My family is so excited about a new year’s resolution we just made that we want to share it around. At the dinner table the other day we were talking about the new year and what it had in store for us, and the discussion got around to New Year’s resolutions. As usual with my teen son and daughter, they began challenging each other to come up with the coolest, most do-able resolution for 2012, and without noticing, we parents were soon drawn into the contest.

Today’s Belize Photo of the Day is the Aloe Vera which is commonly known as The Medicinal Plant. Aloe Vera is a very short-stemmed plant that can grow up to 60-100 cm tall spreading by offsets. The Aloe Vera’s leaf is thick and fleshy to touch and has tiny prickles or spines around the perimeter. The Aloe Vera plant can be frequently seen tropical areas of the world, including Belize where it can be seen very commonly at Chaa Creek’s 365-acre private nature preserve. The plant can be easily spotted while on the Rainforest Medicine Trail Tour with our naturalist guides.

Santa literally came flying early this year for 65 local children from the surrounding Chaa Creek communities. The children who live nearby Chaa Creek were treated to magical experience this weekend when our staff planned a Christmas party filled with enjoyment, fun games, surprises and hearty Belizean food.

The Lodge at Chaa Creek is pleased to announce the two lucky winners our latest competition: Win a Free Chaa Creek aluminum water bottle.

The water bottles are made of aluminum, very durable, light-weight with a sleek appearance which serves to remind individuals that many small efforts can add up to a healthier planet for ourselves and future generations.

Last year a couple friends of mine took my advice to get married in Belize and absolutely positively loved it, as you do. OK, I’m somewhat partial, having been married there myself, and now with other people asking, I thought I’d put down ten reasons why a Belize Wedding is my idea of nuptial nirvana.

When you travel, it is easy to make mistakes especially if you are a first time traveler or traveling out of the country. These mistakes can not only ruin your trip, but can be quite costly. And since traveling out of the country is so expensive to start with the last thing you need is to spend more money. Here are some mistakes to avoid while traveling abroad.

One of history’s most famous and foreboding doomsday predictions might never have been made, according to a German researcher. His new interpretation of a 1,300-year-old tablet affirms that the ancient Maya regarded December 21, 2012, as a moment of great importance—but not, as some believe, because they foresaw an apocalypse on that date.

[ UPDATE: we have decided to call an early Christmas draw on the Water Bottle Competition! All entries must be submitted before Sunday the 18th of December! ]
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Fashion a stylist, yet durable and light weight aluminum water bottle produced by the Lodge at Chaa Creek. Follow the details below to Win a Free Chaa Creek aluminum water bottle.

Our valued readers and fans, we know you love the environment and would also love to keep fighting the good cause with the …

Imagine the scene. The stands are packed. The crowd is glued to every move made on the court. Elite athletes focused. A ball hurtles toward the dirt, your hero dives for it, deflecting the heavy rubber ball with his shoulder. His opponent springs into the air, and the ball comes right back. Again he dives. The ball slams into his hip. He grunts at the heavy thud of the ball against his skin. He twists and wriggles in the air, defying gravity. You watch. mezmorized as the ball sails over the opponent’s head, out of reach. The crowd erupts. Score!

The New Yorker Scott Amron is known for his creativity at Amron Experimental, Inc. but today he caught the world’s and Chaa Creek’s attention with the eco-friendly creation of the vanishing fruit labels. The description on his website states that by washing these Fruit Labels, you will see it dissolve into an organic fruit cleansing produce wash that helps remove wax, pesticides, dirt and bacteria.

The above drawing was done by Miguel Cano our computer programmer. By accident we discovered his hidden talent when he shared this piece with us. To add to our surprise, he added that it was all done digitally. Below he explains.

One way to honor Steve Job is by watching this video:

The Maya Organic Farm at Chaa Creek has been selected by Bootsnall.com as a green way to experience Belize. Bootsnall.com is an independent travel company based in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and since 1998 their purpose has been to cultivate an organic community that encourages independent travel.

“There ain’t no cure for the Summertime Blues,” may be a cool song lyric, but it’s not necessarily true – not if you take advantage of some great, refreshing summer discounts on Belize vacation packages now being offered by the Lodge at Chaa Creek.

Then the bird spoke to me, saying, “I was in Belize this winter and I am going there from now on!” Instead of saying, “You can talk!” I asked, “Why do you say that?”He said, “I found a nice place to go where there was sparkly water and bright, beautiful flowers. There were humans there, too, but I hardly noticed them as I flew around. They sometimes came in groups, but they only looked at me through some kind of round things. I think you do that, too!”

People Are Awesome: A compilation of awesome people doing incredible things.

During this thanksgiving season, the management of Chaa Creek would like to take a moment to express our feelings of sincere gratitude. To the country of Belize, thank you for offering an extraordinary landscape in which to grow and excel. To our staff, thank you for breathing life into the environment and forming the heart of a truly magical Belizean experience. To our colleagues and guests, thank you for guiding our hand, sustaining our work, and for becoming an integral part of our special little world. And to the god of all things and creator of nature’s bountiful riches, our gratitude is as it should be, beyond measure.

Dear Chaa Creek Staff Members,
Below is a recount of my day August 4th 10 AM (Portland, Oregon time)
Today I brought my daughter to the train station after a brief rather
emotional visit, she had tears in her eyes as I turned to walk away…
She did not say why, but as her Mom I knew, she was worried, she could
see the sadness in my eyes.

My mother was born and raised in Belize City in 1946.  She moved to the United States in the 1960′s but misses Belize!  She loves Belize but has only had the opportunity to travel back twice since she moved, once in 1980 and once in 2009.  I am planning a family vacation with my mother, wife and 1 year old son who will be visiting for the first time!  We would love to stay at the Lodge at Chaa Creek.  …

My reason for writing this short essay is pretty simple. I feel that the world has everything to gain if we can LEARN to become environmentally responsible, which in turn means becoming responsible for what we leave behind for future generations. Everyone cannot be perfect in life yet education in sustainability and going green is necessary if we are going to be able to stop or reverse some of the devasting issues causing global warming and work with, not destroy, Mother Earth. Urgent attention needs to be given to our waters, wildlife, air and land.