We headed into PG, the common name for Punta Gorda, for market day. It is colorful and hectic and full of photo opportunities. There are Mayan, ex-pat, Creole, Garifuna, and other people, so it was a real potpourri of a crowd. Everyone wants to sell their wares, whether fresh fish, fruits and vegetables, baskets and other handcrafts, and more. Children were everywhere, some clinging to their mother’s skirts, others chasing each other around.

This little baby had the largest eyes I had seen thus far. She held on to her mother’s necklace as a security blanket…

It was another chocolate day. Our group has a fine appreciation for dark chocolate, and didn’t mind at all when when we suggested we visit another cacao farm and family operation. Eladio, his wife, Virginia, and their large family have an extensive farm and were very hospitable to us. Their farm has some beautiful plants. […]

This will be a very short blog, as we are taking off for another chocolate-making operation. You can’t beat the wonderful, dark, Belizian chocolate!

There are several different cultures in this area of southern Belize. The Mayans, of course, but there are also the Garifuna (Ga-RI-foo-nah) people who were essentially deported from St. Vincent (in the Grenadines) and eventually found their way to southern Belize. Descended from Carib and Arawak Indians, mixed with slaves from Africa, they have an interesting culture, one we wanted to learn more about.

Alvin and Clifford met us and showed us around part of their town. We warned them that we photographers tend to get waylaid. They got their first taste of that when we stopped to photograph this simple, charming thatched houses…