The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly….Bugs in Belize

Depending on the breeze and where you are standing, you can be bitten by mosquitoes or sand flies (sand fleas) at any given time in Belize.  What’s the key to avoid these pesky insects and others?  We are still mastering this question. 

Our experience while on the cayes (islands) has been that one is less likely to be bitten than while on the mainland.  Perhaps this is because of the constant cool breeze.

We have accused the mosquitoes of liking the taste of Americans, because the Belizeans don’t seem to get bitten or notice them.  Although we tease about this, there might be some truth to the fact that our American diets of sweets are attracting the bugs.  (Puts a whole new meaning of we are what we eat.)

Another thing learned by experience is to avoid traveling (walking) at dusk and dawn.  While living in Dangriga we didn’t pay attention to the time we walked around town until a dear Belizean friend made us aware of the fact that more mosquitoes bite at dusk and dawn.  Sure enough, once we followed this idea, we were not bitten near as much.  While living in Dangriga it was a morning ritual to put on Skin-so-soft.  The worst areas were in Sittee River (although many people go diving there we have heard the sand flies are outrageous) and Hopkins.  A few of the resorts with amazing beaches provides “Off” bug spray on the outside tables for visitors.  You can see people enjoying the beach, and then start swinging and swatting at their legs without even realizing it.  One Belizean friend purchased land in the Sittee area and had to move his family back to Dangriga because of the bugs on the property. 

If you happen to take a tour or wonder off into the jungle, it is best to wear long pants and long sleeves.  Regarding bug sprays, DEET works best although you should not use it continually due to the extreme chemical potency.  Skin-so-soft works fairly well in moderate locations.

We can balance not getting bit by our diets too but we are still learning all the does and don’ts by trial and error. Naturally garlic is pungent and bananas are sweet; supposedly mosquitoes are attracted to the abundance of potassium. 

In closing, while living in Dangriga we were often eaten up by bugs in the evening since we had no air conditioning and the windows were opened.  We purchased mosquito coils (like incense) and burned them every night which helped.  One night we finally prayed to God for some relief.  The next morning dragonflies were all around the staff house.  Somewhat annoyed by their presence as we left, our dear Belizean friend once again shared some insight with us stating that dragonflies eat mosquitoes.  We never complained or were annoyed with dragonflies again!  Thank you God!

More on bugs and health in Belize: http://ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/healthy.html

Purchasing Land in Belize

Purchasing Land in Belize

This BLOG was initiated to inform individuals and groups about the progress of LTA. This includes the past and present success as well as the stumbling blocks that have been encountered. These BLOG communications are intended to help satisfy our fifth strategic objective:

Documentation of events for duplication in additional countries.

   http://www.livingtreeacademy.org/objectives.html

Many people in the world sit at home or in the office on a cold and dreary day searching the internet for a location that will satisfy their paradise appetite. While the persistent uninviting weather stirs this desire to escape the elements, many times the cold season brings to surface the need to change life styles. To be around a warm atmosphere of people that care and love for the sake of loving,

is part of the fabric of the heart.

Many websites depict these “Norman Rockwell” type settings which makes us want to be on a tropical island with family and friends. During a Goggle search for this paradise, locations such as Fiji, St. Thomas, Grand Cayman, Costa Rico and Belize will appear. With the Belize search results you often see articles for beach front property at the 1950’s prices where one can live the life of the Rich and Famous for 500.00 a month - a place where all the people are friendly and helpful, the food is fresh and good, and you can live like a kid ALL the time. (Healthy!)

Not all these internet searches depict the reality of purchasing property in Belize.

About seven years ago, Living Tree Academy was diligently seeking property in the Dangriga area of Belize. Dangriga is one of the largest cities in Belize. It is a coastal city midway between Belize City and Punta Gorda. While at a school dedication event, the LTA crew was asked to meet with a local official. (No name will be used.) Excited about the plans of LTA, he decided to “help us out”. He just happened to know of acreage in a nearby village that would be perfect for a school.

After days of meeting and looking at the land, we decided to pursue this location. When asked about the need for using a Real Estate agent, he discouraged LTA by simply stating “it will just cost you more.”

After a lot of time and expense via travel, LTA finally decided against this purchase. Over time, we heard from others that this land was an inheritance owned property with many legal entanglements. It seems many siblings claimed the rights to the land, and they live around the world. Some wanted to sell; others did not. Needless to say, this would have been a poor choice for Living Tree Academy and a very costly mistake. This land still sits undeveloped.

Lesson learned: Find an honest and qualified Real Estate agent and make sure the land has a clear title.

Living Tree Academy recently closed on three acres in San Pedro Belize in January 2011. This property (marked above by red blocks) is about 3 miles north of town and needs a lot of work, but under the circumstances it should work well to fulfill our objectives.

This particular piece of property was introduced to us by Dennis J Kay II, one of “The Elite Team” at RE/MAX Isla Bonita. We had a special need:  several acres of land near town and at a low price. Dennis worked diligently to find this property for us. After one year of looking and talking, Living Tree Academy purchased the land.