Altun Ha and The Community Baboon Sanctuary.

I discovered that I came to Belize during the rainy season which means we've had rains about every other day although today we had a downpour around lunch time rather than at night.  Of course, hurricane Ian just hit Florida, after doing significant damage to Cuba.  The other day, I took a tour to the local Mayan ruins in the morning and stopped for a visit at the community baboon sanctuary.  Both places were awesome.

The ruins are called Altun Ha which is a short drive outside of Belize City.  This was not a major site but most likely a small town with 8,000 to 10,000 people.  

This is the house for multiple generations of the leader.  Each level one generations living level.  When the current ruler died, the inheriting son made another level.  There are multiple buildings around the immediate area, some would house the people who served the rulers, and some would be for the people who were in the upper classes.  

In this area is a building straight across from this building which might have been for either his wife or for a woman who ruled but they are not sure.  

As this site was dug out, they found over 500 pieces of jade including a solid jade head.  The one they show at the site is actually a reproduction because the jade head was taken to Canada by the person who dug it up back in the 1920's.  The government is trying to get it back but who knows.

This is the temple associated with the community.  There are some great relief pictures on both sides of the lower level and in the middle.  The Mayans tended to like the numbers 9 and 13 and so much of their building and legends rely on those numbers.  Throughout the buildings, one sees doors and other things that are either 9 or 13.  

In fact, one belief they have is to bury the ruler and others with their tools so they can fight through nine levels of the equivalent of hell in order to move on to their new life.

This phot is take from the top of the temple, looking out on the ground where the people gathered to listen to their ruler who was at the top of the temple.  The view from up there is fantastic and just beautiful.  

To get to the top, there are stairs on each side so you climb up one set and down the others.  One does not get to go straight up the middle because they are trying to preserve the ruins.

Although I thought the middle was used for sports events, the guide told me no, they aren't. It was for meetings.

If you look carefully in the picture to the right, you can see the rulers home I had in a picture above.  The living area was on one side and the public gathering area was on the left.  

The temple I am on, is dedicated to the sun god.  Due to the size of the ruins, archeologists believe it was a smaller place because of the size.  Later in the week, I'm heading off to see the big one which is supposed to be a major Mayan site.

After this visit, we stopped for lunch at a small restaurant just outside the ruins.  The food was great.

From there we drove a short bit and went to the Community Baboon Sanctuary.  This sanctuary houses Black Howler Monkeys and not baboons but the British called the monkey's baboons and it kind of stuck.  This sanctuary is actually run by the local villagers without governmental support.

The effort began back in 1981 when two villages got together to set aside strips of land for the monkey's. Around 1986, another 6 villages joined in the effort so that there was now 20 square miles of natural jungle for the animals.  They believe there are 4,000 to 5,000 black howler monkey's in the area.

This way, the local residents are able to do their thing while the monkey's have access to their native habitat and can live nicely.  

The tour managed to find a family of black howler monkey's in the trees.  There is one alpha male, three to four females, and a bunch of children.  Usually, the units have between 2 and 11 members.

Usually the older children take care of the younger ones so they acquire the skills they need to be parents.  When the females are mature after three to four years, they leave the family unit for another unit.  When males mature between six and ten years, they leave to start their own unit.

The alpha male is the one who usually howls and his howl has been recorded as loud as 90 decibels. We heard him make noise but thank goodness it wasn't that loud.  

We saw the alpha, a female, an older child with a baby on its back, and a small one on it's own.  The small one, got on the ground and tried to play with one of the guides but then the male let loose with a howl and the little one scampered up the tree.  

I hope you enjoyed these photos.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day

Belize City

 

This past Saturday, I arrived in Belize.  Rather than staying in Belize City, I chose to stay in Ladyville which is just across the Old Belize River from the airport. I'm actually enjoying it here because it is slower paced and I have a small bungalow with a wonderful porch and a kitchen.  I was able to take a shuttle to the store and stock up on a few things like pasta, cheese, etc so I can cook all my meals since there is no restaurant that is close to here. 

I have a beautiful view of the river from the porch so I spend the evening outside enjoying the coolness.  This past Monday I arranged for a trip to see Belize City which is about 10 miles from here.  It was interesting to see how there are two distinct parts, the northern Belize City which is where big business and the wealthier people are and the southern Belize City with the older part of town and houses those who don't have much money.  

