Getting my Gen 2 Taco Ready for Belize

Macruber could get you through the Darien Gap single-handily.

 

This guy is your best bet.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ao7xsFWbyAE

 

I have a female friend who made that drive round trip solo in an old Toyota Avalon with no problems. She took her time, renting airbnb’s in various towns for weeks at a time, traveling for almost a year. She did her homework ahead of time regarding which routes to take; if it’s well planned, the biggest danger is having an auto accident.

 

Third this suggestion. It's an adventure to drive there even with an escort but more than a bit risky. Se habla Espanol I hope and pray it all goes well.

 

OP, don’t know if you are still following this thread but if you are I think most of us would like to hear more about this major move and undertaking. Going from the US to Belize is a giant life changing event. For most of us it’s hard to imagine leaving the US for a country that we know little about. I believe we stopped there on a cruise we were on years ago but I’ve been to so many places in the Caribbean I just don’t recall. What got you interested in permanently relocating to Belize? Have you spent much time there? Speak Spanish? Etc etc. Just curious, I imagine it’s an interesting story.

 

Sure Sprig, not a problem. We first stopped in Belize during our first ever cruise in May of 2019. From 2001, when we first got married, until then my wife and I had never taken a vacation. Not even a honeymoon. All we did was work. I was true company man. My wife finally said lets take a freaking vacation. She figured a cruise will be easy as all you have to do is get on and off the ship. So we started going on cruises and always stopped in Belize and I always liked the vibe there compared to the other cruise ports. In 2022 we booked a week on Caye Caulker off the coast of Belize and got SCUBA certified. The following year (2023) we threw a dart at the map of Belize and landed in the village of Hopkins for a week of SCUBA diving. Everywhere we went the people were always welcoming, friendly and helpful. So then we got to thinking, wouldn't it be cool to live here. Then my company screwed me over. See post #7 of this thread. Then it hit me, why the hell am I killing myself for my company (or any company for that matter) that is just going to throw me out with the trash. I'm going to lose my job anyways, we have ton of money saved, no children, no strong family ties, why not try moving to Belize.

So during our trip to Hopkins in early 2024 we met with a local real estate agent and started looking at property. Found a quite little place on a river 2 mile inland and made an offer. I'll be damned, offer got accepted. Hired a Belizean attorney to do the title search, clear it with the government, and close on the property. Done! Next hired a Belizean architect to draw us up some house plans. Done! Whenever I thought "okay, this is going to be a major hurdle" and "this will put the brakes on our dream", things just kept falling into place. So we just kept putting one foot in front of the other.

Now............ finding a Belizean builder to build our house is a whole other story, and way more than I want to type out here. However, after much effort we did find a builder, but it took a lot of effort, interviews, quotes and research (my wife's expertise) to find one that didn't look at us and see huge dollar signs. You really have to do your homework. We went so far as to traveling to the the re-bar distributor and got true contractor pricing for rebar. Same goes for lumber, concrete, windows, etc. Armed with that knowledge we knew if a contractor was screwing us based on their quote. It took a lot of time, phone calls, emails, and patience.

But as of right now, we are off the races and have broke ground. They will be pouring the foundation next week.

Closing on our jungle property.

River view.

Architect rendering of house.

Builder on-site.

Foundation layout.

 

Thanks for sharing. It’s an interesting story. I truly wish you and your wife good fortune I still think the drive through Mexico is a dangerous undertaking. So if you can ship your truck please consider doing so. If not then be super cautious and good luck.

 

Great story and glad you two are setting out to enjoy life and not let jobs/money be the focus. Visited a lot of places in the Caribbean but never Belize. The state department warning could apply to any central or South American country as well as more than a few US cities. Are you very isolated at your property and finding other ex-pats in the area your building?

 

You only live once, hope you enjoy your adventure and everything works out. Get a 12 gauge shotgun with slugs in case of jaguars.

 

The area we are in is a good mix of locals and US/Canadian ex-pats. In fact lot next to me was purchased by a couple from Atlanta at the same time we purchased ours. Larry placed a small pre-built Mennonite home on his lot to live in while he decides his next steps. He keeps and eye on things for me. Our realtors have also been a huge blessing. They also keep an eye on things for us, help to hire a local Belizean to trim the property.

Property when we first looked at it.

Day 1 of a Belizean gentleman (Samuel) with a brush cutter.

Day 2 of Samuel with a brush cutter.

Trees along river.

My neighbor and realtor grilling on Larry's new dock.

 

True scenario. We live just a few miles from the worlds only jaguar preserve. Jaguars are frequently spotting on our road at night.

 

But don't shoot one of these Jaguars:

 

My cousin had the same roadster in BRG back in the day. Cruise @ 135 all day long, smooth as glass.

Sorry OP, now back to your amazing adventure, Good luck!

 

You can killed crossing the street. This sounds like an awesome adventure. All the best to you and your wife, OP. Please keep us posted on your adventure.

 

Shoot, you can get killed changing your oil. Specially if you use wrong kind. YOLO.

 

I used to have many staff that were from Belize. They were really well educated and trained and were awesome to work with. We had a lot of food and fishing discussions.