Aug 30th 10 Posted in Ambergris Caye Stories // No Comments

El Pescador Ambergris Caye Fishing Report: August 22nd to 28th

El Pescador | This was one of those weeks I just love my job. I count my blessings all the time, believe me, but this week just kept a big grin on my face! Donna and Jim are celebrating their 31st wedding anniversary, and they ran around here like teenagers. They grew to love their guide Cesar, and then found it necessary to extend their stay here for three more days. We started calling Donna, “Cuda Queen”, because she landed so many barracuda. In one picture the cuda is bigger than Donna! You go girl. And then Natalie and George here for their sixth wedding anniversary and they landed their first bonefish.

But the star of the show this week was Ray. He and Ty were here from the Florida Keys and they wanted a grand slam. Well, Ray got his wish. He has been fly fishing since he was 10. Now retired, Ray “got a dream.” This is what Antonio, our bartender here at EP, was telling us when he and I were out fishing with Captain Emir. Antonio was telling me and Emir that his Uncle always says, “Give me a dream,” and just as he is telling us this, a 3 lb bonefish eats his fly by Deer Caye! Yep. This was Antonio’s very first bonefish on fly. Elated. Emir and I just looked at him and said, “You are lucky! Enjoy it.” (Continue Reading)

Aug 30th 10 Posted in Belize News // No Comments

Water taxi says no one was injured on boat

Channel 5 Belize | About a week ago, San Pedro Water Jets, opened a branch of its operation in Belize City. The new water taxi business hopes to bring competition to the industry. But an incident which occurred after four p.m. on Thursday appeared to have damaged the reputation of the organization rather than the boat in the question. According to the general manager of the domestic branch of San Pedro Water Jets, no one was injured in the incident.

Harrison Longsworth, General Manager, San Pedro Water Jets (Domestic Branch):
“Actually what happened was that on approaching the pier on the back side of Caye Caulker, which is the normal approach to let the people off on that pier, a cable broke on the console of the boat and it didn’t stop as quickly as it should have. It was gliding in—normally the way it glides in to settle at the dock, it couldn’t be reversed in time and it hit the bulwark. It was a slight bump, it wasn’t anything of consequence and the break in the cable happens as any veteran captain or seaman will tell you, these cables will break; they may be new and they will break. So it happens minimally, but this in an incident where it happened and the captain lost control of the engine briefly and it came to a stop by hitting the bulwark.” (Continue Reading)

Aug 30th 10 Posted in Belize News // 1 Comment

GOB plans to makes changes at Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve

Love FM | The Government of Belize has launched a multiple-ministry approach to the sustainable development of the Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve. A team of CEO’s from various government ministries including the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Tourism recently toured the reserve and discussed opportunities for the creation of a model for sustainable development which aims to fuel an increase in tourism in the area.

The plan being considered includes the transformation of the Douglas D’Silva Camp into a planned community which will serve as an activity centre for the area, the establishment of a training camp for the Belize Defense Force in a designated area of the reserve to provide greater presence by our security forces in the reserve and upgrading the St. Augustine Airstrip as a part of overall municipal airstrip upgrade projects as well as upgrading the main access road from the Western Highway.

Aug 30th 10 Posted in Belize News // No Comments

Belize Chamber of Commerce and Idustry calls for meeting of Public Account Committee

Love FM | The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry is calling for a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives. This is in response to the findings revealed in the Auditor General’s report for April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009. A release from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry says that since the release of the report it has been calling for the assembly of the Public Accounts Committee.

This extremely important parliamentary committee is charged with ensuring that the rules and procedures instituted for the proper management of public funds are adhered to and with protecting against the abuse of power in the use of public funds. The Chamber says with the re-invigoration of the Office of the Auditor General, the demonstrated professionalism of the current Auditor General, and the five of seven reports tabled in the House of Representatives to date, there is absolutely no reason for an inactive Public Accounts Committee. The Chamber publicly renews its call for the immediate assembly of the Public Accounts Committee, for its participants to approach their mandate with the importance it deserves and for the release of regular reports of it work. (Continue Reading)

Aug 27th 10 Posted in San Pedro Weather // No Comments

Daily San Pedro Belize Weather Forecast August 27th

General Situation: Tropical Wave moves away later today. 24hr Forecast: Cloudy at times today and partially cloudy tonight with the chance of showers or thunderstorms. Winds: East to Southeast at 10 to 20 knots. Sea State: Choppy/Moderate. Outlook: Through Sunday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms mainly in the South. Highs: 31°C/89°F  Lows: 26°C/79°F.

Tropical Weather Outlook: At 3:00am Cat 4 Hurricane Danielle was over the Atlantic centered about 545 miles southeast of Bermuda with maximum winds of 135 mph and moving to the northwest at 12 mph. Also at 3:00am Tropical Storm Earl was centered about 1400 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands with maximum winds of 45 mph and moving to the west at 17 mph. A vigorous tropical wave over the far eastern Atlantic Ocean has a high chance for development into a tropical cyclone during the next day or two.

Aug 27th 10 Posted in Ambergris Caye Events // No Comments

Hope for Kim Cancer Walk nets over $9k

San Pedro Sun | At 5:00am Sunday morning, a lively group of walkers and runners gathered at Central Park where the official Hope for Kim 10-mile walk was set to begin. At the start, several runners took off heading in the pre-determined route up to Boca Del Rio Park and then back down through Middle Street all the way to the 4-Mile marker south of the island and back to the starting point. Walkers followed, in groups or singly, all in solidarity for one of the community’s very own. Kim Reyes is suffering from Kidney Cancer, and all funds raised are to go to help fund her treatments.

