SPECIAL REPO

CAYO DIST

Rustic Riverside Cottages, Eerie Caves, Few Bugs, and Little-Known Mayan Sites Are Part of the Growing Appeal of the

By RICHARD MAHLER and STEELE WOT

Until the late 1980s, few of Belize's visitors ventured west of the Belize Zoo unless they were heading across the Guatemalan border to Tikal. The conventional wisdom was that, except for the capital of Belmopan and the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich, there was not much to see in the country's interior.

Fortunately, the infrastructure of the interior has improved to the point where many rewarding destinations can (and should) be added to any visitor's itinerary. Besides the country's most extensive collection of Mayan ruins and a growing number of comfortable lodges, Belize's interior offers the best opportunity to encounter the marvelous flora and fauna of a relatively undisturbed subtropical forest. Although some of the nation's newest sanctuaries and reserves offer virtually no access to the casual visitor, others provide an -up close and personal- experience one is not likely to forget. In addition, there are caves, rivers, horse paths, waterfalls, ruins, nature trails, and campsites galore, just waiting to be discovered-in some cases quite literally, since much of the interior remains virtually untouched by humans.

With an estimated 1995 population of 40,000, Cayo (Spanish for 'small island') is the second-largest and fastest-growing district of Belize. The capital city of Belmopan lies at the district's eastern edge, and Benque Viejo anchors its western border with Guatemala. In between these two small towns, a visitor will find some of the nation's richest farmland, at times so carefully manicured by Mennonites that it looks more like the rolling hills of rural Pennsylvania than Central America. Besides cattle, poultry, and pigs, Cayo farmers raise corn, sorghum, beans, fruit, and various vegetables for both domestic consumption and export. Significant amounts of pine, rosewood, Santa MarÆ a, cedar, and mahogany are harvested by local lumber interests. One of the district's most important industries is tourism. Travelers have much to choose from here: Mayan ruins, jungle trails, horseback rides, whitewater rivers, bird-watching, canoe trips, and such natural wonders as cascading waterfalls and limestone caves. The flora and fauna of Cayo are varied and plentiful. Such attractions have been enhanced in recent years by development of an infrastructure that caters to the needs and interests of even the most discriminating visitor, offering everything from wilderness campgrounds to luxurious villas.

San Ignacio-22 miles west of Belmopan and 9 miles from the Guatemala border-is the largest town in the Cayo District and a fine place to have a meal, mail a post card, fill the gas tank, fix a flat tire, exchange currency, and load up on supplies. There are many pleasant hotels in San Ignacio, although most visitors prefer to find accommodations in the surrounding countryside. The town is laid out on a series of bluffs alongside the Macal River, at an elevation high enough to be noticeably cooler and less humid than the coastal plain. The people are friendly and happy-go-lucky, pointing with pride at their Hawkesworth bridge: a scaled down version of the Brooklyn Bridge erected in the late 1940s and still the only suspension span in the country. (Until 1992, the one-way bridge also boasted the only traffic signal in Belize.) Locals will also steer you to the partially restored Mayan ruin of Cahal Pech, just up Main Street at the crest of a hill, and to Serendib, a Sri Lankan restaurant justifiably revered for its spicy curry. Another good dining spot and social hub is Eva's Restaurant (tel. 501-9-22267), across Burns Avenue from Serendib, run by English expatriate Bob Jones and his Belizean wife, Nestora. Wide-ranging travel tips and assistance are cheerfully dispensed at Eva's, the unofficial tourist information center for western Belize. Among other note-worthy stops are the well-stocked souvenir shop and bookstore next to Eva's; the Bel-Brit Bar, an English-style pub also located on Burns Avenue; the Sandcastle, a popular nightclub and restaurant next to the bus depot; and to Cahal Pech Tavern, San Ignacio's liveliest dance hall. The Tavern is now part of Cahal Pech Village, Cahal Pech Hill, (tel. 501-9-23203, is new name for the formerly separate Cahal Pech Hotel and Cahal Pech Tavern. A beige wall separates the lodging from the tavern with its huge thatched palapa roof. Views from this vantage point high above San Ignacio are impressive. This establishment is run by the same folks who own the Venus Hotel.

