A Super Belize Contest - Great Prizes for the Winners!

So here we go, a simple little contest to turn your collective brains into mush for the coming new year. Prizes will be as follows:

First Prize, a copy of the fabulous book "Heavenly Belize" by Marius Jovaiša, an absolutely beautiful book of awesome aerial photos of Belize. ONE lucky (and clever) First Prize winner is out there somewhere.

There will be 5 Second Prizes for some pretty brainy people as well. You'll have a choice. Winners can choose from a book on Birding in Belize, a guide to diving and snorkeling in Belize or a general tourist-type guide book to Belize. 2nd place book prizes may differ somewhat from the publications above...it's all based on availability. I'll ship to you via. Amazon.

All you have to do is describe your impression of Ambergris Caye, the Jewel of Belize. You don't have to mention the words "Belize, Ambergris Caye, San Pedro" or anything like that (although you can if you want). This is good because your description MUST be written in Japanese Haiku style poetry which only gives you a limited number of words and syllables to use. For those of you too lazy to Google it, "Haiku" poetry consists of 3 lines. The first line must have 5 syllables. The second line must have 7 syllables. The third and final line must have 5 syllables.

So, for example, you could write:

Winter sun warms bones

Here on Isla Bonita

Frost free night ahead

OK, that was pretty average, you're going to have to do much better than that to win! Hopefully you get the idea, though, 5/7/5 syllables.

Email your entries to us at belizecontests@gmail.com. I will acknowledge receipt of each entry with a quick "Got it, thanks!" The contest will run until January 15th which I believe is the cut off date for most people to have already broken their New Year's Resolutions. No need to include anything other than your name and your poem. I'll only need your address, phone number etc. if you end up being a lucky winner so that I can ship your prize to you.

If you like what you see on our Facebook page and you haven't "Liked" us already feel free to do so, it'd be much appreciated. You don't have to "Like" us on Facebook to enter. Also, "Liking" our Facebook page won't increase your chances of winning, it'll just increase our number of "Likes" but we'd be grateful nevertheless!

Contest Rules: More than one entry per person is allowed. Be creative! No swearing, at least in your poem(s). Prizes awarded to the funniest, most original, cleverest poems out there. Poems not following strict Haiku style can't win but if you send an entry in and it breaks this rule I will email you to let you know so you'll have a chance to edit out the error. Yes, I'll read them all! Entries must be in by 6pm Belize Time January 15th 2013. English only, I don't know any other languages. Sorry.

Winning entries will be published on this blog on January 16th 2013!

A Super Business Bargain on Ambergris Caye

http://www.belizerealestate.com/lbu.html

You've seen this here before, it's the Ladybug Plant Nursery. For me this is the Real Estate Surprise of my 2012. Actually, more than just one surprise:
1. The owner slashed the price from $125,000US to $45,000US.
2. No-one has yet made an offer.

The owner, Catherine, has said she'll listen to just about any reasonable offer. She's selling for personal reasons. Obviously one cannot warranty the success of any small business but the price of this particular one is so reasonable I think it has people thinking "Why so low?"

Ladybug only makes modest profits but that is because the owner admits she doesn't put the time and investment in that is really needed to make it buzz. On the other hand...think about it..how much would it cost you to start a business like this from scratch...with no guarantee that you'd make any profit at all? Getting a business like this, with a substantial plant and equipment inventory and a decent customer base at such a super low price is just about unheard of on Ambergris Caye

IMO, this is a sleeper. Any hard working green fingered entrepreneur could make this little gem really shine. You'd never make a fortune on it but it has the capability to be a super little business making a decent profit each month. Perfect for a semi-retired couple looking to stay busy in Paradise.

The Grand Caribe snowman wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2013!

2013 set to be a GREAT YEAR!!!!!!

Thought of the Year for 2013 (apologies to those who have thought of this before, I don't know who you are, I've never seen it before in the media or on line and so as far as I am concerned it's an Original Thought by me).

