Cayo District of Western Belize holiday photos.

* You have to swim to get into this underworld cave.
* Mennonite farming family cross river bridge in horse and buggy.
* Cayo District horseback riding.
* Cayo District, Western Belize valley.

SOME BELIZE RETIREMENT QUESTIONS ANSWERED

RETIREMENT QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Got a Louisiana couple here visiting, looking at Belize for retirement. They had some interesting questions.
Why not case in the ceiling like they do in the USA? The reason is field mice and cockroaches in the tropical climate. They built nests in the dead spaces. Same with gypsum board walls. Can’t see the termites eating the wood studs. Field mice nests in ceilings are a big nuisance.
Our building is a utilitarian building. We live mostly wide open to the outdoors, with half Dutch doors open, windows open, etc. Why do I have the wiring on pvc pipe on the inside cement walls? The reason is, for ease of changes and additions. You can build with wiring into the cement block walls and many do. My own experience has been that I’m always wanting more lights, or outlets that were not originally planned on. It is just easier to have an electrician come in and put in extensions. The cost is around $40 usa per outlet.
Why did Silvia and I choose to live up here in the suburb of Hillview in Santa Elena Town. Partly because of the cooler Spring weather, particularly at night for 8 months a year. The other reason is bugs. Like mosquitoes and sandflies, common on the lower altitude coast. We are at 600 feet here and if you study the Mayan thatch villages, you will note, they always build above 400 feet altitude for the same reasons. Cut out the mosquitoes and get better sleeping temperatures. It was also a question of price, availability, convenience of streets, water service and electrical service and garbage service. The East West road is asphalt paved as is the North South highway. All other streets and roads are dirt. We just bought another house and lot in our suburb for $8000 usa. Will take that again to fix it up properly, but still a bargain by US standards. Expect we will increase floor space from the 400 square feet to about 3200 square feet. Our house and hotel here now is around 4000 square feet and started off with one of these small houses.
Building material costs! Most gadgets like nails, hinges, paint and screws are imported. If you take the retail cost in the USA and multiply by 3 times, you have the rough cost in Belize currency of the item. Due to taxes, shipping and customs brokers. Belize currency is $2 bz to $1 usa. Building supplies are erratic in availability. You have to wait when they run out of supplies for a couple of months, for wholesalers to import another shipping container of building supplies.
Building in cement is preferable to wood. Termites are the main reason and lower maintainance. They import cement and make cement blocks locally though. Building insurance for us is around a $1000 usa.
Land prices are variable and based on location and demand. Title processing is complicated and very slow. Lands Department backlogs run about a year.
If you are waiting for Permanent Residency and have completed a year in the country, the backlog in the Immigration Department is running right now about a year and a half. Most of it is due to a very complex inter-departmental sign off process, on the process of regulating things. Your file gets put on somebody’s desk and will get ignored as political party members hustle favors for people. The priority system doesn’t work due to politics.
Why live in Belize instead of the USA? The main reason is climate, this is a rural pristine country with a small population. We have two or three months of summer heat and eight or nine months of nice Spring type climate. ETERNAL SPRING.
Being a statistic in a metropolitan area doesn’t suit a lot of people. Here people know your name and greet you on the street.
That occurs in rural USA also though.
When you get older, medical problems arise. Medical service is better in Belize than in Metropolitan areas of the USA. The doctors are as good, at a fraction of the cost. You don’t need medical insurance and most new retirees have canceled their Medicare A & B, their medical insurance and taken the monthly money instead.
Medical problems can be frightening in the USA. The main reason is; I know of several people who lost their bank accounts, houses, stocks and assets. An example would be a male nephew who was around 40 years old and had looked after his rich aunt for 14 years. She wouldn’t give him power of attorney and he didn’t know enough to be appointed Guardian. Her incontinence in home living became too much for him to handle. So he applied to get assistance. Within 18 hours, the court had made the State her GUARDIAN. She had about $2 million in cash assets and $4 million in real estate. The nephew was kicked out of the house in downtown Metropolitan Miami with zero. He expected to inherit and became homeless instead. It took the STATE about 2 ½ years to run through her fortune. Every time she needed medicine, it required a judge, expensive lawyers to confirm the injection, all debited from her assets. The STATE argument was she would be in a STATE facility care for the rest of her life at no expense after the money was run through.
If you talk to some homeless people on park benches and living under bushes on Miami Beach, they can give you horrific stories. Of getting sick, homes and property sold for property taxes and being evicted. It is not unusual to have a million and a half medical lien on everything you own, for a ten day hospital stay. Nobody cares, once you have no more money. The medical system is designed to strip a person of their assets. If you are single and alone for any reason, you are in big trouble. As you get older you need to protect your assets and cash flow.
Like many countries, Belize has a system whereby if your property taxes are delinquent, the property cannot be transferred, inherited or sold, until all back taxes are paid up in lump sum. You don’t get kicked out on the street in your old age.
p.s. THIS IS A RE-WRITE OF AN ARTICLE DONE A YEAR AGO IN 2008 ON THE BELIZE CULTURE LISTSERVE DEBATING LIST.

