New to expat.com.

Regal Eagle;

Welcome George,
I am glad to hear you had a positive and enjoyable experience in Belize.

You will certainly find information and instruction on successfully transitioning to the tropical life on this forum. Some will contradict others so you will have to find your reality some where in the middle. I think most will agree though, that day to day life here in Belize is much different than the experience of staying at the resorts.

Good luck with your research, ask your questions of several people, and ultimately be honest with yourself when assessing the info. to make an informed decision. I often say; "The reasons that some of us stay are ironically the exact same reasons many others leave".

Bill is correct you have to be honest and have to think about what moving from a first-world country to a third world country is going to do for you

Hello Katzgar
I am looking for a quiet lifestyle with lots of outdoor activities.  Thanks for your input.
Regards,
George

It's common for North Americans moving to Belize to try and replicate their North American lifestyle which is pretty much impossible to do down there you just will not find or it will be very difficult to find the products and foods and so forth that you had in North America so quiet is possible but a lot of it has to do with what your expectations are

Hello Katzgar
I previously lived in Latin America for four years in the 90's, so I am aware there are differences.  I enjoy the local fare as far as food is concerned.  I can usually make do with other items that are offered locally.  I guess if I get desperate I can go to the duty free zone or over the border into Mexico to a U.S. based big box store.
Regards,
George

Excellent just seems like a good idea to get past the negative stuff first

katzgar wrote:

Bill is correct you have to be honest and have to think about what moving from a first-world country to a third world country is going to do for you

The third would country aspect doesn't bother me a bit. I am tired of the stress while I live here in the US. I want to go to a country where I can relax and enjoy life the fullest and Belize fits that criteria. While I am doing so many activities leisurely in the country, third world country won't even come into mind.

sloputtputt
I am looking for a quieter and slower pace.  I am anxious to explore the historical aspects of Belize.  I am familiar with living in the third world, as I  lived in Panama for four years.  I realize there will be some sacrifice and there will also be some gains.
Regards,
George

I am with you George. My plan is while in live in Belize is resting. Taking it easy by finding a hammock and lying in it. There will be times that I will go out and see the sites. One site I am looking forward seeing is the Mayan ruins.

sloputtputt wrote:

I am with you George. My plan is while in live in Belize is resting. Taking it easy by finding a hammock and lying in it. There will be times that I will go out and see the sites. One site I am looking forward seeing is the Mayan ruins.

For me, adapting to "Caribbean Time" is easy, hammock on my deck, ocean view and breezes, daily visits from up to a dozen large Iguanas, life is good.  

But it is not for everyone.  Oh, and there are lots of Mayan ruins, from what I've read, over 900 identified sites so far. I have only made it to two, but have lots of time.

I can't wait to brag about when the Caribbean Ocean becomes my front yard. Life will be so sweet when this is fulfilled.

I agree with all the above, but being this is a third world country, I would like to go there and do all the relaxing and resting and enjoying, but I also would like to help to make a difference somehow. Help with the children. Help people that need it .My life has had it trials and tribulations, but it has been good. Time to give back. Just sayin........

You are right margewest...it is always good to help those in need. When I arrive in Belize, I will not ignore those who are less fortunate.

I figure expanded export to the US will be the key to Belize future.  There is a great deal of good will aimed at Belize that can be marketed to.  The current products in the US I see are Belizean produce in Florida and Marie Sharpes.  Several years age Belikin built a brewery to US standards but I dont think it is in the US yet.  Belizean chocolate is just one idea.  pottery and wood carving is another.  Seems there is needed work to be done on the supply chain, shipping needs to be effective and efficient so Belize can use ebay and Amazon.  There are many needs in Belize but increased marketing would be a core solution.

katzgar wrote:

I figure expanded export to the US will be the key to Belize future. .........Belizean chocolate is just one idea.

I love the idea of exporting Belize chocolate directly to the US. However during a tour of one the chocolate farms in Stann Creek, After the tour, I talked with the farm owner and he said the cooperative had exclusive agreement to sell exported products to  American company Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods) the parent owners of the UK company Cadbury.

Anyone that has not toured a chocolate farm yet I suggest it,
it will really surprise you, folks just have no idea what the fruit looks like, the processes and care it takes to grow and make the treat. I suggest the Mayan Village in Stann Creek to see both the original production methods and the growing/production process. You even get to make your own chocolate bar. 

