traversbelize.com

Yoga...

2011-11-16T03:42:00.000-06:00

Many of our guests enjoy the solitude and peace of our 100 foot pier and Palapa in the early morning for a Yoga session. There are also several yoga groups.

Click for more photos

More TMS 3 Photos...

2011-11-12T06:12:00.001-06:00

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary

2011-11-04T04:40:00.001-06:00

The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary is very close by and easy to get to... it has a series of trails with river tubing, waterfalls, ad rock slides.

"An extensive network of well marked and maintained trails that vein the Cockscomb allow hikes and expeditions that can last anywhere from an hour to 5 days. Apart from the extraordinary array of flora and fauna, visitors are treated to beautiful gentle waterfalls and crystal waterways that can be floated down on inner tubes. It can feel like you’re inside nature’s own spectacular motion picture presentation."

The Maine Stay 3 - Completed!

2011-10-24T03:43:00.000-06:00

Well... it was almost like the "move that bus" silliness on HGTV as we finished up just before the first guests arrived. It's really done though and our new arrivals seem delighted! More photos.

Lola's Art... How Can You Resist?

2011-10-20T01:35:00.000-06:00

Every time I glance at these great pieces of Lola art on our wall, I think back to our first visit to her Gallery in Seine Bight. These are each signed "Lola 2001" and are very special for us... since this was during the time we had just purchased our property and just finished "our" new Cabana (now TMS 1) to spend our vacations. You can see a lot more of Lola's art in her Facebook gallery page.

Clock Vine...

2011-10-10T02:38:00.001-06:00

I have shown examples of the Clock Vine (Thunbergia grandiflora) flower before. This one caught my eye as I walked by the shop. Karen loves this plant... and for good reason. It blooms profusely and just about constantly in this environment. She has planted it on the long fence bordering The Maine Stay. And as we add lighting to the fence bordering Kokomo, I suspect it will get planted there as well.

This One Will Become A Classic...

2011-10-08T18:25:00.002-06:00

By: Jorge Rojas Moya

It's All In Your Perspective...

2011-10-07T03:58:00.000-06:00

As I was checking on the final construction details on our new Cabana, I snapped a few shots of the guys working. Here, Alejandro is working on some bedside tables in the front yard of the Cabana. I hope he steals a look occasionally.

An America Legend and Icon...

2011-10-06T18:27:00.000-06:00

The Maine Stay Cabana Project

2011-09-25T07:22:00.000-06:00

As we wind down on the newest construction project...

Temporary Workshop for the New Cabana Under Construction

Front Porch & Deck of New Cabana

CHANNEL 7 NEWS...

