Belize,What a Joy!

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June 2, 2024

We are headed south today from Lark Cay near Placencia, Belize to Cabo Tres Puntas in Guatemala. Thus, this is our last day in Belize. I will miss it. It has been a joy to visit, the people, the scenery and the experiences. Let me start by catching you up on our road trip to Toledo District, then I’ll fill you in on our activities after that and end Belize with a a few thoughts on our visit in general.

A Toledo Road Trip

As I had mentioned we wanted to take a short land-based trip to get a little sense of things beyond the islands and cays. Our visit was to the Toledo District which is in the southeast of Belize on the Guatemalan border. It is, even by Belizean standards, undeveloped.

We stayed at a small lodge outside of Punta Gorda that was happy to take the kittens. The German family that owns and runs it has been there for 10 years and loves the solitude, nature and people.

Marissa and Thomas our hosts at Sun Creek. They really love it here and were wonderful hosts. Full of information, ideas and good conversation. The breakfasts were very tasty and Marisa made us dinner two nights as there were not many restaurants close by.

The lodge found us a bird guide and we spent a day birding. Steve was a very good guide and helped us see 40 or so species, 8 of which were life birds (birds we’d never seen before). That and the Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher which Jim and I saw the next day brought our life list to 1200 species worldwide! We are not species chasers but it is a wonderful way to visit places, learn about the environment and see some quite amazing birds. I’d do it for other creatures as well but the tools are not nearly as complete and easy as e-bird.

Since you had a whole post of bird pics, I’ll show you our little round cabin. Windows all around with a big fan to try and keep us cool. Outside shower. Not fancy, but comfortable and clean. For reasons we don’t really understand, the kittens did not like this room. They were antsy the whole time.

Spices Are Nice

We had a couple more days so we visited a spice farm. It was started by an India Indian guy from West Virginia (really) that thought the environment in Belize was similar to India so started his spice farm. He grew up in a family of farmers. He grows spices, lilies and other plants as well.

The tour around the farm introduced us to lots of smells and plants. I never knew that the seeds in a lotus pod were edible. They taste a bit like a corn kernel but not as sweeet. Quite tasty. We ate all the seeds.
Lots of vanilla beans. Sadly, many of the vanilla plants were quite stressed by the heat. So were all the other spices for that matter. I has hoping to see the pepper plants but they had all been burned up. They are hoping the roots survived and they will come back with the rains.
Using palm fronds to shade the vanilla plants which grow on another plant (which I can’t remember the name). Vanilla is their cash cow crop that they are working hard to protect.
The water lilies did not seem to mind the heat one bit. I’ve always loved the giant lily pads with edges. Like a little (big) cake pan.

Mayan Ruins

We had yet to visit any Mayan ruins in Belize and there was one very near the spice farm., Nim Li Punit is a mostly un-excavated ruin, well maintained with several very nice stelae, a ball court and a solar clock. It was extra nice as this is where we say our Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher! (our 1200th bird.)

The solar clock with the columns to the left and right pointing to the solstices.
There were several tombs that have been excavated at the site. There are still more there that have not been touched.
One of the stelae. They have built a small museum to house those in good shape inside for preservation. This one had been laying face down so was protected from the elements. The signage talked about the meaning of the carvings on the stone which described the family and village.
The ball court in mid-distance. Not a very large one, but it had a nice intimate feel. A temple behind it.

Chocolate!

Mayan chocolate is a big deal, especially in Toledo. Some farms have become fairly mechanized (at least in their chocolate making) and sell their chocolate commercially to some extent. We opted for visiting Eladio’s Farm and Chocolate, in San Pedro Columbia (that is the name of the town. It is on the Columbia River in the Toledo District of Belize.). It is a 30 acre family owned farm where multiple generations work the hilly land and live off the food they grow.

Feliciano, one of Eladio’s sons leading us from their home out to the farm.

We were given a tour of the farm, learning about the local plants as we walked around.

Feliciano had planted several hundred cocoa trees plus some mahogany. The cocoa were not faring well due to the heat and dryness. The mahogany were doing much better. He could not justify watering them when the village had no water and it was being trucked in for the community. Eladio is quite circumspect. He says they rains will come and all will be OK. He told us he has not seen it this dry in 20 years.
Mature cocoa trees.. They have just harvested so basically no pods left. Sadly, the trees are dropping all their leaves, not normal. They are so dry.
As I mentioned, they grow all their own food. There were 10 or so big bags of corn, some husked, some not yet. The husks are then places around the base of trees for mulch. The best corn is saved for planting. Nothing is wasted and everything is returned to the land.
They did cut a few trees this year to make way for new plantings. These boards were all hand cut with a chain saw into this form. Those are good skills! The sawdust is also returned to the land. For the life of me, I can’t remember how they use it before they can use it as mulch. Dang!

