Island Life

photos by jeremy
The view from the Belize-Caye Caulker ferry.

CAYE CAULKER,Belize--After working hard on the mainland, it was time to discover why most visitors skip Belize City and head straight to the neighboring islands. Our time was limited, so we chose to go to the closest island. After an hour-long ferry ride, we landed in the tiny but lively Caye Caulker.

In the 1960s, a fierce Hurricane Hattie hit Caye Caulker and the rest of Belize head on causing the small island to split in two pieces. The chunk that broke of is now preserved land for plant and animal life--it's appropriately called "The Split."

It's easy to lose track of time around Caye Caulker's residents who have a "no worries" attitude. A special treat is that there are no cars on the island only the hum of golf-carts, which you can rent to zip around and check out the entire area.


Jeremy says he's never seen a better location for a basketball court--along the Caribbean Sea.


Couldn't ask for a better view to transition into the after life.

Belizean Wildlife

SOMEWHERE IN THE BELIZE JUNGLE--After a successful interview with the country's Prime Minister Dean Barrow, we treated ourselves to checking out Belize's incredible jungle animal life at a nearby sanctuary. Just like Belize's people, it's wildlife is full of diversity with exotic animals from spider monkeys to mountain cows.

Seeing a toucan up close had to be one of the most amazing sights on the trip. Jeremy got a special treat when he got to see some monkeys (his favorite). We saw some Black Howler Monkeys, which are endangered and one of the largest monkeys in the Americas. We also got closeups of a jaguar and puma!

But my absolute favorite jungle animal had to be the tapir, or mountain cow. Check out how cute they are in this video I shot:



The mountain cows prefer veggies and are mostly active at night around river banks. They are related to horses and rhinos.

Belize--the Real Melting Pot

image lonelyplanet.com
BELIZE CITY--Before our trip I had read all about the rich ethnic diversity here. Even though I knew what to expect, actually seeing so many people of unique backgrounds come together in a small country of about 300,000 was so refreshing and unlike any other Central American country.
photos by jeremy

Belizeans are mostly made up of: Mestizos, who are people of mixed Spanish and Indian blood. Most of them were refugees from the Caste War of Yucatan in Mexico; Creoles, who are descendants of African slaves who came to Belize to work in the mahogany wood industry; all kinds of different Mayan tribes; the Garifuna, who are also descendants of African slaves mixed with Amerindians of the eastern Caribbean islands

Other notable ethnic groups are the German-speaking Mennonites, who immigrated from Mexico in the late 50s. The Mennonite presence is strong throughout the country, especially in Northern Belize where many of them sell handmade furniture in their stores. Chinese immigrants also began arriving in Belize in the 60s. Their presence is also felt throughout the country. Many of them have become a major part of the economy opening Chinese restaurants and grocery stores.


Walking down the streets of Belize you can easily hear English, Spanish or Creole being spoken. English is the official language, although Spanish is also taught in schools.

When we asked a local guide how all these groups get along, he said "Oh, everyone here is mixed. We don't care what you look like."

Tulum Ruins

TULUM,Quintana Roo-- It's an overwhelming feeling to be in the middle of indigenous archaeological ruins and try to take in the meaning of centuries worth of history. The first time I went to Teotihuacan, the enormous Aztec ruins on the outskirts of Mexico City, and climbed on top of the Pyramid of the Sun, it was definitely an out-of-body experience.

Though the archaeological ruins in Tulum are much, much smaller, it was really amazing to see the ruins of an entirely different civilization--the Mayans. Unlike the ruins of Central Mexico, the structures were made with a lighter-colored material and were built next to the turquoise Caribbean Sea. The word "tulum" is Mayan for "wall." And back in pre-Columbian times, this walled city was a major port and its fort helped protect it against invasion.

Jungle Living

We've been traveling like crazy the last couple of weeks. But yesterday we came back to the megalopolis safe and sound after some interesting, weird, awesome, uncomfortable and fun experiences. That's the joy of being on the road. Our journey began in the Yucatan Peninsula (near Cancun)....

TULUM, Quintana Roo--The first time I saw the small beach town of Tulum was during Hurricane Dean last year (remember these horrible pics? http://floresnancy.blogspot.com/2007/08/arrival-of-hurricane-dean.html). I had heard such great things about Tulum so it was devastating to see it in that state. I was ecstatic to have another chance to check out what everyone loves about this place.



