Blog

Belize part 10. Health care.

Belize does have a National Health system and all nationals are entitled to free medical care, such as it is.  The country is no bigger than Wales, and that is just as well because health care is limited to towns. The bus service (chickens, somebody’s fridge, the local drunk, crowds of people with babies and […]

Posted 12 years ago

Belize, part 9. Toucans.

The toucan is the national emblem of Belize. A few toucan facts:- – their huge beak is neither heavy nor strong – their beak can be double their body size – they are about the size of a crow (excepting the bill) – their tongues are 6″ long – they are usually found in pairs […]

Posted 12 years ago

Book reviews!

Reviews are coming in off and on all week.  “The Man With Green Fingers” continues to be the best seller:- When we meet somebody for the first time, we assume they are the person they say they are. Do we ever – and should we ever – look more closely?  Set on the colourful island […]

Posted 12 years ago

Belize, part 8.

Another flower of Belize …. called Terracotta flower.  Really just a weed, but I really like it.  The second one, also a weed, is Creole Lace.   Click here for Part 9 Catherine Broughton is a novelist, a poet and an artist.  She is widely travelled and writes regularly for magazines and blog sites.  Her […]

Posted 12 years ago

St Ignacio and Spanish Lookout. Belize, part 7.

The first time we visited St Ignacio, three years ago, it was much like many of the little towns dotted all over this part of the Americas, ie a small, slightly tatty Hispanic town.  The only place for the likes of us to stay was in the Royal Casino Hotel (with price tag to match), […]

Posted 12 years ago

Belize, part 6. A small yellow flower.

I sketched this little flower when I was out on one of the cayes just the other day.  When I had finished I asked a man sitting on his upturned boat what the flower was called. “Eeh, mami,” he said, shaking his head and looking unnecessarily glum, “I dun know dat name, no I dunt.” […]

Posted 12 years ago

Belize part 5. Baron Bliss.

Baron Bliss ( Henry Edward Ernest Victor Bliss) 1869- 1926 was an Enlgishman who bequeathed a large part of his fortune to the people of Belize, 2 million US$ to be exact – which in those days was worth hugely more.  He stipulated in his will (which was 12 pages long) that the capital must […]

Posted 12 years ago

Dangriga, Belize. Part 4.

Dangriga is a town of approx. 10 000 inhabitants, situated on the coast in the Stann Creek District of southern Belize.  At the time of British colonialism the town was called Stann Creek Town, changing its name to Dangriga in the 1980s, just before independence.  The word “dangriga” means “standing water” in the local dialect […]

Posted 12 years ago

Belize, part 3. The Cayes.

We have just returned from three nights on Tobacco Caye. The cayes (pronounced keys) off the coast of Belize are small islands situated either on the reef or between the reef and the mainland. It is most certainly well worth visiting a few, but (for me at any rate) they are not necessarily the best […]

Posted 12 years ago

Belize, part 2. Mayan ruins.

When one speaks of Mayan ruins, most folk tend to think of Mexico, but the Mayan ruins of Belize are vastly more interesting and – arguably – more significant both from an architectural and an historic point of view. My favourite ruin is not one of the more famous ones.  It is called Xunantunich (pronounced […]

Posted 12 years ago

Books now available on Amazon:

A Call From France
French Sand
Kefani: An African Childhood
The Man With Green Fingers
Saying Nothing