There are signs all over the place prohibiting swimming but this is the first sign that explains why swimming is prohibited.  Apparently the waters are filled with two different varieties of crocodiles and they can attack.  There are few places ones can actually swim.  If you look carefully, you will see that there is no beach, rather the water just comes up to the edge.  

There is one place in town where there is an actual beach but it is manmade and it is in a private area.  I didn't get to see it because they are closed on Mondays so I got to go to the local museum.  Our tour guide also pointed out the government is building a place for cruise ships to dock a distance away from the city but they will make it so unless people arrange tours, they will not be coming in to town anymore.  Right now, visitors come off of the cruise ships and explore town.  Unfortunately, the cruise ship that was supposed to come in tomorrow, will not be due to the storm heading for Florida.

We stopped by a light house that has a coffin at its base.  Apparently, a man, Henry Edward Earnest Victor Bliss aka The Baron Bliss is buried there.  The story goes that he arrived in Belize City back in 1926 on his yacht.  He wasn't in the best of health so locals took supplies out to his boat.  He never left the boat and died while living on it in 1926.  He left his entire estate to the country of Belize, all million or so pounds, to help it.  

He did set up requirements concerning the money he left to the country but those restrictions allowed the money to continue helping the country even up to today.  One such restriction was that the government could only spend the interest so that in 2011, the fund still had 1.5 million left. In honor of him and what he did,  they build a light house and buried his body in front of it.

There is something called the Belize Barrier Reef which is supposed to be fantastic and scuba divers have been coming to check it out for a long time.  In between the reef and shore, there are so many islands that began as fishing communities but are now tourist areas.  

Fishing is still an important way to earn money here.  There is a fishing fleet that goes out every day and then either sells it to processors or they sell it at the fish market where everyone comes to buy their fresh fish for the next day.

One thing that they do in Belize is to use buildings for other things as their original use moves on.  For instance, the photo to the right is of what used to be the prison but the prison was moved and it now houses a museum to show the history of Belize including the bringing of slaves back in the 18th and 19th centuries from Jamaica to work in the Mahogany trade.  

The stone used in the building of this prison came to the country from England and they would take the mahogany logs back to England.  Remember the river from above?  Back then, they would cut the logs down and then float them down the river to the boats where they were loaded up.  The slaves were specifically brought here to work in the trade.

The gentleman on the left in the above photo actually worked at the facility as a junior guard when he first came to Belize City about 30 years ago.  Once the prison moved to its new location, the city decided to change it into a museum which talks about the slave trade, the different groups of people, the settlement, and in the top part, they had a display of art work done by a local man who is also a musician. His work is powerful and awesome.  The last part of the upper floor had some great stuffed birds so I could see some of the native birds in the area.  

Aside from coins and such, the museum has the original Belize flag that was hung in the World Trade Center back in 2011.  When the buildings fell, the flag was found among the rubble and returned home where it is in its own display.

The country used to be British Honduras but on September 21, 1981, Belize gained its independence. Now every year beginning on September 1, the country celebrates its independence until September 21st.  

There are flags everywhere right now from that celebration.  They are on fences, flag poles, and just about everywhere they can be hung.  Although they are independent, they have both an American and British military presence which help keep them safe.  Apparently, Guatemala does not recognize their independence and claims they belong to them so they are happy having this protection.

Lastly, this is the oldest church around.  It is an Anglican Church built back in 1812 and is still in use even today.  Belize has an interesting education system.  The churches run the schools but the government provides funding.  Education is mandatory from like 5 to 16.  Many of the schools are male or female only and some are mixed, it all depends on which church is sponsoring it.

It was a really great tour.  The next tour I'm scheduled on is to see one of the local Mayan ruins and a visit to the baboon sanctuary.  Later in the week, I'll be going to see another, bigger Mayan ruin.  I look forward to seeing these places.  

I've been told I need to come back by one of the workers at the hotel so I can explore a place about 5 hours south where they make chocolate and the guide from today said I should go south to where he's from because it gives you a look at the society down there.  I am glad I chose to stay here at this quiet resort as I get to experience something more rather than spending my time at the regular hotels in Belize City.  Yes, they are closer to everything but you also get the bustle of the city rather than the laid back feel of the country.  I'll share more on Friday.  I hope you have a great day.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear. 