EXCELLENT SPEECH IN BELMOPAN, BELIZE, BY PRESIDENT OF TAIWAN

PRESIDENT MA OF TAIWAN GAVE EXCELLENT SPEECH IN BELIZE

By Ray Auxillou

In his round of diplomatic and political speeches, we saw some of it on Cable television in Belize. The President of Taiwan came across as sincere, well meaning, in his personal speeches on the relationship between Belize and other allies of Taiwan.
In a nutshell, he said that Taiwan was suffering from the World Recession and loss of exports just like everybody else and Taiwan had to cut back on foreign dollar diplomacy assistance. He did say that the 26 countries or so, that are Taiwan’s closest international political supporters, would continue to receive assistance in one form or another from Taiwan. He qualified this by saying, that this meant they in Taiwan, would have to prioritize requests for assistance. He would do his best to continue programs of technical assistance to places like Belize. Perhaps even expanding them, depending on the mission goals for development. What he didn’t say but was implied, was that probably he was going to cut back on GRANTS and LOANS. Taiwan is currently suing some country in the Caribbean for a loan left unpaid, with interest mounting. Whichever country it is, had switched it’s political assistance from Taiwan to Mainland China.
One got the impression that President Ma of Taiwan expressed himself very well, in an articulate, friendly and sincere manner to the people of Belize. I liked the guy and what he said and the way he said it. Belize definitely has a close friend with Taiwan in our corner.

USA President Obama to go scuba diving in Belize

Barrow and Kim
Michelle and Obama


USA PRESIDENT OBAMA TO VISIT BELIZE AS A TOURIST!

In a local television news interview in Belize , Prime Minister Barrow hinted that USA President OBAMA will probably visit Belize as a tourist. Speculation has it that December, February and March are the best choices for when it is cold and dreary in Washington , D.C. January in Belize and Mexico can be a rainy month with cold spells due to Alaska Northers sweeping through as far as Nicaragua . These bring rain fronts of several days followed by cold brisk clear skies. This is a time when Belizeans bundle up in three sweaters and jackets.

Prime Minister Barrow of Belize went on to explain that in a head to head talk in Trinidad in private, President Obama of the USA has told him he was appointing an old College Days student friend of his as Ambassador to Belize for the duration of his term. Subject to approval by the US Congress. PM Barrow then went on to laugh and remind listeners that he also remembered his wild times of those youthful halcyon College days. I cannot for the life of me, ever remembering anybody in the world, in my 72 years of life ever using ‘halcyon’ as a real word, in a real sentence. I had to look it up in the dictionary. My huge thick American Random House, library discard dictionary doesn’t even show the word. How about that? I’ve read the word before though. The hint in that laugh by PM Barrow, was that two old USA college student buddies would be reminiscing about their youth while holidaying in Belize . He did qualify the announcement though, that our new USA Ambassador would have the ear of the USA President. P.M. Barrow went on to explain that USA President Obama was curious about where Belize was and what it was like and asked many questions? US President Obama has no experience in most of the Americas and knows little of the American continent, though he is an otherwise world traveler; which is obvious when you listen to him being interviewed on American television. All his Americas knowledge is from intelligence briefs and written reports.

