Project Belize 2006




We had a good year. Four from New Zealand joined the group this year for a total of 16. We treated the following villages:
Santa Rosa, San Lemon, San Vicente; Machakilha (formerly Hicatee), Bladen; Crique Sarco; Crique Jute, San Jose, Graham Creek

Yes, six of us got good and lost. Ariel, Oscar's son mistook a trail to Temash/Sartoon National Refuge and Resrve for the trail to Graham and he finally concluded were were lost after about three hours of fording rivers and finally wading through a good deal of water. We came back the next day and treated the villages. It was a nice excursion and very pretty.

Lost in the Jungle


Pat conquering the jungle stream.


Quinn, Pat, and Bruce, taking a break after learning we were lost. Arial and Oscar, our lost guide and his doting father.


Repairs to feet after the lost were saved.


Quinn, Amy, Barbara, Lois, Kent, Joe on trek to Santa Rosa (all up hill)

Arrival in Santa Rosa, fixing feet and drinking water.

Downhill from Santa Rosa to San Vincente
To Page 2
Brief diary kept by one of the particpants:
Day 1
Travel to Belize City. Pick up vans and other group members: Tom, Pat,
Sarah, Shivonne, Lois, and Liz. Stop at grocery store in Belize City. Drive
to Dangriga for night at Pelican Beach Resort. Chinese food in town for
dinner.

Day 2
Drive to Punta Gorda. Bruce, Quinn, Joe, Barbara and Amy go into town to
meet with Health Ministry and tour hospital. Lunch at Emery's. Remainder of
group gets settled in at Blue Creek. Dinner of chicken, rice, and beans at
Blue Creek.

Day 3
Bruce, Quinn, Joe, Barbara, Lois, Kent and Amy drive to San Vincente and
hike to Santa Rosa to inform villages of clinic dates. Stop at Santa Cruz,
Guatemala, another short hike, for lunch. Meet remainder of group at Rio
Blanco Falls. They spent the morning touring the cave. Bruce, Quinn and Amy
take wrong turn into Barranco then drive to Crique Sarco to inform village
and send word to Graham Creek. Stop in San Antonio and buy earrings. Return
to Blue Creek and notice tire is very low. Burce and Quinn drive into PG to
have it fixed. Chicken, beans and rice for dinner at Blue Creek.

Day 4
First clinic day. Group one, Quinn, Sarah, Kent, Tom, Pat and Amy, hike to
Santa Rosa while remainder of group stays in San Vincente. Spaghetti for
dinner at Blue Creek.

Day 5
Second clinic day. Group one, Quinn, Bruce, Tom, Pat, Sarah, Charlie, Lois,
Liz, and Amy drive to Bladen. Group two hikes to Machakilha (Hicatee).
Blue Creek makes bread for dinner...everyone chips in what they have for
gourmet scrambled eggs courtesy of Lois.

Day 6
Third clinic day. Group one, Quinn, Tom, Pat, Bruce, Shannon and Amy, get
lost in Sarstoon-Temash National Park following Ariel, attempting to reach
Graham Creek. Hike is through water more than knee deep in places. Shuds for
lunch from Oscar's wife. Group two holds clinic in Crique Sarco. Small
canoes take us to and from village crossing river. Chicken, beans, and rice for
dinner at Blue Creek.

Day 7
Last clinic day. Group one, Quinn, Lois, Bruce, Tom, Pat, and Amy finally
reach Graham Creek. Not as much water to wade in but lots of mud to slip in.
Group two goes to Crique Jute and San Jose. Meet at Sea Front Inn in PG
for the night. Dinner at Emery's, official board meeting held that evening.

Day 8
Charlie, Quinn, Lois and Amy fly from PG to San Pedro. Pouring rain when we
arrive. Hail taxi, drop off laundry. Breakfast at Celi's deli. Explore town,
pick up essentials. Pastry from Pandulce Bakery for lunch. Naps all around.
Dinner at Caliente.
Barbara and Joe catch flight back to Belize City and on to Houston. Shannon
and Rhonda catch ride with vans to Belize City and flight to Houston. Kent, Sarah C.,
Sarah M, Shivonne, Liz and Bruce cross over into Guatemala and spend night at
hotel near Tikal.

Day 9
Shopping and errands in San Pedro. Lunch at Fido's. Exploring north on the
golf cart. Stop at Palapa bar and Captain Morgan's. Back to condo, then
dinner at Caramba.
Tikal group tours Tikal in morning and shop in Flores during afternoon.

Day 10
Quinn flys out. Lois, Charlie and Amy spend the day relaxing. A bit more
shopping and dinner courtesy of Lois.
Tikal group goes horseback riding in morning and on a boat trip across the lake to
a small zoo. Feed monkeys.

Day 11
Snorkeling at Ho Chan Marine Preserve and Shark Ray alley. Dinner at Rico's
bar and grill inside Banyan Bay Resort.
Tikal group: Liz flies out from Flores to Belize City and on to San Diego to visit brother.
Rest of group sleep late and shop in earthy market in Santa Eleana and swim in lake
and handout playing name that tune in hamocks the rest of the day.

Day 12
Back to Belize City and home.
Tikal group: Shivonne and Sarah C. catch 6 am bus to San Pedro Sula to go scuba diving for a few
days before returning to Belize for the rest of their four weeks at Hillside clinic.
The rest cross the border early as Guatemals is now observing daylight savings time and
make the earlier flight with Amy. Arrive Houston late as flight was late.