Everyday life in Belize

just a quick note for everyone... If you are tired of someone's constant Belize bashing, just report him. After a certain number of reports, from a certain number of different members -> the ban is automatic. 

No place, no country is perfect. There is no paradise.
There are ample positives expressed on this board. But when negatives  are expressed it's "bashing"?
Belize is not for everyone. So should it not be reasonable to assume that along with the good comes the bad or do you expect all the newbies to simply read Channel  News7 to get "the rest of the story"?
Sadly the negatives are appalling . It's just the way it is. Or have you not watched a stray Belizean potlicker  die from strychnine poisoning? Or a young child from kidney failure from an inadequately treated strep throat infection? Or would you rather be the typical ex pat who wears blinders and rose coloured contact lenses while tossing darts in a bar?

That is not a typical expat. It is some expats of your aquaintance I do respect your medical knowledge But your assumptions of all other expats are not flattering to say the least Personally I am not sure as a Brittish person and ex military I should be going because I like the girls. If i am excentric thats a different matter could possibly be true cos I am still reading your posts when if I am lucky I find a grain of truth in some, Bile in others, and your holier than thou attitude in a lot more. YAY you are a doctor  yay  you like a nice life style and  there fore you are the only person worth bothering with. Hey they poison dogs in San francisco with meat balls and rat poison it aint nice to see either. All the bad things you say are true.But you do rather harp on about all the negatives I don't think many disbelieve the facts you like to show but you do rather lump together things to make it out to be hell on earth  I also  have known Belize, for over twenty years and you would have had a lot more to complain about then. It is not nor does it want to be the same as the usa or canada if you want it to be there will never be enough cash to do it. BTW in 20 years I have never been asked for or paid a bribe to any official, having said that i have never asked for special treatment either.

As it relates to my previous post:
I am actually an Independent if you want to give me a political affiliation. I do agree with a lot of Republican stances on a myriad of issues, particularly when it comes to taxes, financial regulations, personal liberty and freedom, less federal government, and the principles of the US Constitution. I also agree with the liberal-left Democrats on some issues, like the availability of contraception, equality in employment, social equality for minorities, and the promotion of alternative energy sources. I dont think that some politician in a government building in DC knows better than me how, or what, to teach my children, what we should  eat or drink, where I should get my health care, or how I should  live my life. I definitely believe in: personal responsibility, personal liability, self-determination and self-reliance. I dont need the federal government to oversee everything I do, or protect me from myself. We may have the same profession, but we obviously have very different perspectives. If you are not American citizen, you have no idea of the inefficiency and incompetence of US government bureaucracies.
I think Belize is for those who relish personal freedom, can take care of themselves, dont need a nanny federal government, are entrepreneurs, are independent, are able to get along and live anywhere, and enjoy the tropical climate and locale. We dont all need a 1985 Chateau  Haut-Brion (not an Argentenian wine, but my preference), or a specific type or brand of cheese to be happy or content.  Happiness comes from within.

I agree 2flyaway ! I am wondering why such a rude man if he hates belize still even part time resides here ? when I was fixing up my house in florida I too used a garden hose for a shower. it certainly doesn't mean I am a lazy uneducated low class citizen . yes, belize is not perfect. but I don't know where  a perfect place on earth is ! haha!

well said teriffic !

All that strife and despair that are suggested, exist not only in Belize, but in every country in the world. Even the richest nations. I think going into a 3rd world country as small as Belize, you see higher concentrations of it but in the U.S. you find the same problems ..... times a million.  It's simply spread out over a larger area and tucked away in the corners and shadows so most of us don't deal with it on a daily basis. To go to any country other than where you are accustomed to living, will give you culture shock, no matter who you are. If you aren't willing to adapt and embrace the culture and lifestyle, stay home and be miserable. You don't need to move thousands of miles, invade someone else's world just to complain. I think you must be all aware of the pro's and cons before you make a move like this. You need to know what you will give up and do without, in your search for "Paradise". Because you WILL go without.         Paradise is a state of mind, not a piece of real estate.

