Savoring A Simple Life In Belize

Don dreamt of escaping this country for years. He couldn’t take the craziness anymore… The corruption, the political turmoil, the anger.

Finally, he’d had enough. It was time to start living the life he wanted in a new land of opportunity. He was ready to make the move from the United States to Belize.

“Buena suerte” (good luck) the immigration officer told him as he crossed the border into Mexico. A couple days’ drive on the highways of Mexico, and Don would be at his new home: Carmelita Gardens.

Don is part of a movement of North Americans who are leaving the States and Canada for other places.

He should have retired years ago, but the money was good, so he let it slide…

He spent a lot of time deciding where he would live when he finally made a break for it. He thought his dream retirement would be him on the beach in Mexico… But he realized that his Spanish wasn’t good enough to live there full-time.

A long-time Live And Invest Overseas reader, Don read about Belize—an English-speaking country with loads of Caribbean seafront and some of the best diving in the world.

Eventually he stumbled upon the Carmelita Gardens website. The community wasn’t on the beach… in fact, it was as inland as you could get. But it was on a great river, close to a cool town…

There was something about it he just couldn’t get out of his mind…

Over the next few years, he kept an eye on the website and saw how the sustainable off-grid community was developing.

He learned about the philosophy of the community—“independent together,” and thought this sounded ideal, even though he was still set on a beach retirement.

In March 2021, Don booked his first Discovery Tour to Belize. He started on Ambergris Caye, which seemed to tick a lot of his boxes… but something was nagging at him.

He decided to tour Carmelita Gardens some 80 miles away on the Belize mainland. He met Tim, the laid-back site manager from Nebraska, an eight-year veteran of Belize.

Don was stunned by Carmelita’s verdant half mile of tropical riverfront, complete with chirping parrots and howler monkeys. He hit it off with the cheerful and eclectic expats who make up the community.

Black and white, conservative and liberal, religious and non-religious… Carmelita’s residents leave ideology at the border when they move down here and respect each other’s individuality and independence.

Some of the residents were planning a canoe trip up the river during Don’s visit and invited him along. One of the more senior residents, a former Marine named Steve, was gamely maneuvering his canoe but got caught in the current and capsized while struggling to correct himself.

Don noticed he wasn’t wearing his life jacket and seemed to be floundering. He realized Steve was drowning and burst into action. He paddled furiously across the river to Steve, and with help from the other canoers, managed to rescue Steve just in the nick of time.

Talk about an emotional moment among strangers.

Just like that, Don knew where he needed to be… he had found his community and his new home. He bought a lot then and there but wonders if in that moment his own life wasn’t saved as well…

Later he joked to Phil, Carmelita Gardens’ developer,

“That was the oddest sales pitch ever. You wanted me to buy a lot, and I ended up saving a life.”

Don went back to States, handed in his notice at work, and started his move to Belize.

I asked Don if he had any apprehensions about making such a quick decision to move to Carmelita Gardens…

“Nope,” he says. “Each mile that clicked off the odometer was a mile closer to home. It wasn’t fun when the wheels came off the trailer axle in central Mexico, though.”

He got through the rest of Mexico without too much incident… though it was great to get over the border and into Belize.

Belize highways are better than Mexican ones these days. The drive to Carmelita with the trailers was less than three hours after crossing the Belize-Mexico border.

As Don passed through the gates of Carmelita Gardens, the residents came out to wave and welcome him. He felt like a conquering hero or king of the parade float.

Everyone volunteered to help him unload the trailer and told him to stay in one of the other resident’s empty house for a while.

“After hauling my butt across Mexico for two days I’m delighted with my decision to not move to Mexico. Belize is much better for me… Different people, different language… better plumbing.”

Overseas Escape

What Don loves about Carmelita, aside from the sense of community, is the simplicity of life. There’s no materialism or “keeping up with the Jones’” here.

He has shed a lot of possessions, reducing his belongings down to four suitcases. One thing he didn’t get rid of was his woodworking equipment, knowing that retirement was an opportunity to take up the hobbies that he had neglected over the years.

It also gives him the chance to help out with the design details of the houses being built in Carmelita.

Of course, there are some things that can’t be downsized. Don misses his three grandchildren, but they can come visit anytime… and in fact, they’re more likely to visit him here than where he was in the States.

Don is building a modest-sized but luxuriously finished custom tropical hardwood home and workshop, fully off-grid and self-sufficient. He may have a garden or hire someone to take care of that for him.

He wants to take up beekeeping and is considering keeping Melipona—a rare breed of stingless bee that produces honey infused with healing properties and unique flavors.

He’s also thinking about some sort of CBD venture. Belize’s new legalization of the cannabis industry has created a market for hemp by-products.

As Don says, “I’ll have a blank canvas to paint the next chapter of my life any way I want. I don’t know what colors are in my box, but I know I’m about to make a masterpiece.”

Sincerely,

Con Murphy

Contributor, Global Property Advisor