First "recon" visit to Belize next month

Write vacation_Belize @yahoo.com. tony will hook you up

What area will you be visiting for your 6 day trip?

I am moving to Hopkins in October. Love it there

We are still trying to narrow down where we want to explore.  We were leaning toward the Cayo District but it really comes down to where we can eventually make a living.  Our goal is not to make a fortune, just enough to live on and be able to stay in Belize.  Are there work opportunities in the mountains and rainforests of the Cayo District?  Is it more likely to find/create opportunities in coastal areas where tourists frequent?

Where we live in North Carolina currently, we have equal access to mountains and the ocean – but nothing like what Belize offers, I’m sure!  We love both environments and even being right in the middle so I know we will be happy anywhere – we just need to figure out where we can earn a little income.  Any thoughts/suggestions?  Are we going about this the wrong way?

There are strict rules for working or running a Business in Belize. You need to do your homework on that plan.

Yes, we are aware of that and have been doing plenty of research on work permits, timing, etc.  There is a lot of information on this (sometimes conflicting information) but we're definitely reading up and plan to talk to a lot of people in person.  We have some savings to get by for a while but eventually we will need to earn our keep, and we're trying to figure out where in Belize that could be.  Any additional thoughts on this?

In Belize time is measured by the lunar cycle more than the hourly cycle. SLOW goes it. 6 days? Modder Fire. You are not going to accomplish much.

Haha, yes, 6 days is definitely too short to get a lot done.  But that's what we have right now so we're taking advantage of it (and one of the reasons we're asking the experts for suggestions on how to make this trip as useful as possible).  Like the title of this thread says, this is just our FIRST recon visit.  :-)

If you are looking for seaside and sand Hopkins might be a good area to start out.  The reason I'm suggesting this over the other more popular areas is that places like Placencia and Ambergris Cay are already more developed. Plenty of B&B's there, lots of tour companies, dive shops etc.
If you want to get in on a developing area, Hopkins/Sittee River might be it. You have the option of both the river and the ocean.
They are currently paving the road, and once that is complete, the area will be far more attractive to tourists etc. Also right now, the land prices seem better than Placencia( where the road is already complete). Also Hopkins is a 45 minute drive to Placencia, so it's not too difficult for logistics if you are going to be building or setting up a business.  Its a small area, easy to research in a 6 day trip and you could also check out Dangriga.

The inland areas of mountains and rivers like in Cayo ( San Ignacio and Santa Elena out to Bullet Tree etc) are spread out over a larger area and I think it would be difficult to cover in just 6 days.  Just an opinion.

I assume you will rent a car from the airport. Maybe check out Cayo (San Ignacio & environs) the first couple of days. Then head down the beautiful Hummingbird Highway to Dangriga, Hopkins, Placencia and further south(?)for what time you have left. You will get a pretty good lay of the land (and sea)in such a short time such that you will know where to check out more thoroughly on your next extended visit. If your expectations are low for answering all your questions, you could have a good time. Rent a small cheap car (no need for a 4X4 on the main roads itinerary). Good luck and have fun.

Thanks to both of you for the great suggestions!  I do think we're going to focus on Hopkins since that was one place of interest.  We'll see if we get anywhere else on this trip.

About the rental vehicle, I was under the impression that a 4x4 would be needed due to the rains this time of year.  Is that not really necessary?

Also, how critical is it to have hotel reservations during the low season?  We were thinking of leaving things flexible except maybe the first/last night.  Bad idea?

I think that you would need some high off the ground pick-up truck or an SUV, not necessarily a 4x4, but a front wheel drive of some kind, unless you plan to go off-road.
The roads are filled with pot holes. During our last visit, part of the Sittee River Road was pretty swamped after the tropical depression and it took about 5 days before it dried out enough for us to go and see some properties we were interested in.
If you have limited time, you don't want to have to wait it out, if we do get a storm during your visit. We've been managing with a Prius, but that is really not the right car.

From the airport to Placencia you don't need a 4X4 but on all roads it is best to take it SLOW. I don't know about the Hopkins road as it is being repaired but its not many miles off the Southern Highway. I drive a Daewoo Lanos (roller skate) to all the other places I mentioned before.

Can I suggest an area you would probably really want to buy in, might be in your price range and a lot of great roads for mountain biking?  Tons of Whitewater to get to easily?

In Cayo head back to the San Antonio region.  Easy from there to get to the Rio On pools, caves, and mountain roads.

Here are some photos I did in the last year:

Red,  rest your mind easy.  if mistakes are made, it is easy to correct.   come and enjoy Belize with us.  welcome,  Kris

Prestonia,  thank you for the pictures.  I am excited to come and see the area.  our car is languishing in customs for a while longer.  then we will be able to hit the road and explore, bumpity bumpity bumpity.........   thanks Kris & Marc

Thanks for all the helpful comments.  We're excited to get there and check things out!

Can anyone recommend some reputable realtors/home owners we could meet when we're there?  We're not looking to purchase - just to get an idea of what we can expect for different price ranges.  From everything we've read and heard, we would end up renting for at least 6 months before purchasing anything but it would probably be good to look at both sale/rental property.  For this visit we would focus on just Hopkins and the surrounding area.  Thanks again for your input!

Get with tony
vacation_Belize@yahoo.com. he will hook you up in Hopkins

Red, hope all goes well with your recon! Would Iike to hear more about Hopkins if you get there.
We re in located in NC as well, except isolated to mountains only. A change of view would be nice!

I know it takes time to properly acquire a work permit, so what have any of you done in the meantime while waiting for one? I am curious how to spend a year without work! Thanks!

teamheisler,
Most of the people who come to Belize are retirees, or semi-retired. They use this opportunity to take up hobbies like painting etc. and are not too worried about keeping busy.
I have a Canadian business that I run from here. Others arrive and almost immediately start building a house, so that takes their full attention, sometimes for years.
Some spend the time looking for ways to start small businesses, and then they spend time on doing the paperwork to get the legal requirements (Business plans, business permits, work permits, bank accounts). You can get started on setting up a business as soon as you arrive, doing the ground work etc, then at the six month mark, you can make your application to the Labour Dept for your work permit. It may take 2-3 months for the work permit to get approved, so you may not have to wait an entire year.

Somehow things take so much longer to do here, and the time passes quickly.