Back in Punta Gorda Town

After few hours on a bus and only three transfers along the way Liz and I arrived in Punta Gorda Town around 8:30pm. We stopped at a Chinese Restaurant for take out and then walked to my house. Punta Gorda is a very small town, my house is at most a 10 minute walk to anywhere else in town. We arrive at my house, dropped our bags and dug into some Chow Mein.

I took the following day to show Liz around town. We went to Market and collected sea glass along the coast. The rest of the week was spent helping the newly organized Small Business Resource Center (SBRC) to prepare for a visit from officials in the Ministry of Economic Development. The SBRC is funded through a European Union Development Grant that Plenty, working with numerous partners throughout the Toledo District, received.

Cacao-fest happened to fall during the second weekend of Liz’s visit. Cacao is the seed that is used to make chocolate, the whole weekend was a celebration of this seed. Friday the organizers of the weekend planned a swanky Wine and Chocolate night, which we did not attend.

Saturday morning Liz and I volunteered at “Cacao For Kids”, a whole day event in the town Civic Center which provided free entertainment to a few hundred kids. We worked at the Cacao Bean Toss game, giving out school supplies as prizes. Other activities included; face painting, coloring, mural painting, limbo, cultural dancing, and movies. The Civic Center must be one of the worst designed buildings in all of Punta Gorda, it was so hot!

We were only scheduled to work in the morning, so during the afternoon we were free to check out the displays, crafts, and foods for sale. We went on a nice Kayak paddle out into the sea around Punta Gorda.

Sunday Cacao-Fest left Punta Gorda Town and headed to San Pedro Columbia Village. The Lubantunn Mayan Ruin became the venue for the Deer Dance. A unique cultural experience put on by villagers from San Antonio Village. Liz and I explored the ruin, enjoyed the Deer Dance, and ate some organic Chocolate made locally. Sunday evening we were exhausted, but the day was not over yet. I made pizza for dinner, I have made 54 so far this year. Sunday night, after Pizza we went to Punta Gorda Central Park for a free concert and the fire work finale. Right before the fireworks the organizers of Cacao-Fest drew the raffle winners. Liz only bought two tickets but still she won the 2nd place prize of a 6 day jungle trek! I won a t-shirt, I guess we are both pretty lucky!

Liz arrives!

On Friday May 17th Liz arrived here in Belize for an extended visit! We have been planning to visit me for sometime. Her first weekend here we traveled to Caye Caulker. Caye Caulker is a beautiful little island located about 9 miles off the coast of Belize. We stayed at a nice guest house, Tree Top Guests House, for two nights. The accommodations were excellent, very clean, hot water, and no bugs.

While on Caye Caulker we enjoyed the sun, sand, and surf. On Saturday we went snorkeling in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, where we saw a ton of fish, sharks, coral, turtles, and two manatees! This was the best snorkeling trip that I had been on so far. We left Caye Caulker Sunday morning and began the long journey to Punta Gorda, making a brief stop at the National Agriculture and Trade Show in Belmopan. We arrived in Punta Gorda Town around 8:00pm, approximately 12 hours after leaving Caye Caulker. It was an excellent weekend.

Monday Liz and I walked around town, stopped at market to buy some fruits and vegetables, and grabbed a bite to eat. During the first week of Liz’s visit we helped the Small Business Resource Center (SBRC) a newly established organization funded by the European Union. More to come soon.

Picking up Cow Manure

This morning I had a unique Peace Corps Experience I thought I would share.  Working with Plenty I have a chance to do a lot of work dealing with agriculture and organic gardening.  One of the schools that I regularly work with, St. Benedict Roman Catholic School, was in need of some organic fertilizer.  Ermain (Plenty Field Officer) and I scheduled to go out with some students and a teacher to collect cow manure.

We arrived at the school around 9:00 this morning and picked up 8 students and the teacher responsible for the garden.  Everyone piled into the back of our pickup truck and we headed off.  While driving the short distance to the pasture I commented to Ermain that if we were in the States someone would loose their job for allowing 8 elementary age kids to ride in the back of a pickup truck.  Please note that our truck does not have a cab or a working tailgate.

So we arrived at the field and spent a good 45 minutes picking up dried cow manure.  I have never seen children so excited to be picking up something that came out of the back end of an animal.  To them it was a contest.  We just about filled the truck with manure, everyone pilled back into the truck.  We drove back to the school and then unloaded the goods.

The reason behind the manure collection is to incorporate it into the soil to add nutrients that plants extract while growing.  However I am sure that the kids saw it as a chance to get out of the classroom, eat some unripe fruit from a farmers trees and then throw dried cow crap at each other.

In all it was quite a successful morning.  I only wish I had brought my camera!

Pueblo Viejo Garden Graduation

Pueblo Viejo Village, located approximately 10 miles from the Belize – Guatemala boarder was host to a large party this past Friday. The school was celebrating their successful participation in Plenty Belize’s GATE Program. The school has been receiving weekly technical visits, tools, seeds and other necessary supplies from Plenty for the past 3 years. The ultimate goal of the GATE Program is for participating schools to keep the garden running smoothly after they stop receiving support from Plenty. Out of the 32 schools with gardens across the Toledo District 11 have graduated since the inception of the program in February 12th, 2002.

