Article and Slide Show on 2012 Tourism in the Maya Region

December 30th, 2011 | By Joshua | No Comments »

My first column in Huffington Post Travel appears today: “The Maya World Braces For 2012 Apocalypse, Tourism Boom.”

Despite the title and the hundreds of comments debating the end of the world, my article has absolutely NOTHING to do with an apocalypse. It is about tourism to Mexico and Central America, which has been quite depressed for some years now. Hopefully, foreigners’ genuine curiosity and interest in the Maya people, culture, and history will result in a boost in these regions next year and hopefully the Maya themselves will benefit.

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Second Reference to 12/21/2012 discovered in Mexico? Probably not, say scientists.

November 25th, 2011 | By Joshua | No Comments »

As always, when it comes to anything having to do with Maya 2012, your first assumption should always be “don’t believe the hype.” That seems to be true with the new story by Associated Press today, “Mexico acknowledges 2nd Mayan reference to 2012.” Until now, the only known direct reference to December 21, 2012 is a 1300-year-old inscription on Tortuguero Monument 6, found near Tabasco, Mexico. Headlines today are announcing a possible second reference to 2012 on an artifact known as the “Comalcalco Brick,” the sketch of which is pictured above. Interestingly, the mere mention of a second ancient reference to 2012 (which, by the way, is probably NOT even a reference to 2012), even one which says nothing about any event or prophecy, is still apparently a license for the media pull the A-word (“apocalypse”) back out of their pockets.

But Dr. Edwin Barnhart, Director of the Maya Exploration Center and a former student of Linda Schele, who assembled the team which broke the code of Maya hieroglyphics in 1973, has seen photos of the brick and told me in an email that he is “of the opinion that [the Comalcalco Brick] does not reference 2012, or at least there is not enough information to say. It would be like finding a broken tombstone that said December 21st and concluding that it was said December 21st, 1968.” (more…)

My Maya 2012 Travel Blog at Moon.com

November 23rd, 2011 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Yes, I’ve been double-blogging. It’s been a few months now. I’m posting puro Mundo Maya travel in the year 2012 so be sure to bookmark it if that’s your bag, baby. There will be nuggets and spin-offs from my books, and updates and announcements as I hear about special travel opportunities in the year 2012. I suspect I’ll be giving away some free stuff too. Some posts will be duplicated here, since there it is plenty of natural overlap between the Maya world and tranquilo travel, but most will be moon.com exclusives.

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Interview in today’s Charlotte Observer: Foreign Correspondent page

October 23rd, 2011 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Thanks to John Bordsen, Travel Editor of the Charlotte Observer, for interviewing me in his foreign correspondent column this week: “Mayan sites worth the trip” has me rating ruins and discussing the Long Count, Tulum, and extra-terrestrials. Enjoy.

Glass-floor hotel room on private island in Belize: Watch fish and ‘facetime your houseman’!

April 11th, 2011 | By Joshua | 4 Comments »

I couldn’t resist sharing this photo from Cayo Espanto, a private island for rent on the back side of Ambergris Caye in Belize. This is the glass floor in their Over Water Villa. “At bedtime, we recommend counting fish rather than counting sheep,” they say. The high end in Belize really is high-end. Every villa comes with iPad 2s, so you can call your butler (”facetime your houseman! surf the web in your star bed”)–or film and broadcast those fish in your floor.

Travel Writer Action Video in Belize, Part I

April 2nd, 2011 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Just another day in the office… During my last research trip to Belize, I shot this on a Canon HD point-n-shoot, with a Gorilla Grip tripod that I wrapped around tree limbs and canoe gunwales.

The video does NOT show the hundreds of ours hunched over a computer that it takes to complete a guidebook.
This is just an intro to more episodes … Enjoy: JOSHUA BERMAN TRAVEL WRITER VIDEO

2012 Book Focuses on the Living Maya’s Ancient Wisdom

March 8th, 2011 | By Joshua | 2 Comments »

The quantity of 2012 literature out there is mind-boggling. There are hundreds of books about the Maya calendar cycle ending on December 21, 2012, but few give a rational, researched, big picture of the 2012 phenomenon and its related aspects.

Fewer still focus on the eight million living Maya and how they look at 2012, and are written by such a respected and experienced author as Robert Sitler, PhD, a professor and Director of the Latin American Studies Program at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida.

Sitler began his career studying Maya culture 40 years ago while traveling in the rainforests and ruins of Chiapas, Mexico. He continues to draw lessons from his decades among the Maya, and his latest book, The Living Maya: Ancient Wisdom in the Era of 2012 (North Atlantic Books, 2010) is a fine example of how he does this—and also a refreshingly grounded approach to the history and implications of 2012. For these reasons, if you haven’t read anything about this subject, The Living Maya is a great place to start, especially for anyone planning a trip to any of the Mundo Maya countries: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, or Honduras.

The book begins with the Yukatek Maya greeting, “Bix a bel?” which means, “How is your road?” And that’s right where the author puts us—in the vivid landscapes of the Guatemalan highlands and southern Mexican villages, traveling through misty, surreal scenery and interacting with modern-day Mayans of all types. (more…)

Travel writing in Belize: a guidebook updater stops for coffee

February 16th, 2011 | By Joshua | No Comments »

A lot of sweat, blood, and guts goes into updating a guidebook — plus a few cappuccinos, like the one pictured above at Francis Ford Coppola’s Blancaneaux Lodge in the Mountain Pine Ridge. It’s always nice to duck in to a few moments of luxury as one scours the wilderness of western Belize. I write guidebooks to both Nicaragua and Belize, and usually find myself researching in the summer and fall, and writing in the winter. Here’s a related article about the process: FAQ on writing guidebooks.

DuPlooy’s goes solar and other green building trends on the Macal River in Western Belize

January 10th, 2011 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Both DuPlooy’s Jungle Resort and the nearby Lodge at Chaa Creek — two of the original eco-lodges in the Cayo region — have always walked the walk when it comes to green and sustainable practices. On my latest visit to the area, it was heartening to find this commitment as strong as ever.

Case in point: duPlooy’s new solar panels, pictured above with proud owner Judy duPlooy, now provides all of the resort’s power. Judy says the monthly payments on her renewable energy system are already less than her previous diesel costs. (more…)

On Assignment in Belize for Moon Travel Guides

December 28th, 2010 | By Joshua | No Comments »

There is nowhere like Belize — one of the smallest, most diverse, friendliest countries in the world! I’m currently researching the 9th edition of Moon Belize, covering the entire Cayo highlands, Belize City, and Ambergris Caye. Being a guidebook writer allows me to return to this place and go deeper and deeper — I spend all day walking, taking notes, and talking to new and old friends. It’s exhausting, but I am not complaining. Pictured above, another old friend: Tony the boa at the Belize Zoo.