Camera traps

Here you can see some of the pictures our camera traps have taken in the Golden Stream Corridor Preserve. Featuring some interesting wildlife!

Agutí.

Jaguar.

Red brocket deer.

Tapir.

Puma.

White-collared pecari.

Red brocket deer.

Puma.

Grear curassows. females.

Jaguar.

Jaguar.

Local characters: people you must get to meet in PG

One of the most surprising things of living in PG, is discovering the amazing life histories of many of its inhabitants. It is simply so amazing the quantity of people who come from other countries in the Caribbean (Antigua, Dominica, Jamaica…) the places some of these people have travelled to, how many of them have lived a part of their life abroad, how many have family in the USA and travel there frequently… These includes New York City delivery boys, LA cab drivers, Michigan babysitters, Spain cooks… but most probably, the ones I am going to introduce you are some of the most charismatic you will find in this picturesque town!

Drum-master Mr. Emmeth Young:

Expert in African percussion, he is one of the most applauded drum makers, teachers and players in Belize. He travels all around the country frequently, offering gigs with his different bands.

Natural from Gale’s Point, a maroon village near Belize City, he currently lives in PG with her American wife and their daughter. Here, they run a restaurant (Driftwood Café: one of our favourites, given they possess one of the very few espresso machines in town!), and offers drum lessons and hand made drums. Watching him playing live is simply amazing!

Mr. Gomier, chef and plant guru:

Natural from a small island in the other side of the Caribbean, he owns a little vegetarian restaurant close to our office: the perfect choice if you are looking for healthy food, like home made tofu, seitan, bread... He is not only a master chef, but an expert in local plants and traditional medicine, growing all kinds of plants in its little garden and knowing all the secret properties of them all. During the Sierra Leona civil unrest, he travelled there as a volunteer in a project to teach local people how to grow soya and then process it in different kinds of food.

And these two guys are just a couple of examples… 

Patrolling the the Golden Stream River

Ranger Octavio, upstream.

Ranger Coy.

Golden Stream Corridor Preserve Conservation Area.

The plant locally know as "sweet lips". Guess why?

Lower part of the river, in the delta.

Post lobster fest

After a weekend of scuba diving and partying in Placencia, and once all the news have already been adequately contrasted and double-checked, I can finally made some official announcements about my future.

Finally, it seems definitive that I am going to study the Erasmus Mundus Master in Environmental Studies, Policy and Management (MESPOM). The first year takes place in the Central European University, in Budapest, may be in different universities and countries according to your choice... but I know where I will be next September!!!!!!

And, also good news, my lightning trip to Spain was very successful, as I got the La Caixa scholarship, for which scholarship I was required to attend a personal interview in Madrid. Which means I have also the funds!

Even though I am happy in Belize... I look forward to be a student again in Budapest!

A couple of links, a couple of good news

For all of those who wrote comments on the Gasteiz-Munduan webpage: thank you very very much! Thanks to you I have won the contest!

For everyone: an article I published in the Fauna & Flora International (Ya'axché's partners) webpage.

And thanks for your support! Already 2500 visits!

Lil'owl!

Here is the picture of a baby Vermiculated Screech Owl that was brought recently to our office after being found with a pack of dogs ready to devour it. The little bird was taken care of by the relevant authority the same afternoon.

Caye Caulker and the Blue Hole

So, already back from celebrating my birthday in an exotic destination, taking profit to scuba dive and travel to new parts of the country. This time, we decided that the occasion was worth a cross-country trip to get to Caye Caulker, and from there go diving the Blue Hole, ons of the most relevant diving sites of the entire Caribbean Sea! And, I can assure you, the results of the dive were up to the reputation of the site!

Grey reef shark.

Another shark.

Corals.

Spotted eagle ray.

Tikal, Xunantunich and others

The last days I have been traveling a little around the country and surroundings. Concretely, I moved to San Ignacio (Cayo District), and from there I went to Guatemala to visit Tikal, one of the most relevant mayan sites (a dream come true). Simply unbelievable! I also visited the mayan ruins of Xunantunich, in Belize, the Belize Botanical Gardens and the Actún-Tunichil Muknal cave (a cave ith mayan archeology inside, including human skeletons from sacrifices). Enjoy some of the pictures! Sorry for the lack of pictures from the cave, cameras were not allowed.

Mayan gecko.

Tikal's Gran Plaza.

Temples raising above the canopy, in Tikal.

El Castillo, in Xunantunich.

Ya'axché

But what does Ya'axché mean? Ya'axché is the mayan queck'chi name for the ceiba tree. This tree grows very very tall, and its wood is good for the construction of canoes, but almost nothing else, as it is very light.

The very lightness of its timber means it is the most difficult one to throw down when hurricanes come. That is the reason why most of the trees that grow higher than the rest of the canopy in Southern Belize are Ya'axché trees: the ones that survive the strike of the last big hurricane.

Hence, this tree symbolizes strength and endurance. It also had an important meaning in the old mayan mithology. According to these believes, the upper world was sustained on top of our world by four ya'aché trees, located in the four cardinal points, and which roots connected also with the underworld.

Ya'axché overgrown with epiphytes.

Sunday morning jam session

PG cultural life: Sunday morning Jam in Driftwood Café, yesterday. Starring: Emmeth Young & Friends n the drums, and the previously unknown sax player from New Orleans.

Warm-up.

Introducing drum-master Emmeth Young.

