidly change to hills and rivers, forests and jungle. Passing through the
twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena, the Western (George Price) Highway
continues until it reaches Benque Viejo del Carmen and the border with
Guatemala. Melchor de Mencos is the border town in Guatemala and every day you
will find many Belizeans shopping in the colourful markets there. Just as a
matter of interest, several buses full of Guatemalan children cross the border
daily to take the kids to Belizean schools, where they can get a better
education, in English.
You may hear that Guatemala has made a claim to some of the land in
Belize. This is actually true but nobody, including most Guatemalans, take it
very seriously – and it is never going to happen. There was supposed to be a
referendum for the people in both countries to vote on taking the matter to the
International Court of Justice in the Hague, but the Guatemalans didn’t think
that was a very good idea and have just cancelled that.
You should be aware that it
is better to travel to Belize with US dollars as there is a fee at the banks
for changing Canadian dollars, and it can be difficult changing Euros or Pounds
Sterling. US dollars are accepted countrywide at BZ$2 for US$1. Real estate
prices are in US dollars but everything else is in Belize dollars – don’t get
confused and pay them US dollars and don’t ask if it is US dollars.
A question I often get is
about the cost of living in Belize. Well, you can live very cheaply here, especially
away from the tourist resorts of Ambergris Caye and Placencia, and most do, but
it all depends on your lifestyle. Phone calls are more expensive but things
like car insurance, medical bills, car mechanics, are very much cheaper. Annual
property taxes are a fraction of what you are used to paying. And, surprise,
surprise, we don’t have any heating bills.
Medical treatment is pretty
good here, and much, much cheaper than in North America. I recently had major
spinal surgery right here in Cayo.
Wherever you go in Belize, especially
if you look like a tourist, you may be approached by a Belizean guy who is
going to hustle you under the pretence of helping you. He will be very
friendly, polite and helpful but just bear in mind that, somewhere along the
line, he is hoping to get something out of this. If you don’t want his
assistance, just be polite and firm and tell him that you don’t need his help.
Likewise, you will find
Belizeans very friendly and helpful but if you are looking for a car mechanic
or somebody to build your house, etc., don’t necessarily believe everything
they say. Every Belizean is a mechanic and a builder, or their brother is. It
is much better to ask another ex-pat living here for a recommendation.
Also, when you buy a house in
Belize there is a good chance that it will be empty, including appliances. Make
sure that you establish what, if anything, is staying in the house. Many
sellers will negotiate a reasonable price for their furniture and appliances,
if you are interested.
Belize doesn’t really have
many homeless or hungry people and, unlike some Central American countries, we have
few beggars on our streets. Personally, I will give a little money to a poor
woman with children, or to a man who is handicapped. I never give to a healthy
man who could earn his own money if he wasn’t so lazy, and I never, ever give
to children. This only encourages the parents to keep sending them out begging,
whereas they should be in school, or enjoying their childhood.
Bugs? I don’t know what to
say about these as I live in Cayo and we have few mosquitoes and no sandflies
and they are not a problem here. Some places in Belize are worse than others
and they can be very annoying. I think everybody eventually gets used to them,
though. I don’t know if those anti-bug sprays work but some people swear that
Avon Skin-So-Soft is the best thing.
Here is a quick tip. If you
are eating a cashew fruit, take your shirt off or lean well forward. Cashew is
one of those fruits that leave a stain that you just can’t get out - and I have
just ruined a brand new shirt.
Every week I get asked why we
build our homes on stilts. Well, it is nothing to do with snakes or floods.
Traditionally, all homes were made from wood and built on stilts to catch the
cool breeze and to allow the air to flow around and under the house, to keep it
cooler. While many home are now constructed with concrete, the tradition still
carries on and many concrete home are still built on stilts.
Of course we have snakes in
Belize – some venomous – but you won’t see them, or get attacked by them. I
have been walking through long grass and jungle for years without ever seeing
one. You do see them occasionally crossing the road. I have never heard of
anyone dying from a snake bite.
The same with crocodiles.
Yes, we have them in our rivers and if you are in a boat passing though the
jungle, you may well see one. Once again, I personally have never heard of
anyone being attacked by one and you don’t normally see them around habited
areas.
Yes, we have crime in Belize
and Belize City is sometimes in the headlines for a gang murder, or something
similar. It’s rather strange but I have many friends who live in the city but
they never feel intimidated by the crime there. I personally would not want to
live there, although I often have business there and feel perfectly safe
walking around the streets. It is much quieter in the districts and, in the 27
years that I have been living in Cayo, I have never been robbed, attacked, burgled,
threatened, or anything. No, I don’t carry a gun and I have never felt the need
to.
When I first came to Belize, the majority of
Belizeans used to be ‘Creole’, which is an African/European mix, but in recent
years, the ‘Latinos’ have overtaken them and are now 50% of the population.
This is partly due to the thousands of refugees that came here during the civil
unrest problems in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Salvador, Honduras, etc., many years
ago. We still get a steady influx of immigrants from the surrounding Spanish-speaking
countries who come here to make a better life for their families. In the last couple
of years, I also have had families from places like Costa Rica, Panama, etc.,
who have decided to move to Belize because of the increase in crime in their
own countries. Anyway, getting back to the people of Belize, because of the complete
hodge-podge of people and races living here, there are all shades of skin
colours and there is no racial discrimination at all.
The official language of
Belize is English, and just about everybody speaks it, although for many
families, especially near the borders, Spanish is their first language. I
personally feel embarrassed because I have been living here for 27 years, but
never did get around to learning Spanish. You really don’t need to although you
will hear it widely spoken. Perhaps I’ll get around to learning it this year.
There are plenty of cheap “Spanish schools” in Guatemala where you live with a
Guatemalan family and learn Spanish one-on-one for half of the day, and then
become a tourist and relax for the rest of the day.
If you like to travel, Belize
is an ideal place to live. Apart from the easy access to North America (1 hour
40 minutes from Miami) and the Caribbean
islands, it is an easy drive to exotic locations in Mexico and Central America.
Belize is great. Life is
slower and it is much easier and cheaper living in a warm country. Can you imagine
getting out of bed on a January morning and putting just a pair of shorts on?
Then wandering out to your garden to pick a pink grapefruit for your breakfast.
In my garden I have: avocado, pink grapefruit, mango, chinese plum, tangerine, cherry,
sour sop, sweet sop, loquot, lychee, and cherry guava. Trees and plants grow
easily and quickly in the good soil. They don’t call Cayo the bread-basket of
Belize for nothing.
Just one more thing on the
subject of “Belize is Different”. A short while ago, one of my clients asked me
about the difference between Belize and England, where I originally came from.
I thought about that for a minute and then said, “Belizeans are happier!” And
it’s true. In England, people in the streets are normally complaining about the
weather or the illegal immigrants or something or other, and they tend to be
miserable. In Belize, people in the streets are happy. They are poor people but
they laugh and smile when you meet them.
If you have any questions on
Belize, please just drop me a line – john@belizepropertycenter.com – and I will
try to answer them.
John Acott
