With all of the expectations, speculation and anticipation for 2012 finally having come to pass, all of us here at Chaa Creek are once again inviting our many friends and family members from around the world to join us in counting our blessings and renewing our energies as we look forward to a New Year.

The December 2012 online edition of National Geographic has listed the Belize Barrier Reef as one of the world’s “Best Winter Trips” for 2013, Chaa Creek’s marketing administrator Larry Waight announced today.

As anthropologist Joe Awe explained to the guests who attended the unveiling ceremony held at Chaa Creek, the ancient Maya used the carved stone monuments to record important dates and events in their various city-states spread across the vast Maya empire, which covered all of Belize and parts of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Rather than misinterpreting Maya beliefs to falsely predict the end of the world, researching and practicing ancient Maya medicine and natural healing techniques can open a new world of health today, noted author and Maya medicinal plant expert Dr. Rosita Arvigo advised participants at Chaa Creek’s 2012 Maya Winter Solstice celebrations.

We wish everyone Love, Joy, Peace, Abundance and Happiness not only during this special time but also far into the future. Happy Holidays!

“Surprise, surprise; we’re still here,” Mr Waight said as a large group of guests, staff members and their families, Chaa Creek’s owners and local villagers prepared for the procession to the ancient Maya temple of Tunichilen and an exuberant celebration to, as Mr Waight said, “Mark the end of one long cosmic cycle and the beginning of another.”

Ms Fleming said that people from around the world have been converging at the Belizean eco resort for days of educational workshops and hands-on training in Maya skills such as tortilla and chocolate making, thatching with jungle palm fronds and the use of medicinal plants in preparation for the grand ceremonies that will take place on the evening of December 21 2012.

According the December 19 Sydney Morning Herald article (“China alert to doomsday rumours”), authorities in China have detained more than 90 people across seven provinces for spreading rumours about so-called Maya prophesies linking the 2012 Winter Solstice to the end of the world. According to the reports, theories posted on the internet and in the US film “2012,” which was hugely popular in China, have fueled fears of what is being called the “Maya Apocalypse” resulting in people scrambling to prepare for survival.

Dr Jaime Awe, one of the expert guest speakers at Chaa Creek’s weeklong Maya culture exposition, scoffed at theories that the world would end on December 21, 2012, and, as a noted author and anthropologist, said he could back his assertions with scientific facts.

“We’ll be updating our posts throughout the week with information gleaned from the workshops, seminars and lectures we’re hosting, and will be compiling that information into one document to be released early next year. Besides hosting a great celebration, we’re hoping that renewed interest in this fascinating culture will be an outcome of the 2012 Winter Solstice,” Ms Fleming said.

Brion Young, assistant manager of the Chaa Creek NHC, which, among other activities, catalogues the Maya presence in Belize, was commenting on media reports that the Director of the Institute of Archaeology of Belize, Dr Jaime Awe, is suing the producers of the 2008 Harrison Ford film “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” for use without permission of one of Belize’s most iconic and controversial images, the Crystal Skull.

Travellers to Belize will find it easier to combine a Caribbean beach vacation with a rainforest and Maya temple experience, thanks to today’s launch of a new air service linking Belize’s San Ignacio Town to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, The Lodge at Chaa Creek’s marketing administrator, Larry Waight said today. According to Tropic Air, their new service will run between the Maya Flats airstrip located midway between San Ignacio Town and Benque Viejo del Carmen on the Guatemalan border, and the domestic airports at San Pedro and Belize City.

As international attention focuses on the Maya during 2012, it is important for the world to realise that the Maya people are still battling to preserve their culture, Brion Young, assistant manager at the Chaa Creek Natural History Museum in Belize said today.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, three deluxe packages for The Lodge at Chaa Creek’s 2012 Maya Winter Solstice celebration have become available, marketing administrator Larry Waight announced today.

San Pedro is “La Isla Bonita” that Madonna made famous and is a tourist mecca that boasts great beaches and plenty of dive shops where you can enjoy the sun, sand, and sea. Placencia Peninsula is a lovely little Belizean seacoast village in Southern Belize with sixteen miles of white sandy beaches and is a favorite destination for diving and snorkeling. Caye Caulker is a small island with a rare combination of rustic, laid back charm and comfortable amenities that has very little resemblance to the more hustle and bustle Caribbean hot spots.Travelers report that it’s “not for the party animal,” and appeals especially to backpackers, painters, divers and snorkelers.

This is a time of great cultural significance, as one cycle spanning millennia ends and another begins with the completion of the Maya Long Count’s 13th Ba’ k tun. Forget sensationalism and misinformation surrounding 2012, Chaa Creek will be hosting celebrations that focus on the true nature of this epoch with factual information, cultural integrity and respect for the people of this vibrant civilisation who still make up a significant portion of Belize’s population.

Believers of the “2012 phenomenon” depict ancient Mayan astronomers as sages privy to knowledge long since lost to modern science. They forecast cataclysmic events like the sun exploding or Earth succumbing to a black hole. Well, not quite, according to Vail, a New College of Florida anthropology professor who has studied Mayan culture for 23 years.

In recognition of the ancient Maya’s belief that 2013 would usher in the dawn of a new era, the Lodge at Chaa Creek will be launching a series of new tours, packages and activities throughout 2013, according to activities coordinator Bryony Bradley.

While Belize is known for many things, such as a top dive spot, for its rainforests dotted with many Maya temples and archaeological sites and a laid back lifestyle, it can also be the perfect place for a Christmas holiday, according to Denise Duran, Chaa Creek’s Guest Services Coordinator.

So for me, it only makes sense that I align myself with this kind of energy that forces me to discard my old way of thinking, and to accept this new reality that I am not my old preconceived notions of where I should have been as I near 30.