Thursday, March 10, 2011

Cave Swimming at Blue Creek

After our tour at Cyrila's, we were taken to lunch at an Indian restaurant. There were many different kinds of rice, beans, meats, bbq and it was all delicious!
One thing about Belize is that they LOVE habeñero pepper. A lot of times they offer a habeñero sauce that is blended with some kind of fruit. So good, but it is potent. They also have jars of pickled veggies: onions, olives, and the habeñero - much like the pickled peppers that you find at mexican restaurants containing jalepeños, carros, onions, etc. - on the table for you to enhance your food.
When in Rome! We totally took a bite!
Yes, it was VERY spicy and our mouths hurt for a good 10 minutes.

After lunch we headed out to start our tour of Blue Creek. It was about a 30 minute drive to get to the parking spot. Along the way, we saw great sites, though.
Maya Mountains
Maya Mountains
giant Mahogany tree
building with thatch roof

After we parked, I saw, what I thought, was the weirdest thing. CHICKENS lying on the ground!

After I got over the chickens, we started our trek to the opening of the cave.

As we walked and came across various plants, our tour guide (whose name escapes me at the moment) would tell us how Mayans used to use them. For example, how to make a thatched roof.



And how to extract the heart of a palm to make heart of palm soup.


We also had the chance to see a Mopan Mayan woman in her traditional attire.

Then we finally got to the river, which lead us to the cave opening.






We then got into our suits, hopped in that cold water armed with life jackets and a head lamp, and swam to the back of the cave where we found a waterfall. Obviously we don't have any pictures because we didn't have a water proof camera and the lighting was horrid, but I suggest that you do this if you ever get the chance. 

Here are some things we saw on our walk back.
busted bridge
spiny palm tree 

giant leaf cutter ant hill





Thursday, March 3, 2011

Cacao Tour

When Alex and I went to Punta Gorda, Belize in November, we decided we'd splurge and pay for a tour. Luckily, there were a couple of really great ones to choose from and it only cost $100 per person for the entire day.
The first part of our tour was a demonstration from Cyrila's Chocolate, a small company that farms cacao in a sustainable and organic fashion and then makes products from it, such as wine, chocolate, and chocolate powder.

  
We left at about 9am with our tour guide, Seriano, who drove us out to the demonstration site. 
When we arrived, we were greeted by José who showed us around and explained all the facets of the way their farm works. 
Cacao in fruit form


vanilla in plant form

ducks

rooster

turkeys

José and his raised plant beds. Dried palm leaves help keep the animals
from eating the plants. It's organic! 
Then he took us upstairs to a loft area where he and his wife gave us a demonstration of how the Myans used to take the seeds from the cacao fruit, roast them, shell them, and then grind them to make chocolate.
Taking off the roasted shell of the cacao seed

Once all the seeds are out of their shells, you have to try to get the little broken parts out. 
To do this, you have to (carefully) throw the seeds into the air and catch them.
The idea is that while the seeds are in the air, the little particles will float out.

Instructions on how to use this ancient grinder.

Alex is a master chocolate maker.

But this lady, chocolate making is in her blood.

100% cacao. Very bitter.

While talking about their farm and business, they allowed us to try their cacao wine, orange chocolate, and hot chocolate drink. Not only were they tasty, but it was organic and from a sustainable farm. I was really impressed with this business and very happy to help support them. Alex and I bought all three products for our families, and even some for ourselves.
If you ever make it down to Southern Belize, it's definitely worth checking out.