Belize cost of living might not be what you are looking for. There is more to Panama than Panama City, gaining some elevation in Boquete for example may bring the temp down to your liking.
I had a friend who spent time in Belize a few years ago, he was bird watching and he recommended it. He also wanted to visit pyramids and some of the most interesting ones were across the border in Guatemala. He did NOT like Guatemala, nor did his wife and their kids. I consider him a very reliable source.
I was Stationed on Belize in the 70's, I loved it but........... It can get a little like the PI on Bureaucracy at times
I worked in Guatemala for 4 years just after the civil war ended in the 90s and hopped on over to Belize for some beach r n r now and again. I wouldn't be able to tell you if the situation has improved since then, but Belize would not be a place I would feel safe in. In the late 90s and early noughties the coke biz was thriving it wasn't unusual to see bodies floating by in ditches on the road from Placencia to Belize city. The record was 27 on one journey - and Belize is a pretty small place. Guatemala was a mad kettle of fish, drug gangs, kidnappings...the charity I worked for insisted that I had a sidearm and at least 3 body guards when in the barrios. When was the last time you consulted a doc carrying a piece for your regular check up? It was just the same out in the towns, villages and countryside. Goofing off in Livingston and the near Puerto Barrios is like playing Russian roulette with all six chambers loaded...it WILL happen. I was mugged in a bank compound using an atm...and the security guards just shrugged and turned away. I can only imagine it has got worse. Sorry for moving off thread here, I wouldn't want to have citizenship here in the Phils btw. Central Latin America is just d*mn scary, more so than the Phils imho. Cheers, C
Dear Cerne: I stayed and travelled in Belize for about a month back in 2003. I stayed three weeks in the Cayo District and a week in the Orange Walk District. Cayo is where the trees grow and has a big population of Mennonite farmers and their communities grow alot of the food for Belize. I went to Belize back then to visit many of the Mayan ruins and excavated archeological sites. Had a blast - and learned alot! Anyway, the Cayo is pretty rural and has the Maya Mountain Range (to me, they looked like very tall hills). Belize's murder rate is among the top ten highest murder nations in the world - about 40 per 100,000. Belize City (where the International Airport is located) seems to be the murder epicenter, though crime is spread throughout the districts, with more murders being concentrated in the Belize City region of the Belize District. Nicaragua has a murder rate of about 9 or 10 per 100,000. But assaults, sexual assaults, car-jacking, personal robbery, and home break-ins are more popular per 100,000. I will be building a small home in Texas after my stay in Duma, then on to planting trees for awhile in Belize or Nicaragua. I have no plans to live in the big cities of Belize or Nicaragua, though I am aware of border skirmishes along the Guatemala/Belize border, and the tourist targeting in Nicaragua. If I get a chance to revisit these areas before I arrive to PI, I will. But these two Central American nations offer the VISAs I will be needing. The only other country that offers the Visa I will need is Ecuador. But it's a bit further away from the States, making my coming-and-going more of an expense, which may limit my ability to come and go as often as I would like to be able to do, and increase my farm labor costs. But Ecuador is definitely worth considering. I truly appreciate your input Cerne. Thanks again! V/R, nwlivewire
This is something to remember also, you go to a community, not a country. Country statistics are nearly always meaningless. Your experience is one example, another is Guatemala is a somewhat dangerous county - because the crime rate in Guatemala City skews the data. Panajachele on Lake Atitlan where I was last year has virtually no crime at all, possible some minor petty theft of careless tourists. The locals simply do nit tolerate crime and the criminals know it. Another example is Chicago, very dangerous, multiple murders almost daily - unless you are not in those areas, then you are as safe as anywhere else. Look for local crime statistics and cost of living, IMHO it is a waste of time looking at country stats.
Went through this area in Guatemala in my 2003 travels through Central America. I enjoyed myself there, and felt safe, too. Good to read of your recent visit there and glad to read of your favorable impression of the place. I remember the awesome views, the colorful clothing, the great coffee, and the good cigar I smoked. (YIKES! Please don't tell anyone I did this!). Yes. National stats can be skewed unless those stats are broken down by state, city, province, or district. That's why I mentioned the Cayo District as being a spot to plant trees. Another area is in the Leon area of Nicaragua. A third area is around David, Panama. Haven't figured out an area in Ecuador as I have yet to get my boots on the ground there. V/R, nwlivewire
