Authentic Sound Recordings from Around the World
Belize is a country in Central America that shares borders with Mexico and Guatemala along the Caribbean Sea. We traveled there in January 2014 to collect sounds for our project The Touch of Sound, which features authentic sound recordings from around the world. Belize is an amazing country. The people are incredibly welcoming and friendly, and the backdrop of Belize’s stunning natural beauty amplifies the unique blend of its interesting cultures.
Our journey began in Belize City, where we visited Kimberly, our friend and a current resident of Belize. She introduced us to Sebastian Cayetano of the Luba Garifuna Museum. His vast knowledge of the Garifuna culture and the Garinagu people was an excellent cultural base to build our trip on. Along with a thorough history lesson, he also provided a passionate interview and our first taste of the live music (Luba Garifuna Museum).
We began our next day at the Belize Zoo. Our guide, Jamal, gave a great educational tour. We enjoyed viewing and hearing all the native species and residents of the zoo. The jaguars were magnificent, but it was Carlos the puma who was the most vocal (Carlos the Puma).
We arrived late that evening in Hopkins, where the nocturnal insects and ocean waves provided a nice sonic greeting from the village (Ocean at Night).
We rose early the next day with the intent of catching the coastal sunrise, and we were not disappointed (Coastal Sunrise).
Our next stop was the Lebeha Drumming Center, where the young musicians welcomed us in and put on a great show (Lebeha Drumming Center).
Our time here was another highlight of the trip. Not only did we learn more about Garifuna rhythms and music, but we also got a chance to chat with the locals about their culture and the importance of keeping it alive. As evening fell, our new friends kept the conversation going by taking us to the Driftwood Bar for a few tasty Belikins and some One Barrel Rum (Driftwood Bar).
The next day in Hopkins we woke up early to catch the morning birds make their call (Morning Birds).
Unfortunately, weather conditions derailed our plans to visit the Blue Hole that day, but we took in some local nature with a hike through the Mayflower Bocawina National Park (Mayflower Bocawina National Park). It proved to be the perfect way to spend a beautiful day.
The path to the top of Antelope Falls was a bit slippery and steep, but the spectacular view from the top was well worth the trek (Antelope Falls).
After nightfall, we ventured towards the Sittee River, where the frogs were busy making their presence known (Sittee River Frogs).
Our last day in Belize took us back down the beautiful Hummingbird Highway on our way to the Community Baboon Sanctuary, where the entire staff greeted us upon our arrival. On the tour they were extremely knowledgeable about the Black Howler Monkeys and the surrounding jungle, and we were quite impressed with how close we were able to get to these gorgeous monkeys in their natural habitat (Black Howler Monkeys).
We arrived back in Belize City with a few hours to spare before we caught the bus to Mexico. The city was alive in the early evening, and a stop at the Conchshell Bay Fish Market provided a last glimpse into daily life for residents of the city (Conchshell Bay Fish Market).
Our favorite moment of the trip was when four of the Keel-billed Toucans came over to serenade us with their song (Keel-Billed Toucans).
We know there is still much more of Belize to explore. We look forward to our next adventure there!
Marks Bros., Jonah and Jesse – Outside of Belize City. January 2014.
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