2011-09-21T09:58:00.000-06:00

President Carter Laments The Loss Of Price

And tonight, the tributes to Mr. Price continue to pour in from local and international organizations.Just before 6:00, we received one from Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and The Carter Center. It calls Price the founding father of Belize and says, quote, "His humble personality belied the stature of his statesmanship. His courage, wisdom, and good humor were a gift not only to Belize but to all of the Americas." End quote.
Very high praise, indeed, and Price's passing has stirred high praise in all those who knew him.Yesterday we spoke to two of his disciples and his biographer for a greater insight into Price's political life:
Jules Vasquez Reporting
Who would ever think in the early 1930's that these spindly legs of the boy scout named George Price would someday carry an entire nation forward and beget a national hero?
Certainly not his mother, Irene from Yo Creek, seen here in a photo from the 1920's as she posed with her first son. But her third child grew into a great man.
Rt. Hon. George Price"Thank you, thank you, thank you to all. The honor is also for the many who have been loyal and are still loyal to the peaceful, constructive, Belizean revolution."
Price always stayed on message, the peaceful constructive revolution, and social justice were his credos:
John Saldivar - PUP Standard Bearer"That was his lasting legacy, the whole concept of social justice, which basically means that there's nobody who's going to be left behind. No matter where you're from, no matter how remote the location that you live in, or how depraved the environment that you are coming out - your circumstance in terms of your economic position - he believed that representation was for everyone."
Godfrey Smith, Price Biographer
"In two words, social justice, I think anyone who worked with Price, or knew Mr. Price, knew that he stood for social justice. So while he avidly foreign direct investment, while he firmly and unflinchingly believe that solution to Belize's economic problems lay in foreign direct investment, at the same time, that was back by his belief that while one sought develop the country through FDI, the government was there to ensure that social justice was their for the benefit of the people."
And for him, the people were paramount, Price toured the country in his famous Blue landrover, Fording rivers and through remote villages, and from there, by foot, or even sailing down a river, never losing the common touch:
John Saldivar - PUP Standard Bearer
"Part of the DNA of a People's United Party politician is getting down, meeting his people, understanding you cannot represent a person that you don't know. You have to know them, and you don't want to know them from their fence. You want to know them from their kitchen. When you're in the kitchen, you're family. That's Mr. Price's philosophy in getting out and meeting the people. He did not care too much to be on the outside. He wanted to be on the inside, to see how they are living, how they were eating, how they were getting along."
Bill Lindo"You see he always had a very simple thing, this thing about social engineering is about not that the rich shall have more, but that they poor shall have. The rich are always rich. He always used to tell me, he said, 'Look, a man wants a house. Everybody is a human being, they're made in the image of God. They have a right to a home.'"
And while those ideals may not have been fully realized - in fact they may have been unrealizable - according to his biographer, the genesis of Price's nationalist ideology is still somewhat of a mystery - did it come from deep reflection? Inspiration? His biographer says it was not from his education:
Godfrey Smith - Price Biographer"There was nothing academic - no individual figure - that exercised so great an influence on Price, that he said, 'Aha! I want to be a politician. I want to engage in the struggle against the British, to lead the country to self-government and independence. I suppose that all that I am left with is the sense that he was living at a particular time when the needs were so obvious. The dire straits of the country, economically, were so bad, that he felt he had to do something about it. And I can't determine, or pinpoint what actual combination of factors core-less to impact him into action, but certainly, he had a desire to be useful in a practical to people and to his country."
And more than just practical, he was heroic and all agree, visionary; he saw nationalism beyond the horizon.
John Saldivar - PUP Standard Bearer
"Where else in the world, I mean this is our George Washington. This is our Norman Manley. This is our Cipriani and Buzz Butler. He is the founder of our nation, and certainly, I am very much pleased that across the political divide, that we've all come to appreciate this today, because the out-pouring of love and condolence has been immense. And certainly this loss will be felt, but he will never leave. As long as there is a Belize, there is George Price."
Godfrey Smith - Price Biographer
"I remember reading some papers in the Caribbean - there was a moment in the struggle, when Price was considered the most vehemently anti-British, and the most aggressive nationalist leader, throughout the Caribbean. That has been documented by Jamaica Gleaner newspaper and others in the Caribbean. So he had courage, and he had conviction and determination. And making these descriptions, they sound bland; they sound ordinary. We throw them about everyday, perhaps undeservingly. In Price, however, they stick because he actually embodied these traits. This is not to say that the man was perfect, or a saint. He had obviously serious flaws, and he had serious weaknesses. It is my view, however, that his strengths, looked at from a macro-level, towered over his weaknesses, and made his weaknesses seem vanishingly small."
Smith's biography of George Price - which will be the first authorized biography of the national hero - is set for publication before the end of the year.
And for more of the official tributes which have come for Mr. Price - you can see them at 7newsbelize.com when we post tonight's news...

US Ospreys In Belize

2011-09-19T09:23:00.000-06:00

posted (September 15, 2011)
7NewsBelize.comPrint

The United States Government has once again chosen Belize to conduct military training exercises, and this time, it's the Marine Corp that's in the country to execute a 10 day deployment for training.The Marines flew into Belize last Thursday aboard four of their newest combat utility aircraft, the MV-22 Osprey, that will be at the center of its training exercises.
In coordination with the Belize Defense Force, the Marines will fly over the Belizean countryside conducting unit training, which will include low-altitude flights, flights into confined areas, self-deployment capability exercises, and over-water exercises.

Training locations include Price Barracks, the Hattieville Range and the Jungle Warfare Training Center. The Osprey is a unique aircraft that can be refueled in mid-air. It's able to take off and land like a helicopter, but flies like a conventional aircraft, allowing it to fly twice as fast, while carrying three times its weight, and travelling four times farther than the helicopters it has replaced.

Baby Parrots...

2011-09-16T02:48:00.000-06:00

There are a bunch of baby wild parrots in the scrub trees in the Kokomo subdivision. They look to be just a few weeks old and are testing their wings carefully. It's very hard to get close enough for a decent photo.

Nikon D5100 ISO 450, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000

Agave (Bandolero) - Vodka!

2011-09-13T03:58:00.002-06:00

In the past I have blogged about the Agave plants we have along our fences.