We then had a demo of how they make their chocolate, and got to try grinding the beans and allspice; their only other ingredient which they also grow.. Our teacher is one of Eladio’s daughter-in-laws.

She has toasted the beans on a comal and then crushed them with her hands before grinding the beans.
Now we’ll mix water with the coco to make a drink. Sorry, I cut it a little short. Just add a little more water and drink it warm or cold.
Feliciano’s niece; her mother gave us the chocolate demo. The kids can have chocolate whenever they want! The schools don’t always like it they told us, but it is part of their culture.

We headed back from the farm to town for lunch made by Eladio’s wife Virginia. It is probably the only meal I’ve ever had where literally everything was grown by the family.

Ok, sorry, I started eating before I took the pic of my home grown meal. Chicken, beans and rice (yes, they grow rice), a little salad with carrots, radishes, bell peppers and habanero and fresh tortillas. This is their corn, but they buy the lime for finishing the corn.

A very cool visit. We then went back and collected the kittens and headed back to the boat. The kittens getting their 2nd dinghy ride as we were docked on an island.

In more than typical fashion, the kittens were so excited to finish the car ride.
They were even excited to get back to the boat!
Our host as the marina took us over to our rental car in their launcha. So funny to have the kittens and their cat box on the launcha. The kittens were unfazed.

Filling the Last Few Days

After our land sojourn, we only had a week left before we had to be out of Belize or pay to stay longer. You get a 30-day permit for the boat. Although we have enjoyed Belize, it was time to move on. Who knows, we may be back again!

We needed to clear out of Belize. This is a MUST as you can’t enter another country until you prove you left the last. Even more important with the boat. The Hokie Pokie (yes, that is the name of the water taxi) takes you from Placencia to Independene/Mango Creek. A 15 minute ride through the mangroves. The taxi is full of locals and a few gringos going to check out or catch a bus. You then take a land taxi to Big Creek across town which is the banana cargo terminal and an immigration and port offices. The taxi takes you to each facility and waits for you. Our taxi driver collected a bag of beautiful mangos from the ground where he parked in the shade while he waited for us So nice. We then spent a week in Belize after checking out. No one really minds.

South Long Cocoa Cay

After we checked out, I wanted to get back to the out reef for more snorkeling. I have to say, we had no more great snorkeling, but I did go several times and always saw something interesting. We first visited South Long Cocoa Cay. It was a bit north of Placencia with some tricky maneuvering around coral. All went well and the anchorage was nice.

We launched the dinghy, explored the little lagoon and did a mini snorkel. Winds came up and it was difficult to say the least to get the dinghy stowed.
June is coming and slowly the clouds are building. The sunsets rarely failed to deliver.

Ranguna Cay

Now to head farther out to the reef. I’d wanted to follow the cays and island to the tip and then cross the Bay of Honduras to Guatemala. We headed to Ranguana Cay. Right on the reef, tiny with minimal protection. But the reviews said the protection would be good. Not! Flopper stoppers came out and it was still what we call a nearly Bic night (the worst night we’ve had. It was on the St. Lawrence with 20 degree rolls all night)

Jim often thinks I’m crazy with the places I tell him we are going. The reviews said it provided good protection. The island is small, but there is reef to the left and right that *SHOULD* dampen the waves.
What is not to like. I nice breeze, ocean as far as the eye can see. Palm trees, hammocks. Good drinks and good conversation.

We were able to visit the island before the waves got too bad, had several rum punches and met the family on Spirit, a catamaran family from Australia.

Brad and Kat wanted to finish their drinks so we ferried their kids back to their boat for evening showers. Their boat is called SV Spirit. So, these are my Spirit kids! 11, 7 and 5. They have been sailing for a year and are very wise for their ages.

Sadly it was just too rough for us to snorkel and so we headed out the next day with a modified plan to find snorkeling much farther from the reef. The weather was not going to get better; although it was not all that bad, 15 – 20 knot winds with gust to 25. Just not enough protection.

Jim pulled the anchor. Spirit did not like the waves either and had left before us.

Lark Cay

We ended up at Lark Cay, just 5 miles from Placencia, but a world away. These are mangrove cays as opposed to palm and sand. But, we did find some OK snorkeling and good dinghy exploring.