@prrthed43
Something you should read. I do not know the fellow who wrote this well though I have met him briefly. They moved to Costa Rica. They raise horses and mini donkeys.
"Belizer believers get so pissy and defensive. You are right that many have an ulterior motive.
As for living here , we followed the best guides and rented first. Thankfully we never bought here so we can escape more easily than a homeowner who dare not leave his home , not even for minutes. We know friends who have been robbed while at church, not once but twice. We met another who was robbed and seriously injured in a machete attack IN his home. We have neighbors who were robbed in broad daylight, while they were home . We have 6 dogs so robbers do not even linger in front of our gate.
Then there are the stray dogs, the starving dogs and the tethered horses and cows. Where and when do they drink? I think all have morphed into camels since I never see any of them with fresh water available. I had a poster contact me before on this issue and admonish me for not understanding that free access to water is a fallacy and that I needed to understand how tough it was to keep a horse in a bare yard . Well maybe they should not have a horse. Why raise a cow anyway, if it for food , well beef here is closer to shoe leather than any place we have lived or traveled, and we have been places far poorer than Belize.
But I think where we most agree with Dennis is in the treatment you get at the Immigration, border and some Belizean businesses. There is such a grand lack of interest in keeping the tourist or future resident interested in staying here. Some are so indifferent it is amazing that they generate any visitor business.
We thought we would like to retire here but their are few benefits . Health care is poor, and poorly organized. The medical professionals do the best they can with what little they have but they are limited by circumstances.
We are tired of the potholes that seem to grow on a daily basis. We are tired of grifters, druggies, scammers and thieves. we are tired of the corruption and the limited police protection available . We are tired of the limited variety of food supplies. We are tired of the defenders rationalizing how wonderful it is here. While it IS paradise for some , it is closer to survival of the fittest for many. Now before you defenders get your uproar going and tell us to shut up or get out, please know we are in motion as we write.
We tried to like it here. We have made some very nice friends , but the lifestyle is too limited here."

bon voyage ! dr al ! how long did you suffer living here ? why did you move here ? happy trails to you !

Hi everyone,

hope you are well.

Just a quick reminder. Should you experience any issue on the forum, e.g. someone hijacking many threads with constant negativity, please do not hesitate to report the post or the member. After a certain number of reports, from a certain number of different users, the reported member gets automatically banned by the community 

It would seem that Dr. Al, whoever he is, has had some unpleasant experiences in Belize. I, on the other hand, have lived here for nearly 30 years and have enjoyed every one of this years. Never been attacked, mugged, burgled, robbed or hassled. Just about every ex-pat that I know enjoys living in Belize although I do have one American tenant who is much like Dr. Al in that he has a very negative outlook and never stops running down Belize. Saying that, he has just extended his lease indefinitely. Can't be all that bad, eh?

I was in no way making accusations, just observations. I've been exploring the possibilities in Central America for several years now. It doesn't matter where you look, there are those that simply cannot or will not adapt. It's not they're fault for not liking their choices. GOD knows I've made a few I didn't like either' One Expat in Costa Rica told me that to be happy there you had to "become" a Tico. It makes sense to me that they're lifestyle is less urgent and things that are important to them are weighed on a different scale. Some of us thrive in a hectic, convenience filled world of instant gratification and some don't. But these cultures have never experienced that lifestyle. So they simply can't grasp the concept. Your angst at waiting 4 days for someone to come unplug your toilet is foreign to them. " What's the problem? I'm here now"  What is our "norm" is like seeing a UFO to them. Simply put, you can't go into these places waving an American Flag and trying to turn it into Middle America. It's not going to happen. You must become part of their culture and adapt to their ways. They don't have to adapt to ours. As for robberies in these fine gated communities , I wouldn't think anything of it. If you move into these places you may as well put up a neon sign saying "I'm a wealthy foreigner and I have things you'll NEVER own.....unless you steal it from me!" 
All the best to Dr..Al and anyone else that gave it a shot but didn't like it.  But here's a news flash for you. When you get back home.......... you won't like it either. it's worse now than it was when you left.......Good Luck to all.      I'm still looking

Well said !   After buying on Ambergris Caye, it did take awhile to adjust .....and we still are.  However, we love the changes and have only met nice, welcoming people.  We have not been harassed, robbed or intimidated in any way.
No, it is not the culture we are accustomed to, but we are very happy with the adjustments.
We previously lived in the St. Louis area and I taught high school in the neighborhoods where all the riots have been this week.  So, needless to say,  I'll take the island any day over the direction we seem to be headed in our cities here.

"dral" I hope you are reading this ! I spent 9 months in belize 3 yrs ago .stayed caye caulker san Ignacio. when I got back to florida I was terrified in tampa . just recently spent a month in belize again. bought a small property in san Ignacio. got back to fla. & believe me , crime, homeless, is so bad here . can't wait to get back to bz
.

very well said miss..