Staying Cool In Humid Weather

 

I just arrived in Belize this past Saturday.  I stepped off the plane into a humid sauna that I didn't quite expect.  I spend Sunday, just relaxing and figuring out that in the morning and afternoon, the humidity is bearable but by noon, it is humid enough to just sweat without even moving.  So it was time to find out ways to stay cool when it is humid outside.  In Alaska where I leave, there is not this level of humidity every.  

The place I'm staying has air conditioning in the rooms but once you step out, it is noticeable if it's the middle of the day.  In order to stay cool when its humid outside, it is necessary to cool your body down and your accommodation.  One way to keep your body temperature down is to drink cool liquids with cool foods. As far as liquids, you want to enjoy water - plain or fruit infused, milk, 100 percent fruit drink, coconut water, sports drinks, or caffeine free tea. It is advised that you avoid alcoholic drinks or caffeinated liquids because those can cause your body to lose electrolytes.

Instead of hot meals, look at cooler foods like cold soup, salads, or fresh fruits.  When shopping for fruits, choose ones that have lots of water like watermelon, or melons.  If you want, cut up the watermelon, melons, or other fruit, freeze them and throw them into a glass of water instead of using ice cubes.  

As far as fabrics go, look at using 100 percent cotton, or linen because both will draw sweat away from your body so it stays cooler.  If the day starts out cooler, think about wearing layers so you can remove them as necessary but make sure they are out of cotton or other natural fabric. One nice thing about cotton is that you can find it in different thicknesses from gauze to t-shirt or thicker.  Gauzy is great because it allows any breeze to flow through.  Linen is great because it doesn't stick to the skin when you are sweaty and if you go for a linen cotton mix, you can get the benefits of both.

Switch to dresses or skirts or even loose pants to allow circulation of air around your body. If you like wearing pants, look at the wider legged ones because they are more comfortable in the humid weather.  For underwear, cotton is great for underwear and switch to sports bras because they are designed to wick water from your body. 

Do not go for the hot showers. Switch to taking cooler showers to help keep your body cooled down.  If you get hot but do not want to take a shower, think about using a wet cloth on the back of your neck, under your hat, on your wrists, the inside of your elbows, or knees, the top of your feet or your ankles.  Place a damp cloth on these places and you will immediately feel cooler.  

If you have access to air-conditioning, set the temperature to a moderate level so you aren't freezing but just cooled off enough to be comfortable.  This makes it easier for you to adjust to outside temperatures because the differences are not that much. If you do not have A/C but do have fans, you can place the fans to provide you with cooler air by placing it next to a window.  This allows cool air to be brought in and older warmer air goes out.  This circulation is important. If possible, you want at least two fans so the second one can be places across the room, to move air up towards the ceiling. If you. open the windows at night to let the cool air in and close them in the morning, you can use your fans to circulate the cooler air around the room and it will keep it cooler all day long.

 In addition, so things to help your body adjust to the outdoors conditions such as doing mild exercise or take a short walk.  Each day, increase the amount of exercise you do by a little bit so that you slowly acclimate to the temperatures and humidity. The bigger the temperature differentiation, the more you notice the humidity and temperature when you leave the room and it takes longer to adjust.

Should you want to spend time outdoors, set yourself up in the shade so you don't get as hot.  Enjoy time swimming in cool water, or visit a museum, gallery, or movie where there will be cooler due to air conditioning.  If you need to do something strenuous like gardening, do it early in the morning or late at night when its cooler.

And remember, drink lots of liquids so you do not become dehydrated.  Use sunscreen of at least SPF 30  and wear a hat when you are outdoors to help protect yourself.  One other thing, use a moisture absorbing powder under your clothing and underwear to help keep you from getting rashes due to the moisture.  

Keep this in mind if you end up visiting a place that is humid so you have a great visit.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

Snow Tomorrow

Snow tomorrow  

Fall Is Here Today

Here today 

Why Take The Stairs

 Just the other week, when I was visiting Madrid, I stayed at a nice place up on the third floor.  Although the place had an elevator, I chose to use the steps most of the time because I wanted the exercise.  The first day, it was a bit difficult but by the end, it was so much easier.  I've decided to use steps whenever possible.  Now I am not going to be crazy and take the stairs up 35 flights of stairs but for anything under 5 or 10 floors, I want to take the stairs.

There are some great benefits to using the stairs beginning with the fact you do not need any special equipment.  The stairs are already part of the building.  If you repeatedly use the stairs, it accumulates across the day to make a great part of your daily workout.  If you climb at least 55 flights of stairs every week, it decreases your chance of dying prematurely.  It is considered a moderate form of exercise that burns between 8 and 11.5 kcal of energy every minute. 

