Life In Belize

Trip down Consejo Rd

Good morning to all of you who have been following Dalliance's Journeys.  We apologize for the long delay in our blog postings.  We have been pretty busy working on the house and trying to adjust to life in Belize.  It is a very different life than the one we led in the States.  We'd like to give you a first hand look at what those differences are and our perspective on the pros and cons of  a "gringos" life in Belize.  Our home is situated northwest of the small village of Consejo on the northern coast of Belize.  We built our home on .75 acres of seafront property on the Bay of Chetumal in a private residential development called Wagner's Landing.  We have 108' of waterfront facing the bay looking east.  Chetumal Mexico is approximately 2 miles across the bay to the north. 

Rio Hondo River

The Rio Hondo river forms the northern border which seperates Belize from Mexico.  It is a fresh water river approximately 50 yards wide with depths up to 75'.   The City of Chetumal is located on the bay at the mouth of the Rio Hondo river.  Consejo is located in the Corozal District of Belize.  The districts in Belize are the governmental equivalent of counties in the states.

Consejo Rd- NOT the intracoastal

Corozal Town is the district seat and is located 7 miles south of Consejo village.  This can be a very long 7 miles during the rainy season as the road is unpaved.  We have seen conditons on the road which run from smooth newly grated to completely covered under a foot of water the entire 7 mile stretch. 
To date there is no residential development along the Consejo road.

Same road - one week later

Sugar cane fields, dense jungle vegetation  and tracts of recently cleared land line both sides of the road.  The land being cleared has been sub-divided into building lots for residential development but no homes have been built. Several private roads intersect the Consejo road and lead to private residences located on the bay between Consejo village and Corozal Town, the Rio Hondo river or small clearings in the jungle.

Road repair in one day-incredible

Casblanca Hotel-Consejo Village

Consejo village is very small with a population of less than 100 people. The residents are primarily native Belizeans.  The villagers traditionally were fisherman, worked in the sugar cane fields or made a living smuggling contraband to and from Mexico.  The smuggling tradition in this sleepy little village is part of the folklore throughout the country of Belize.  Kris and I spend many nights listening for motor boats passing to and from Mexico under the cover of darkness.  We're told that beer, liqour and cigarette's are the most popular items on the black market.  I have been approached only once being asked if I was interested in buying a carton of cigarettes.  I told the gentleman I didn't smoke. A customs house is located in Consejo and is very active due to a regular water taxi service which runs from the village to Chetumal Mexico on a weekly basis or upon request. 

Customs-1/2 mile from our home

Private boats run back and forth routinely as well.  In addition to the Customs house Consejo has a very formal restaurant and hotel called Casablanca, a casual eatery called the Millenium and a small grocery store.  Four residential developments surround the village.  The oldest and largest is Consejo Shores which consists of approximately 75 homes.

Consejo Custom's Dock

The large majority of homeowners in all four developments are ex-patriots from Canada and the United States and are seasonal residents.  The winter season generally runs from December to June. In our next post, we will explore the residential areas nearby.

New Millenium Restaurant-Consejo Village

Marie's Village Grocery

Greetings From Consejo, Belize



Sunset Bay sunset 



It was all worth it!!!

It's 11am on Saturday morning May 21st 2011.  Kris and I thought we'd better get the "blog" updated as we're told the world will end around supper time today.  We better write fast!  Seriously, this is really the first time we've had a chance to do a detailed post since our last one on 3/1/11.  Where to begin?  Our last two months in Florida were a flurry of activity.  We purchased our appliances for the kitchen and laundry.  Additionally, we bought our living room and bedroom furnishings, plumbing fixtures,  interior and exterior lighting. We took our time thoroughly researching each purchase and caught a couple of really good deals.  We kept everything in a 10x10x10 storage unit in Stuart. 

10x10x10 All Packed

On March 17th Kris flew to Denver Co. to meet Collin's fiancee (Whitney's) mother and father.  She very much enjoyed her conversation with Mike over breakfast and touring the wedding facilities with Anna.  Kris and I both look forward to the wedding and reuniting with our family and friends.