Lark has a big lagoon that we COULD have gotten Rincon into. But, we were fine outside. Very deep water until close to shore. So, one has to tuck in close. This is one of our snorkel spots right by the mangroves. Some snapper and a big school of tiny fish, a couple of big stars and lots of very fine soft corals.

We also visited Ivan’s Cay, a very close dinghy ride and had a few beers. Ivan cam and surveyed the island and petitioned for a permit to buy it. A more complex process than that, but he now owns it. He has a tiny “resort” with a couple rustic cabins, a bar and small restaurant. Most folks come for the day in Ivan’s boat, play on the island, get fed and head back to Placencia.

Ivans island is cleared of much of the mangroves. Sculpted the trees left and add sand and barriers. Voila! A tropical island.

It was a nice visit and our anchorage for two nights was quite. Some catamarans came and anchored, but they were all just day anchors.

Rinconsito at Ivan’s dock with Lark Island in the background.

What a Beautiful Country

Belize was not at all what I expected in so many ways. One hears about the beautiful mountains and the great diving and snorkeling and this is true. But it is such a conundrum in so many ways otherwise.

Cultures

Belize is very multicultural. Belize is primarily a mix of several Mayan, Hispanic and Garifuna cultures with a good mix of Anglo’s. I don’t know the intricacies of it but the Garifuna feels like a mix of Creole and Rasta but I say that with no real knowledge. We also saw Arabs and Chinese seem to own the grocery market throughout the country. There is a mix of British (this used to be British Honduras), Europeans and Americans. They DO NOT drive on the left though despite their British colonization.

Belize turned 40 a few years ago. There were lots of monuments to the birthday with tributes to important Belizeans represented. This one was in Punta Gorda.

With very rare exception, everyone we met (except for the Chinese running the groceries) was effusively friendly and extremely proud of Belize and being Belizean. They have a slogan you see everywhere; and people use it, not just the Government. “You better Belize it.” A very proud people who in general seem to be very comfortable with their multiculturalness as best I could tell.

The Economy

Belizeans are educated. Everyone we met speaks at least a couple languages, English and whatever their native language was as well as maybe a third or fourth. Many have spent time in the US but choose to come back to Belize after school or when they retire. They really don’t have the desire to live abroad. They are in tune with world politics (but it does not drive their lives), climate change, and the environment. Belize has less than a half million people so beyond tourists wanting to visit their beaches and mountains, there is basically no international business. The British chopped the Mahogany in the jungles then gave Belize it’s independence. They still export bananas but not much else. There is very little industry. You will not see any American fast food and only a few international brands in stores as there is not a big enough population to attract them. Belize is poor economically, but people are proud and love where they live.

This is in front of the Immigration office in Big Creek where we checked out of Belize. Belize is very proud of their banana exports. One does not see them in the groceries we visited though.

It IS a Joy!

I’m not sure I have ever visited a country where folks are so content with their lives. Yes, they see wealthy tourists that visit and charge them higher prices than the locals, but why not? The prices are still much cheaper than we’d pay in the US and why shouldn’t they reap the benefits of their beautiful country. Tourism drives their economy. Some tourists complain; I suggest they go elsewhere. The Belizean’s are not taking unreasonable advantage of the tourists.

Life is simple. Even if you are on a plane, unless in Belize City. Just drive around the end of the runway and please stop if a plane is taking off.

I’ve really enjoyed our visit to Belize and I suspect this winter we may visit a bit more. I also really want to see some of the inner mountainous part of the country as we just drove along the edge of it. It was so dry while we were here, no rain since February. Belize was also part of the horrible heat wave impacting parts of the southern US, Mexico and Guatemala. While still hot, there were several days with heat indexes over 110. Many rivers are dry (not typical), there are still lots of fires (mostly man caused from farmers burning fields that got out of control) and water is being trucked into some villages. However, in typical Belizean optimism and live let live style, everyone is waiting for the rains that will come in June.

Pic of clouds

Although there have only been a few light spot showers, the clouds are starting to look like rain clouds and the tropical waves are building off the coast of Africa and headed this way.

Belize is full of old US school buses. Not all pimped out like in Guatemala, but the main mode of transportation for many people not living out in the islands.

Comments

Belize,What a Joy! — 2 Comments

  1. I love your posts. So interesting to see and learn about other cultures, countries and your adventures.

  2. I was doing some reading about the Guatemala claim to about 50% of Belize. Apparently it is in an international court at this time. Fingers crossed that Belize wins