It is hard not to come to Belize and not see some Mayan ruins. Some have been restored to the point that they don’t look real. Lubaantun, where we went, is an excellent example of ruins. No, there aren’t any tidy pyramids, but there are superb examples of stone work.

Antonio, our guide for those of you new to the blog, related the history of this amazing site to our group. They were fascinated,

As Arnie and I worked with people, some asked where we had done this or that shot last year, but we always encourage them to make their own photographs

I did another image for our exhibition next summer, Tropical Impressions from Belize. I can’t wait to see it printed!

We had a leisurely morning, some people sleeping in, others getting up early to do a bird walk with Antonio. Some wanted help with Lightroom, and others just chilled out on their hammocks at their cabanas.

After lunch, we headed off to Barranco, a Garifuna (ga-RI-fue-NAH) village down the coast a mere 12 miles from the Guatemalan border. We could look across at that country’s mountain layers, but it was the village we came to see, its culture, and the drummers who won the drumming competition in Belize three times in a row.

Alvin greeted us at his house. He was our host last year in the village, and we were glad to see him again. He is so interesting and has so many stories to tell about his people.

The Garinagu (plural of Garifuna and pronounced in a similar manner) trace their ancestry to African slaves and Amerindians,

Antonio, as many of you know by now, is the same guide we had last year. He is used to working with our group. If we head somewhere, and it is a half-hour ride, it is likely to take us at least an hour for all the stops we make for photographs.

In fact, I don’t think we had gotten more than ten minutes from the lodge, when someone cried out, “STOP!”

The mists were on the mountains, and the lovely magentas and yellows contrasted beautifully with the greens and mountain layers.

As some scrambled out of The Jungle Bus, others soon followed, afraid they might miss a shot. We walked up and down the road and into the field to …