Learn about Belize’s geography, history, climate, and people.
“Ever since receiving news of President Obama’s nomination of Mr Moreno last July we have been following the news closely and waiting for confirmation,” Chaa Creek owner Lucy Fleming said, “So it’s certainly good news to hear that his nomination has been confirmed.
We were tempted to just run one of the stories as reported in the international media, but that would be the cheap way out. Besides, most of them weren’t very flattering to Belize or our Prime Minister who, as we see it, as only answering a question.
We have been asked by Rasta friends to make the sad announcement that spiritual leader Ras Fari has passed away.
This is good news, and The Belize Tourism Board released the information in much the same way it was received by tourism industry stakeholders – with big smiles across the faces. We are growing as an overnight tourism destination, attracting the sort of people who stay longer, spend more money, and get to know Belize and Belizeans better.
Upon arriving at destination you’d pay the going rate, if you knew it, or politely ask the driver “What I got for you for gas?” The driver usually would look perplexed, as if he was just giving you a lift , anyway, before asking for the usual standard $10 or so. It was all very much, ”Thank you for the ride,” and that you were just helping out with the petrol. Although the transaction was in a way as formal as any pubic trans system, it felt different and nice.
The 2,000 volunteers worked on cleaning up sections of the sea, various lakes, lagoons, rivers and creeks, removing piles of debris and trash from the beaches and banks of Belize’s precious waterways and generally giving the ecosystem a much needed show of support along with very practical help.
Dean, what can we say? Just like with Aaron Paul, we’re inviting you and a friend to be our guests at Chaa Creek to see for yourself why being sent on a trip to Belize is the next best thing to heaven.
So, there’s our free advice for the week. If you or anyone you know are entertaining the idea of taking the Belize government up on their generous retirement deal, start with a Chaa Creek holiday. You have absolutely nothing to lose (except for a few pounds lost in the myriad activities they offer) and much to gain from a super friendly informative staff and a couple who migrated to Belize over three decades ago and never regretted it.
Belize’s The Lodge at Chaa Creek is reporting another rise this year in families enquiring about the latest trend in destination holidays – tropical Thanksgivings. Turning the traditional family feast into a shared adventure is becoming increasingly popular, according to the eco resort’s food and beverage manager.
Lucy Fleming, who with her husband Mick opened Chaa Creek’s doors on the same date that Belize achieved independence from Great Britain, said she’s not surprised that Belizean nationalism shows no signs of waning.
Along with many Belizeans I am disturbed by the lack of consultation and the haste in which the memorandum of understanding between the government of Belize and Norwegian Cruise Lines in regards to the sale of Harvest Caye has been signed.
Green Globe Certification CEO Guido Bauer said: “The Lodge at Chaa Creek is one of the more exemplary Green Globe-certified properties. From its inception, the owners, managers, and staff of this eco-resort have dedicated their business to sustainable development, as well as presenting a quality eco-tourism experience.
We won’t belabor our readers with Cha Creek’s well-known emphasis on education and the assertion that that the future of Belize lies in nurturing our children to become tomorrow’s leaders and environmental activists.
As Guardian reporter Shane D. Williams pointed out, this year’s parade reflected a growing sense of security and peace in Belize City, as with even with more marchers than ever before, there were no untoward incidents reported among the enthusiasm and partying that continued to build as the throng made its way from Memorial Park through a new, longer route through the city this year.
Although years have passed since that dreadful day in September when the previously unthinkable happened, the pain is still fresh in the minds and souls of so many people around the world.
Our story begins with a town hall meeting where it’s announced that Spain is sending a large force to invade and subjugate the English-speaking settlers, known collectively as the Baymen, and African slaves who had been eking out a living mostly by cutting logwood, which was highly valued for producing an indigo dye used in the British textile industry.
Every time Belize gets mentioned in Breaking Bad you just got to pay attention. When one of the world’s smallest countries is mentioned on one of the world’s biggest television shows, regardless of how weird the reference is, your ears automatically pick up.
The other thing we notice is how people respond to being surrounded by nature. Often, when they first arrive, guests will be keyed up, nervous and anxious. Fair enough; many times this is the final payoff for months of planning, and then a lot of last minute preparations followed by the “Did you remember to lock the backdoor/turn off the gas/pay the phone bill…” questions on the plane.
Our Photo of the day features a Sunset in western Belize! In this blogpost, we share one of many magical sunsets that you get to enjoy in … Read more
Belize has signed and ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and Thursday’s work concentrated on – get ready for it – the Situational Analysis of Children with Disabilities and the Situational Analysis of Blind and Visually Impaired Children.
Having recently returned from a trip to the UK where she used her diplomatic expertise to create stronger ties with London children’s hospital wards while putting her social skills to good use in organising and hosting a successful fund raiser for paediatric care in Belize, Ms Simplis Barrow is again on the road – this time on a trip to the other side of the planet.
Having been blessed with such rich, fertile land and a Caribbean seacoast teeming with fish and marine life, it was often said that Belizeans may have been poor, but never desperate, as it was almost impossible to starve amid such natural abundance.
The Lodge at Chaa Creek’s events planner, Denise Duran, said that discovering that Belize was listed as one of the top five happiest countries on earth according to the global Happiness Index, comes as no surprise to her.
Volunteers from Google and Belize teamed up with marine scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Hol Chan Marine Reserve and the University of Belize’s Environmental Research Institute to do a bit more than just search for turtles – they also captured, recorded and tagged the at-risk marine creatures before releasing them back into the sea.
It is hard to imagine an environment that is more vividly alive than the jungle–lush, teeming, unfurling, changing, challenging, chaotic, diverse, primal, light, dark, and unpredictable. Embracing life’s unpredictability led Lucy from her New Jersey girlhood to finding her place in the world on the banks of the Macal River.
The lights have gone up on the 8th annual Belize International Film Festival, bringing to a close four days of independent film industry networking and the showing of films from around the world, further cementing Belize’s reputation as something more than just a pretty face – the little country is maturing into a cultural and artistic powerhouse in the region and the world.
And they should be proud. When you consider that this plucky team from a little developing country of fewer than 350,000 inhabitants had the skill and courage to take on the highly trained and richly resourced team from the United States, with a population of well over 300 million, you get an idea of what determination means.
We’ve just received word that US President Barrack Obama has nominated a new ambassador to Belize, and by all indications Justice Carlos Moreno sounds like a very good choice.
As mentioned here earlier (Let’s hear it for the Belize Home Team! 1 July), this is the first time the Belize Jaguars will compete in the tournament, and the eyes of the world are turning to what will be a true David and Goliath match as the Jaguars take on the US team July 9 at the historic Jen-Went field in Portland, Oregon.
In a David and Goliath match of suitably epic proportions, and for the first time in history, Belize will be going mano a mano against the USA for the 2013 soccer Gold Cup.