Blogs from Belize, Central America Caribbean - page 101

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Quoi de plus pratique pour visiter les environs que de partir au dos de sa fidele monture? Accompagne de mon sympathique et instructif rasta-guide Ali, ancien jockey belizeen, nous avons pu observer la jungle local et des ruines mayas perdues au milieu des branchages, puis nous avons profite de la chaleur ambiante pour nous rafraichir dans la Mopan River, sans oublier qq bonnes pointes de galop entre les palmiers, bref 4h de bonheur!... read more
Ali le rasta guide
Buena Vista ruins


Je quitte donc rapidement Belize City et le bizarre Teuton pour me rendre a la bordure des Maya Mountains, a l'ouest du pays. Apres 3h de trajet dans un School Bus reconverti (construit a la base pour des gosses et pour des trajets max de 30min, vous imaginez le confort), j'arrive au Trek Stop, 'budget lodge' comme ils disent: logement pas trop cher dans des cabanes individuelles en bois au milieu d'un parc plein de palmiers. C'est tenu par un couple d'americains qui habitait avant en Malaisie, et c'est d'ailleurs plein d'americains, mais pas des moindres: notamment un couple de retraites qui voyage un peu partout depuis dix ans et un couple de jeunes (comme moi quoi, avec une demoiselle en plus) qui rejoint ensuite une mission humanitaire de 6 mois en Honduras. Donc discussions tres ... read more


Belize City est considere comme une ville sympathique, sauf la nuit, ce que nous avons pu constate: ne sachant pas trop ou nous allions aller, nous avons decide avec l'allemand archeologue de joindre nos forces! Du coup nous avons pris un taxi qui nous a emmene dans "la meilleure adresse du guide du Routard": un hotel dans un quartier pas loin du centre mais peu sur, avec de gros cafards un peu partout. La-dessus, un gars de l'hotel nous a 'escorte' jusqu'au resto chinois du coin, plein de locaux en train de regarder un match de basket, ambiance garantie. Puis le gars du resto nous a de nouveau 'escorte' jusqu'a l'hotel, ce pour quoi nous lui aurions ete reconnaissant s'il ne nous avait pas demande 5$US pour ces services (et croyez moi, il ne valait mieux ... read more
belize city 2


Yeehah!! Luxury!! 5 star luxury .. fan-bloody-tastic!! Over the previous 2 weeks I had only had 2 hot showers (lots of cold ones) .. and was well and truely ready for a bit of luxury for a change!! Having been in a $4 dorm the previous evening .. it was a bit of a change to be in a 2 bedroom villa overlooking the river which would normally be about US$500 per night. Bliss! And great food too. So I had 3 very lazy days at Blancaneaux. Eating, sleeping, reading, drinking rum and getting pampered! Just what I needed. It was really nice to spend a few days with Mario as I´d only seen him for day when I went to Placencia to visit him, and before that I hadn't seen him for 7 years! When ... read more
Shellphone
Blancaneaux Lodge
Blancaneaux Lodge


We are now staying at the Parrot Tree in Bullet Tree Falls outside of San Ignacio, near the Guatemalan border. We took a local bus from Belize City. Kids..it was an old school bus so I felt like I was on a field trip! It look a little more than two hours and was quite comfortable (and cost about $3.50 each). This area has a large Hispanic population, sizeable Chinese and Lebanese populations, and Mayans, and Americans! Our little hut has a palm thatch roof, and is near the river. There are lots of iguanas and butterflies here...! We went tubing down the river this pm with a local collge student..there were small rapids..and it was great fun... We met some former Summit parents and friends of Jane Mauer last night (Andre and Nan) who live ... read more
The scorpion!
Today's question:  name this animal
The library in Bullet Tree


We have decided to stay on here for another day....it's relaxing and friendly place to be! And, as you can tell by now, a hard place to leave... Today we took a boat trip to another part of the reef and then on to Ambergis Caye..this island is really built up now..full of cars and people (50 thousand in the main town) and shops and hotels...It's much nicer here! Snorkeling today was good..we saw a giant "ball" of fish all swimming together.. a moray eel, a giant lobster, and spiny black sea urchins..along with the usual colorful fish and coral. We've been watching some of the local TV programing, and we're really impressed with the initiatives to bring tourism and protect the environment... It rained really hard off and on again yesterday..and we got caught in ... read more
Our hotel
Puppy
Mangrove trees


We had a busy day on too little sleep..(our neighbors were partying until the wee hours last night). I visited the school this morning. It is the only school on the island and is a Catholic school. It goes to 8th grade and the kids who want to continue have to travel by boat to either Belize City or Ambergis Caye for middle and high school. The principal told me that there is a push to build a high school since more and more parents want their children to finish high school. Up til now, most stopped at 8th grade. I spent time in the "Infant" classrooms (kindergarten) while they were working on reading. They really loved getting some of the crayons my students bought for them! Thanks, kids!!! This afternoon we went snorkeling at the ... read more
Students at the school
Getting ready to snorkel
Nurse sharks


We are in the midst of a cold front, believe it or not....Everyone who lives here is freezing, and we had to ask for blankets last night! It was warm enough to go kayaking this am, but tonight is cool and rainy. We moved to a less expensive hotel today, away from the beach... It is near a school, so I'm attaching photos for the kids! The next day: It rained hard all night....! Today had a few sunbreaks but was windy..so still no snorkeling or swimming... But it is warmer now... We went jogging this am, since it was cool enough, and explored more of the island on bike (they come with the hotel...)this afternoon. We are settling into life here and really relaxing.....naps in the afternoon! We have booked two more nights here and ... read more
The Catholic School
Kids
Rain


After spending part of a night freezing in the Miami airport, we arrived in Belize City yesterday afternoon. Today we took the boat over to Caye Caulker, where we'll stay for about a week. The population in Belize is very diverse (for my students: you already know this since we read about it!) There is a large African/Caribbean population, Chinese, British, and Mennonites...everyone speaks English, but the local dialect is hard to understand. It is beautiful here...today was windy, but mostly sunny. There is a full moon tonight over the water....palm trees and mangroves everywhere. (Students: you can look up mangrove trees to see how they grow...) ... read more
Santa Monica Pier CA


On February 4th I took a trip up to the Mayan Ruins of Cahel Pech. The ruins are about 1 mile outside the city and overlook San Ignacio. The site is pretty small, but is unique in the fact that you can go inside some of the buildings and see where the Mayans slept. Yesterday, I went to the Actun Tunichil Muknal Caves by Roaring Creek. It is about an hour drive trough rough terrain in a Bronco Truck that is powered by propane. The tank was fastened directly behind us and was continually bombarded by rocks and other shrapnel. If you are looking for excitement, this is the way to go. No bungee jumping for me. Strap a propane tank onto my back and through rocks at it. I highly recommend it for you thrill ... read more
Cahal Pech Temple
Cahal Pech Interior
Cahal Pech Stairs




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