Other Cayo District towns include Santa Elena, San Ignacio's sister city across the suspension bridge, and Benque Viejo, which practically straddles the Guatemalan border. Both communities are largely Spanish-speaking, and you are likely to encounter marimbas, fiestas, and colorful social customs centered around Catholic holidays and the rituals of baptism, confirmation, and marriage. Many inhabitants are descended from Guatemalan immigrants who crossed the border into Belize to escape political persecution and economic exploitation. Until the late 1980s, the Western Highway was unpaved beyond San Ignacio, and rural residents here were very isolated. Many still make do without electricity, telephones, and indoor plumbing. Tucked into the folds of the lush green hills are a dozen or more 'cottage' resorts, ranging from rustic to elegant but each catering to the visitor who wants to get away from urban distractions in a wooden bungalow or palm-thatched cabaña. Some of these charming retreats are located on working farms or ranches, while others are exclusively dedicated to a kind of gracious, low-key tropical tourism that brings to mind images of the African veldt or Costa Rican jungle.

Each lodge is slightly different in style and character, with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Some specialize in horseback riding or canoeing; others cater to forest trekkers and bird-watchers. Still others can arrange strenuous camping trips in the unexplored wilderness or investigations of little-known caverns. All, however, supply meals and other basic amenities to their guests, and most can set up tours of the nearby Mayan ruins at Xunantunich, Caracol, Cahal Pech, and Tikal. A few even have reciprocal agreements with resorts on the coast or cayes that allow visitors to package a 'surf and turf' holiday. Rates and accommodations vary widely, from budget to five-star, depending on such variables as location, meals, services, and transportation costs.

[For reports on the Mountain Pine Ridge resorts including Blancaneaux, Hidden Valley Inn, Five Sisters, Pine Ridge Lodge, and on Caracol, a Maya site larger than Tikal, see past issues of BELIZE FIRST, including Vol. II, Nos. 1, 3 and 4, and Vol. III, No. 1. BELIZE FIRST plans an update issue on Caracol and the Pine Ridge later in 1996.]

Most Cayo resort operators take individual preferences into account, making breakfast at 5 a.m. for eager bird-watchers, for example, or eliminating the meal entirely for late risers who wish to sleep in. If you want to be chauffeured, they will pick you up at the Belize City airport, San Ignacio bus stop, or almost anyplace else. Charters can now be made to the Cayo airport at Central Farm or Blancaneaux strip in the Mountain Pine Ridge. If you have your own transportation, operators will be just as happy to give you detailed instructions and maps to whatever destination pleases you.

Some of the more established cottage resorts with good reputations among experienced travelers include the Maya Mountain Lodge (encompassing a forest preserve on the Cristo Rey road); Chaa Creek Cottages (offering Mayan-style cabañas and a butterfly farm on a bluff above the Macal River); Mountain Equestrian Trails (a 150-acre, 20-horse ranch catering to nature lovers); Nabitunich (a cattle ranch near the Xunantunich ruins where you can simply relax and watch the Mopan River flow by, happily now again back in the hospitable hands of the Juans); Windy Hill Cottages (yet another ranch, this one with elegant rooms and swimming pool); Banana Bank Ranch (operated by former Montana cowboy John Carr and his artist wife Carolyn); Parrot's Nest (a fascinating collection of tree- houses built above the river near Bullet Tree Falls Village); Crystal Paradise Resort (operated by a Mayan-Creole family and offering bird-watching, horseback riding and boat trips from Cristo Rey Village); Las Casitas (a cluster of rustic bungalows at the confluence of the Belize and Mopan rivers); and Ek' Tun (a remote but luxurious hideaway perched above the Macal River).