At the end of the 10 mile route at Central Park, Michael Del Valle came in first, and he was followed by Kristian Guerrero and Tito Alamilla. Following closely behind was Liliana Nuñez. Other joggers and walkers soon started coming in. For the second year in a row, Michael Del Valle logged in the fastest time.

Organized by Train Station, the walk was considered a great success. Of the 130 ($50) pledges, about 60 actually showed up for the walk. All funds were collected, amounting to a little over $9,000. It is the second of such an activity, with the first being held in honor of the late Mrs. Lydia Guerrero. Lisa Guerrero, owner of Train Station, and one of the participants said, “This is something we want to do every year, and funds raised will go either towards the Cancer Center in Dangriga, or to a community member who is in need of funds for cancer treatment.”

Below find some words of appreciation from Kim Reyes:
As a child I had the image of angelic beings adorned with iridescent wings and golden halos. Surely to be found only in celestial skies, quite impossible to be seen among mere mortals.

I’ve been blessed to have seen these blessed creatures in faces and the smiles and generous acts of the people among me. Although there wear no wings or shiny halos they are radiant in the light of God’s love. Thank you to all who have given their time and donations in any form to aid me in my time of need. You all are truly angels on earth.

/s/ Kim Reyes

Aug 27th 10 Posted in Ambergris Caye Stories // No Comments

Melanie Paz re-installed as San Pedro Lions President

San Pedro Sun | Zone 59 Chairman Baldemar Graniel then read the Lions Code of Ethics to the gathered crowd. Lion Marina Graniel-Kay then welcomed everyone to the event, adding that she hoped that all those members present would join with the new board in bringing the San Pedro Lions ever more forward.

Melanie Paz, who was unanimously re-elected to continue the Presidency, highlighted the various achievements of the club in the past year. She stated that many of the activities accomplished during the Lion year 2009-2010 are attributed to the hard work of the club and the partnership of the community and business sector. Friday night’s Bingo and BBQ special has once again been revived, and it is now a family activity that many people look forward to attending. The Lions’ park in the Mosquito Coast area has been revamped, and a new palapa has been constructed, and now families who want to spend some time on the beach have great facilities to use while in that area. Also especially important in the list of accomplishments is the return of BCVI (Belize Council for the Visually Impaired) to give free eye clinics on the first Thursday of every month. The Lions office, which was previously used as a storage area upstairs at the Lion’s Den, has been converted into the treatment area for 20-25 patients a month. There are several other goals that the Lions Club hopes to accomplish, and President Paz called on all members to join and renew their efforts to make 2010-2011 an even bigger success. (Continue Reading)

Aug 27th 10 Posted in Belize News // No Comments

Boat Crash In Caye Caulker

7 News Belize | A water taxi from San Pedro Water Jet Express – with the name Thunder Bolt 1 – ran into a pier in Caulker Caulker. It happened sometime after three o’clock this afternoon. According to the commissioner of ports, the boat left Belize City around 2:30- and while approaching a pier in Caye Caulker Village -the boat’s control broke which caused the vessel to hit the dock. They were 14 passengers on board and no one was injured. According to the commissioner, after the vessel was inspected it then proceeded on its way to San Pedro to drop off its remaining passengers.

Aug 27th 10 Posted in Belize News // No Comments

Tourist Zone for Destination Belize

Guardian.bz | Motorists, cyclists and pedestrians will agree that the tourism village area is one of the most chaotic in the city. Though there are signs in the area that establish the street as “one way” during working hours, residents who traffic the area regularly see those as mere suggestions if not just idle thoughts. Judging from the blatant disregard for standard traffic regulations in that area, it is a miracle that more vehicles are not damaged or pedestrians injured. It is the first impression that millions of tourists experience of Destination Belize, and to put it lightly, it is a disgrace. The Belize Tourism Board plans to do something about it.

Seleni Matus, Director of BTB, says that there is a plan to introduce a tourism friendly zone in the vicinity of the fort street tourism village. She says that only 42% of cruise passengers that get off the cruise ship actually organize tours. Therefore, the poor presentation is having a damaging impact on potential clients. Matus said, “We just completed our analysis that we are losing on an annual basis close to $50 million because of the poor presentation that we have as our destination.”

The tourism zone is an idea that was derived from a meeting with cruise industry shareholders about an organizational restructuring process. Matus says that the zone will address traffic concerns and visitors flow. The area will see a boost in security measures as well. Matus said, “The BTB’s mission is to help grow the tourism industry and there’s a tremendous opportunity to better position stakeholders to capitalize on the many untapped benefits that cruise tourism is already bringing to the country.”

Aug 27th 10 Posted in Belize News // No Comments

Placencia Tour Operators say no to Cruise Tourism in their area

Love FM | The Tour Operators Association in Placencia is objecting to cruise ship tourism in that area. In a release issued by the association on Monday, there are several points put forth for this objection. Among the issues raised were the lack of necessary infrastructure in southern Belize for mass cruise ship tourism such as sewage treatment, public restrooms, garbage collection and disposal and roads. Other issues noted included the detrimental effect of cruise ship tourism on Placencia overnight tourist arrivals, the adverse effects on the fragile marine and inland environments, and Belize’s inability to enforce laws regulating cruise tourism. The Association ended its release stating that they are calling on the Government of Belize for assistance in strengthening locally owned Belizean businesses and increasing the area’s traditional local overnight tourism.