HURRICANE WARNING: Fort Myers Beach

There's a reason for everything, so I've learned to just go with it.

After getting waylaid in the Hoosier State, and opining for life in coastal Belize, I found myself spending another month up here spinning my wheels. I wasn't sure why. I wanted to be in Florida.

My plan since leaving for Boulder in late 2020 was to return to "my beach," Fort Myers Beach (FMB), where I'd transitioned from a married man to a divorcee back in 2012-13. I fell in love with that place. I FOUND MYSELF on that beach!

I couldn't figure out if I wanted to go back there anymore or head straight for Belize. Well, Mother Nature may make the decision for me. Over the next 48 hours, my beach may take the brunt and brute force of a Category 3 or 4 hurricane.

Hurricane Ian, ripped across the Western end of Cuba overnight, and set it's sights on Southwest Florida, a little south of it's forecasted trajectory. That's where I would have been the last couple weeks had I gotten my way. But for this reason, I was held at bay. How much would it have sucked getting down there, just getting my bearings again and having to evacuate mandatorily. That call came from local government at 7:50 a.m.

Now my island--that seven-mile stretch of postcard paradise dressed in ivory sand--is in the crosshairs of this dangerous storm. What will be left after 10-plus feet of storm surge?? The elevation there is all of THREE FEET! They'll be underwater.

We saw what Hurricane Charley did in 2004. That Cat 4 storm entered the States at Charlotte Harbor, well north of FMB. It cut Captiva Island into three sections, three smaller islands now connected by bridges. That was an indirect hit. FMB is similar in contour and just south of Captiva and Sanibel islands. I doubt it'll fare much better than did Captiva in '04.

I'm worried about my friends down there. I'm also worried I won't have a beach to enjoy anymore. But I am thankful I didn't head down there prematurely.

Maybe Belize IS in my short-term future. Who knows? Time will tell.

I guess the point of all this rambling is "just relax, live in the moment, don't resist." That's a lesson the Universe/Life has been trying to teach me of late. I was resistant to staying here in Indiana. I was eager to get back to my happy place! ALL IN GOOD TIME...and now is not a good time to be on Fort Myers Beach.

10 Reasons Why I'm Moving to Belize - #1 BEACH PARADISE

OK, Sports Fans!!! WE'VE ARRIVED AT NUMBER ONE!!! In Top Ten Reasons Belize is on my "retirement radar."

It's like a postcard...every image you see when you Google "Belize Beach" or "Belizean Beaches." Take the above, for example, just three of the images that came up this morning.

IT LOOKS IDYLLIC!!!

Everything that I loved about Fort Myers Beach, FL, just without the hassle of beach traffic, local politics, high rises and all the things wrong with America!

I've known since 2011 I was meant to live at the beach. At my core, I'm a BONAFIDE BEACH BUM, meant to live at a slower pace, a higher frequency and very minimally. Belize offers all of that and more!

Just give me a hammock in the shade of a palm tree with some cold beverage and a book. I'll be content as a clam!

I didn't realize how badly I wanted to escape the toxic (and increasingly violent) political climate of the U.S. The divisive rhetoric reached a crescendo in January 2021 and it's devolved into threats of civil war. Is that what America has come to? Is this the fate of the 200+ year American Experiment? Then COUNT ME OUT!!! (The "American Dream" was never for me, anyway!)

As alluring as The Florida Keys are to me, I'd rather just escape our borders to the safety of a third-world Central American country. I can fly under the radar there, live in my happy place (THE BEACH!) and live as a minimalist in nature. 

There are only 400k people in the tiny country on the Caribbean! And Placencia residents DON'T EVEN HAVE ADDRESSES!!!

What we called "Snowbird Season" in Florida exists there, too. An influx of tourists during the winter months, then the calm after the storm all summer long!

I won't need as much to support myself, so finding work locally should suffice. I'll only be responsible for me, myself and I.

And I can breathe the fresh air of Placencia and fill my lungs with the life-giving sea breezes. I can get back to ME!

After the hellstorm of the last year, that sounds QUITE DIVINE!!!

It's not going to happen immediately. I don't even have a passport, yet. This will be my first adventure across the border...but I CANNOT WAIT!!!

In the near-term, you'll find me recuperating and saving up, getting my affairs in order (including my first-ever passport) and living the beach life in the familiar white sands along the Gulf. But the BEACH IS MY HAPPY PLACE and I intend to get back there.

Belize is a veritable BEACH PARADISE and that's REASON NUMBER ONE I'm moving there!

10 Reasons Why I'm Moving to Belize - #3 COST OF LIVING

 Here's a short video on the cost of living in Belize.

As you can see, one can live comfortably in Belize on about half as much as you'd need in America. Housing, food and other necessities are much less in the Central American country. There are more pricey coastal areas, but upon researching several such videos, most agreed that Placencia offers beach life at a lower price. That sealed the deal for me!

CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATE: Currently 2-to-1 Belizean dollars to USD! 

I won't need a boatload of cash to move to Belize and live on the coast. I can find affordable housing, and if I eat locally, which I explained in #6 - FOOD, I can eat on the cheap, as well. Oh yeah, and in my food blog I FORGOT TO MENTION CHOCOLATE! Nothing compares to Central American cacao! That's why it was so central in Mayan culture. And I like it extra dark!

Since 2006, and even more earnestly in 2012, I began downsizing my accumulation of things. I learned how much less I could live on and began looking at minimalism, minimalistic living and tiny houses. I went extreme in 2018-2021 and realized even how much less I needed to SURVIVE! It was an eye-opening experience. So part of moving to a third-world country is my search for a simpler life. I just want to make enough money to support a minimalistic way of life. Even if I never build the tiny house boat I've dreamed about, I could invest in land cheaply there! Belize is looking more and more like a long-term solution to me.

Here's another video from a group who planned a 5-day trip and ended up staying more than a MONTH! Now, they were living LARGE, but you don't need the most expensive beach home on the coast or that many paid-for activities to make a life there. Still, this video couldn't have been better produced by the Belize Tourism Board.

SO A BIG DRAW TO BELIZE IS IT'S AFFORDABILITY! Stay tuned for the TOP TWO...