All you can eat Crab Legs-Casino style



Kris in Colorado

 We were pleasantly surprised when we received a phone call from Rob and Sue.  Family matters had delayed their return from N.Y. after the holidays.  Their boat "Mandate" had been on the hard in Titusville but they were now back on the water heading to Stuart.  We were very excited they would be staying a couple of weeks at Sunset Bay Marina and enjoyed several evenings with them over cocktails and dinner during their stay.  Sunset Bay Marina hosted a Bon Voyage party on March 26th.  

Locking thru St Lucie lock

34th and last lock of the journey

 

This occassion marks the departure of many boats, some heading north, with others leaving for the late season in the Bahamas.  The "conch" calls were numerous that evening and Rob gave us a crash course in how to blow a conch shell.  Rob and Sue departed on the morning of April 15th and we were very sad to see them go.  One of the basic lessons we've learned about the cruising life is you're constantly saying hello or goodbye.  The goodbyes are always sad but the hellos are always joyous.  I guess it's just another example of the equillibrium of life.  After Rob and Sue's departure the final push was on to get things wrapped up in the states and ship ourselves and our belongings to Belize.  We took Dalliance down the St. Lucie canal to Indiantown on April 20th.  We were suppose to go down on the 19th but we waited in Stuart an extra day to receive delivery of our washer and dryer.  Once at Indiantown we had only one day to prepare Dalliance to be pulled out of the water. 

Dalliance on the hard

Kris worked below decks packing those belongings being shipped to Belize.  I took responsibilty for preparations on deck.  We worked along at a steady pace on the 20th and were ready by mid afternoon on the 21st to be hauled out.  The haul out went smoothly and it was obvious the Travel Lift crew had worked together for sometime.  The teamwork was impressive!  One final item of business was yacht insurance which would cover Dalliance while she was laid up in Florida.  We had a price qoute from Seaworthy Insurance Co. but we needed to get an out of water survey completed to establish fair market value on Dalliance.  The survey was conducted by Brian Galley on the 22nd.  It was sent electronically to the insurance company and we have a new policy ready to take effect on June 15th the expiration date of our current coverage.  It's not cheap but our boat is covered in the event of named storms by NOAA or damage while on the hard from uninsured boats.  It's worth the peace of mind.  

4 moves down, two to go!!



 Our plan was to stay at the home of our son Marc and his landlord John and wife Kristi.  All was going well until we took our truck to Port Everglades for shipment to Belize.  We had repeatedly been in contact with our shipping agent from Hyde Shipping to be sure all our paperwork was in order.  We questioned him several times on regulation regarding the shipment of our vehicle.  He repeatedly told us all we would need was the title.  However, on the day we delivered the truck for shipping the agent noticed we had a lien on the vehicle with Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation.  He said it should be a simple matter to obtain written permission from them to ship the truck to Belize.  Our initial request left us optimistic we would receive written permission in a day or two.  After a couple of days the shipping agent contacted us and said he had still not received the authorization.  We called NMAC to check and were told Belize was not on the list of countries they allow vehicles to be shipped to.  We later found out it has to do with extradition from Belize.  Apparently it's almost impossible to get someone extradited back to the United States from Belize.  Not necessarily a bad thing, but it was for us in this particular circumstance.   We now had less than a week to pay off the truck, obtain the lien release and fly to Belize on May 1st.  The rest of our personal possessions were shipped out of Miami on April 28th and were scheduled to arrive in Belize on May 2nd.  The last few days at Marc's home were very stressful to say the least.  Without getting into detail the truck quickly was paid off. The lien release has been received by Hyde Shipping.  Our paperwork was approved by US Customs and our truck is scheduled to arrive in Belize City on Monday the 23rd.

Moving Day

  Then the fun begins with Belize Customs who have already tried to charge us duty when we received our personal belongings.  We established our residency in Belize under a program called QRP.  Qualified Retired Persons.  One of the benefits of the program is the ability to bring your personal possessions into the country for one year duty free.  Has anyone told Belize Customs?  This hasn't been the fun part of moving to Belize if you get our drift.  Kris and I both want to thank our sons Collin and Marc who both played major roles in helping us to resolve this problem.  We love you both very much! 

Moving to a new country with a very different and unique culture is exciting but also a bit scary.  Because we have been visiting and doing business with a number of people in Belize for the past nine years we are fortunate to have a basic support structure in place.  This has proved to be very important.  Our contractor Frederic Descurninges had our home finished to a point where we could move in.  Over the past two weeks we have worked together every day to put on the finishing touches.