The motto of the P. M. Barrow’s UDP party in government is: “IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES! “ So letting my imagination run wild, perhaps we might be able to brag in our advertising at Falconview Backpackers Adventure Hostel for adventurers and explorers in their 20’s and 30’s, that one day next year, we can say “OBAMA SLEPT HERE at Falconview Backpackers Adventure Hostel!” Obama is not Lincoln or George Washington, but he is unique in the USA as the first black president. A Prime Minister of Canada has stayed at Lamont’s Long Caye, Caye Glory Atoll scuba resort in a simple beach hut, made of wild cane and thatch, with a bucket toilet. That wild Canadian Prime Minister also buzzed Caye Caulker and Caye Chapel at coconut tree top height in a Canadian Airforce four engine jet. I was teaching Primary School on Caye Caulker at the time, and remember the building shaking for 5 minutes afterward. Other than that, Belize has seen the Shah of Iran, Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth and movies stars and movie directors by the score. Most people are famous, but we don’t know about them down here in Belize and couldn’t care less. So long as they are nice people, friendly and tip well ( grin ). We also get a lot of billionaires and in recent years we even had some famous trillionare software guy who owns Microsoft. Forget his name though! Millionaires are so common in Belize on the local scene and as visiting tourists, we don’t even consider them as anything other than ordinary people. When the new foreign tourist millionaires start bragging on, about their assets through some ego trip. Belizeans just listen with politeness. Just because we are barefoot, wearing a bathing suit, or straw hat and denim coveralls, or in my case K Mart canvas loafers with my toes sticking out, dressed in baggy thrift shop pants and shirt is deceptive. Lots of our Belize citizens are millionaires too. It just doesn’t mean much. You can only spend so much and enjoy life so much. Personal relationships here in Belize are more important than money and assets. We value our social life in Belize . But I’m straying here, going off on an old man’s reminisces. Lets see if we can post a sign out front next year, that says PRESIDENT OBAMA SLEPT HERE, either in Tina’s Backpackers Hostel on Caye Caulker Beach , or here at Falconview Backpackers Adventure Hostel in Western Belize recreational area. Or some of the AUXILLOU beach front condos on Caye Caulker.

For personal photos and news about Belize . Read the CAYE CAULKER CHRONICLES, or LIFE IN A BANANA REPUBLIC, or WESTERN BELIZE HAPPENINGS for real life stories of Belize people on the internet.

TINA'S BACKPACKERS HOSTEL ON CAYE CAULKER STORIES

Tina my 41 year old youngest daughter of four daughters born to Caye Caulker island. Read her blog, it can be hilarious. http://lifeinabananarepublic.blogspot.com

We share guests occasionally, though my guests at Falconview Backpackers Adventure Hostel are more interested in ADVENTURES out here in Western Belize. Tina's Backpackers Hostel on the beachfront of Caye Caulker is more of a party hostel and actually is in the 9th, or 10th place for the TEN BEST PARTY HOSTELS in the whole world by those who know.
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( One story of many, at Tina's Hostel on Caye Caulker. If you go there, be sure to come here out West to FAlCONVIEW BACKPACKERS ADVENTURE HOSTEL as well. )

Tuesday, February 24, 2009
DRAMA AT TINA'S HOSTEL - BEWARE OF THE PUNTA
(Punta is a local erotic, close style of dancing that natives do to the fast beating drumbeat associated with the Punta Music, also originating in Belize)

I saw a worn & tired figure with long blond hair coming in through the gate early this morning, tears streaming down her cheeks as she tried to hide her red swollen eyes behind dark sunglasses, the kind you get after hours of crying and no sleep, I know the look.

She seemed to be in a hurry, trying to escape somewhere, something or someone.

She was trying to drag through the soft fluffy sand, in a rush, one of those big solid suitcases on wheels which seem to only make her frustration, one could imagine, quadruple. The sight reminded me of a stranded beach shark trying to make it out to sea flipping and flapping about.

