Belize Adventure
January - February, 2014
Help me pick a date! What works for you?

Ever wish you were next to a thundering waterfall in a rainforest?

Are you intrigued by the link between ancient cultures and permaculture?

Ready to escape from both the cold temperatures and the rat race to go on the adventure of a lifetime?

Join me in the New Year in Belize, Central America!

In 2000, my wife Deborah and I had the good fortune to spend seven months in Belize with Plenty International, The Farm's relief and development organization. During my time there I traveled extensively throughout the Maya mountains, visiting small villages where a way of life thousands of years old endures to this day.

I had a vision of someday leading trips, to give others the opportunity to experience as I did, the beauty and wonder of the jungle, the tropical mountains, the Mayan people and the ability to look at the world in a different way.

This will be more than just a vacation.
It will be a way to to go beyond typical ecotourism.
It's a chance to see how the rest of the world really lives and briefly share their lives.

We'll see cutting edge solar technology and back to the basics sustainable gardening....ancient ruins and traditional peoples...howler monkeys and the Caribbean Sea.

It will be a trip you will never forget.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Douglas
Douglas@thefarmcommunity.com

Located on the coast 2 -3 hours drive south of Belize City, Punta Gorda is the capital of the state with the same name and the part of Belize where the majority of the Maya live.

The town is a mix Garifuna, Creole, Maya as well as East Indian, Indonesian and Ex-pat European culture.

Punta Gorda is at the southern tip of Belize

A traditional Mayan village
PG is surrounded by a highland area known as the Maya Mountains, dotted with small villages throughout the jungle hillsides.

After visiting Belize in the late 90's to check things out, in 2000 my wife Deborah and I had the opportunity to work with once again Plenty International.

Her task was to conduct a training with women representing a dozen different Mayan villages, teaching women;s health, prenatal care and midwifery skills, a project funded by UNICEF.

I provided support for her work and volunteered my services in support of the Toledo Ecotourism Association, a collaboration by Mayan villages to provide guest houses along with guided hikes and other things of interest to backpackers and tourists seeking a more authentic experience.

We'll spend two days and nights in the villages, explore the jungle with Mayan guides and get an evening's entertainment from a village marimba band!

A waterfall in the Maya Mountains

My wife Deborah and her students
Mayan midwifery students

The focal point of Plenty Belize's current work is its multi-faceted Garden based Agriculture for Toledo's Environment program.

GATE aims to create a replicable model of local sustainable livelihood and environmental benefit based on organic school gardens with a corresponding school lunch program.

Plenty has implemented a variety of appropriate, alternative technologies in rural areas for generating power, irrigation, sanitation and more.

We'll meet with Plenty Belize director Mark Miller to visit examples of this work, including schools involved in the GATE project and with solar installations that provide power for lighting and computers.

During our time in Belize we made friends with Chris Nesbit, an American who chose to carve out a life in the jungle on a farm only accessible by dugout canoe.

Living off the grid and following the fundamentals of permaculture to work the land, he developed the Maya Mountain Research Farm, hosting workshops for both local and international guests, student groups and volunteer interns who exchange labor for a chance to gain a true back to the land experience.

We'll spend two nights here, exploring Mayan ruins, swimming in the river, along with a tour of the farm and a look at its current endeavors.

Guests gaze out over the valley below from
the porch of the MMRC guest house.

Heliconia

Pueblo Viejp
Pueblo Viejo Lower Falls

Pueblo Viejo Upper Falls

A view of the Maya Mountains

river Belize
The river at Blue Creek

Contact me for more information, Let's make plans!
Douglas
Douglas@thefarmcommunity.com

Belize Adventure
January - February, 2014
Help me pick a date! What works for you?

Ever wish you were next to a thundering waterfall in a rainforest?

Outline for the Belize Adventure

7 Days and 6 Nights, All Accommodations, Meals, Excursions and Transportation
(airfare to and from Belize not included) $1600 per person

Day 1 - Arrive in Belize City, drive down to Punta Gorda and spend the night at a jungle resort overlooking the Caribbean.

Day 2 - We visit Mayan villages and schools participating in Plenty's solar energy projects and the organic garden / school lunch program. We'll spend the night in a Mayan village guest house and have dinner at the home of a Mayan family.

Day 3 - We'll explore the rainforest, visit some waterfalls, a cave and spend another night with the Maya.

Day 4 - A trip to an ancient Mayan ruin, then canoe upriver to the Mayan Mountain Research Farm

Day 5 - The Mayan Mountain Research Farm follows the fundamentals of permaculture, growing their food and living off the grid with solar power. Don't miss the hike to the top of the mountain and the undeveloped Mayan ruin with a view that is unbelievable.

Day 6 - We'll work our way toward civilization and head back to the resort for a night close to town, with soft beds, hot showers.

Day 7 - Back to Belize City for our flights home.

Join me in the jungle for an adventure
you will never forget.

I will be your guide to experience life in the third world, an encounter with nature and ancient cultures, and discover how we can help make a difference in lives
in the here and now.

A traditional Mayan village
PG is surrounded by a highland area known as the Maya Mountains, dotted with small villages throughout the jungle hillsides.

A waterfall in the Maya Mountains

Belize Adventure January - February, 2014 Help me pick a date! What works for you?

Ever wish you were next to a thundering waterfall in a rainforest?

Outline for the Belize Adventure

7 Days and 6 Nights, All Accommodations, Meals, Excursions and Transportation (airfare to and from Belize not included) $1600 per person

Day 1 - Arrive in Belize City, drive down to Punta Gorda and spend the night at a jungle resort overlooking the Caribbean.

Day 2 - We visit Mayan villages and schools participating in Plenty's solar energy projects and the organic garden / school lunch program. We'll spend the night in a Mayan village guest house and have dinner at the home of a Mayan family.

Day 3 - We'll explore the rainforest, visit some waterfalls, a cave and spend another night with the Maya.

Day 4 - A trip to an ancient Mayan ruin, then canoe upriver to the Mayan Mountain Research Farm

Day 5 - The Mayan Mountain Research Farm follows the fundamentals of permaculture, growing their food and living off the grid with solar power. Don't miss the hike to the top of the mountain and the undeveloped Mayan ruin with a view that is unbelievable.

Day 6 - We'll work our way toward civilization and head back to the resort for a night close to town, with soft beds, hot showers.

Day 7 - Back to Belize City for our flights home.

Join me in the jungle for an adventure you will never forget.

I will be your guide to experience life in the third world, an encounter with nature and ancient cultures, and discover how we can help make a difference in lives in the here and now.

A traditional Mayan village PG is surrounded by a highland area known as the Maya Mountains, dotted with small villages throughout the jungle hillsides.

A waterfall in the Maya Mountains

Belize Adventure
January - February, 2014
Help me pick a date! What works for you?

7 Days and 6 Nights, All Accommodations, Meals, Excursions and Transportation
(airfare to and from Belize not included) $1600 per person

Join me in the jungle for an adventure
you will never forget.

I will be your guide to experience life in the third world, an encounter with nature and ancient cultures, and discover how we can help make a difference in lives
in the here and now.

A traditional Mayan village
PG is surrounded by a highland area known as the Maya Mountains, dotted with small villages throughout the jungle hillsides.