New Moon Boutique Storefront on Amazon

May 9th, 2008 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Browse the new Amazon.com Moon Handbook storefront, featuring pretty book covers and a fun collection of colorful photo essays and Q&As with a handful of authors, including yours truly for two of my titles.

Check out the main page, or go straight to my features:

• Nicaragua Photo Essay
• Q&A on Belize
• Main Moon Storefront
  

The Last Parandero: Belize’s Legendary Paul Nabor

May 8th, 2008 | By Joshua | No Comments »

I had the good fortune to meet Mr. Paul Nabor, Belizean music legend, when I last visited Punta Gorda, in 2006. It was good to run into him again today, in this Christian Science Monitor article. In it, Nabor strums his guitar and discusses the unique genre that is paranda, “at its core a traditional West African beat … fused with Spanish guitars and Garifuna instrumentation – mahogany drums, shakers, turtle shells, call-and-response vocals – to form a haunting blend. It is the blues of the Garinagu.”
[Link to the article]

[Link to Punta Gorda]

Pace of Development in Belize: Slow

May 3rd, 2008 | By Joshua | No Comments »

From the International Herald Tribune:
“A slow boom in Belize: One island stays funky South of the Yucatán, community balances growth and atmosphere”

The author of the article, Kevin Brass, after describing the still-”funky” atmosphere of Ambergris Caye, says, “But the water is too shallow for cruise ships and megayachts, and there are few of the all-inclusive resorts that lure the spring-break party crowd to destinations like Cancún or Jamaica.” Thank God. There is still plenty of construction, especially big (for Belize) “condotel” properties. Still, “Most of the developments on the island are in the 20- to 70-unit range. Government restrictions limit buildings along the waterfront to three or four stories.”

This goes along nicely with Belize’s overall small vibe–the vast majority of hotels have ten rooms or less, and the signs on the streets of Caye Caulker still say “GO SLOW.”

[Link to the IHT article]

[My links to Belize]

The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw: Nonfiction Eco-Thriller about Belize Out this Week

February 11th, 2008 | By Joshua | No Comments »

News flash: Macaw featured on the cover of this week’s New York Times Book Review!

I’ve been waiting four long years for the release of The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw: One Woman’s Fight to Save the World’s Most Beautiful Bird, ever since I met author Bruce Barcott in San Ignacio during one of his research trips to Belize. Bruce is a Seattle-based writer and Outside Editor-at-Large, and is in Colorado this week reading and signing his new book at the Boulder Bookstore on Wednesday and Denver’s Tattered Cover on Tuesday the 19th. I look forward to reading the book, which features a number of Belizean and expat characters, as Bruce tells the tale of the infamous Chalillo Dam and the Upper Macal River.

Andy Palacio, Belize and Garifuna Music Hero, Dies at 47

January 27th, 2008 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Andy Palacio died on January 19 of a sudden massive stroke. He was a champion of Garifuna culture, particularly its music, dance, and festivals. His most recent album, “Watina,” won numerous awards in 2007 and he had just completed an extensive international tour—including a concert in Dangriga on Garifuna Settlement Day. National Geographic’s Intelligent Traveler correspondent Susanne Hackett put together a wonderful tribute to Andy with footage she shot in Belize that day, including some of Palacio’s final interviews. Here are some more links:

—Notes from the Barn: a blog about Andy from his record company

—National Geographic Intelligent Traveler video

—Listen to Andy on NPR’s “All Songs Considered”

—The New York Times obituary: “savior of Garifuna music”

(more…)

Belize in Boulder! Slide Show, Songs, and Stories at Changes In Latitudes Travel Store next Tuesday, January 8

January 1st, 2008 | By Joshua | 2 Comments »

This is my friend, Lazaro Martinez, out on a limb, high above the Macal River Gorge and an unnamed waterfall in western Belize. This area of the country, known as “Cayo,” gets a lot less press than Belize’s famous reef and Caribbean cayes. Cayo is one of my favorite parts of the country, where Laz runs the Martz Farm Hideaway Camp, one of the many utterly unique spots which I’ll be featuring in a fun, Belize-casual slide show this week at:

Changes in Latitudes Travel Store: Tuesday, 8 January, 7:00 p.m., 2525 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, CO

I’ll also be signing copies of my award-winning guidebook, Moon Belize, an updated edition of which was released last fall by Avalon Travel Publishing.

Here’s my little tribute to Belize, to get you ready, and here’s a short Q&A I did about Belize. In addition to showing pictures, singing a few songs, and talking about my travels in Belize, I’ll answer your questions about planning/booking your trip and figuring out what to do once you’re there—including volunteer, research, and study programs in Belize.

Planeta.com Book-of-the-Year for Moon Belize

December 6th, 2007 | By Joshua | No Comments »

A quick diversion from Nicaragua, and a look up the Central American coast: Thanks to everyone who voted for Moon Belize in Planeta.com’s Book-of-the-Year contest—and congratulations to the other winners and nominees! I appreciate your support and I wish you all very happy, occasionally scary, and always life-changing travels. Belize is one of the most fascinating little countries in the world and I am humbly grateful to be able to keep returning there. There is no place like Belize—there is no place like Nicaragua—and there is no place like any place in the world. I want to visit them all, just wish I had the time…

Gadling post about Belize’s Garifuna Settlement Day

November 19th, 2007 | By Joshua | No Comments »

On the morning of November 19, 2003, I woke up before dawn and walked through warm rain across Belize City to the dock, where a crowd had gathered for the reenactment of the Garifuna people’s 1823 arrival to these shores. It was a fascinating first day in Belize — and I recall this scene in the introduction to my book, Moon Belize. I recently answered a few questions about Garifuna Settlement Day for gadling.com’s “One for the Road” column:

The biggest party, most bands, and longest drumming binges are found in Dangriga. Smaller-scale celebrations occur in Belize City, Hopkins, and Seine Bight. Crowds greet the boats’ arrival with drums, dance, and alcohol, then everybody parades through town to a Church, a house party, or the taco cart by Stann Creek Bridge.

[Link]

In related news, I just posted answers to the breathless queries of a mildly disgruntled reader.

Moon Belize up for Award - Vote Now!

October 29th, 2007 | By Joshua | 2 Comments »

A couple of news items regarding my latest book, Moon Belize, 7th Edition:

Moon Belize is up for Planeta.com’s 2007 Book of the Year Award in the “Best Place-Based Guidebook” category. Visit Planeta.com (an excellent sustainable tourism resource), and if you’ve had a chance to check out my book and the other nominees, go ahead and cast your vote.

There’s also a new Q&A on Moon.com, where I answer questions about budget accommodations, cheap eats, beaches, diving, and Maya ruins in Belize. Enjoy.

Finally, if you’re planning a trip to one of the world’s best little countries, be sure to check out the Belize Travel Planner, featuring a number of suggested itineraries and must-see sights from Moon Belize.

Worst Souvenir Ever: Colorado man brings botflies back from Belize

July 23rd, 2007 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Most travelers bring a bottle of One Barrel Rum back from their vacation to Belize, or perhaps some Marie Sharp’s Hot Sauce. Aaron Dallas picked up an infestation of botfly worms under his scalp. As reported in the “weird” news section of a UK newspaper (”Man surprised by face bug infestation“), Dallas first thought the bleeding bumps in his head might have been gnat bites. “A specialist thought it was shingles, though both doctors held out the possibility that it was something far more disturbing. Then the bumps started moving…” Botflies are “large, stout bodied, hairy flies that resemble bumblebees,” whose eggs are sometimes deposited under mammalian skin by mosquitoes. (more…)