Caye Caulker

Walking down the sandy street in Caye Caulker. You can definitely tell it is the slow season.

This is a boat that had been docked at this bar in Caye Caulker called the lazy lizard for over 5 weeks. The boat said Seattle, WA on the back, which I thought was awesome. Pretty cool boat, but the guy from Seattle, well actually Shoreline, was a little loco.

This is Tina's backpackers hostel where I stayed.

Typical curried chicken and rice and beans and mash. Actually really good food, but when I get back probably won't eat chicken or rice again for a long time. (sorry couldn't rotate the pic)

Back in Sarteneja, but off to Caracol

I just made it back to Sarteneja. I have been in Caye Caulker since Monday and am glad to be back. Caye Caulker was a blast, but it was exhausting. Me and two other volunteers stayed at Tina's backpackers hostel. There were a ton of really cool people staying there even though it is still the slow season, which was actually really nice not having a million tourists around. I swear everyone was either from Germany or Norway, a few from Australia as well.

Besides drinking a lot and spending money I shouldn't have, I pretty much just chilled on the sandy beach for 3 days bathing in the sun. I swear it doesn't matter how much sun screen you put on you still burn. My forehead got burnt once again, but at least my body is keeping a nice tan. I think this is the darkest I have ever been and I still have another month! The tan is a tropical tan though so it goes away really quickly. Your skin just peels right off since it is so moist. Gross I know.

I will try to upload some pics of Caye Caulker soon, but the internet has been real sketchy lately so we will see if I get to before I leave.

I am off to Caracol on Monday and will not have internet for 3 weeks. Then I meet my mom in Placencia for some more beach time!!

Hope everyone is doing great and have a Happy Halloween!!

Miss you!

Sarteneja Adventure Tours

The website that me and another volunteer have been working on for the Sarteneja Adventure Tours is pretty much done. We have not yet finished the pricing for the tours, but they are going to finish that in the future.

You can view it here www.sartenejatours.com.

We got to go on all the tours offered so that we could do a test run of each and take pictures for the website along the way. Such a tough project.

No more drunken cycling

Sarteneja, Belize rule #1 do not ride a bicycle down a gravel dirt road in the dark when you are really drunk.
We took a trip to Cerros, which is a Mayan ruin site. This is the beginning of the steps up a mayan temple.

Here is another temple at Cerros.

Me posing cheesily with the mayan temple mask.

Oh American cruise ship tourists...

Belize City, Belize.

Went here for 2 days. I wasn't aloud to walk around at night alone, which I didn't want to anyway, but luckily I was with 7 local tour guides that took us around and we were perfectly safe.

We got to go on a snorkeling tour for free out of Belize City. This boat goes out to the cruise ships and picks up tourists to take them snorkeling for a few hours. This is me with some of the crew from the boat.

The cruise ship tourists we picked up (there were 66 of them) were all 60+ years old and after a little rum punch it got pretty crazy! They were doing the macarena and the YMCA. I drank as much rum punch as I possibly could.

Me in my snorkel gear, so sexy! The fish were beautiful and the rum punch was delicious so all of the drunk old retired americans from Florida were well worth going on the tour.

The heat is gone...for now

Rocky Point, Corozal Bay, Belize.

This is when we went to Bacalar Chico, a barrier reef in Corozal Bay on the borders of Mexico and Belize. We went snorkeling in the clear blue sea and saw some of the most amazing tropical fish.

It cooled down last night and I got to sleep without sweating all night long. It was lovely. I am definitely getting used to the heat though, it is pretty sad when you get goose bumps at 78 degrees.

The website I am working on for Sarteneja Adventure Tours is almost finished and should be up within a week. I will post the link once it is finished. (I forgot to mention I am working with the locals of Sarteneja and helping them out creating a website for them)

After the web site is finished then I am off to Caracol (Mayan ruins) for the rest of my trip. After I stop at Caye Caulker and San Ignacio for a few days of fun.

Tomorrow I am going to Belize City with some of the tour guides from Sarteneja. They are taking us on one of their cruise ship tours. Should be interesting seeing all of the tourists since I haven't had a chance to be around them yet. I can only imagine how much fun it will be hanging out with a bunch of tourists (around 70-100 people) from the cruise ship getting drunk off of rum punch (sarcasm). Thank god we get to go on all of the tours for free. They said they will give us extra rum in our punch to help us get through it :)

Paraiso

The is the most beautiful place I have ever been to. We were patrolling the waters for illegal fishing and in-between snorkeling and swimming we stopped and ate lunch on the beach.
I didn't want to leave this place. I could have stayed forever just sleeping in a hammock on the beach. Squatters actually built this house on land that they didn't own. A local Creole was staying here for two months by himself taking care of the place. You can only get in or out by boat.

One of the locals cut open coconuts for us using a machete. They were delicious. This is me with another volunteer named Jamie from London.

Me and the locals and Jamie just chillin on the beach in paraiso. This is on Corozal bay.

We saw a group of 4 dolphins that were swimming and playing around our boat. Amazing....

Scorpions!!!

Typical Sunset off of the Jetti in Sarteneja.

Rather large toad found in the grass at Wild Tracks. This frog has glands next to its head and when an animal bites the head it secrets poison.

Me swimming with the manatee Twiggy.

This is our favorite swimming place. There is not a soul around.

Look how sweaty I am. We walked into the village from Wild Tracks. It was probably about a total 4-5 miles in 90 degree muggy weather.