The Veranda

 The upstairs living area is almost completed with recessed lighting installation and painting left to complete.

Living room with a view

Frederic worked closely with Ravey Gongora who did all the woodworking on the home.  The cedar ceiling he installed is absolutely beautiful. 

Landscaping Anyone??


We owe a lot to these honest and hardworking men who made our home a reality.  We arrived in Belize when the country is at it's most beautiful.  Corozal Bay is an aquamarine color the likes of which I have seen no where else in the world.  Suffice it to say it's breathtaking.  Being springtime all the floral and fauna native to Belize is in full bloom.  The orchids are beautiful and we're beginning to learn the name of a wide variety of indigenous flowering plants.  Wild life abounds with parrots, toucans and kingfishers nesting on or near our seaside property.  

Social Flycatcher "outside our doorstep"


 Exotic reptiles such as iguana, geckos and anolies are common on the grounds of our development.

Spiny-tailed Iguana

 Mammals such as the coatimundie, white tailed deer and paca can be found in abundance in our immediate area.  We can walk off our beach into the sea and have done so many mornings since our arrival. 



View from our beach looking South



View from our beach looking North to Chetumal, Mexico

At night we enjoy happy hour on the veranda pinching ourselves to think our dream has come true.  I apologize if this posting is too long, but so much has happened over the past two and a half months that we felt important to share.  We're happy, we're adjusting and we still have a lot of work to do.  If anyone would like to call us or write our cell phone # is 011-501-625-7948.  Our address is PO Box 282 Corozal Town, Belize Central America.   Please remember you can also leave comments on our blog or email us at srtilbe@gmail.com.  

I'd like to end this posting remembering a few special friends who helped us on our journey to Belize.  Ed Vaughn and Mike Korn took us under their wing on Oneida Lake teaching us much about sailing, boats and life.  Fair winds Ed and Mike.  Last but certainly not least, God bless you Arnold Laurent wherever you may be.

Welcome To Belize

Just a very brief update to let you know we have arrived in Belize on 5/1/11.  Please check in over the next week or so for a complete update.  Belize it or not we have been extremely busy since our last post on 3/1/11.  You won't believe some of the problems we've encountered.  As painful as it will be we'll share everything we've learned to help others who may wish to follow a similar course through life.  Stay tuned!

Belize or Bust



A Rose Amongst Thorns



Sunset Bay Marina

Well it's been sometime since our last post but Kris and I have covered a lot of territory over the past several weeks.  We are currently tied up at the dock at Sunset Bay Marina located on the St. Lucie river in Stuart, FL.  We plan to stay here until the first week of April and use the time to organize our move to Belize.  We anticipate leaving for Belize on or about the first week in May.  After our arrival in Stuart on 2/8/11 we rented a storage unit off I-95.  I had been negotiating with several car dealerships back in New York since early January.  Our 2009 Sonata was in storage in NY and it is not a suitable vehicle for the roads in Belize.  Therefore, we were searching for a 4WD pick up truck with 4 doors and good gas mileage.

Why move to Belize????

We made a deal on a 2011 Nissan Frontier with Marc Kuzio at Nissan North in Fulton, NY.  We flew back to NY on 2/16/11 to complete the deal.  We picked the truck up on the 17th and installed a tow hitch at U-Haul the next day.  All of our personal belongings were in storage at HC Storage in Westmoreland, NY.  We rented an 5'X8' trailer and packed up all of our possesions on Friday and Saturday.

