2001 Belize

Our plane being prepared for the flight at the Heathrow terminal. This picture is a DV Single Frame from our video.

It always fascinates me to see the many machines used to service flights, and passenger baggage handling is one area which is amazing. DV Video frame.

These were the days when you could take in-Terminal pictures without someone official shouting at you! DV Video frame.

Off at last! Another fascination to me is the steep climb which occurs straight after take-off to quickly get up to cruising height.

Having crossed the Atlantic, the plane flew down the east coast of America. It was a bit of a shock to be going to the Tropics and look outside to see the sea frozen and snow covering the land. 35mm Film Picture.

Brrrr! it looked cold down there! As we flew down the Newfoundland coast much of the sea ice had been breaking up into huge ice flows. Our DV camera had a 20x Zoom lens so I could get some interesting pictures in the cold, clear air. DV Video frame.

The cliffs in this area looked huge, and the Airstrip appeared to have been kept clear, although no planes were visible. Notably, the sea ice had reduced quite a bit, so we were already heading towards warmer latitudes. DV Video frame.

More huge cliffs, and a clear sea. I was glad we were heading for the warmer horizons. That place looked too cold for me!

Aah! This is more like it. A lot warmer here. Our overnight stay was enforced to link to the next stage, but at least it gave us some R&R overnight!

Like at many airports, the lower cost flights are parked out on the open spaces near the terminals and passengers are ferried to and from the terminal by coaches. DV video frame.

It was a surprise to see the aircraft, as we haven't travelled on one of these before. Note the guy at the bottom of the boarding steps handing out "goodie bags" to passengers. DV video frame.

This is a small plane with just around 25 seats. No room for cabin staff, and the guy standing on the left, if I remember correctly, is one of the pilots settling a passenger in. DV video frame.

The "goodie bag" turned out to be the in-flight refreshments, a can of Coke, Crisps, and some biscuits of sorts. Nice bag, though! DV video frame.

The Farm entrance after a long drive across Belize. 35mm still picture.

Crystal Paradise is a locally owned farm on the side of the Macal River on the outskirts of the village of Cristo Rey in the Cayo District near San Ignacio.

The central tourist area had two eating areas plus a small Honour Bar and Library area equipped with a range of wildlife reference books. The Honour Bar was self-service where guests logged drinks taken through their stay. Just a few visitors didn't play by the rules though, which seemed rather disrespectful to the Family.

As we stayed at Crystal Paradise for 3 weeks, we got the Cabana at the end of the row overlooking the field and valley. The site was mostly very quiet and we spent our rest times in the hammocks in the viewing rotunda opposite our Cabana, mostly with the three farm dogs who "adopted" us readily.

A general viewing area for birds, which as we were often the only guests on site at times, and as it was just outside our Cabana, was a place to relax as well as keep an eye open for new birds on the horizon. The three family dogs often joined us to lay out in the shady areas there, and we quickly became friends, although they were quite capable guard dogs to protect against unwanted visitors. One night, there was a loud battle outside our Cabana, and one of the dogs was found injured the following morning and had to be treated for bad scratches on his side. Apparently a large wild cat had come into the area and had been attacked instantly by them to drive it off.