My trip to Belize began with winning a prize in the annual Northern California Underwater Photographic Society Photo competition in Monterey, CA. The prize was for a weeks stay in an oceanside condo at the Exotic Caye Beach Resort in Ambergris Caye. In the town of San Pedro to be exact.

San Pedro

SCUBA diving consisted of going 20 minutes offshore for SCUBA and snorkeling ...

I had a lot of trouble with my strobe going off, so many pictures were in "natural light" or barely lit.

 

 

... some pictures did come out though

 

Half Moon Caye

 

Lamanai

I also love Mayan archaeology and went on a day trip to ruins of Lamanai, which had been continuously occupied for over 3,000 years

 

 

we were in the jungle

With Hurricane Dean approaching I went up to the highlands to ride it out and spent a couple of days at more Mayan ruins ...

 

Tikal, Guatemala

 

Tikal reminded me of photographing Redwoods in California. I felt it really difficult to capture the immenseness of the city-state on one photograph

 

Xunanchunich

 

 

San Ignacio

"Hurricane Night" con des Italianos de Firnezia...

Tobacco Caye

While riding the "Chicken Bus" (it's what they call the local transport, for the obvious reason) back from the Guatemalan border I was told I needed to visit Tobacco Caye

 

 

 

more SCUBA diving, more problems with my strobe

 

Spotted Eagle Ray

 

our Divemaster

 

 

 

 

San Pedro

Back in San Pedro, ready to fly out - not much happened on the island from the hurricane. Some thatched roofs didn't make it.

 

on a "Puddle Hopper" back to Belize City