I live in New jersey. No third world country by any means but it sounds a lot like the belize you describe. You should come here for a bit. Pot holes that will swallow your car. Corrupt cops  taxes that are out of control.  My point is is that its screwed up everywhere.  Its what you make of it that determines how it will be. Dr all I think you are the very reason americans are leaving the US at such a high rate.  The grass is always greener on the other side

The common denominator here as I suspected is the USA going down the toilet. So let's go to Belize. Except most go to Mexico or Panama. The IL retirement index for 2014 places Belize near the bottom out of 23 a notch above Cambodia and the Dominican R. Infrastructure, climate, and amenities are where points are lost. It should not be a struggle in one's twilight years to find a panzerotti with fresh mushrooms or a plumber to ream out your toilet. You can get those on AC at an enormous cost. (canned mushrooms actually). My observations which granted may not be easy to verify, are that Americans leave because they don't like the USA, Canadians because they don't care for winter and most do a 6/6 spread. After all Canada is on the ten best countries to live in list. Brits also have climatic issues but those with sense go to Portugal or Malta.
The USA is a big place. St Louis, Tampa and Atlantic City are small samples. I lived in USA for 7+ years. This was western Kansas. I have dual citizenship. I have a teaching position there for October in Ft Hays. The biggest crime in the town nearby that I lived in was a cell phone theft. Kansas has more roads than anywhere else in the USA and even the cow tracks are better maintained  than Belize. Plus i can get get 6 varieties of fresh mushrooms. The Belizeophiles think convenience is overrated. This may not be the feeling when you are 70 and have chest pain because you overworked the plunger and the clinic defibrillator was never inspected   as when you were  50 and just bought a pile of tropical soil while wearing blinders and imbued with romantic notions instilled by relocation "experts" or developers.

I feel very sorry for you "dr al" ! I don't think have had a truly happy day in your life . I don't think it matters at all where you reside. you will find things to hate. you are a hater. so sad . hope you can find a small bit of happiness in your life. life is too short to be so mean

I wonder as the climate is so Humid if it would not be possible to grow mushrooms in Belize maybe an idea for a new business and then maybe Dral would not be so grumpy.

I did look into this a little many years ago and bought specialised books, etc. but never got around to it. I thought it was good idea, as well. You can grow mushrooms on tree stumps but, I think to grow regular button mushrooms, you may need some kind of temperature control.

hahaha!! 

I once was given a kit in uk it was basically a straw bale and a packet of spores just had to keep it in a cool room with minimal light. So it went in the spare room under the bed and for the next 8 weeks I got amazing amounts of Mushrooms,. I believe they grow on manure as well but maybe too smelly to want to pick them. The advice with it said if very dry air leave a bowl of water beside bale to create humidity.

Truly fascinating. Well my work is done here. Just today as a matter of fact up here in the great white north, I am preparing Quiche for my significant other. The process involved obtaining deep dish pie shells, fresh white mushrooms, orange sweet peppers, plus wait for it... A Caesar salad kit. Lite no less. All done in 25 minutes.. The shopping  part that is. Oh and a bottle of Chilean wine at 10$ CDN. When you are in your twilight years there is nothing wrong with convenience. This is why God gave us Scottsdale and Boquete.
Relocation to Belize is not what you can live with ( as in crappy infrastructure) but what you have to live without like fresh Cremini mushrooms. Chaque a son gout.
Au revoir

How I have seen mushrooms grown involved straw, horse manure, and water all in the dark. They always tasted great.

I think your just not eating the right kind if mushrooms al lol  I feel what your saying bout convenience though especially at an older age and health care. Im young yet and up for adventure   someday I'll come back to jersey lay off the shrooms and let my kids take care of me

Go tarpon springs!  Love that area. Have a summer place in safety harbor

So as a health provider you are  an advocate of Convenience food above, cooking from scratch, enabling you to know all the ingredients involved. a pastry shell is so easy to make why bother paying twice or more the cost of the ingredients with added unwanted preservatives and such like. As a self proclaimed foodie why buy Crap. conveniece has more costs than money. I may not let you taste my home grown mushrooms after I grow them in Belize, if you do not have better credentials than ready made pastry shells. Also why the promotion of Chillean wine there are many better wines around and at a better price $10 seems abit pricey for Plonk. A ceaser salad KIT what you can't put together a bit of lettuce and celery and nuts without a kit. Having put that meal together from scratch may have won browny points but from a bunch of addative filled kits prooves you are just a lazy cook not a choosy one.

