Belize with a Baby: My Daughter’s First Trip Abroad

July 2nd, 2008 | By Joshua | 5 Comments »

Now that I have a family of my own (Shanti Ayla Berman was born last October, thankyouverymuch), I can finally test out the “Belize Family Adventure” in Moon Belize, a hopefully kid-friendly 8-day itinerary I made up a few years ago. I plan on learning some new travel tricks these next few weeks, like creative mosquito-netting and making baby food from fresh tropical fruits. It’ll all go in the next edition of Moon Belize (in Fall 2009), but in the meantime, stay tuned for baby-traveling woes and maybe a little wisdom. Of course, I’ll have my wife and mother-in-law along, so plenty of support to keep Shanti safe and smiling.

Have you traveled abroad with a baby? Feel free to share any pre-trip tips for traveling with a wee one. (more…)

Candy-Traveler Makes it to Belize

July 2nd, 2008 | By Joshua | No Comments »

“Malena loves candy. And travel. And both together.”

And thus, a round-the-world trip was born to visit Cuban sugar plantations, Costa Rican vanilla farms, Mexican gum factories, and Belizean cacao farmers (among many, many other places). And although Belize was “not the candy haven” she’d hoped for, she did find some of “the best gelati ever” in Placencia, which I’ll be savoring in a few short weeks. I’ll also be visiting cacao plantations in southern Belize, since I have a few chocolate-flavored magazine assignments on the subject (pictured above, the cocoa fruit from which chocolate is made). In the meantime, enjoy the Candy Blogger in Belize.

Belize’s Bridges: Reports from the Field

July 1st, 2008 | By Joshua | No Comments »

The Kendall Bridge is down. A provisional bridge is up. The provisional bridge has been washed away. Southern Belize is cut off. Supplies are being rafted. It’s tough keeping up with the news as I plan my trip. Although I have not yet arrived in Belize (I’ll be there in a few days), I’ve been receiving a great deal of reports from my agents in the field, particularly regarding the Southern Highway’s intersection with the Sittee River, which has been gushing Guatemalan runoff for over a month. The variety of responses I am receiving is a typical assortment of Belizean (and expat) color and optimism, even in the face of disaster:

• “We got hit hard by [Tropical Storm] Arthur when the Kendall bridge acted like a dam … when it broke the surge bought in 6-8′ of water … our staff removed 2-3′ of silt … we are up and running and everything is blooming because of the nutrients.”
• “We’ve got a causeway now over the Kendall river – it’s holding up so far, and apparently the kids are having a great time swimming through the culverts!” (more…)

Belize-Bound, Bridges Down, Rain Still Falling

June 30th, 2008 | By Joshua | 1 Comment »

My plan to scour the southern half of Belize (to research the 8th edition of Moon Belize) is in jeopardy, as heavy rains upstream in Guatemala keep washing out the Kendall Bridge–and the temporary provisional bridges that have been put up in the wake of the original bridge’s destruction. It’s a reminder of how small and vulnerable a country Belize really is, i.e. there is only one road that connects the northern and southern halves of the country! In any case, because some of Belize’s oil people rely on the Southern Highway, I have high hopes that the bridge will be back up in time for my research trip in a few days. If anyone has additional up-to-date reports on the river crossing, please let me know.

Images of flooding in southern Belize

More shots of the Kendall Bridge

New Moon Boutique Storefront on Amazon

May 9th, 2008 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Browse the new Amazon.com Moon Handbook storefront, featuring pretty book covers and a fun collection of colorful photo essays and Q&As with a handful of authors, including yours truly for two of my titles.

