This is part of a series of posts made by Fay describing her time as a social media manager for Beaches & Dreams.
It’s Fay again! One of the responsibilities I have for my position as social media manager is going on tours and taking plenty of pictures. Over the past two weeks, I’ve been on a total of eight tours. I’ve explored Belize’s culture, natural beauties, and areas of adventure. It’s too much to tackle all in one blog post, so today I’ve decided to focus on what I’ve learned about Belizean culture while on my tours.
I’m Not Scared Of Falling, I’m Scared Of Hitting The Ground
My first tour was the Ruins & Tubing tour, a tour that combines ruin exploration and cave tubing in one. The first section of the tour involved walking through Xunantunich, one of Belize’s largest Mayan ruins. The site has several ancient temples that have been carefully restored by archeologists to feature the most accurate picture of what they would have looked like in ancient times–they even feature several detailed carvings of Mayan gods. While we were there, I was lucky enough to catch a restoration project in action.
We climbed all the way to the top of the largest temple. It didn’t look too difficult from the ground, but by the time I reached the top, I had to stop and catch my breath. There are no railings at the top of the temple, and I think it made me discover a newfound fear of heights, but the view was stunning and absolutely worth the trip it took to get there.
This Job Requires More Physical Labor Than Anticipated
The very next day, I embarked on my next cultural adventure: the Garifuna Immersion experience. This is a half-day adventure where you get to explore Garifuna traditions, led by a Garifuna family who’s dedicated their life to keeping these traditions alive. When I went, I was accompanied by only one other person, but I think it made the experience feel even more personal.
First, we changed into Garifuna clothing and had a long conversation about Garifuna history and culture. Next, we got to eat the included lunch on the tour–but not before making it first! I had to crack open a coconut, excavate the meat within, and squeeze it into coconut milk.
I… may have struggled with the cracking part. Slightly.
We used the coconut milk as the base of the fishy broth that would be the base of our meal. Hudut is a Garifuna dish that contains fried fish and plantain, which you dip into the fish and coconut broth. It’s eaten with your hands, so you have to embrace messiness and lick your fingers clean afterwards. It might not appeal to all the picky eaters out there, but the experience of making the meal from complete scratch, coconut cracking and all, is an unforgettable one.
We finished our immersion by learning a few traditional Garifuna beats on the drums, which were made from scratch out of wood and sheepskin. After about half an hour, my hands were red and itchy, but it was worth it when I had so much fun trying to keep up with the beat.
Here’s a few bonus kittens that kept us company during the experience!
Signing Off
Soon I’ll be going on another tour to explore a spice farm and some more ruins, which I’m sure will teach me even more about the culture of Belize. I hope this post encouraged you to come to Belize, or at least to follow our social media pages–please say it did so that I can prove that I’m worth keeping around!
– Fay