Moving Day

On Sunday morning we met Kris's Mom and Dad for breakfast, packed a few remaining items into the trailer and set off on our drive back to Stuart towing a trailer full of memories of our life in Central New York.  As has been the case on this whole journey we have to thank several people for their assistance in helping us with this stage of the move.  Marc Kuzio the salesman at Nissan North understood our situation and negotiated openly an honestly by telephone and the internet.  Several other dealers who shall remain nameless refused to offer pricing or conduct negotiations on line.  Too bad for them because Kris and I got a great deal and they lost out on a sale.  Thanks again Marc!  My sister Marsey and her husband Alan let us store our Sonata in their garage from August until we traded it in.  It was great to have it inside and well protected during these many months.  Thanks Marsey and Alan!  My sister Becky opened her home to Kris and I while we were in CNY finalizing the car deal and packing up our belongings.  Her home was conveniently located to everything.  She was also instrumental in selling my 2001 Dodge Dakota Sport in mid January.  Thanks Becky!  Last but not least we'd like to thank Kris's dad Percy for his help loading the trailer.  It was a cold and blustery Sunday morning but Percy at age 96 was right there helping us load the last of our possessions.  What a man!  Thanks Percy!   While in NY we did have a chance to visit our old dockmates Sam and Barb for an evening of cocktails and laughs.  We keep the home fires burning knowing that the four of us will one day sail together again.  On Saturday evening Kris and I joined my sister Becky for dinner at Ventura's restaurant an East Utica landmark.  Without a doubt Utica has the best Italian restaurants in the country and Ventura's is one of the best in Utica.  We had a great time and the food was excellent.  We took our time driving back to Stuart making stops in Chambersburg Pennsylvania, North Myrtle Beach and St. Augustine FL.

View from Hotel Rosselle South, N Myrtle Beach

 While in North Myrtle Beach we stayed with Kris's sister Kathy and brother in law Mike at their condo on the beach.  We had a great time catching up but regrettably had to leave the next day to get back to Stuart.  We arrived back in Stuart on 2/23/11.  All of our belongings are now in storage and we're shopping for furniture and appliances for our home in Belize.  The next several weeks will be spent negotiating with shipping companies and getting the boat stored on the "Hard" at the Indiantown Marina.  This will be an extremely busy time for us but it's very exciting as well.  We love the Stuart area.  Sunset Bay Marina is friendly and the restaurant at the marina "Sailor's Return" has live music Wed - Sunday nights.  Acts very from Blues to Jazz to contemporary rock music.  A river walk runs from the marina to historic Stuart along the southfork of the St. Lucie river.  A bandstand is located on the river when you reach the historic district.  The City of Stuart sponsors live bands perfoming free of charge on weekends and holidays.

Riverwalk Concert

 We caught a fantastic latino group called the Mosca Project one Sunday afternoon.  They really got the crowd on their feet and rocking.

 

Bathtub Beach, Hutchinson Island

 

Don't tread on me!!!!!



Bathtub Beach

We are just a few miles from the beaches on Hutchinson Island and plan to ride our bikes over several times each week time permitting.  Also we are close to many family and friends.  Son Marc is living in West Palm Beach and my sister Marsey is also down for a couple of months at their home in West Palm Beach.  This past weekend we drove over to Rotonda, Fl. located just south of Venice where we visited Ihor and our friends Gary and Gail Rushford who we worked with at the CNYDSO.  Gary and Gail have a home in Englewood and we went out to lunch for Gary's birthday.  We really had a good time. Now that we have a car and we're staying at a marina our life has become a bit more conventional.  We'll enjoy the relative stability for the next few weeks as we're certain to encounter many new adventures as we settle into our Belizean home.  The weather is outstanding with temperatures in the high 70's and low 80's with blue skies and sunshine everyday.  That's about it for now.  We'll keep you all posted on the move.  Belize or bust!

Extra Crew???

Titusville - Melbourne - Vero Beach & Nettles Island.

We left New Smyrna Beach at 8:40 on the morning of 1/24.  The weather continues to warm and we were able to take the Bimini down and catch the sunshine by early afternoon.  The intracoastal waterway is wide and well marked in this section.  We saw more dolphin on this leg of the journey than we have at any other location.  Kris also spotted a flock of flamingos on a small island in the Indian River.  This is the first time we have ever seen these birds in the wild.  Quite a sight! 

Titusville Memorial Park

We arrived at the Titusville City Marina at 1:35 in the afternoon.  Titusville is on the western shore of the intracoastal waterway directly across from the Cape Canaveral Space Center.  Several parks dot the coastline of the waterway commemorating significant achievements of the United States Space program.  A memorial park dedicated to the astronauts who lost their lives in the Apollo 1 fire in 1967, the Challenger explosion on January 28th 1986 and the Columbia disaster on February 1, 2003 is maintained by the City of Titusville.  While we were there the City held a large memorial service at the site commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Challenger explosion.