Check out the main page, or go straight to my features:

• Nicaragua Photo Essay
• Q&A on Belize
• Main Moon Storefront
  

The Last Parandero: Belize’s Legendary Paul Nabor

May 8th, 2008 | By Joshua | No Comments »

I had the good fortune to meet Mr. Paul Nabor, Belizean music legend, when I last visited Punta Gorda, in 2006. It was good to run into him again today, in this Christian Science Monitor article. In it, Nabor strums his guitar and discusses the unique genre that is paranda, “at its core a traditional West African beat … fused with Spanish guitars and Garifuna instrumentation – mahogany drums, shakers, turtle shells, call-and-response vocals – to form a haunting blend. It is the blues of the Garinagu.”
[Link to the article]

[Link to Punta Gorda]

Pace of Development in Belize: Slow

May 3rd, 2008 | By Joshua | No Comments »

From the International Herald Tribune:
“A slow boom in Belize: One island stays funky South of the Yucatán, community balances growth and atmosphere”

The author of the article, Kevin Brass, after describing the still-”funky” atmosphere of Ambergris Caye, says, “But the water is too shallow for cruise ships and megayachts, and there are few of the all-inclusive resorts that lure the spring-break party crowd to destinations like Cancún or Jamaica.” Thank God. There is still plenty of construction, especially big (for Belize) “condotel” properties. Still, “Most of the developments on the island are in the 20- to 70-unit range. Government restrictions limit buildings along the waterfront to three or four stories.”

This goes along nicely with Belize’s overall small vibe–the vast majority of hotels have ten rooms or less, and the signs on the streets of Caye Caulker still say “GO SLOW.”

[Link to the IHT article]

[My links to Belize]

The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw: Nonfiction Eco-Thriller about Belize Out this Week

February 11th, 2008 | By Joshua | 1 Comment »

News flash: Macaw featured on the cover of this week’s New York Times Book Review!

I’ve been waiting four long years for the release of The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw: One Woman’s Fight to Save the World’s Most Beautiful Bird, ever since I met author Bruce Barcott in San Ignacio during one of his research trips to Belize. Bruce is a Seattle-based writer and Outside Editor-at-Large, and is in Colorado this week reading and signing his new book at the Boulder Bookstore on Wednesday and Denver’s Tattered Cover on Tuesday the 19th. I look forward to reading the book, which features a number of Belizean and expat characters, as Bruce tells the tale of the infamous Chalillo Dam and the Upper Macal River.

Andy Palacio, Belize and Garifuna Music Hero, Dies at 47

January 27th, 2008 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Andy Palacio died on January 19 of a sudden massive stroke. He was a champion of Garifuna culture, particularly its music, dance, and festivals. His most recent album, “Watina,” won numerous awards in 2007 and he had just completed an extensive international tour—including a concert in Dangriga on Garifuna Settlement Day. National Geographic’s Intelligent Traveler correspondent Susanne Hackett put together a wonderful tribute to Andy with footage she shot in Belize that day, including some of Palacio’s final interviews. Here are some more links:

—Notes from the Barn: a blog about Andy from his record company

—National Geographic Intelligent Traveler video

—Listen to Andy on NPR’s “All Songs Considered”

—The New York Times obituary: “savior of Garifuna music”

(more…)

Belize in Boulder! Slide Show, Songs, and Stories at Changes In Latitudes Travel Store next Tuesday, January 8

January 1st, 2008 | By Joshua | 2 Comments »

This is my friend, Lazaro Martinez, out on a limb, high above the Macal River Gorge and an unnamed waterfall in western Belize. This area of the country, known as “Cayo,” gets a lot less press than Belize’s famous reef and Caribbean cayes. Cayo is one of my favorite parts of the country, where Laz runs the Martz Farm Hideaway Camp, one of the many utterly unique spots which I’ll be featuring in a fun, Belize-casual slide show this week at:

Changes in Latitudes Travel Store: Tuesday, 8 January, 7:00 p.m., 2525 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, CO

I’ll also be signing copies of my award-winning guidebook, Moon Belize, an updated edition of which was released last fall by Avalon Travel Publishing.

Here’s my little tribute to Belize, to get you ready, and here’s a short Q&A I did about Belize. In addition to showing pictures, singing a few songs, and talking about my travels in Belize, I’ll answer your questions about planning/booking your trip and figuring out what to do once you’re there—including volunteer, research, and study programs in Belize.