Several of the Cayo resorts have become actively involved in projects that combine conservation and sustainable economic development. Mountain Equestrian Trails, for example, has joined with neighboring private landowners to establish the 3,500-acre Slate Creek Preserve, a limestone karst area covered with moist broadleaf forest and home to such endangered fauna as the keel-billed motmot and Baird's tapir. The preserve is a vital link in establishing a biological corridor between the RÆ o Bravo wilderness, Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve, and Mountain Pine Ridge. Mountain Equestrian Trails owners Jim and Marguerite Bevis are involving residents of the nearby immigrant village of Siete Millas in handicraft production, nature-oriented tourism and environmentally sound farming as an alternative to slash-and-burn agriculture, which threatens the Slate Creek watershed and other tracts of unspoiled wilderness. A Belizean of U.S. descent, Jim Bevis hires well-informed local guides to lead visitors on horseback to remote area caves, waterfalls, and ruins. These highly recommended trips are tailored to equestrians of all abilities, including novices. Visitors may camp out or stay in beautifully appointed bungalows at the ranch. Other MET expeditions, conducted in association with The Divide Ltd. (Neil Rogers), combine camping and hiking to such unusual destinations as Puente Natural and Las Cuevas, deep in the Chiquibul forest. MET's Jim Bevis also co-leads a 'Maya Mountain Traverse' through virtually unexplored wilderness as part of a trek offered by Ecosummer Expeditions.

The operators of Maya Mountain Lodge, located about one-half mile south of Santa Elena, also show genuine concern for the future of Cayo and its people. Owners Bart (vice president of the Belize Ecotourism Association) and Suzi Mickler are developing a ceramic handicraft industry using local artisans, teachers, and materials. They began holding ceramics classes in 1993 with the goal of more evenly distributing the economic rewards of tourism among all Belizeans. Thanks to their efforts, many residents of nearby San JosÄ Succotz are now making and selling Mayan-style ceramic art objects. Besides the usual sightseeing trips, Maya Mountain offers guided horseback trips, canoe rides, mountain biking, birding, Mennonite visits, and nature treks (with accompanying guidebooks prepared by biologist Bruce Miller and Suzi Mickler, who holds a master of science degree in education). The facility maintains an educational field station and reference library for cultural, archaeological, and wildlife studies. Maya Mountain is also one of the few Belize lodges that encourages families to visit, and provides a growing number of activities for parents and their children. The lodge holds special week-long workshops during the summer for various interest groups, including artists, families interested in ecology or multiculturalism, and teachers studying tropical ecology or Mayan culture. A former chicken ranch, Maya Mountain grows much of its own food and has established a private nature reserve that includes an unexcavated Mayan ceremonial site. The lodge can arrange home-stays in Gales Point, Bermudian Landing, and several other Belizean villages.

A favorite of many travelers is Chaa Creek Cottages, established many years ago by British expatriate Mick Fleming and his American wife, Lucy. Guests stay in Mayan-style cottages set beneath tall tropical trees or camp out on a bluff above the Macal River. Visitors are serenaded by exotic birds every morning: there is no glass in the windows because Chaa Creek, like much of Cayo, has almost no biting insects. Several nature-oriented tour operators regularly bring their tours here because of the resort's high standards and commitment to environmental awareness. In 1994, Chaa Creek started a butterfly breeding farm, where visitors can see such brilliant species as the 'Belize Blue' that are being raised for sale to indoor butterfly parks around the world.

