Cockscomb Basin

the long Easter weekend saw me back in Belize, at Cockscomb Basin National Park in the Stann Creek district. it's a 400 square km reserve, established in 1990 as the world's first jaguar sanctuary. word on the street is that you really can encounter a jaguar in the wild, but sightings are pretty rare, and i didn't have any expectations that i'd be that lucky.

a cribbed quote from Wikipedia: "Habitation by the ancient Mayas occurred in the Cockscomb Basin as early as 10,000 BC, but the first modern recorded history exploration of the basin did not occur until 1988." it's a haven for birdwatchers, and has enough hiking trails to keep a person busy for days. we miraculously caught a ride in from the highway. it's a 6 mile hike in, and was just approaching dark when Rebecca, Matt and i got off the bus from Belmopan. our savior, Gregorio, lives in the nearby village of Maya Centre, which was founded by Maya families displaced when the reserve was created in the 1990's. he took his time and kept his lights off, just in case there were any nocturnal felines lurking around the road. alas...

we took our time ambling through the woods, stopping at waterfalls, swimming in pools, and sweating our asses off. we even managed a lazy tubing adventure down the river, which was low enough that we had to get out and use our feet once or twice. Rebecca still managed to get freaked out by the prospect of floating into the bank, and made Matt her navigator.

shoot, they've even got a plane wreck! this is where the pesky little black flies made a mess of my legs. Belizeans are smart, they don't wear shorts in these situations. when will we gringos learn?

and then there was the hike from hell. already tired from the heat and a couple days of hiking, Rebecca and i decided to make an attempt at what's billed as the second toughest hike in the park (after Victoria Peak, which requires at least 3 days, a licensed guide and involves scaling a sheer rock face using a rope). we were looking for a view of some undisturbed jungle-covered mountains. to skip to the end, we got our view. but it involved some less than stellar signage which caused us to go a good two hours out of our way, and to question whether we might not get a good look at a jaguar while spending the night in the bush. in the end, we hiked for 9 1/2 hours and went somewhere around 25 km. still, it was a pretty kickass view...

random note: our neighbors back at the camp near the visitor's center were a group of birdwatchers from the States, led by Libby, a biology professor who brings a group out each year. when she heard of our need to get back to civilization on Easter Monday, without a vehicle, she offered us $50 to pay for a ride with a local villager. she said she appreciated the good work we were doing with the Peace Corps, and that she hoped we'd inspired her granddaughter to maybe join up once she finishes college. her son also runs an organization in Israel that uses environmental conservation issues to try to bridge the gap between Arabs and Israelis. when he heard i would be in Cairo in the fall for grad school, he gave me his email address and told me to contact him when i was in the area. he said, get yourself to the border and i'll have someone come pick you up... Israel here i come!

the bus back north

Antigua... no, the OTHER one

i realize it's been months that i've been blog-delinquent. my apologies. here are some highlights from my life of late...



i recently took a trip to Antigua. not the Caribbean island, but the Spanish colonial town and former capital of Guatemala. founded in the 1540's, it served at the military capital of Spain's colony of Guatemala, which included almost all of present-day Central America.

it is famous for its Spanish-influenced baroque architecture, and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Antigua lies in a valley, surrounded by three volcanoes. it has suffered a series of devastating earthquakes that have leveled the town numerous times. its streets are lined with ruins of colonial buildings that have been left standing. the town's cathedral boasts an impressive facade facing the east end of the town's main plaza, behind which lay the remains of what was once an impressive structure.

the region is populated largely by Maya Indians. many of them dress in traditional clothing, and colorful Maya textiles are to be found for sale around every corner. bargaining is definitely expected, and i found that i didn't have to work too hard to do so. i'd be offered an initial, highly inflated, price, before being asked, "what would you like to pay for it?" a perfect situation for those of us who hate to haggle...

Antigua is also well known for its elaborate religious celebrations, starting at the beginning of Lent, and culminating in a grand Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebration. Janine and i decided we didn't want to deal with the immense crowds (and inflated prices) of Semana Santa, so we went a couple weeks beforehand. but we were still treated to a weekend procession that began outside of town at 6am, wound through town, past the cathedral and back to the starting point.

it was a full day event, and the whole town was thronged with visitors and processors dressed in long purple robes. young children dressed in black and white (the girls wearing lace mantillas) led the procession, swinging censers of smoking incense. they were also employed to shoulder platforms carrying life-size statues of religious figures (the smaller ones, at least). the whole proceeding was accompanied by live brass bands playing solemn processional music. Janine said it sounded like the Grim Reaper's theme song.

another famous aspect of the Semana Santa celebrations is the colorful street carpets. i saw two different varieties, one made from dried flowers arranged on a base of fresh pine needles, and the other an elaborate geometric pattern made of brightly colored sawdust. they're reminiscent of buddhist sand paintings - just as time consuming to create and just as temporary. and they line the cobblestone streets along the procession route.

aside from the shopping and the processing, Antigua is a haven for good food and drinks. the place is bursting at the seams with charming restaurants, bars and cafes, and come evening the whole town is moodlit. i've never seen so many candles! these two little girls are getting started early at Cafe No Se, just across the street from our hostel...