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Misc Belizean Sources

Ancient Maya Craft Revived at Chaa Creek
The Maya, one of the world's first literate people, created vast libraries and archives during the millennia-long span of their civilisation, most of which were destroyed by Spanish conquistadors in their zeal to remove "pagan" elements from their empire. Stone monuments known as stelae erected in cities and around temples were impervious enough to survive and have provided important clues from which historians have pieced together a picture of ancient Maya civilisation. Now, in what Ms Fleming said is a respectful acknowledgement of the Maya civilisation, The Lodge at Chaa Creek is having Maya artisans carve a 2012 Winter Solstice stela using traditional tools and methods. The inscriptions will use Maya glyphs, the hieroglyph symbols used by the Maya. Ms Fleming said a Maya family has been contacted and is currently finding a suitable stone. The meticulous carving will then begin so that the finished stela will be in place for a dedication to take place just before the huge December 21 celebrations. While there will be celebrations nationwide, Chaa Creek will be hosting observances within its own 365 acre nature reserve, with a candlelit procession from the Lodge to Tunichilen, an ancient temple located on the property.

Belizean Cookbook: Beans & Rice & Jesus Christ
This cookbook is library quality It includes color photos, and is spiral bound. There are tips and tricks clearly listed. You'll learn how to cook Belizean dishes with ease and very little ingredients. You'll learn how to get rid of acid reflux by using one little magic food we all have in our pantries. There are fun, heartwarming stories that link to the recipes.

Belize Recipes - Breakfast Quesadillas
Grill the breakfast sausage and slice them in � inch slices. Sprinkle the dish with the chopped cilantro and serve immediately Saut� the sweet pepper and onions in a skillet till for 3 to 4 minutes, add the tomato wedges and hot sauce and finish it with salt & pepper to taste. Set aside and keep warm. Melt 1 oz of the butter in a Teflon saut� pan and scramble the eggs over low heat, just before the eggs start drying, add the rest of the butter and melt it with the eggs. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The Community Baboon Sanctuary gets a shout out
Some good pictures of the Community Baboon Sanctuary can be seen here. You can find out more about the CBS at http://www.howlermonkeys.org/ "The sanctuary was founded in 1985 by an American Primatologist, Dr Robert Horwich, and a Belizean landowner in Bermudian Landing, Fallet Young. From its beginnings with 12 landowners it has grown to have the support of over 200 private landowners. CBS focuses on four main goals-- Conservation, Education, Research and Tourism. And not only does it provide protection for the estimated 2000 Black Howler Monkeys in the area it also serves to protect the flora and fauna as well."

Belizean Coconut Tart
Coconut flourishes in tropical regions like Belize, so it only makes sense to use them to create wonderful desserts. Coconut Tarts are usually made in a special tart pan with a beautiful design by the dozen, however it can also be made as a whole pie like in this video. Sweetened condensed milk and the water from the coconut are the two ingredients that makes this pie so delicious.

Bare Pantry Crunchy Tortilla Stuff
This meal is a variation of a taco and garnaches and salbutes mixed. It's what I do when I have chicken left over and no one wants to eat it again. This meal can be made with any form of meat and can also be made with soft corn tortilla. It's truly a meal for when the pantry is bare. My kids call it Crunchy Tortilla Stuff.

Belizean Garnaches
Garnaches in another of Belize's comfort foods. It uses re-fried beans and cheese on top of fried corn tortilla. Although this meal in similar to a taco, what makes this different is the Dutch or Edam Cheese.

Belizean Garnaches Sauce
Belizean Garnaches Sauce is only slightly different than Enchilades Sauce in that I use no cheese. This sauce can be used as a topping for other Spanish foods like tacos, burritos, and gacho. It may also be used as dip.

Blogs

Saying Good-bye to Caye Caulker
We have been in Caye Caulker for 2 weeks and are leaving tomorrow for San Ignacio in the interior of Belize. It is a little strange to say goodbye to our first destination, and I think it's really finally hitting us that this trip continues - we're not going home after a 2 week vacation. This was the perfect first stop - we have eased our way into our journey by relaxing on a safe, English-speaking, easy to get around island. Certainly we may have been spoiled by this first stop - good food, cheap but great accommodations (thanks to Maurice and Monique at Wish Willy's), and awesome new friends (shout out to Rob, Lynn, Andrew, Steve, Michelle, and Tina). We have scuba-dived, snorkeled, wind-surfed, swam, ran, yoga-ed on a hotel rooftop at sunset, read, slept, ate, played games, watched a few movies in an outdoor cinema, and enjoyed spending time together. The only thing I've found to be annoying on this island are the sand flies that will not stop biting me. I learned the "trick" from another itchy tourist late last week - apparently if you lather yourself in baby oil, the sand flies won't bite you. Why this works, I have no idea, but rest assured my skin has been encased in a layer of a mix of sweat, sunscreen, bugspray, and baby oil. I also have a new appreciation for geckos and other lizard creatures - they sit on my porch and eat the bugs that would otherwise bite me. Much love, lizards, even though you also make bizarre sounds in the middle of the night that, when reflected off our tin roof, sound like giant prehistoric reptilians have invaded. Possibly the most important thing I learned in my time here is that my most happy place is in a hammock - either right next to the ocean under a shade or on a covered porch during a cooling rain shower.

International Sources

In pursuit of an encounter with whale sharks
I saw my first whale shark off Isla Holbox, Mexico, near Cancun, where the Caribbean Sea meets the Gulf of Mexico. Allotted two minutes in the water, I kicked alongside a wide, bus-sized figure covered in rows of white spots, which the locals call dominos. Massive summer plankton blooms attract the tiny-toothed, filter-feeding sharks here, where the Mexican government created a sanctuary that allows only licensed guides to bring the tourist hordes. I'm intrigued by the mystery of these animals - no one really knows where they go before or after their summer stint in Cancun - and spending even a short time in the wide-open ocean next to something so massive left a huge impression. I decided to travel to Belize to learn more. First, I make the quick hop from Belize City to San Pedro, on Ambergris Caye, and book a dive trip to Lighthouse Reef and the Blue Hole, a well-known spot that brings many tourists to Belize. A round, near-black circle of water a couple of football fields across, like some giant eye in the sea, Blue Hole is actually a collapsed cave. Its main attraction, ancient stalactites, lie more than 100 feet deep, so it's a short dive with a long safety stop, but often, divers see more well-known species of sharks, such as reef and nurse sharks. On our other dives, Half Moon Wall and the Aquarium, we also see sharks, as well as rays and a plethora of wildly colored fish, coral and sponges. Very nice, but I'm ready for the main attraction, the whale sharks.

INTIMATE OVER-THE-WATER BUNGALOW IN BELIZE: CASA VENTANAS
Casa Ventanas is an intimate holiday villa in Belize, with a simple, organic exterior, yet with the highest degree of comfort. This romantic over-the-water bungalow is surrounded by the turquoise Caribbean Sea and is separated from the luxurious world-class private island of Cayo Espanto by a scenic deck. With such a unique surrounding landscape, a single bedroom home is enough for couples looking for an exotic escape. This is probably why Casa Ventanas is one of the most sought after rental villas in the area. The interior of the crib is defined by wood. One of the most spectacular features of the bungalow is a see-through window on the floor. Resting on cozy armchairs, visitors can enjoy the underwater spectacle from the comfort of their holiday home.


Last edited by Marty; 11/17/12 10:48 AM.