Furthermore, climbing stairs help you improve your cardio capacity and you will be more fit.  They say even climbing two flights of stairs every day will help you lose up to 6 pounds over the year.  In addition, there is research indicating that stair climbing can increase your bone density while helping bring up the amount of good cholesterol.  Overall, stair climbing helps improve your overall health.

If you do not use the stairs regularly, it is suggested you start slowly by climbing only one or two flights of stairs, working your way up as you get in better shape.  If you work in a taller building, climb the steps as far as you can and take the elevator the rest of the way.  Note that you can spread taking the stairs over the day so you might do 5 flights of stairs at 6 different times over the day but if you are not feeling well, go ahead and take the elevator. Make sure you stretch your muscles before and after taking the stairs and make sure you have good posture as you climb up and down.  

The cool thing about climbing stairs is that you are burning calories going up and down the stairs. It is said you burn 0.1 calories every step you take up or 1 calorie for every 10 steps while you burn 0.05 calories or 1 calorie every 20 steps when you go down. It is a great way to burn calories.  As mentioned earlier, you significantly reduce the risk of stroke by even taking as little as 20 flights of steps every week and at the same time you are strengthening your muscles in your legs and abs while developing leaner muscle mass.  The increased muscle mass helps you burn more calories.

Furthermore, when you climb the stairs, your heart and lungs work together to take more oxygen to your muscles because you are breathing quicker and deeper. Thus your muscles are able to extract oxygen more efficiently from the blood. This helps you lower your blood pressure  If you take a quick walk up or down the stairs whenever you are feeling tired, it will help you feel more energetic and improves your mood.

In addition, regularly using the stairs can help you sleep better at night, reduce your stress level, and maintain a healthy weight. This is a cheap way to improve your health with no cost and most every building today has stairs so take advantage especially on those days when the weather is horrid and you can't get outside. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

Choosing Accessories

 In order to have the perfect capsule wardrobe, it is necessary to have the right accessories.  Accessories are an easy way to either spice up your outfits or change the look with a few small items. They are chosen to complement and complete the outfit. Accessories can be footwear, handbags, jewelry, hair accessories, belts, or gloves, hats, and scarves.

Let's look at each type of accessory individually.  Normally, one might consider neutral footwear in black or brown, it is possible to elevate the outfit with a bit of color but the shoes need to be comfortable otherwise they will never be worn.

As far as handbags go, look at having different ones ranging from clutches to totes in a variety of styles and colors. This way you have eye catching handbags that provide accessories to the wardrobe and that particular outfit.  With jewelry, one can have bangles, ear rings, necklaces, and chokers that can be used to add sparkle.  If you aren't familiar with jewelry, begin with the more classic pieces such as diamond studs or hoop earrings, or a nice delicate pendant necklace.

Hair accessories can range from clips with bows or flowers to silk scrunchies instead of the standard ones. Use a jeweled hair clip for a sparkle or a velvet head band.  It is easy to switch things out to add that little bit of elevation. Then there are belts which can be thin or thick, made of leather, cloth, or chain.  The belt might be plain or embellished and perhaps in a neutral color or a bright color to add that bit of pop.  Finally, gloves, hats, and scarves are another way to add that touch needed to finish the outfit.

When it comes to accessories, you do not want all of them to sparkle or it just makes the outfit too busy.  You'll want to select accessories to create the overall look so you stand out.  When you begin choosing accessories, you want to select one statement piece that can be used with multiple outfits and makes you feel great.  Always choose one piece that dominates the outfit with color or size and layered with subtler pieces.

When choosing accessories, think about using colors or prints.  It is easy to use those bright colors or animal prints used in shoes, scarves, or a belt adds that touch of pizazz without overwhelming the overall look. Accessories can be used to transform outfits from day to night with just a small change, such as a little black dress with a blazer and flats are appropriate for work and then take off the blazer, switch out flats for heels, add sparkly jewelry, and a clutch, and you are ready to enjoy a night out.

The best thing is that accessories do not have to match.  Matching accessories indicate the person is more conservative rather than being fashion forward.  In fact, if you aren't sure, start with one color and use a color wheel to find colors you can wear together.  Keep in mind that choosing accessories is done one step at a time so as you mix and match them, everything looks awesome.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.