Gregory Jarvis Memorial Plaque

Gregory Jarvis a graduate of Mohawk High School a small town near our home in CNY was a technician aboard that flight.  While in Titusville we had a chance to talk with our friends from the Fair Haven Yacht Club Tom and Ruth Lee.  Tom and Ruth are wintering at New Smyrna Beach and we just missed a chance meeting at the Farmers Market we visited while in NSB.  As always it was nice to catch up with old friends and rewarding to know they enjoy reading our blog postings.  We're spending several days at each stop on the Florida intracoastal and enjoying every minute.

Beautiful Telemar Bay

After leaving Titusville on the morning of the 27th we continued down the ICW approximately 35 miles to Telemar Bay Marina located just north of Melbourne, FL.  This little marina had been recommended by a fellow sailor (Dan The Man) we met at the Castleton Yacht Club.  He told us he had lived at the marina for several years while residing in Florida and it catered to sailors.  He didn't steer us wrong.  We mentioned "Dan The Man" to the marina staff and although it had been several years since he resided there his legacy lives on!  Melbourne FL. sits in the middle of a great fruit and vegetable farming area.  Each morning we would visit a small vegetable stand a couple operated near the marina.  The tomatoes and strawberries were picked fresh daily and were out of this world!  We continued on to Vero Beach on the morning of the 29th.  We had been looking forward to Vero Beach as we had been told the City Marina had moorings at reasonable rates, free shuttle transportation and was well maintained.  We found all the reports to be true.  Highlights of our stop in Vero Beach included a reunion with John and Ann the couple we travelled with for 10 days while transitting the NC ICW.  John and Ann were staying with friends in Vero Beach. We got together for a wonderful evening which included dinner at Bobby's, conversation about family, friends and our continuing travels.

Marc & Ihor

 Our son Marc drove up from West Palm Beach for a visit the following day.  We had lunch, walked the beach and streets of Vero Beach, and took a ride in Marc's car to see a little more of the surrounding area.  Vero Beach is a very classy community and we liked the area very much.  Kris and I once again feel the need to express how much we value our family and friends.  Somehow our journey continues to heighten our awareness of how blessed we are to have such wonderful people in our lives.  Our original plan was to leave Vero Beach and head directly to Stuart Florida which is located at the beginning of the Okeechobee waterway.  However in looking at the charts we realized we would be passing by Hutchinson Island.  I had heard a great deal about this island from a former co-worker who vacationed here several times in recent years.  Being in no hurry we decided to stop and check it out.  We found a small marina located on Nettles Island at Jensen Beach.   This area is actually part of Hutchinson Island's intracoastal coastline.  We arrive on the afternoon of 2/1.  The marina sits in the middle of a gated residential development called Nettle's Island Estates.  It's less than a half mile walk to Jensen Beach.

Deserted Beach on Hutchison Island

The ocean side beaches in this area comprise a section of Florida's Atlantic coastline called the Treasure Coast.  We're told the many shipwrecks off this section of Florida result in various treasures being washed ashore after heavy storms and hurricanes.  In conversation with a fisherman I met on the beach he told me that the beaches were actually closed by law enforcements after the most recent hurricane until the debris had been sifted through.  Historic artifacts such as gold coins or relics from sunken ships routinely wash up on these shores.  Marc and his friend Ihor came up on Saturday the 5th and stayed overnight on the boat.  We had dinner at Shuckers on the beach Saturday night, went to church at Holy Family Church in Port St. Lucie on Sunday and walked a deserted section of beach on the northern section of the island looking for shells and relics Sunday afternoon.

Beachcombers

Great time!  Tomorrow 2/8 we'll be moving down to Stuart FL.  We plan to stay the next month at the Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart.  What's been left unreported in this blog is the time we're spending finalizing arrangements for our move to Belize.  Stay tuned for our next posting where we'll share specifics on our plans and timetable to make this move.

MISCELLANIOUS PICS

 



Space Park



JFK

Aerospace Park



Palm Coast - Daytona Beach & New Smyrna Beach

Wild life close up

We continue our casual cruise down the northeastern section of Florida's intracoastal waterway.  After our stay in St. Augustine we moved onto Palm Coast Marina located approximately halfway between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach.  Palm Coast is a medium sized marina connected to a rather large condominium complex.