Its turquoise waters, soft white sand, relaxing atmosphere and tons of interesting day trips and fun things-to-do definitely make it must-see in Mexico. But while most visitors choose lodging right on the beach, we stayed in the jungle. It's actually why we were there--reporting on new eco-developments in Tulum's exotic jungle that are much cheaper options right now than oceanfront properties.


A Temazcal, or ancient steam bath or sweat lodge, in the jungle.

The jungle hotel we stayed in definitely exceeded my expectations. Apart from the great art, design and architecture of the bed and breakfast itself, it was really amazing to wake up in the morning to the song of exotic birds. It was truly peaceful and fun at night to try to stay very quiet and listen to all the beautiful sounds of the jungle.



Striking a balance between enjoying the jungle without disrupting nature will be serious challenges for developers. Luckily, Tulum's environmental consciousness spreads to the jungle as well since future developments there will be solar-powered with a natural waste water filtering system and private wells. Strict regulations will only allow a person to build on 5% of their property, in order to keep it safe for all of the animal and plant life.

From the Morelia Film Festival Red Carpet

MORELIA, Michoacan--Glamorous actors/actresses, style and flashing bulbs were no exception at this fabulous red carpet. As a newbie to the scene, I admit there were times when I was star struck. I mean, come on, I've been following some of these celebrities since their novela days, others opened my eyes to the possibilities in Mexican cinema.

As the stars strutted their stuff down the 200-foot-long red carpet, the press stayed on the sidelines shouting the name of whatever celebrity was coming their way. Eventually the graceful and even not-so-graceful stars would wander over and answer the media's questions. Some blew kisses at the camera while the TV videographers (mostly men) all whistled and hollered. Others showed off by doing a little vuelta for the cameras.

Here are some highlights for the celebrity follower in you.


Remember her from Amores Perros? Yes, it's Vanessa Bauche. Since her breakthrough performance she's been in dozens of films and recently co-produced the documentary "Bajo Juarez," which I wrote about in my previous entry.

Before Ximena was Mexico's hottest jazz/pop star, she was Luz Clarita's evil step-sister. Yes, think back to your "Luz Clarita" novela-watching days. It's Mariela all grown up. Remember that cute/annoying Luz Clarita theme song? Yup, an 8-year-old Ximena sang it. Who would have thought she would eventually have an amazing voice. Oh, and that's her little brother in the background--her "red carpet date."

Ana Claudia Talancon was probably the actress with the most buzz, given the phenomenal success of the novela-turned-movie "Arrancame la Vida." But the highly sought-after actress was there promoting her movie "Purgatorio," which was getting a lot of hype at the festival. It is no surprise since the film is based on stories by the legendary Juan Rulfo.

Irene Azuela strikes a pose for the cameras. She made her Mexican film debut with "El Bufalo de la Noche" and then later acted in several films including the disturbing "Quemar las Naves." She was promoting her new film, "Bajo la Sal."

Bajo Juarez

Yes, I admit it. I'm a documentary film junkie. I have been for a long time. But since we moved to Mexico City, I also became a Mexican film junkie. It has been my dream to attend the Morelia Film Festival (Mexico's version of Cannes) and surround myself with other weirdos who talk about cinematography, who research Mexican directors and dream about one day producing my very own documentary.

This year we made it to the Morelia Film Festival! Yay! Though the festivities officially begin tomorrow, earlier this week we got a glimpse of what was to come when we attended the premiere of the documentary "Bajo Juarez," directed by Alejandra Sanchez and Jose Antonio Cordero.


photo by bajojuarez.com

The films tells the story of how a town and its people are transformed after suffering through almost 15 years of femicide. The situation has been described as the most embarrassing human rights scandal in modern Mexican history. Sadly, there has been no justice for the families and no peace for this industrial town where women continue to be victims of this silent war.

AT THE PREMIERE and ON THE RED CARPET:


The film focused on the case of Ale, a young Juarez woman who was raped, tortured and finally murdered. Her mother (above) attended the festival. She is one of many strong mujeres who are demanding justice in Juarez.




This film even caught the attention of high-profile Mexican celebrities including comedian and actor Eugenio Derbez!