Lower-priced but highly recommended accommodations catering to nature lovers include the Belizean-owned Crystal Paradise Resort, which offers horseback riding, nature treks, boat trips, bird-watching (binoculars provided), and Mayan ruin tours from a 100-acre parcel along the Macal River near the village of Cristo Rey. Members of the large and friendly Victor Tut family go out of their way to please guests and know the Cayo as only life-long residents can. Check out their extensive natural history library and impressive collection of historic artifacts. The homegrown coffee and Creole cooking by Teresa Tut is delicious. Pick-up by boat or van can be arranged. Some of the more unusual activities include star-gazing (with a powerful telescope) and trips to Laguna Aguacate, a jungle lake near a Mennonite settlement and Mayan ruins. Located only a few hundreds yards from downtown San Ignacio, moderately-priced Mida's Resort offers thatched roof cabins on the banks of the Macal. Operated by a British-Belizean couple, Mike and Maria Preston, Mida's arranges canoeing, sightseeing, and nature treks. (Canoes can also be rented at the nearby Snooty Fox.) Inexpensive camping and a full range of meals are offered at Mida's. Further west, near Xunantunich, is a 400- acre working ranch called Nabitunich ('stone cottage'), with 11 cabins and lots of horses. Bridal trails extend through miles of dense bush. On a sharp bend in the Belize River, near Bullet Tree Falls, the Parrot's Nest accommodates visitors in rustic tree houses. German-born owner Fred Prost raises orchids commercially and is known to many returning visitors as the former manager of Belize City's Seaside Guest House. Here, as there, Prost has kept his lodge affordable for backpackers. Swimming and birding are excellent at Parrot's Nest; horseback tours are also offered to the nearby Mayan ruin of El Pilar and a jungle chicle camp. Worthy of special mention is Ek'Tun ('black rock' in Mayan), where American expatriates Ken and Phyllis Dart have created a lovely two-cottage Macal River retreat on their 200 acres of pristine jungle. One of the most isolated lodges in the Cayo, it is worth the extra effort (4-wheel-drive Land Rover and boat) to get here. You'll feel like you're miles away from civilization, and indeed you are. Many guests have commented on the 'spiritual energy' they feel at this place, which is built on the grounds of what was once an ancient Mayan village. The Darts love to pamper their guests with personal, customized service, ranging from gourmet meals to canoe trips down the Macal and guided tours of unexcavated ruins. The beautiful Yucatç n Maya-style accommodations are handcrafted and elegantly appointed, with careful attention to detail. Outside your door is the cathedral-like majesty of a high- canopy tropical forest, with the soothing sound of the river constantly in the background. Ek'Tun is heaven for bird-watchers, with more than 120 species observable in a random week. Sightings include the spectacled owl and orange-breasted falcon, along with jaguar, howler monkeys, tapirs, tayras, peccaries, and brocket deer. Mayan artifacts have been found in nearby caves, and there are many house mounds, causeways, and even an ancient well. Committed environmentalists, the Darts spend part of their time growing mahogany, teak, and other highly valued trees that have become scarce through exploitation.

There are at least two dozen other lodges, campgrounds, and hotels in the Cayo to suit every taste and pocketbook. Check with travel agencies, the Belize Tourism Industry Association, or the Belize Tourist Board for a complete rundown. Bob Jones at Eva's Restaurant is also an excellent source of up-to-date information and he can help budget-minded travelers find the best values. For those heading off the beaten path, we recommend The Divide Ltd. (501-9-23452). For those who wish to stay in town, one can't do better than the Belizean- owned San Ignacio Hotel, which has a very good restaurant (specializing in beef), comfortable rooms (some with satellite TV and direct-dial phones), a nature trail, gift shop, basketball court, and the best swimming pool in Cayo. There are budget-priced accommodations in San Ignacio as well, however we have received inconsistent reports about most of them. For those who wish to stay in a jungle setting close to Belmopan, we recommend Banana Bank Lodge, operated by American cattle rancher John Carr and his artists wife, Carolyn. Much of their 4,000-acre property is old-growth subtropical forest, with over 200 species of birds identified along with many other creatures. The lodge specializes in canoeing (up to 3 hours on the Belize River), horseback riding (select from among 25 saddle horses), and star-gazing (with an 8-inch Meade telescope). Meals are provided.