F#dim6add or Dº7?

Gimme more drums!

Ya'axché in the Whitley Awards 2012

The video that was presented in the Whitley Awards 2012, where Lisel Alamilla (previous Executive Director, now Minister of Environment) was recognized for her work and Ya'axché's in favor of conservation in Belize.

But the best part, no doubts, is hearing Mr. David Attenborough talking about your organization!

Back in Belize!

OK, after a nice break of 2 weeks in Spain, I am back to work and clearly determined to save the forest and its birds during the remaining 3 months before the project comes to an end!!!! Just kidding, it isn't that easy.

But the Spanish break was everything but a holiday. Please guys, remember me never to do again such a lightning visit to Spain. Too many people to meet, simply. But it was a successful trip!

I have no much inspiration today to write, but at least I can leave you with some pics of our whale shark dive!

Whale shark

Loggerhead turtle.

And also, and example of the Punta music and dancing I already talked about some weeks ago:

A Race Against Fire, opossums, whale sharks and Spain

The dry season is coming. Actually, it is more than arrived. And it is hot. And sweaty. And humid (the dryness refers only to rain). In fact, my hair has gone curly, for the first time in my life.

This means that the farmers in the area will start clearing land and making fires. Sometimes to clear the land, sometimes by accident and, sadly, sometimes for fun... and the dryness and heat of this time of the year involve that these activities can easily go out of control.

This is why Ya'axché organizes every year the Race Against Fire, a bicycle race (accompanied by many other activities) that becomes a big awareness rising event, in which we try to emphasize the importance of using the molching instead of the burning to clear the land and, if not possible, to promote safe fire-use practices. This took place last Saturday (the day before yesterday), and there was the normal bicycle race, a slow bicycle race, sack race, kid games, corn seeding contest, dancing contest, music... had tons of fun, but it was tiresome, as I was in charge of documenting everything with pictures, which meant I had to be everywhere. I present many pics from the event below.

This means we didn't really have an Easter break... but we are taking it next week! I am going with Erik, James and Jauma today to Placencia to try to see the whale sharks, which are supposed to be around after the full moons during the dry season. I can't wait for that!

On the other hand, I am having more and more new neighbors at home... OK, not really new, they have been there all the time: the unavoidable cockroaches (you can't get rid of them in tropical climates), scorpions (yes, already got some at home), mosquitos (clouds) and, on Friday... an enormous opossum walking around our house!

And last, but not least, I want to tell you in advance that it is very likely that there will be no blog entries the next couple of weeks. I have to go to Spain for 10 days, kind of a last minute change of plans... I must recognize that I am looking forward to it: some days in Madrid, some in Vitoria and, most likely, a lightning strike over Pamplona! But I will be back before the end of April. Don't desperate meanwhile!

Julio, proud event organizer and our
environmental education and outreach officer.

Getting prepared. 

Go!

Having fun!

Competition was tough!

Drawing and painting.

The winner!

Corn seeding contest.

Little friend.

Another friend... aren't maya kids cute? 

Me and friends.

Slow bicycle race.

Aerial sack race.

Watermelon eating contest. 

Dance contest. 

Barts, COL Program Manager and showman.

The garifuna

Once upon a time... sorry, in 1635, two boats charged with human cargo, coming from Western Africa and on their way to the New World, capsized in front of the Caribbean island of San Vicente. The slaves managed to scape the boats and get ashore, where the locals welcomed them and offered them protection. Eventually, both groups hooked up and mixed, giving birth to the "garinagu" people, once known as "the black caribs", and nowadays know as Garifuna. This people, on their fights against the neigbouring French and British colonies captured more slaves that found shelter in their society.

The Garifuna flag.

In the days prior to 1796, the Brits and the French were in war in their Western Indies colonies. The Garifuna were allied of the French, who eventually lost the confrontation, surrendering the island of San Vicente to the Brits. The former considered the Garifuna enemies for their alliance with the later, and decided to deport them. These people had suffered enormous looses during the war, but the worst was still about to arrive. In a journey that led them first to Jamaica and, finally, to Roatán (Honduras) about a half of the 5000 Garifuna died.

The Garifuna journey.

Roatán Island turned out to be too small for its new inhabitants. Hence, they asked permission to the Spanish authorities in the nearby coast of Honduras to settle down there. The Spanish, very intelligent, agreed in exchange of using them as soldiers, shall the occasion arrive. The sign of the times was close to come, and with it the end of the Spanish dominion over their American colonies, which soon got their independence in different moments of the XIX century.

Don't get lost in Central America! (not kidding, I've discovered friends that
didn't know where Belize was!).

The Garifuna thrived in Roatán and Honduras, and they needed to expand their territories and find new lands in which to look for a living. This resulted in an expansion that made them spread towards Nicaragua, Guatemala and what in those days was the British Honduras (nowadays Belize). In Belize, for instance, the "Garifuna Settlement Day" is a National Holiday. In the XX century, the Garifuna, as well as many other Belizeans, have continued their particular diaspora towards the USA.

Celebrating Garifuna settlement day.

The Garifuna are famous for their extremely erotic dancing (that makes reggaeton look like a kindergarden yard game), their music style named "Punta" (or its modern and electric version, "Punta Rock") and their colorful arts, crafts and lifestyle. Actually, Garifuna culture has been declared Non-Material Cultural Mankind Heritage.

And guess what... PG Town is full of Garifuna people!