Clark-Peterek Belize

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Scarecrow in the Forest Home School Garden.   

 

Homestay Family

In the beginning of your service, Peace Corps requires its volunteers to live with a home stay family.  This gives volunteers the opportunity to integrate into the community as well as meet new people.  The home stay portion of our service is almost up, and we have been looking for a home of our own.  We found a great a little apartment, and we will move in around the beginning of November.  Our home stay mom, Miss Olive, has a lovely house, has taken good care of us, and we have enjoyed living with her.  Now it is time for us to spread our wings and live on our own.   

Welcome to Hollywood

Hollywood, Punta Gorda, Toledo

The area of Punta Gorda that we live in is known as Hollywood.  Now our sign may not be as grand as the sign in hills of Los Angelas, but it still has charm and adds character to PG.   

Nim Li Punit

Belize is widely known for its rich Maya cultural heritage and many ancient Maya Ruins.  We recently made the journey to one of the smaller Maya sites, Nim Li Punit, “Big Hat” in K’ekchi. 

Nim Li Punit is about 26miles north of Punta Gorda off the Southern Highway near the village of Indian Creek. Discovered by oil company prospectors in 1978, Nim Li Punit dates back to the Middle Classic Period, 400-700 AD, and continues to the Post Classic Period, 800-1000 AD.  It is most famous for the 26 stela, carved stone pillars commemorating important events.  The longest stela depicts the ruler wearing a diadem, or big hat, after which the site got its name.

The site is composed of three main areas, the West Group, South Group, and the East Group.  The South Group contains the Plaza of the Royal Tombs and the Plaza of the Royal Stela.  The Plaza of the Royal Tombs is believed to have been the residence and burial site of the royal family, where three tombs were uncovered. The East Group contains residential structures and over looks the ball court, and the West Group houses the largest building.

We hiked up to the site, and we were greeted with a spectacular view.  At the visitor’s center we saw the famous stela and learned all about this historical place. We toured the site, stood at the tombs, gazed at stelas, imagined what  it may have been like in the ball court, and marveled at the ancient structures.  We saw different species of birds, butterflies, and we even saw a wild gibnut.  It was a great way to spend the morning, and we really enjoyed learning more about the ancient Mayas. 

   

Fallen Stones Butterfly Farm

Just outside San Pedro Columbia along the Columbia River Forrest Reserve sits Fallen Stones Butterfly Farm. This privately owned farm is closed to the public, and we got the rare chance to visit and learn about this unique place.

Fallen Stones Butterfly Farm is a business here in southern Belize, and it is run by local K’eckchi Farmers, who work day in and day out caring for and raising butterflies.  When the larvae reach the pupa stage, they are packaged and shipped to the UK and then around the globe.

We got an exclusive tour of the farm.  We saw butterfly flight cages full of hundreds of butterflies.  We learned about the various species of butterflies raised and the foods the farm has to produce to feed the butterflies.  We got to see each stage of the butterfly life cycle from egg, larva, to pupa, and we even saw hatching butterflies.

Thanks so much to Ian, who manages Fallen Stones Butterfly Farm and owns Hickatee Cottages, for the wonderful opportunity to see such an interesting and beautiful place. 

Senior Fausto

It is not uncommon to see vendors riding around PG on their bicycle carts ringing their bells and selling fruits and vegetables, tamales, sandwiches, meat pies, and even clothing.  Ahhh, but Senior Fausto sells ice cream. For a $1.50 (BZ) you can have a scoop of good ole WD's, Western Dairies, a Belizean Company run by Mennonites.  Just perfect on these hot sunny days.