There is a wide range of restaurants in the Cayo District, yielding something for every pocketbook and taste. In addition to the above-mentioned lodges, most of which serve excellent food, we like San Ignacio's Serendib (on Burns Ave., for authentic Sri Lankan curries) and the Sandcastle Bar & Grill (at the Manza Plaza downtown, for fine seafood and Belizean cuisine, plus the friendliest atmosphere in town). Like Bob Jones at Eva's, Remo Montgomery of the Sandcastle is a gold mine of travel information and even does river trips on area waterways. If You Go: The Cayo District is easily reached by private or rental car on the Western Highway, or by the same route via the low-cost Batty, Novelo, Piache, and Shaw bus lines. Check with local agents or innkeepers for schedules and fares. The drive from Belize City to San Ignacio takes just under two hours, the bus somewhat longer. There is a taxi stand at Columbus Park (the traffic circle by the suspension bridge) in San Ignacio and Market Plaza in downtown Belmopan. Small airstrips near Belmopan, Central Farm (east of San Ignacio), and the Blancaneaux Lodge (in the Mountain Pine Ridge) are used by private and chartered aircraft. Most resorts can arrange pick-up at Belize's international airport for a fee of about US$100.

Ix Chel Farm and Rainforest Medicine Trail A few miles west of San Ignacio, a dirt side road follows a Macal River tributary called Chaa Creek, which has become one of the centers of laid-back Cayo tourism. The Chaa Creek Road first winds through a series of barren cattle pastures before bisecting verdant farmland: vast Mennonite plantations on one side, small Indian fields on the other. About 4 miles from the Western Highway the road splits, with one branch heading toward DuPlooy's Resort and the other to Chaa Creek Cottages, both recommended for those seeking an authentic jungle experience with plenty of creature comforts.

Both lodges perch on cliffs above the swift Macal River and are surrounded by thick second-growth subtropical vegetation. The forest setting is tranquil and shady, a perfect setting for a slow canoe trip, unhurried horseback ride, or leisurely nature walk. A maze of pathways penetrate the foliage, including the remarkable Rainforest Medicine Trail. This unusual trail is located about 100 yards away from Chaa Creek Cottages on the grounds of Ix Chel Farm, a pioneering research facility specializing in the healing properties of plants.

During the summer rainy season, when visitors from other parts of Belize complain about bug bites, Ix Chel founder Rosita Arvigo walks out the back door of her farmhouse and snaps a small branch off a red gumbo-limbo tree. The bark, she informs them, produces a natural insect repellent. It can also be made into a tonic for treating urinary tract infections and provides an antidote to the itchy rashes caused by contact with the poisonwood tree, which invariably grows nearby. There are many other local trees, shrubs, and vines that have proven equally useful.

A dedicated herbalist and botanical field practitioner from Chicago, Arvigo is in a race against time. She and her colleagues at this remote encampment are scouring the Central American forests in search of tropical plants that may help win the war against a number of deadly diseases. With her husband, Greg Shropshire, Arvigo works at the place where the timeless wisdom of venerable native healers intersects with the untested theories of Western medicine.

"Much of what I have learned is from Don Elijio Panti," she explains, referring to the traditional Mayan healer who began-albeit reluctantly at first- sharing his secrets (beginning at age 86) with Arvigo. This local Mayan herbalist, who died February 4, 1996, at age 103, has provided Arvigo's Ix Chel Tropical Research Center with vital information about hundreds of plants that have been used by Belizeans to treat everything from heart attacks to snakebites.

For students of the natural pharmacy held in undisturbed tropical forest or those who are interested in modern examples of the bridge between cultures, we recommend Arvigo's compelling 1994 book, Sastun, My Apprenticeship with a Maya Healer. Arvigo has recently accomplished one important goal: to preserve the encyclopedic herbal lore Don Elijio memorized during his long lifetime. Major progress has also been made in determining the healing properties of hundreds of other native plants that may have never been ingested by humans and thus have unknown biochemical effects.

