Today, Patrick (my guide) and I went off to see Xunantunich, the second-largest Mayan ruin in Belize. It’s not one of the big Mayan sites–Tikal, 2.5 hours away in Guatemala, is supposedly much more impressive–but it was damn impressive nonetheless. One massive stone temple, at least 4 stories high, a large courtyard, and several partially [...]

I have turned into a crazed iguana stalker. Iguanas, you see, live in trees. I had never realized this before, having only seen them in terrariums, and, hilariously, once in a kiddie wading pool at the International Reptile Breeders’ Association show in San Diego…there were dozens of baby iguanas skittering around the bottom of the [...]

This is fascinating. Sand dollars are actually very flat sea urchins (weird, eh?). The rough “hairs” are actually miniature spines (sea urchin spines), and they have little tube feet they use to walk around and keep from getting buried. The hole in the center is a very powerful mouth, and the five little “doves” that [...]

Went diving this morning. The reef is GORGEOUS–lots of coral everywhere, moray eels, bright yellow-and-blue fish that flash as they swim by, schools of tiny electric blue fish. Sea fans, purple tube-like coral, brain coral, big lobsters with wavy antennae, small coral shrimp, and eagle rays flapping by. Awesome, awesome experience. (The Similan Islands were [...]

Just a short note to say that I made it to Hopkins, a sleepy little town near Dangria, in the central coast of Belize, and am going diving tomorrow. I plan to dive for the next three days, then move on to San Ignacio in western Belize–but haven’t really decided yet. I may well decide [...]