AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Ambergris Caye Homeless folks, poverty and beggars?

My fiance just told me she doesn't want to go to Belize cause a friend of hers went there on a mission trip once (who knows what part) and said that its a terribly impoverished country that is full of beggars, HUGE bugs and depression. She's got it in her head that the whole country is like this, including AC, and she doesn't want to be "depressed looking at a bunch of poor people whom her heart will bleed for" during our honeymoon. She would rather have Corporate Cancun cause glass and steel are reassuring to her! Neither of us have left the states so we have zero experience with other countries. Are there beggars around AC? At Belize Int'l airport? Is it depressing? Nobody's said anything about it from what I've read. Is it a non-issue? Can anybody give me ammo to convince her otherwise? Thanks.

Will work for belikins

The only depression I have experienced on AC was when the fridge was empty of Belikin!

ask dat's wife

We do not consider Belize impoverished or depressing. The only beggars we have seen were in Belize City and we encountered just a few of them; they appeared to be drunks or addicts, not people in need of food due to poverty. AC is upscale compared to many parts of Belize. Although many people born and raised on the island live in small (by US standards), wooden houses, they are not impoverished - that is local lifestyle. The locals we have met and interacted with over the years are happy, content, good hearted and low stressed. Belize is a rural country with lower GDP than developed countries which thus translates to less infrastructure and what sociologists call "lower standard of living." In many cases, the people of Belize must work hard to pay for necessities and their material lifestyle frequently is much less than many in the US. But, in our opinion, the country and the people are interesting and delightful. Our observations are influenced by travel in countries in southeastern Asia where we saw true poverty with people living in cardboard boxes along the road who hoped to find food for their next meal. The unpleasant bugs we see are small - mosquitoes and sand flies. But they are not present all the time and you can take precautions against them. The country is the tropics, though, and there is more buggy wildlife. All this said, we are not trying to influence your honeymoon choice, just providing opinions based on your questions. Happy trip and honeymoon wherever you go!

CFI,
I see you are from California(San Diego) ...I don't know how it is out there But in Dallas There are beggars on nearly every corner...I saw very few in Belize & even less in AC....The people of AC may be less fortunate than a lot of others , But they seem to be more "proud", if you know what I mean.....Go & enjoy Your honeymoon like many others have...Just my honest opinion!!!!

One going to Ambergris will be blessed and renewed, from experiencing the lovely people, beautiful blue caribbean water, and oh yes swimming with those spiritual fish, rays and sharks.
Much mental freedom while visiting.
Hey the food and drinks are the best, no matter what.
Bugs, not a problem, use protection.

Like others have said, it is more about simplified living, not poverty, in AC. I find that the island reminds me of what is important everytime I've visited.

They don't have alot of materialistic items, but when you see the kids walking hand in hand down the street at lunch time in their cute uniforms... and watch families playing at the shoreline at dusk... or watch an older woman hanging laundry out to dry while her family is at work... or catch a young teenage couple stealing a kiss under a palm tree after school... it makes you smile.

Look for the good no matter where you go, and you will find it. And, personally I do think you will find alot of wonderful things and people to see if you visit AC. One of the things I always mention as a positive about AC is how welcoming and friendly the people are.

Hope this helps! Enjoy your honeymoon... wherever it takes you! - Laura

CFI,

AC is a perfect choice for a honeymoon, if you do choose to decide AC for your location. Mexico, and Cancun specifically, does not even come close to the serenity and friendliness you experience on AC. AC is much cleaner than Cancun as well!

Having travelled extensively around the globe, I find AC to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. (I will be returning in a couple weeks!)

As most people have stated already on this board, AC has a simplified style of living. You may however experince more panhandling in Belize City. But, on AC, I didn't encounter any panhandling or begging. Even the merchants who ask you to buy their products respect your "personal space" once you say you're not interested. Trust me, AC doesn't even come close to vagrants in places such as NYC, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Fran, Boston, and/or Chi-town. Compared to those cities, speaking strictly based on homelessness, AC is the best place to go! Heck, AC is the best place to go regardless!

Anyway, do some research. From my standpoint, I would marry in AC AND have a honeymoon there!!!

Hope this helps ya a bit...
Cheers. JohnnyK.

Belize is virtually middle class compared with most of the rest of Central America. If you want to see poverty, visit Honduras, Nicaragua or parts of Guatemala. In rural areas especially Belizeans do not have a lot of money, but Belizeans by and large live well compared with the majority of the world's population outside the first world.

There are some bums and street hustlers in Belize City (not at the airports), but in most other areas it is rare to see anyone bumming, and you don't have the kind of aggressive higglers you find in much of Mexico or in poor areas of the Caribbean Basin such as the Dominican Republic or Jamaica.

Ambergris Caye has the highest standard of living in Belize. Not a few native Sanpedranos are far wealthier than the average tourist to Ambergris Caye.

I think your fiance has been misinformed.

--Lan Sluder