"In 1987 the U.S. government's National Cancer Institute awarded a contract to the New York Botanical Garden's Institute of Economic Botany to survey the flowering and cone bearing plants in the New World tropics for chemical compounds that could be used to treat diseases such as cancer and AIDS," explained Dr. Michael Balick, a director at the Institute of Economic Botany, in a 1995 interview. "Ix Chel Tropical Research Foundation is the collaborating center for this work in Belize." Drs. Balick, Arvigo and Shropshire have-in collaboration with numerous Belizean traditional healers-collected hundreds of plants in support of the project. The effort underscores a deepening alliance between native healers and modern scientists in a bid to study potentially useful plants before they are wiped off the face of the earth by deforestation and industrialization.

The World Health Organization, among other international agencies, have studied plant samples from Ix Chel Farm. The materials are dried in a specially made oven in Arvigo's botanical workshop, then labeled and packaged before being sent to a laboratory for analysis. All this work is carried out in an isolated setting that has only solar electricity, minimal hot water, and no telephone. The campaign is spurred by the knowledge that the world's forests have already yielded such medicines as quinine (an antimalarial), vinblastine (used to treat Hodgkin's disease), and taxol (a treatment for ovarian cancer). Many so-called miracle drugs are plant-derived compounds from tropical forests. Examples include Tubocurarine (curare), used in operating rooms to relax muscles and prevent spasm, and Pilocarpine, used in ophthalmology for the treatment of glaucoma. Scientists estimate that 25 percent of all prescription drugs were derived from the plant kingdom.

At Ix Chel Farm, the Rainforest Medicine Trail winds through a living display of arboreal and herbal remedies. Signs describe one plant after another, many bearing unusually descriptive names. The 'tres puntas' plant-distinguished by its large three- pointed leaves and also know as jackass bitters-is used to treat and prevent a variety of parasitic ailments such as malaria, fungus and ringworm. A few steps farther is skunk root, effective in treating alcoholism and ulcers, and wild grapevine, filled with an antiseptic used to wash newborn infants. Nearby grows the fiddlewood tree; its bark used in an herbal bath to kill the parasite known to cause a painful condition called leishmaniasis. Also present is the wild yam, a popular Belizean household remedy for urinary tract ailments and to relieve pains of rheumatism and arthritis.

As practiced by Panti and other Mayan shaman, herbal medicine is religious as well as physical. Natural and supernatural forces are seen in every aspect of daily life. Traditionally, a Mayan healer was called a h'men, or doctor/priest. Every one of his patients receives a series of nine prayers to the nine principal Mayan spirits. Before Panti would cut any plant with his machete, he always paused to murmur a prayer: "In the name of God, I take the life of this plant to heal the sick and I give thanks to its spirit."

Much of the information that Panti has passed on to Arvigo in tape-recorded meetings and early morning field trips is also being fed into a computer, to be shared with scientists and medical researchers around the globe. Arvigo and Michael Balick of the New York Botanical Garden have written a book, published by Lotus Press, about their findings: Rainforest Remedies:One Hundred Healing Herbs of Belize.

"We're teaching health care workers in village clinics how to use medicinal plants," says Arvigo, who welcomes between 3,000 to 5,000 visitors a year to Ix Chel Farm and sees patients privately for specialized forms of acupuncture, chiropractics, and other health treatments. Her husband is a homeopathic doctor with his own practice as well.

The facilities at Ix Chel Farm have been expanded to accommodate conferences where Arvigo and Shropshire, residents of Belize since 1983, share their knowledge of natural healing practices. The couple sell a variety of teas and ointments directly to the public (mail orders carry a 15 percent surcharge). They also use an adjacent property to do studies on the economic value of rain forest plants, focusing on the sustainable harvest of various species. In 1993, the couple worked with the Belize Association of Traditional Healers in spearheading a campaign to protect yet another tract of old-growth forest in western Belize for the specific purpose of growing and harvesting medicinal plants (believed to be the first of its kind in the world). The resulting 6,000-acre nature reserve, Terra Nova, is not currently accessible to tourists.

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