She had that anxious worried look on her face where survival meant everything at this moment . Her mouth seemed to be moving but no words were coming out. Even though my hearing was absorbing the chatter of the Slovenia man sitting on the couch outside next to me whom I was with in mid conversation, I had blanked out mentally & thought I saw from a distance, her lips saying HELP ME!

Immediately I knew she was not the kind of guest that Tina's Hostel attracts. She was in her mid forties, carrying the wrong type of luggage since all we get here are backpacks, was too well dressed and wore too much jewellery.

Finally she made it to the stairs & dropped the suitcase in the sand like she had just abandoned 20 years of excess mental luggage, the deep long curvy trails left behind from the force of the wheels digging in.

I rushed to her side to inquire how I can be of assistance and she asked for a dorm bed. I asked her twice if she really was looking to sleep in a dorm and then she asked if I had a private room. I did and I gave it to her. I told her to settle in and come upstairs to check in when she is finished.

Upstairs in private, she admitted that she had no money and could only pay with her husband's credit card. I told her that I could not accept that form of payment as I need to have the cardholder present to verify signature since there is a lot of credit card fraud and the banks are suspicious if I turn in a slip with the wrong signature.

Then she broke down in tears, and I asked her to sit down and relax and tell me about it when she feels comfortable. She asked to borrow the phone and I heard her call someone to ask them to Western Union her some money as she was stranded in Belize!

She hung up the phone and told me that her husband had kicked her out of the fancy hotel next door with intentions of leaving her penniless in Belize and that she stole his credit cards and quickly tried to check in with us to hide, as he was packed and leaving for the airstrip to catch a plane without her.

I told her to relax, we will work it out and an hour or so I could hear her still sobbing in the small room behind the busy kitchen.

She came upstairs again, she needed to talk to someone and had no one to share this horrendous moment with her.

"Her long marriage was falling to pieces" she said, "her husband was leaving her stranded in Belize penniless while on vacation, and he was threatening divorce".

"But why?" I asked, "what have you done so wrong?"

"I drank too much at the Oceanside Bar last night and I kissed one of the local boys on the dance floor where he had me pinned to the wall after we got into some erotic dirty dancing to PUNTA MUSIC"

"But did you want him to kiss you or did you want to kiss him?"

"I got so drunk & was having such a good time, I don't recall who might have initiated, but I know I let him, and my husband was at the bar looking on the entire time & I got lost in the moment and completely forgot he was there."

Not long after, from the second floor veranda, I spot a mild looking First World Corporate type walking in the garden dragging a matching suitcase and I immediately recognize him as the SPOUSE. I warn her and she goes down to meet him before he can make it to the front steps. I watch the show unfold from above, tucked behind the screen door where I can blend in with the mesh.

Like fuel to fire, there was an eruption as soon as they met up and the mild looking man was demanding his credit cards. She helped him drag his suitcase back out the gate and thankfully they went on the dock so as not to cause more of a scene to the rest of the guests milling around, who were secretly hoping for the show to unfold within earshot.

We could see arms flailing wildly then she runs back in to the hostel and borrows the phone again and calls long distance again, then she goes back out, then someone they call is talking to him, then her, then she comes back in the hostel and up the stairs to me.

"I'm leaving she says, I'm going home, but I don't know for how long. I'm sorry I couldn't pay you"
"Don't worry" I tell her, "this one's on the house".


Posted by Tina Auxillou Life in a Banana Republic at 4:54 PM 1 comments Links to this post

TRAIL BIKES CAN BE RENTED IN TWIN TOWNS FOR 2009 TOURIST SEASON

PACZ TOURS AND RENTAL TRAIL BIKES

Western Belize is full of dirt roads. A trail bike is ideal to get around. A German guy apparently has this tourist season in 2009, put out trail bikes for tourism rental. For saving money on tours, this probably is the way to go. You want to go the long distance inland to CARACOL ruins, definitely. Or tour the Belize Alps back roads. Be sure you have a map though. I was told by BOB the retired army Englishman living here and helping to manage PACZ TOURS that two of the bigger trail bikes charge $70 usa per day and the rest of them charge $50 usa per day.

written by: Falconview Backpackers Adventure Hostel, tel: 663 5580 your HOME away from HOME and lots of adventures and expeditions.

