How to Invest or Retire in Belize

Hey Dad, This is Belize!

I Spent It All In Belize

The Little World of Danny Vasquez

Belize, 1798 -The Road to Glory

Slavery in Belize - A Family Affair

The Great Story of Belize Vol. I

The Great Story of Belize Vol.2

Emory King's Driver's Guide to Belize

Over the years many people have asked me how I happened to come to Belize, and I tell them: "Oh, I bumped into it one beautiful moonlit night in December, 1953."

It was the Crown Colony of British Honduras then and I was on board the Yacht Vagabond bound for a world cruise out of Tampa, Florida when we crashed into a reef of staghorn coral at English Caye. That was almost 33 years ago. Since then at various times and in no particular order I have: Run a hotel (the Prince Albert), sold land, been appointed a Justice of the Peace (no ma'am, I can't marry people, but I can give your husband grounds for divorce, if you like).

Under the British system a Justice of the Peace has two main functions. One is
to authenticate and witness signatures on legal documents. The second is to
quell riots and other disturbances of HerMajesty's peace.

Fortunately, a J.P. has the power to deputize others to help him in this
function, so whenever I have a riot to quell I always call in two or three of
the girls in my office and say: "Hey kids, how about going out there and quell
that riot for me and let me know when it's over." (They do, and that gives you
an idea of how often we have riots in Belize), wrote a weekly newspaper column (Belize Merry-Go-Round). I have also: Been a stringer for United Press, (and later for UPI), public relations man for the Jesuits, broadcast baseball games over the British Honduras Broadcasting Service, ran a tour guide company (King's Tours out of the lobby of the Fort George Hotel), Honorary Commercial Representative for Canada in Belize. (The accent is on honorary).

The Canadian diplomat who recruited me, after a 15 minute recitation of my
duties, said, "Oh yes, you get an honorarium of $700 a year (pause) paid
annually (pause) in arrears."

I have also: Acted in the movie Dogs of War, met Prince Phillip twice (see pages 54-61 of my book, Hey Dad, This is Belize), been agent for SAHSA Airlines (1957). Built a country club 15 miles west of Belize City with the largest swimming pool and tennis court in the country (20 years too soon. Not enough cars in those days and when the people of Belize City believed if they went past the cemetery they would be bitten by a snake or eaten by a jaguar).

I have also: Been an insurance agent, (Caledonian, the oldest Scottish Insurance Company, then for Guardian Royal Exchange Assurance Group, the third largest insurance company in England, and lately, Chairman of the Board of Regent Insurance Company, Ltd.), published a magazine, Belize Investment Magazine.

I have also: Written one book, (Hey Dad, This Belize, just in case you missed it two paragraphs above.), and gotten this far in my second book, (if it is ever
finished and printed), developed a subdivision, collected 5,000 old, empty
bottles, (100-300 years old), been a disc-jockey, edited a weekly paper, the
Belize Times, 1979, fathered two children, (that I know of), been Secretary of
the Chamber of Commerce, (1954-1962), acted in the movie, The Mosquito Coast.

I have also: Been the Secretary of the Government's Tourist Committee, (1954- 56). In those years we had the munificent sum of $120 a year to spend any way we wanted to promote tourism for Belize, brought the first Earth Station to Belize to "pirate" television programmes off U.S. satellites, operated TTT Enterprises, (the initials stand for Tickler, Teaser and Towser, three of the Belize ships which took part in the Battle of St. George's Caye in 1798. TTT Enterprises rents pinball machines and videogames.).

I have also: Been Chairman of Great Belize Productions, Ltd., (a video
production company that specializes in making commercials for local TV stations and documentaries and educational films.), written dozens of letters to
politicians suggesting ways to make Belize rich and happy overnight, been in
five shipwrecks, (including the first one which happily brought me here),
changed my nationality from U.S. citizen, (first in 1965 to become a citizen of
the United Kingdom and Colonies and again in 1981 to become a citizen of the independent nation of Belize).

I have also: But why go on? You can see that I have done everything but work since that great day in 1953 when I hit the reef. Editor's Note. That was only up to 1986.

Since then, he has appeared in two more films, Caribe and The Heart of Darkness, was foremost in getting the Mollejon Hydroelectric Plant started in the Mountain Pine Ridge, was instrumental in presenting Michael Ashcroft with the proposal to buy the Royal Bank of Canada in Belize which led to one of the biggest investment by an overseas group in the country's history, was appointed Film Commissioner by Prime Minister Said Musa, and, equally delightful, became a grandfather twice.

Continued: Getting Rich and Retiring in Belize.