Posts Tagged ‘ Belize ’

Bijou Belize, Big Adventures

Sunset over Dangriga, Stann Creek District, Belize

Burnished rays give their last hurrah over Dangriga

Belize proves the theory that size doesn’t matter. This tiny landmass tacked onto the Yucatan peninsula – between Mexico and Guatemala – is the site of extraordinary adventure and discovery.

Find out more about the dizzying diversity of this often overlooked country – at once Caribbean and Central American – in my new guidebook Belize: A Great Destination – part of the Explorer’s Guide series, available for pre-order on Amazon.

Get yourself a copy and get acquainted with little-known Mayan ruins,
unexplored villages, and secluded nature reserves as well as hip hotspots and hotels. Inside, you’ll find the back-story on Belizean history and contemporary culture to get under the skin of this eclectic nation. It’s replete with advice for adventure addicts and inspiration for your own explorations of reefs, cayes, waterfalls, and winding jungle trails. Watch this space for regular tasters – from photography to video clips – and information on my London launch.

Explorer's Guide Series, Belize first edition

The ultimate guidebook to authentic adventures

Online, on the airwaves and on the streets

Today I’m off to Puebla in central Mexico to experience its gastronomic and cultural Baroque Festival (Festival Barroquisimo). More on that later.

It’s been a busy fortnight. On Good Friday (10 April) I was interviewed by Australia’s national ABC radio about my experiences of Mexico’s Easter (Semana Santa) celebrations. I’ll be uploading the media file once I have it.

A few days later Countryman Press commissioned me to write their first Explorer’s Guide to Belize. I’m a big fan of the bijou Central American country so I can’t wait to get to know it in greater depth.

In addition, I’ve been capitalising on my political expertise to provide comment to China’s Xinhua News Agency on landmark security reforms in Guatemala. I’ll post the link as soon as it goes live.

Happy Friday!

Surveying the traffic

Surveying the traffic

Life&Style magazine: Andy Palacio Puts Belize on the Map, March 2008

Kate Joynes-Burgess travelled to Belize to experience the spellbinding Settlement Day festival showcasing Garifuna music and culture, brought to the world by musical mystic Andy Palacio. The published Spanish version is a eulogy for Palacio, reflecting on his legacy.

Click here to download Spanish article.

Click here to download original English text.

The Spectator: Thanks for the Memories, 22 November 2007

Every year on 19 November, the Garifuna community, which accounts for just 6.6 percent of Belize’s bijou population of under 300,000, becomes the face of the Central American country as it prepares to commemorate Settlement Day. I witnessed the 2007 year’s celebrations in Dangriga Town, known as Belize’s capital of culture and a heartland of the Garifuna people.

Click here to visit the article.