Hey John do you still have the mushroom books, if so when I get down next can we come to an arrangement about them Like If i get them to grow I give you a regular supply. Probably be a while my Passport had to go back to UK for renewal so I cant get back before the new one arrives.   Or I could get Christopher to pick them up from your office.

armand,   Dr. Al is acerbic in his style, however he uses facts  to support his opinions.   Reality is that a murder a day in a country of 346,000 is statisically huge compared to a murder a day in a US city of 11,000,000!    The clearance rate of 12% on arrests is noteworthy (crimes solved and successfully prosecuted).   Electricity is 33% higher per kw in Belize than it is in Guatemala, Mexico or Panama.   etc etc etc.   the people who so object to Dr Al's posts are -1-very new and have  not yet  experienced the very real difficulties of living in Belize.   -2- people trying to sell real estate   -3- live in Belize only part time, 6 months out of the year or less.   I respectfully suggest that Dr. Al continue to be the voice of reality without criticism from the moderators.    the moderators do not live in Belize  and have no first hand knowledge of the real issues here.    I live in Belize, and enjoy my life.     This does not blind me to the facts and issues.

Julien, if you choose to ban Dr Al, you will do a disservice to the new people exploring the possibilities & requirements of coming to Belize to live.  Dr. Al is really very funny even if many people do not like his style.   He also backs up his remarks with facts.   He is the balance needed to the rose colored glasses promoted by the people attempting to sell property and the newcomers who have not yet experienced all that Belize offers and the part timers.   .Dr Als position, as I undertand it, is that there are other Latin and Caribbean countries with more to offer and fewer problems than Belize.  I think people need to hear/see this even if they disagree.    Do you and the other moderators live full time in Belize, so you really know, understand and experience both the positive and negative factors of becoming an ex-pat in Belize????

Hi mzcalifornia
agreed ,but same can be said in a deferent way without putting people down or in a degrading way.

@spiceman: it's different not deferent. Degrading is a bit hyperbolic n'est pas? Besides if you can't take shots at folks who move to Belize so they can grow their own fungi and cold shower under a  garden hose surrounded by 12 species of noxious insectivora who's left? Consider this from the Dos Equis guy:" I don't always listen to dumb people, but when I do I'm sure to make fun of them afterwords".  I like Dos Equis Beer. (I like Corozal because I can get this when I'm there from a neighbour along with gasoline.) But I digress. As the CEO of the ABRO (anti Belize relocation organization) I have a moral obligation to warn all paradise seekers to remove the blinders and pink eyewear.
Maybe watch  this from (ostensibly) Anonymous
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJ03fQNvztw
and..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mdj2yTKhHIk&sns=em
and this is a country with a future for ex pat relocation?
And if a newbie must move there let it be to experience the real Belize not Sanctuary or Ambergris
just sayin'

put things in perspective, US population is 316.13  million  with a  average daily murder rate of 44  (16000 per year). Belize averages 0.4 murders per day (145 per year).  In Chicago 2012 there were over 500 homicides. 2013 saw a decline to 479.  We're comparing one city in the us. Detroit. 567 in 2012. New York City 536 in 2012. Los Angeles 237...... I could go on and on but my point is... in any densely populated city in the world you'll find statistics that over shadow Dr Al's ramblings.      The number of Law Enforcement Officers in the US exceeds the population of Belize and yet the average homicide rate per year exceeds 16k a year. We can skew data in any direction we want to support whatever stance we choose to take. "It's my story, I can write it however I wish"  Dr.Al  seems hell bent on keeping everyone away from his private misery in Belize, but that's his story, he can write it how ever he wants.     Dr Al , had some tidbit of credibility with this guy, until he started posting links to Anonymous videos on YouTube. Now I'm inclined to think maybe he is a bit fanatical and has some personal agenda that keeps him posting negativity to convince others that their dreams can't come true.  His ramblings of gloom and doom will no longer draw my attention or responses.     I hope his story ends..... just the way he writes it.

well said prrthed 43 ! seems "dral" doth protest a little too much ! maybe he doesn't want more ex-pats moving here. ! I live in florida ( not for much longer I hope !) it should be the crime & homeless hopeless state