Do chocolate is only one idea I remember seeing a guy on the beach n San Pedro a few years back selling carved Maya scuba gods

Will The Old wrote:

]he said the cooperative had exclusive agreement to sell exported products to  American company Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods) the parent owners of the UK company Cadbury.

I nave never tried chocolate from Belize and I hear it is delicious. My guess Cadbury doesn't use it because I don't care for Cadbury chocolate. The texture and taste is off.

sloputtputt wrote:

Will The Old wrote:

]he said the cooperative had exclusive agreement to sell exported products to  American company Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods) the parent owners of the UK company Cadbury.

I nave never tried chocolate from Belize and I hear it is delicious. My guess Cadbury doesn't use it because I don't care for Cadbury chocolate. The texture and taste is off.

LOL, why would Cadbury buy it if they did not use it.     The Belize chocolate I have tasted is  fantastic partly because the local producers do not add much if any fillers and such  like is done by the big manufactures. Belize production of chocolate is such a small percentage of world wide chocolate production I doubt Cadbury uses it in but a few products that may not even be sold in the US. When I was in the UK, they had a large variety of products I have never seen in the US.

Will The Old wrote:

LOL, why would Cadbury buy it if they did not use it.

Maybe they use in the UK and not in the US? Cadbury chocolate is known, here in the US, for chocolate Easter eggs and I refuse to buy them because I don't care how they taste and for the texture.

Several farms that don't sell to Cadbury, including Goss and Ixcacao. There are others. Belizean chocolate is actually a hot ticket among high end chocolatiers right now. Most of them have a single source Belizean bar.

Oh, and Cadbury bought Green & Black's (makers of Maya Gold). That's why you've never tasted Belizean chocolate in Cadbury (and I agree - it's gross).

The tastes of British and American chocolates aren't the same. Most people prefer the one they grew up with.

British chocolate tends to have a higher fat and cocoa content. American-made chocolate typically contains a larger dose of sugar.

Monkey Town brew, is that the name of your brewery and how is the water in Belize to make the beer? That is what makes good beer, not only the hops and other ingredients that are used, more importantly, water.

sittee4 wrote:

The tastes of British and American chocolates aren't the same. Most people prefer the one they grew up with.

British chocolate tends to have a higher fat and cocoa content. American-made chocolate typically contains a larger dose of sugar.

You are right about the sugar content being higher for American chocolate, but I not a fan of it either. Give me a good European (besides Cadbury) chocolate any day. Especially, dark chocolate with 75% cocoa. I was in paradise when I visited Switzerland and went into a grocery store where there was an aisle of nothing but chocolates. I was salivating as I walked through the aisle. Who also has delicious chocolate is Peru. The texture and the taste are superb.

More English ignorance.  there is plenty of dark chocolate in the US

katzgar wrote:

More English ignorance.  there is plenty of dark chocolate in the US

katzgar wrote:

More English ignorance.  there is plenty of dark chocolate in the US

I know there is, but I still prefer chocolates outside of the US. I will admit one chocolate that I like from the US is Ghirardelli chocolates from San Francisco.

Your post is irrational

katzgar wrote:

Your post is irrational

If you say so...but what it comes down to is personal taste.

Hey George, welcome. Belize has many many amazing things to do if you like the outdoors and Mexico is "right up the street". Mexico too is becoming more like the US in certain ways. I have spent more time there than Belize but am travelling in a few weeks to close on my first property.

sloputtputt wrote:

katzgar wrote:

Your post is irrational

If you say so...but what it comes down to is personal taste.

please explain how belgian or swiss chocolate becomes less a product once it is on a shelf in the US

The two doesn't become less a product, it is personal taste. If I saw American chocolate on a shelf with Belgian or Swiss, I would pick the two and not any American chocolate except if it was Ghirardelli chocolate.

the real issue it seems is your ignorance of chocolate  The best does indeed come from the USA.

http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeogra … the-world/

How come you can't except it being a personal taste? According to the link, that might be so, but I will emphasize that it is a personal taste. I am not saying American chocolate is bad, i just prefer European chocolate.

You dislike some chocolatiers that you are just now finding out about.  what do you suppose I think of someone who dislikes chocolate that you've never even tasted

Cadbury I have known for years and I don't care for the taste of their chocolates. I never said I dislike chocolates that I have never tasted. If I could, I would try those of the top ten, but I am still going to stick to European chocolates.

You realize your statement makes no sense don't you

If you say so....now let's talk about Belize since this is why we are here.