Last night we found a rather large scorpion in our cabana bathroom. We ended up killing it, but those suckers are really hard to kill. We stomped on it and stomped on it and it was still alive and we had flip flops on and it came darting right towards us. You can only imagine two girls screaming over a scorpion in the dark. It was quite amusing.

Sarteneja, Belize

This is the bungalow I am staying in at Wild Tracks in Sarteneja, Belize.

This is a typical house in the village of Sarteneja. I have met some of the locals and they are very kind. Especially the children. They love to talk and play. The children speak English very well because that is what they are taught in school, they speak their native language when they are at home.

This is in Sarteneja. I believe the population is around 2,000. It is so beautiful, but there is not much here. Maybe one small market and one bar. Wild Tracks is 2 miles outside of the village of Sarteneja on the bay. I will be staying here until Sunday.

The weather has been about 89 degrees during the day and 79 at night. No rain yet and it is very very muggy with lots of mosquitos. You do not stop sweating here and it is taking a little while to get used to. Definitely cannot do your hair or makeup and you are sticky all day long. Drinking lots of water is a must. I did have my first Belikin beer last night though and it was quite good.

They have a 3 month old Manatee at Wild Tracks and I get to watch them feed it everyday. Today I learned how to make tortillas from a Senorita from Sarteneja village. I am not very good at it yet, but it takes lots of practice. I hope to have it down before I get back to the states.

I think I am off to Coracol on Monday and I will not have access to internet or phone for a long while, but I will try to keep in touch as much as possible.

Will write soon.
Dyana

Off to Belize

Belize here I come! If you don't know much about Belize here is a short history of the country. 

Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official language. This is because it has a British Colonial heritage. In 1786 the British claimed Belize formerly known as British Honduras. Belize has a population of only 320,000. 60% of Belize is forested and only about 20% of the land is subject to human uses. 

I will be volunteering in either the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, which is the first ever jaguar reserve, the Blue Hole, or the Caracol Archaeological Reserve. I hope to have an amazing experience and cannot wait to start my adventure.

Josh Vanover

This was created by designer/illustrator Josh Vanover.

Eco friendly dorms for Thai orphanage

Architecture firm TYIN Tegnestue created these dormitories for an orphanage in a small village on the Thai-Burmese border. These dorms are made using the traditional bamboo weaving technique, and most of the bamboo is harvested within a few kilometers of the site. The unique shape of the roof is designed in a manner in which it can harvest rainwater to provide water for the children during drier periods.

See more pics at EcoFriend.org

StandUp For Kids

I don't normally post things about myself and what I am doing, but I thought it was important enough to get the word out about an organization that I volunteer for. The organization is called StandUp For Kids (that's me sitting on the rock). The mission for StandUp For Kids is to help homeless and street kids.

In addition to helping homeless and at-risk youth with immediate necessities such as food, clothing, shelter and personal hygiene, StandUp For Kids offers a wide array of services, including: assistance in finding housing; education assistance; vocational development; counseling; health services; transportation to self-help meetings; and legal assistance.

We desperately need more volunteers. If you would like to volunteer or know anyone that would like to volunteer please email Kelly at kellyn@standupforkids.org. To learn more about this organization go to http://www.standupforkids.org

OneSweetOrange

This Giclee print of an original illustration done in combination with pencil, ink, watercolor and then digitally tweaked was created by New York graphic designer Iveta Abolina under the name OneSweetOrange. I suggest checking out her artwork for sale on Etsy.

The Backyard House

Seattle based architects SHED designed this beautifully crafted house. With floor-to-ceiling windows emphasizing the dramatic surroundings you realize why it's called the backyard house.

Electronic Chaos

These vinyl wall stickers designed by Julia Wolf are very creative. Instead of trying to hide plugs and cables why not emphasize them in a creative and interesting way? Stickers available at Diz Decor.

Green Pockets

Maruja Fuentes has come up with these unique ceramic tiles called Green Pockets. These pockets fuse nature with the interior space, improving both air quality and health. They attach to the wall to create the illusion as if they were actually growing from them. The tiles are made from recycled materials.

Togo from Ligne Roset

Michel Ducaroy’s Togo. The Togo collection has been around for over thirty years. It features ergonomic designs with multiple density foam constructions and quilted covers, making each piece both visually attractive and physically inviting. Check out Ligne Roset. The furniture is great, but the photography is even better!

Floating in the Clouds

Having a magnetic force generated by the base allows this sofa to float. Looks like ultimate comfort. I want to take a nap in the clouds.... Design by Kootouch.

Yellena James @ Velouria

UPDATE: I went to Velouria and took a look at the art work by Yellena James. They were great pieces, but really small and most of them were going for around $130.

Portland based artist Yellena James's artwork is being featured at Velouria in Ballard through April.

The Historic Engine Room

I just came across this amazingly beautiful venue located in Georgetown. The Engine Room, now owned by Georgetown Studios, is located inside the famous Rainier Brewery building, which is now home to many small businesses including the well known, Georgetown Brewery, as well as many artists. You can't beat the 25’ ceilings or the Romanesque arches. What a fabulous place to throw an event or wedding reception.

Helix Hotel Wins 1st Prize

American Firm Leeser Architecture won first prize in a competition for a five-star luxury hotel called the Helix that will be located in the zayed bay in abu dhabi, UAE. The 208 guest rooms and suites are arranged around a helical floor and there is an indoor waterfall that reduces the heat inside of the structure.
More info and pics here.

A chic rocking chair for kids?

This versatile armchair, called "OBO" is not only a chic chair you can sit and relax in, it is also a rocking chair/kids play toy. The chair comes in many colors and is made out of satin metal and metallized polyurethane.