I am, again, Connected to the World

I have an internet connection once again. BTL came out today and reset the modem and put a new modular end on the ethernet cable to see if that would resolve our connection issues. We had a few problems along the way, but they think they have solved the problem. Only time will tell (and the next power outage). I can now update the blog with new pictures.

Construction continues on the retaining wall, pool and cistern. It's really starting to show some progress.

But, before they can begin work on the structural beams, I need to make changes to the 2nd floor Master bathroom. Even though we won't begin work on that for a year or two, we need to have all the plumbing in the right location so everything will be there later when we do build. I also need to decide the final placement of the electrical outlets, fans, track lighting, wall sconces and outside lights. And other considerations are for phone/internet, satellite TV and speaker placement. I've had most of these on the original drawings but have decided to scale back some lighting and fans. We just won't need as much as I had originally planned. I also need to plan for the satellite dish placement. With the equator so close, the satellites are more spaced apart than they would be in the States, even though they are in a geosynchronous orbit. It just means that I need to have a full view of the southern skies from wherever I decide to put the dish on the roof. Another item to consider for the future is the satellite TV provider. Not everything is legal down here and it requires permits to import satellite dishes. Most providers don't want to provide service outside the US or Canada probably due to copyright laws.

Still No Internet and the Blog Suffers

It has been almost a week with VERY limited internet access. With all of the power interuptions, it has taken its' toll on the modem. BTL, the local telephone monopoly, said they would be out Thursday, by noon, to fix the problem, but this is Belize. Thursday came and went with no BTL technician in sight. A call to BTL was of no help, as they said they were quite busy and they might be out Friday. Well, Friday has come and gone and again, no BTL technician. They are closed on the weekends, so, no internet until at least Monday.

The building on the lot is progressing and we hope to start pouring the support beams sometime late next week. They are just finishing up work on the cistern, pool and retaining wall. It's beginning to look like something instead of a big hole in the ground that just sucks up money. John has got a great crew working on our house and they have all but finished on Pip and Jason's house. Work on our place should start to move at a good clip from here.

John has picked up all the jobs he is going to do for the rest of the year and into the first part of next year. He's smart in not getting stretched too thin, as that is the problem that has confronted other builders here in Belize. John seems to be the only builder with a backlog of home builds while others here are idle. He's trying to build a good reputation and seems to be doing a good job of that. It's getting to the point where he's going to need office space in town to handle all of the things going on. He has sold the house he is currently residing in and is clearing the lot for his new home. He has a new architect, Dan, that will help design homes for people looking to build in the future. He is currently working on John's new home design and will probably have a good challenge working on new layouts based on living in the tropics.

The weather here has just been wonderful, now that the winds have died down. The last couple of nights I have spent time lying in the hammock, listening to some Jazz music and looking up at the stars. It is such a different sky than we have in Camarillo, with a whole new set of stars and constellations above and a much darker sky. I'm looking forward to bringing down my telescope so I can begin to explore.

The New Year

The New Year is finally here and good bye to last year. The niece and nephew are gone and the house returns to somewhat normal. It was a good Christmas with friends and family. At one point we had 4 generations together for Christmas Eve dinner.

Now, Mischelle and I are going to get ready for the big changes that are coming up this year as we chart our path to moving to Belize.

In my last post before the holidays, I was covering my trip to Belize in Nov. 08. One of the first things I wanted to do was get a local telephone number so I could be reached while I was in Belize. I had used my local carrier in the States the last time I was here and got on their International Plan. The problem was that I was charged $3.49 a minute for both incoming and outgoing calls. On top of that, I only received a few of the calls that were made to my phone during that time. The outgoing were OK, but I was charged $3.49 a min for a local or long-distance call. So this time I had my AT&T phone (GSM) unlocked, bought a SIM chip at BTL, the local cellphone company, and received a local Belize telephone number and rechargeable time for about $25US. The rates were MUCH better. It cost less than $.50BZ per minute to call the US and $.10BZ for local calls. And ALL incoming calls were free to me. So I had Mischelle get a calling card from Costco, and she was able to call me from the States for between $.31 and $.52 a minute. And I could go down to the local store and buy additional minutes for my phone in $5, $10, or $25 increments.

Next on the list of things to do was to open a local bank account. I decided to use Atlantic Bank because of the ease of opening a savings acct., it being local, in town, and the availability of branches, nationwide. If you go to the bank prepared, you should have no problems opening a savings account (checking is a little different)http://www.atlanticibl.com/requirements.shtml. Due to the problems with money laundering, a little more paperwork is required than you might expect. First, they want a letter of recommendation from two different banks in the States. This is more of an introduction from your bank to theirs, stating that you have had an account with them for over one year and that you are in good standing with the bank. I had them include checking and savings information, how long I've had my accounts and any credit cards issued though them. That, along with a color copy of your passport (picture and address only) and $100BZ, I was able to open a local savings account.

My next stop was to get a P.O. Box in town. I had heard that this was the hardest thing to get and they were right. I couldn't even get on the waiting list to get on the waiting list. It seems as though they are sold out for years to come. Opening a P.O. Box store would be a great little business if you're allowed to compete against the gov't. So, no P.O. Box this time. Maybe next time there will be an opening on the list.