"the 20 foot stalk produced a "flower" that has now fallen off. It is a tight bunch of little Bandolero "plantlets" with the roots already started. We will put some directly in the sand, some in water for a while and then in good potting mix (our own concoction of black rain forest dirt, sand, sawdust and seaweed)... we'll let you know how this all turns out!" The answer is... the ones grown in the potting mix.

Here's how things turned out...

I guess we have enough for now...

Plastic bag propagation...

Stump of stalk that produced the plantlets...

Kendal Bridge...

2011-09-09T19:12:00.002-06:00

New Kendal Bridge Construction

Three years ago, a particularly nasty Tropical Storm named Arthur formed off the coast of Belize on May 31, 2008 and quickly moved ashore, dumping as much as 15 inches of rain on the country and in the mountains of Guatemala.   During subsequent flooding, the Kendal Bridge over the Sittee River at Mile 13.7 of the Southern Highway between Hopkins and Maya Centre was destroyed, cutting off road access to points south, including Placencia and Punta Gorda.

Since then a steel and wood causeway structure has serviced reasonably well, but it is only several feet off the river, and with any significant rise in river level during rains, it is sometimes under water.

For those of you who don't get to cross very much, here are a couple of shots of the Kendal bridge construction process.

Facebook Kendal Bridge Information Page.
Original Post and Flood Photos here.

"Temporary" Kendal Causeway

2011-09-03T15:52:00.000-06:00

Much Ado About ADO
posted (August 31, 2011)

From 7Newsbelize.com

Airfare to Cancun from most US cities is very much cheaper than to Belize City. So depending on your plans, this combination may well work to your advantage.

ADO is now running a daily service between Belize and Cancun, and Belize and Merida. The route is serviced by five of ADO's Executive Class buses, which seat 44 persons. The buses leave north from Belize every night and south from Cancun and Merida. It's what might be called a red-eye bus service that gets passenger sinto Cancun and Merida at dawn the following day.
The company today held an informal press conference to stress that they aren't in Belize to step on any toes or bite into anyone's runs:

Gabriela Osuna - Public Relations, ADO Group

"None of the buses will stop in Chetumal in either direction. In both cases, the departure time from Belize City will be after the last service provided by Belizean transport companies. These will not affect the normal services. When travelling in the direction to Merida or Cancun, passengers will be allowed to board the buses in Belize City, Orange Walk or Corozal, only if their final destination is Merida or Cancun. From Belize City, passengers will not be able to descend in Orange Walk or Corozal, neither to travel between those towns. The services designated to benefit Belizeans, we realize that it's easier for Belizeans to take the last bus from Belize to Merida, and Belize to Cancun, in this case, at 8 p.m. or 8:15 p.m. and arriving to the final destination at 6:16 a.m. or 7 a.m. We will not stop at any time in Chetumal. Right now, we are not taking this as a local service. Really, we are international; we want only an international route to facilitate the Belizeans to transport from here to Merida, or here to Rivera Mayor. We foresee that the new roads will increase the number of tourists entering Belize and will contribute to the Tourism Industry. We will start with the buses carrying 15-20 people right now, in the first week. They like to come to Belize to visit the more important places, and we believe that these will increase. We would like to increase tourism here in Belize, because it's just a win - win situation.

One way tickets to Cancun and Merida are 79 dollars Belize ($39.50 US). The buses also let off passengers in Playa Del Carmen and Tulum on the way to Cancun. They pick up passengers in Corozal and Orange Walk on the way north, but do not drop passengers in those towns.

Marina Sunset...

2011-08-27T03:29:00.000-06:00

Yesterday's sunset over our lagoon Marina...

Tips When Visiting Belize...

2011-08-24T07:08:00.000-06:00

Most vacationers who are looking at Belize as their destination, and have never been before, struggle a bit with deciding about the many locations and activities available in this small country. They also are sometimes put off by the warnings about the roads and driving that still are prevalent in much of the (now outdated) guide books and online forums. The highways, although not of the four lane divided variety, are mostly well paved and easy to navigate. Highway directional signs are much improved. A four wheel drive vehicle is really only needed by those doing more adventurous back road destinations.

Try to figure out broadly what you might want to do as a group or family during your stay. Is this a mostly "kick back and relax" visit? Or will you be doing a bunch of tours and excursions? It's not critical that you decide before you come, but it does make it somewhat easier to decide your location and plan your strategy.

