Laguna Guest House
Solid windows keep out the heat but open for a breeze when shaded.
Inside - the roof the thatch was completed four days before I moved in.
View of National Land - Cattle farm just this side of Aguacaliente Reserve
This is the farmland across the road.
Outside the front door
The back stoep - was thatched and will be again.
This is a rather large palm tree.
This looks similar to the sisal plants in Hluhluwe without the seed pod and the sharp spike but with a saw edge.
This fellow came to see me at about 5 p.m. I told him not to crow until 05h30 when I had to get up. At exactly 05h30 he came around and crowed!
My bunk all made up.
My bunk with mossie net in place. A lot of mossies around.
Cabin by paraffin lamp. The little bottle is bug repellant from Mayan recipe.
View of mountains from near cabin.
School rooms with the Computer Lab at rear.
The usual hibiscus.
Another shade.
Not sure what this spiky thing is. It is in fact a slice and contains seeds that are used to flavour chicken and other meats.
I was told the bus left at 06h00 sharp. Got there at o5h45 only to find it left at 06h15! But wouldn't have seen this sunrise as it only lasted 5 or 6 minutes.
The Church as the sun rose.
The village at sunrise.
The Church at sunise.
The road to the mountains at sunrise.
This is the hammock. I tried taking self portraits but gave up.
View of the roof, The thatching was done a la barn raising American style, I was informed. Every purling had a man working it as each frond had to be tied to them at the same time.
Afternoon visitor on the first day of my second stay. Taken from my hammock outside the front door - just.
She looks quite the pig.
Still in the hammock this time a family came to visit.
Braver than the rest this little fellow got left behind.
They came around the back to find their boetie.
Reunited and off they go. All taken from my hammock!
I had to get up to get this one. Sigh! The efforts I have to make to inform and entertain.
These are cuxtals. They are a light general purpose sling bag. All hand woven by...
This is a close up of my cuxtal, (Pronounced cushtall.) My specs show the size. This is a really practical bag for all sorts of things from carrying the farmers' seeds to carrying teenage girls make up kits to carrying school books. One University professor took 125 of them back to his home state to give out to his students.
The shoulder strap can act as a shoulder sling or around the neck. Some come with zips and others with ties. I chose one with neither. The pattern looks difficult but Justina says it is simple with practise.
... Justina wife of Vicente, the president of the Toledo Ecotourism Association. She has been weaving for 11 years. Each cuxtal takes three days or about 15 woman hours. Here she is making three carrying handles simultaneously. I paid BZ30 for one - that is only BZ$2 an hour. And many people say that Mayans are not hard workers, She also feeds her family and generally does all a mother does in the home. In addition she operates a mealie meal mill (Corn Mill.)
Just a tree Iiked.
And another.
Again a tree. Vicente knows most of the trees although some only in Mayan.
If you are evern in the Belizean Rain Forest and have a bad insect bite, look for one of these shrubs, take a leaf ad break it. It will ooze a white “milk” or sap. Smear this sap onto the bite and it will sooth away the sting and itch.
I thought cacao came in one colour - green turning to yellow. So I walked past this one when looking for a cacao. This is another variety.
Red cacao fruit on the tree. The tree may be killed by a parasitic ”seedling“ starting on its trunk. It looks similar and the farmer has to be able to recognise it or he may suffer losses of trees as it destroys the host. Home grown, dried and roasted and ground cocoa drink is something that one should be entitled to by law. But watch out ladies it is a very good aphrodisiac. Or so I have been told.
A young cacao tree. It grows to about 16 feet. A very economical crop.
This is a calabash and when mature is emptied of its seeds and dried, It may be carved and many Mayans still use them as drinking vessels for their chocolate. Imagine a calabash full of hot chocolate every morning for breakfast!
Toilet block through a guava fruit tree.
A tiny guava.
Laguna Village has started a Gibnut conservation program. This is operated by Rosa. Gibnuts (they have another name) are getting to be in short supply. It is a rodent and Belizeans hunt in the forests for them. This project is to try to establish a breeding colony to raise them as a viable source of protein. I paid BZ$5 for the photo; and amount I didn't begrudge at all. This is a worthwhile project and we should support it. I am not sure that I could eat the meat. The Queen had it for dinner when she last visited Belize, Now it is often referred to as “The Royal Rat.”
