belizean brain candy

here it is: our tiny little tropical home for the next two years. isn't she a beauty? neighbored by the yucatan in mexico, guatemala, and the caribbean sea...could it get any better?

yes, my friends, it actually gets much better. belize not only harbors an almost unfair amount of natural beauty (over 1,000 islands, 136 miles of barrier reef, rain forests, coastal lagoons and estuaries) but it is also teeming with cultural history and abundance. the land was originally inhabited by the mopan maya, and ruins of the ancient maya civilization are found all over the country. belize is currently home to three distinct maya groups: yucatecs, mopans, and kekchi. this tiny little nugget of perfection is also home to the garifuna, an ethnic group of mixed african and caribbean ancestry who live primarily in belize, honduras, nicaragua, and guatemala. while belize is officially an english speaking country, most of the population speak languages other than english, such as spanish
kriol (creole), and mayan languages.

belize, a british colony for over a century, was known as british honduras until the 1970s and did not gain full independence until 1981. with 8,867 square miles of land and a population of 297,651, belize has the lowest population density in central america, and one of the lowest in the world. the country operates in the central time zone (yipee!) and their form of currency is the belizean dollar (approximately 2 belizean dollars to the us dollar).

i grabbed this photo off of lonely planet online...it's Blue Hole: a natural diving pool leading to an underwater river.
perhaps there is an underwater school in blue hole with teachers who need training! what a coincidence, i know two people who would be perfect for that job.