Many of us tend to think and plan their vacation in a week long chunk. And that may well be all that is available. For those with some flexibility in their plans, we have clearly seen that a stay of 8 to 14 days allows for much more leeway in planning for and enjoying all that is available. A seven day visit, with two days of airline travel, really means only five days to "vacation." So if you can, try to stretch it a bit... make those airline tickets really count!

When you are deciding whether to rent a car, you should think through your plans. Tour companies will transport you to the tour sites. This cost, of course, is reflected in the per person fee. If you transport your group via your rental vehicle (ie. to the cave tubing site or Mayan ruins) you will save a fairly significant amount... and not be a part of a larger group. Many Maine Stay guests rent a vehicle on arrival in Belize and drive to Placencia. Also, having the vehicle gives you greater flexibility and allows for much more spontaneous activity. And, by the way, driving is on the right hand side (as in the US) and all that is needed to rent is a valid US or Canadian driver license and passport. An International Driver License is not necessary.

This brings us to your "vacation location." Will it be the mountains of the Cayo District, the night life of San Pedro, the wildlife of northwestern Belize, or the beach and reef delights of the coast? If beach and ocean activities are a significant part of your group plans, then finding a happy medium to coordinate seaside and inland excursions is an important issue. The Placencia Peninsula offers a great location as well as excellent roads. The nearby Cockscomb Jaguar Preserve is a great example of a wonderful day trip the group can do on its' own... or on up the Hummingbird Highway to Caves Branch for tubing and zip-lining, or to the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich and Cahal Pech.

Hanging On By A Thread...

2011-08-13T06:36:00.005-06:00

One of our security guards, Bayron noticed a nest hanging from one of the palm tree fronds on the beach right in front of one of the Cabanas. There are 3 babies in it snuggled in tightly. What is remarkable about this is the very slender, tenuous threads that attached the nest to the underside of the frond. How does it stay there? Click photos to enlarge...

It Mattered To Belize... And For Two Generations They Cared.

2011-08-10T19:12:00.002-06:00

The passing of an era...

This is an extremely well done production that highlights in beautiful and subtle video the many contributions of the British Army helicopters of the 25 Flight Army Air Corps.

"Thirty-nine years of the British Army's Aviation history has drawn to a close in Belize, with the final flight from a Bell 212 helicopter from 25 Flight Army Air Corps... video commemorating this which was posted on youtube by the air Corp. British Army helicopters have been in the skies over Belize since 1972 - at a time when the sound of a British Puma Helicopter meant security for a nation under sustained territorial threat. The direct military threat has subsided, and the british army itself has entered another area - but no matter what the case, for med-evacs and BDF troop transport they will he missed. We close our news by honouring their contribution tonight."

From Channel 7 NewsBelize.com

Bicycles, Laundry and Toilet Paper...

2011-08-09T18:59:00.000-06:00

So we had an older, but still quite serviceable, 40 foot container that we ended up deciding to not use in the new workshop plans... and we had a need for a place for storage for bicycles and supplies for The Maine Stay cabanas. But it certainly didn't need to be 40 feet! So I said to Jose... can you cut it in half? He said "sure." So we did some measuring and some head scratching about where to put this thing... and a few days later Jose used the acetylene torch and, believe it or not, mostly a Skil Saw to cut the container in half! Of course, both halves were not in the place we needed them to be... so they had to be moved... a story I told you about earlier. Now in place, it just needed to be fixed up...

The open end was framed in and closed with zinc roofing, and a bathroom for the security guards makes up one end.

A shed roof allowed the bike storage area to be made, and the inside of the container was fixed up to make the laundry/storage area.

And voila... the new Bicycle, Laundry and Storage building... which we shortened to "The Bike Shed."

Harpy Eagle Update...

2011-08-07T20:01:00.002-06:00

Ya'axché Conservation Trust

Harpy eagle chick progress report

It has been 10 months since the discovery of a harpy eagle chick in Bladen Nature Reserve, the furthest north that a breeding pair of harpy eagles have ever been confirmed. The harpy chick was then satellite tagged in May by a group including the bird team from Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE). The team was led by Angel Muela, a seasoned harpy eagle tagger, and William Garcia (BFREE). Ya’axché rangers Victor Bonilla, Pastor Ayala and protected areas manager Lee Mcloughlin were present in an observational capacity. The whole expedition was filmed by internationally renowned wildlife film maker Richard Foster.