So, we have 2013 upcoming. Thirteen. An Unlucky number. Consider this...on January 1st 1914 I bet a lot of people in the world were thinking "Thank Goodness 1913 is out of the way, we are in the clear!......."

Belize's dumb tourist policy vs. Nationals of India

India is the 2nd most populated country on the planet. Its economy is growing almost as fast as China's. While India does have a huge poverty problem it also has a massive, and growing, middle and wealthy class of people.

India is a democracy and it doesn't support terrorism. For its size and especially size of population, one would have to say that India is one of the LEAST controversial countries on the planet.

So, why does the Government of Belize make it impossible for Indian nationals to visit Belize as tourists? Currently I am dealing with some Indian folk who want to come to Belize to see if they would like to invest in real estate. Just like any other person visiting for the first time they want to see if they like it here first. Essentially they'd be coming as tourists, at least initially.

But Belize won't let them enter the country until they prove that they are here to invest. This, of course, is stupid. Why can't Indian nationals be allowed to visit as tourists first, just to see if Belize is for them? What is the reason for Belize's policy vs. India?

I need to know...for now I'll just say that it's STUPID.

The photo below is of famed Indian actress and model Freida Pinto. I personally want to see more people like her in Belize!

A GEM of a Beachfront Home on Ambergris Caye

This beachfront house is absolutely beautiful....much more so than the photos or video suggest. http://www.belizerealestate.com/sra.html

But....it's also quite unique. It has a fabulous location, just north of the San Pedro bridge....so it's close to town but far enough from the madding crowds to be very peaceful. 

Here's what really makes it stand out: The beach does not get used by bikes or motor cycles. It is completely transportation-free, unlike most of the beach north of the bridge and starting at Tres Cocos. So, with this property you get a fabulous home, a large oceanfront parcel, wonderful views AND no-one is going to run you over as you enjoy some sunbathing.

If you're looking for a great oceanfront home on Ambergris Caye this one is a GEM. Click on the photos for much larger versions.

McAfee and his anti-Belize rants....hurtful to the Belizean people?

A friend of mine emailed me a while ago...he was wondering if the John McAfee saga would hurt Belize. It appears the answer is a resounding "No" with possibly even the opposite effect. Go to http://news.yahoo.com/john-mcafee-just-got-jail-might-even-going-151302834.html ...not so much for the story, but for the reader comments. I'd say Belize comes out of this just fine.

It is noticeable on Mr. McAfee's own blog that all dissenting comments are "moderated" out. (When he first started the blog most reader comments were negative vs. McAfee).

I saw a McAfee news article on CNN on line the other day and went to the reader comments....almost all posts were negative vs. McAfee....almost as if they were of the opinion that McAfee was a few virus definitions short of a full software update. In fact, here's one of those articles...go to the reader comments and laugh! http://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/07/world/...?iref=allsearch

Mr. McAfee's attempts to hurt Belize (and by definition her people) with his endless blog rants seem to have had the opposite effect. A few days ago Mayor Danny Guerrero said he thinks this is the best thing to happen to Belize in years. He has a point.

Video of our 20 minute stroll Grand Caribe to Capricorn, Sunday 9th December 2012

Beautiful wading birds and chill-out iguanas on our 20 minute beach stroll from Grand Caribe to Capricorn for lunch on Sunday.

Ambergris Caye is such a beautiful place to live!

A 20 minute stroll..Grand Caribe to Capricorn.

Birds and Iguanas, just a lovely relaxing stroll on the beach.

Unit E8 at Grand Caribe

Here's the walk through video of Unit E8 at Grand Caribe. Fabulous views from the veranda at the end of the video. It's all one scene, a walk-through the unit with no breaks or editing. If this unit becomes available for sale the owner has said he's willing to do great seller financing!

Some Really Great New Listings! Here's the first one.

Here's a fantastic deal for a first time home buyer or for someone who wants to invest a little on Ambergris Caye and give themselves an occasional home to visit. Just $117,000 US asking. Offers welcome, very easy owner financing too. Click here for details.