Palm Coast Condos

 We discovered that many of the boats are seasonal return guests who travel from points farther north to winter at Palm Coast.  The marina is very well maintained and the staff treat you has though you've been their guests for years.  On 1/19/11 we left Palm Coast for the 34 mile trek to Daytona Beach.

Daytona Beach- Getting warmer!

 Daytona Beach represented one of those milestones in our journey.  We used to visit Kris's Mom and Dad in Daytona Beach before we owned Dalliance.  In those days we visited Inlet Harbor and the Marina adjacent the Boondocks restaurant in Daytona Beach Shores.

Boondocks Restaurant at Adventure Yacht Harbor

  At this time in our lives we had only distant dreams of someday setting sail and tying up at the various marinas in the Daytona Beach area.  Once again on 1/19/11 our dreams became reality and we tied up at the Adventure Yacht Harbor in Daytona Beach Shores adjacent to the Boondocks restaurant.  The two days we stayed at AYH were sunny with cool temperatures in the morning but warming into the 60's by mid - afternoon.  We were able to spend sometime on the beach, catch up on some reading and re - provision the boat thanks to Paul on Irish Rover.

Beach Club Condo

One afternoon we took a walk around the Shores and took photographs of the various condominiums Kris's Mom and Dad had stayed at over the 25 + years they wintered in Daytona Beach Shores.


Sea Shell Villa- Party central

 It was a pretty nostalgic experience.  We tried to meet an old friend of theirs Ray Barkey who still lived aboard his sailboat at AYH.  The morning we left we stopped by his boat but Ray wasn't aboard.  We were anxious to get underway on the morning of the 21st.  Over the Xmas holiday we had exchanged phone numbers with Kris's uncle Jack who was staying for a few months in New Smyrna Beach.

Dorothy, Kris & Jack at City Dock

 We spoke with Jack after our arrival in Daytona Beach and told him we planned to be in NSB by Friday the 21st.  We were anxious to get to NSB to see Jack and his lovely wife Dorothy.  We arrived at City Marina in NSB approximately noon.  The short trip down had been a wet one due to a steady rain.  We quickly secured the boat, took hot showers and called Jack and Dorothy to meet for a late lunch.  Jack recommended the Steakhouse restaurant and no one left disappointed with their meal.  After lunch Jack took Kris and I on a tour of the NSB area.  We gained a great deal of knowledge from Jack regarding the real estate in the area and the numerous condominium complexes along the ocean and river.

Home Show on Canal St

Canal Street

On Saturday morning Kris and I did breakfast at Jason's on historic Canal St.  After breakfast we took in the Home Show and Farmers Market all happening in the open air of historic downtown NSB.  We found a Sports Bar "Merk's" around noon and watched with disappointment as Syracuse got beat by Villanova in the Dome.  Of course the couple sitting next to us were from Philadelphia and took every opportunity to remind us of this fact.  Jack stopped by the boat for a few minutes on Saturday afternoon and confirmed arrangements to pick Kris and I up for Sunday Mass.  Sunday was full of surprises.  Jack got us to Mass a full half hour before it was scheduled to start.  He said it was to get his seat closest to the exit leading to the coffee and bagels in the parish center after mass.  Kris and I suspect he felt we needed the extra prayer time after months at sea.  We made plans after mass to meet Jack and Dorothy for a late lunch at "Merks" and watch some of the Green Bay - Chicago game.  When Jack arrived at 2:30pm he brought Molly and Howard Waddell old friends from the DDSO over to see us.  Kris and I knew Howard and Molly were in the Daytona - NSB area and had mentioned their names to Jack on Friday.  It was by complete coincidence they stopped by to visit Jack and Dorothy while we were in NSB.  It was a nice reunion and both Howard and Molly look fantastic.  Kris, Jack, Dorothy and I went onto "Merks" to watch the game.  The place was packed but Jack got us a table.  It turned out later the owner took a "shine" to uncle Jack.   We plan to leave NSB early tomorrow morning and head down to Titusville.  We'll leave with memories of a great time with Jack and Dorothy.  If we've learned anything on our "Journey" it's the value of family and friends.  Thanks for everything Jack and Dorothy.  We love you!


Crabby Joe's at the Daytona Beach Pier