After the tagging BFREE’s bird team noticed that the adult female and male had not returned to the nest to feed or nurture the chick. As a result the chick became malnourished, weak and then after a few failed attempts at flying fell to the forest floor where it risked being attacked by predators and actually had a close run in with a troop of spider monkeys. This situation led to the tough decision of whether or not to intervene in nature. The decision was made to intervene and return the chick to its nest before it was killed on the forest floor. BFREE’s bird team also took the unusual step of providing food, in the form of dead chickens. Eventually, to train the chick to kill, live chickens were introduced to the diet. This continued over two months, throughout which time the parents were still not once observed returning to the nest.

We then received the wonderful news from BFREE that in early July the adult male had been observed with the chick on a tree near to the nest where he was seen feeding the chick and standing watch over the chicks increasingly frequent flying attempts. The bird team withdrew their support for the chick and monitored the situation before being forced to leave the site due to the advent of the famous heavy rains of Toledo’s wet season.
This did not mean that monitoring could not continue. Due to the satellite tag, which had been attached to the back of the chick, the bird team could continue to determine its movements. They were able to confirm that the chick, now a juvenile, had left the site of the nest and moved to a nearby valley where she stayed for 5 days. It seems she is doing well as it is unlikely such movements would be occurring in ill health. It also suggests she is becoming more comfortable and skilled at flying.

This is by no means the end of the story; the chick will depend on the support of her parents for the first TWO years of her life. BFREE are working on GIS mapping to produce interpretive maps to keep the public informed and particularly for use for educational and scientific purposes.

KEEP WATCHING FOR FURTHER UPDATES ON THIS INCREDIBLE STORY!!

Website...

http://www.yaaxche.org/

Hilarious... if you live in Belize

2011-08-07T19:35:00.000-06:00

I'm sure my three offspring will appreciate this...

Politics Daily is part of The Huffington Post. Thanks to Ruth Armstrong for passing this on.

Placencia Development Happenings...

2011-08-05T03:07:00.005-06:00

We all tend to think of development on the Placencia Peninsula's (what I will call) "hard land." Or the land which existed before anyone thought to do significant dredging and "land building." This aerial photograph and labels of the various projects very usefully shows the lagoon developments that not many of us have known about... or at least paid much attention to...

From Peninsula Citizens for Sustainable Development website...

As shown above, Las Brisas is located in the Placencia Lagoon near the southern end of Placencia Village.

Las Brisas is a residential subdivision of either 17 or 19 lots (theEnvironmental Compliance Plan (ECP) for Las Brisas is contradictory on the number of lots) on 3.913 acres of land to be created by dredging and filling.

The development will also include 2 "small" boating canals on the western side of the property to be created, a boat dock for 5 boats, public open space and possibly a commercial lot. Water will be obtained from the Placencia Village water supply and garbage will be deposited into the Placencia Village solid waste dump.

The developer for Las Brisas is Las Brisas Placencia, Limited. John Stothart signed the Las Brisas ECP as principal of Las Brisas on 1 April 2011.

The Department of the Environment did not require the developer to do an Environmental Impact Assessment for the development.

The Las Brisas ECP includes the following authorizations and obligations:

32,000 cubic yards of fill may be dredged from the Placencia Lagoon. (Fill material will be used to create land to a height of 2-3 feet above mean sea level.
No mangroves may be altered except to construct the boat canal. Mangroves must also be planted in areas with no trees. However, the developer is not obligated to use mangroves instead of a constructed seawall.
A 30 foot reserve must be created on the western side of the property.

Portion of Placencia Lagoon being
dredged and filled for Las Brisas

Las Brisas Environmental Compliance Plan
Minister's Fiat of Las Brisas area of Lagoon in 2005 to Eugene Leslie (property described as being "along" the Lagoon)

Top 10 Sacred Caves - Travel - National Geographic and Number 1 is Belize!

2011-07-25T07:49:00.000-06:00

Number One on National Geographic's list of Top Ten Sacred Caves in the world is the ATM in Belize!

From the National Geographic book Sacred Places of a Lifetime

Actun Tunichil Muknal, Belize
In myths, journeys to the underworld are never easy, and after visiting Actun Tunichil Muknal (Cave of the Stone Sepulchre), you may feel that you have been through your own epic test. Access to the Maya sacrificial site within the cave involves hiking, wading, and underwater swimming, but nearly a mile (1.6 kilometers) underground you will reach the resting place of the “crystal maiden,” a complete female skeleton that sparkles from eons of crystal calcification. The cave also contains Maya pottery shards, many showing the “kill hole” intended to allow spirits to escape.

Top 10 Sacred Caves - Travel - National Geographic