Majority of the village was in attendance for the celebration, which included a opening ceremony, the presentation of a certificate of achievement, and of course the meal prepared by local cooks and two cooks brought in from Punta Gorda Town. The school worked hard to prepare for the event by organizing committees to ensure things ran smoothly. The villagers participated in the planning process by suggesting menu items, purchasing food that could be found within the village, setup for the day, cooking, cleanup, and of course eating the delicious food that was prepared. The menu for the day included: Pork Caldo, Calaloo, Veggie Boil Up, Tamales, Ducunu, Shut, Clear Soup Turkey, Cho Cho, Corn Tortilla, Lime Juice, and traditional Cacao Drink.

With my belly full and my sunburn beginning to hurt I hopped back into the Plenty pickup truck and headed back into town. It was a long day, but a very fulfilling on too. This day allowed me to see the final goal of the GATE program, sustainability.

Jamie and John come to visit

On Wednesday, March 5th my sister Jamie and her boyfriend John were in Belize City. They were taking a Cruise which made a stop here in Belize. We have been communicating for weeks organizing and planning for their brief visit. I had been in San Ignacio Town the day before and was able to catch a ride all the way to Belize City with a friend, of which I am very grateful. I arrived in Belize City around 7:00pm Tuesday evening and went to dinner with some Peace Corps friends. I spent the night at a PCV’s apartment in Belize City. I woke early Wednesday anxious and excited. After a short walk to the tourist village I waited for Jamie and John to arrive. The tourist village is a collection of shops, restaurants, bars, tour operators, and other commercial enterprises all with the common goal of charging cruise ship passengers the highest possible price for mediocre goods and services. I was amazed at the inflated prices, items which can be purchased for $10 BZD ($5 USD) any where else in the country cost up four times as much. Needless to say I did not purchase much, actually the only thing I tried to buy was a Beliken Beer Lighter for $1 USD, when I went to pay and handed the cashier a $2 Belize note I was informed they only accepted US currency. I became upset and might have made a small scene by asking what country I was in and how could a business in Belize refuse Belizean currency, lucky John was there to give me a dollar.

So, Jamie and John arrived around 8:30. During my wait I located a tour operator that would bring us out to Caye Caulker for a snorkel trip out to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley. The trip was scheduled to leave at 10:30, so Jamie, John and I took to the city. I gave them a quick tour of downtown Belize City, we made it into a few shops and purchased some gifts. They both were amazed at the difference between the Tourist Village and the City, I would compare the Tourist Village to a shopping mall while the city is more like the unsavory neighborhood that most people do not care to venture into. We returned to the Tourist Village with plenty of time, boarded the boat and were off to continue our adventure.

The boat ride took about 40 minutes. We docked at Caye Caulker to let some folks off for a day of sun, I took this opportunity to purchase a few Belikens. We were soon off for the snorkeling. The water was incredibly clear, it was the best I have ever seen it (please note this was only my second time snorkeling off Caye Caulker). We swam for about 45 minutes at the first stop and then took the short boat ride over to Shark Ray Alley. Shark Ray Alley gets its name from the abundance of sharks and sting rays that make the are their home, in the past fisherman would stop here to clean their catch before bringing the fish to market. To this day many rays and sharks still live in this area. The water was about waist deep, it took some encouraging but everyone got into the water. The tour guides attracted some rays (about 15) with small fish. After everyone got over their initial concerns of life and limb the rays were being petted and held by all. It was quite an experience. Following the snorkeling we went ashore for a quick bite to eat and a short swim. Personally I could have spent a few more days relaxing on the beach!

We left Caye Caulker around 2:00 and headed back to Belize City. Along the way we saw two dolphins swimming, a mother and her baby. I remained at the tourist village with Jamie and John until about 4:00, they boarded a shuttle boat back to their ship and I took a taxi to the Belize Municipal Airport. I flew back to Punta Gorda, the flight took one hour during which time we made 3 stops. The typical bus ride takes about 6-7 hours. Thanks for the flight Jamie! I had a wonderful time and hope that the next time Jamie and John visit they can stay for longer.

Plenty Belize receives EU grants

After months of meetings, writing, and waiting we at Plenty Belize have been notified that the EU has accepted two of our three grant applications. Everyone is very excited about this wonderful news. On Tuesday, March 4th Mark, Tasha, Ermain and I traveled to San Ignacio Town for the official signing ceremony. These grants will provided us and our granting partners with a great opportunity to help more people throughout the Toledo District and Belize.

The first grant, the Toledo Grant, focuses on helping to develop existing businesses throughout the district. The grant has been awarded to Plenty Belize, the Toledo Teachers Credit Union(TTCU), and Sustainable Harvest International(SHI). All organizations will be receiving funds to help create new projects, support existing ones, and to award large group grants to qualified recipients. Established business groups will be applying for a one time grant of up to $22,500 BZD ($11,250 USD) to help expand their business. Over the nest two years ten groups will be receiving grants. This is a wonderful opportunity for the residents of Toledo. Working with our partners and the project director (yet to be hired) Plenty will help to chose the recipients of these grants. Plenty will also be receiving funds to establish a Business Resource Center, which is to be housed at the Plenty office in Punta Gorda Town. We plan for the Resource Center to provide services to entrepreneurs and residents throughout Toledo by assisting them with trainings, guidance, advice and support.