@prrthed43: homicide stats are reported at number/100k. The UN classifies Belize  as number 3 in the region. The odds that you as a visitor will be a victim is low. Unless of course u spend time on Kraal Rd in BZE sagging your jeans and flashing gang signs. Iceland has the same population as Belize and like the former a rather incestuous population. Yet the violent crime rate is one of the lowest globally. You can also park an unlocked bike there at 9am and it will be there at 5pm. In Belize it will be gone in <5min. The sociology of crime in Belize as anywhere is not simple. It isn't just poverty as Nicaragua is higher yet has 1/2 the violent crime. Iceland has one of the least corrupt governments. The origin of the videos  is unimportant. The content is. There is nothing untrue about what was said in the videos. The issue is whether Belize is the MOST corrupt Government in the world. When you think about what you hear and read about what goes on in the GOB they have to be up near the top of the list. But with the Belize refusing to give the data needed to measure the corruption in Belize it is very hard to pinpoint where this government would be on the list. But if Belize was 2nd, or 3rd or 10th, it's stills mess as the elected parties just take turns raping the country. Now about ten years ago Margaret Briggs a forensic anthropologist excavating Santa Rita I believe it was, and who was a property crime victim, did do an informal survey of 50  expats and found that about 80% had been victims of property crime in the previous 4 years. The crimes ranged from petty thefts of materials to violent home invasions.
There is no other data analysis and no publication I know of. Certainly 50 is a small sample size for stat analysis but it does raise flags. Again for ex pats not visitors.The  country  is a complete mess ranging from shoddy infrastructure to incompetent police/judiciary with no light at the end of the tunnel.The end result is an angry inebriated populace.
I have heard ex pats say that they like the ineptitude of the GOB and that they "are not in our face". Low property taxes etc. Wrong thinking. The chances of being a victim of crime in Belize as an ex pat due to socio economic disparity among other things is >75% over a 5 year span.This ranges from being a victim of the "ATM gringo" ( lend me dollah) effect, to petty theft on up to home invasion or worse.
Anyone who says otherwise is a relocator selling real estate.

On the plus side It is nice to know the negative side of moving to Belize.  Unless the dirty laundry is out in the public how do we clean it up ?
But every statement by Dr Al is ignoring the fact Belize is a poor country with a small population ,relatively un educated with a government to match.  Will the situation change ? I believe it will. Do the country and population can be helped by people like Ex -pats ? I think yes. One need a lot of patience  dealing with GOB . We don,t have to be patronizing or appear to be superior when talking about the people of Belize. Every country belonging to the 1st world club probably was at 3rd world standard at one time.
I am amazed by the" progress" of India during the last 20 years.
Education made a big deference. In India most of the parents are passionate about their kids education. They are almost fanatical.
Belize will have to charter her own course . It will come.  It will come from the people who have access to information  from anywhere in the world.

please I will sell you paradise in florida !   there is still swamp land to be had !!   want to buy mine ?? we do have all flavors of  mushrooms !

I have listened to and seen the "anonymous videos" for Belize.    I watch and listen to the real belizeans around me.   I believe the video is more accurate than not.   The difficulties in Belize are manageable for most ex-pats if they have sufficient income.   .for example the higher prices for electricity are only an issue if you need your A/C 24/7 and are trying to live on a tiny Social Security retirement pension.    The real question is,  "Is Belize the best choice for an ex-pat" in Central or South America.   This does require a look at factual information about personal safety, health care, property protection, comfort, opportunities for assimilation, cost of living, languages, availability of food items, and many other factors.  These are very personal decisions.   I believe it is important to consider all the factors, AND come rent for a year, without making a financial commitment.  Check out other countries.   Mexico, Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Uraguay,  Carribean Islands, etc.   be informed about all the pros and cons.   Do NOT buy the "dream" from International Living without through investigation.    What is the point in trading invective with Dr. Al?   and BTW, I personally consider Florida to be an overpriced slum with a corrupt government and I would never live there.    Obviously millions of Florida residents disagree with me.   What is the point of a comparison  between Portions of the USA or Canada vs Belize.?    peace to all

As usual Dr Al you go out of your way to attack people, as well as exaggerating your so called facts. You pigeon hole people without knowing them, and thus contrary to your claim, is anything but scientific. Some may swallow what you say without being able to know that which you say is exaggerated in some if not many cases. 'Stupid' is not something that people who know me certainly do not describe me, but of course you choose to call me that. Any of us that choose to not live a life where we can order any number of wines, or have a bloated high priced health care system at our whim, among the many other things that you berate Belize so much for not having, you call eccentric and stupid.

I have many more positive things to do in Belize than be berated by a person that does not live in Belize. I enjoy life in Belize along with many Expats here. I lived the high life as a CEO, traveling around the world working, staying in nice hotels etc. I worked in Health Care around the world. With a single phone call I could find out much more about you, but I will not waste my time.

I say goodby to this blog, others can enjoy themselves when you decide to rant on them.

Happy in Belize