My guess, and I could be wrong, is that during your limited time (1 month split between three countries) down here, you most likely traveled by bus with a bunch of other tourists, to places frequented by tourists.

I've spent a year and a half in Mexico and currently live in Guatemala and have driven across Mexico and Belize in my own vehicle a number of times and have paid many bribes.

Your version of Belize might be warm and welcoming, but how close is your version to reality? How much time did you spend there? Did you ever drive your own vehicle and have to deal with road side inspection points, or was that handled by the bus driver?