The second grant that Plenty, working with Belize Enterprise for Sustainable Technologies(BEST), received, Microgrants for the Rural Poor, will provide grants to Belizean residents across the Belize, Cayo and Toledo Districts. Plenty will be working solely in the Toledo District by providing microgrants to qualified persons interested in starting their own small business, while BEST will be working in the Belize and Cayo Districts. Plenty worked with microgrants this past year, we feel that our previous experience and knowledge with microgrants will ensure a high rate of success for this upcoming project. Together with BEST we aim to disburses 200 grants within the 3 districts. Due to the higher costs associated with working in Toledo we hope to provide 60 grants, while BEST aims to selected 70 recipients for each of the two districts they will be working with.

These grants will provide a exciting opportunity for everyone involved to really help make a difference in the lives of a lot of people. I look forward to the up coming changes, which means a lot more work but also the feeling of success associated with helping.

Blue Creek and Aguacate

Living in town affords me the opportunity to travel with ease to most of the villages throughout rural Toledo District. Most villages, the ones with roads, have a bus that comes to town at least once a week. The more populated villages have buses 3 to 5 times a week. Blue Creek, located about 1 hour and 15 minutes from town has a bus 4 days a week. There are approximately 300 residents two shops and an awesome cave in this small Mayan village. The cave is the main tourist draw within the village, this past weekend was my second trip into the cave. On my first trip I explored the wet cave, this trip I went into the dry cave with Nadov (PCV) and Tim(volunteer at Wildlife Conservation Society). After a short climb up to the cave we entered into the unknown. We clamored through the dark for over 2 hours stopping along the way to admire the amazing rock formations, unique bugs and of course the bats. Upon discovering an alternate route out of the cave we immediately began to following the growing light to the exit. We discovered the exit placed us about 60 feet above waist deep water, the only option was to climb down to safety. If anyone is looking for an exciting, unique and possibly deadly experience while traveling though Belize I strongly recommend the dry cave, but please call me with an invite first! For those looking something a little more relaxed the wet cave is a simple swim upstream and over a few small waterfalls.

I spent Saturday evening in Blue Creek at the Tumul Kin Center of Learning Campus, where Jeff (PCV) works and lives. Tumul Kin is a school in Blue Creek Village that emphasizes the importance of indigenous culture in eduction. The school works to preserve and promote traditional Maya values. I was able to attend the cultural night, students played the Marimba and demonstrated traditional Mayan dances.

I awoke Sunday at the crack of 8:00am. After a quick breakfast the trip continued. The four of us (Dov, Tim, Jeff and I) started on the walk to Aguacate village. The walk took a little over an hour, the weather was ideal for the hike, cloudy and cool. Once we reached the village it began to rain. Our final destination was Danny’s (PCV) house, a lovely board house with a thatch roof that Danny constructed himself. We waited out the rain in the comfort of Danny’s house. After about and hour and two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches we set out to go Iguana hunting, yes Iguana hunting. Jose, Danny’s neighbor led the expedition. We made the short walk to the river (I never learned its name) and proceeded to scour the trees for our scaly prey. The sun was high in the sky, and after three days of rain the lizards were eager to feel the warmth of the sun. The hunting was good. Hunting Iguana is really quite simple, there are two ways to go about it. The first is to climb a tree with some Iguanas and then shake the branch they are laying on and then retrieving them from the water. The second way is to create a loop of string and snare the Iguana around its neck. We chose the far more exciting first method. The lizards become spooked and leap from the safety of their perch in the cool waters of the river below, sometimes falling up to 60 feet. Jose did most of the climbing, I most likely would have fallen from the meager branches into the shallow water or a large bolder. Once in the water the Iguana tries with all its energy to swim into deep water, it was our job to stop them. This involved a large amount of splashing, laughing, cuts and scrapes. I found it easier to locate the few that got away and then pull them up from underwater. With the help of 6 local children 8 Iguanas were caught through out the course of the day. I only wish I had caught an Iguana during its short flight from the tree tops into the water and waiting hands of its hunters.

Dinner that evening was interesting. All the children took one lizard and some fish they had caught while spearfishing home to their parents. Jose took two of the beasts home, part of one became our dinner. The meat tasted like chicken, the eggs were better then those of a chicken. We prepared the sides, Jose’s wife cooked the Iguana. It was one of the most unique experiences I’ve had in Belize. Next time I will have to learn how to cook the Iguana.

welcome to the blog

In the past I have sent out mass emails to update family and friends of my experiences while here in Belize. Recently my emails have become less frequent, I thought about this and decided that blog would enable me to keep in contact and provide a great medium to share information and pictures. So please come back often and check for new updates. I hope to add a new post every week. Please leave any comments or suggestions to help me create a better blog.