Belize - MARCH CANOE RACE GETTING ENTRIES FROM ALL OVER.

12 th ANNUAL RUTA MAYA CROSS COUNTRY CANOE RACE OF BELIZE TRAINING, STARTS NOW!

The famous cross country canoe race is gearing up for the 6th to 9th of March, three day ordeal of paddling a canoe down the Belize River, at an average speed of 14 miles an hour, to the Caribbean coast. The race is done in three legs, with camping along the river banks in between. Registration forms can be obtained online at: http://www.larutamayabelize.com Or from the sponsor; Big H office at 35 Buena Vista St. in San Ignacio Town in the Western Belize Recreational Area. Local telephone is: 824 2444. Entry fee is $125 usa, or $250 Belize currency.
The race rules are; three paddlers for each canoe in canoes between 18 feet and 20 feet long. There is also a dory division this year. This is the longest and most difficult canoe race in our hemisphere of the world. Local Belizean paddlers have won the USA TEXAS canoe races several times. Just finishing the race, is a challenge of endurance. There are OLD FARTS, women competitors and other comical entries, attempting to see if they can paddle the three day distance. There are numerous commercial sponsors for station prizes.
E mail enquires to: inquiries@highjuices.com
A number of foreign competitors are expected this year and one would expect that the United Kingdom British Army would field a team or two again? The USA military were invited to compete last year, but seem afraid to accept the challenge? Are the US SEALS really good you think? We are curious to find out. Certainly the TEXAS canoe race people need to come and get their own back and learn what a real canoe race is like, since they got beat by the Belize canoe paddlers up in the Texas race last year. We would like to see some Canadians come and show us how the Canadian fur traders did it in their historical times. We don’t expect any wimpy European paddlers though, this race is too tough for them. This is a race, of mind over matter, endurance, stamina and skill. The distance with the twists and turns of the Belize River is about 200 miles.
This is the OLYMPICS of long distance canoe racing.
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FALCONVIEW HOSTEL REVIEW by travel writer.

We got a nice review sent to us from an overnight guest and photographer/writer. We mostly deal with overnighters between Guatemala and Belize and adventurers taking local tours and expeditions on a budget. We get mostly girls as they like the safety aspects of our place.

Santa Elena Town, Cayo District, Belize: Falcon View Hostel

Last night I stayed at the Falcon View Hostel in Santa Elena Town, Cayo District, Belize. Overall it was a pleasant stay with good conversation. The Falcon View Hostel is located a bit off the beaten path in a small community about 3/4 mile down a gravel road. It was quite and safe. I paid $11.000 USD plus tax. The total was just under $12.00 USD altogether.

This is a tiny little eight bed hostel has a community kitchen, dining, and living area, and community bath and showers. The kitchen is fully furnished with small separate dinner tables to accomodate separate parties, two burner stove, and refrigerator. The kitchen was kept very clean. I don’t think they serve any meals here on a regular basis so you are on your own. A cab ride into town can cure that problem.

The wash room has two sinks, four toilets, and four showers. The showers are small and there is no hot water. However, cold water is not cold here in Belize at least in my opinion. There is not much privacy in this room but once again very clean. I was given a clean bath towel, blanket, and wash cloth when checking in. Bring your own shampoo and soap.

The domitory is small and simple but once again clean. There are four bunkbeds each one having a mosquito net over it, very handy. The beds are small but firm covered with linens, sheets, and a pillow. I’m 5′8″ tall and I had enough room but if you’re over 6′ tall you might be a bit cramped. On a side note, I do remember seeing small keyed lockers for your valuables.

The living area had a couple of hammocks with a couple of chairs and a small table. It’s sparsely furnished but does have a TV with cable and DVD player. There are board games and plenty of interesting books available. Ray and Silva have authored several of the books. One book of particular interest to me was titled “An Early History of Belize” published in 1996 by the owners. Overall, this is a great place to stay with a very very comfortable atmosphere. Tours are available for the area on a daily basis.

Regards,

Benedict Kim

www.esotericvision.com

wibelize.com