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Abroad, Beliz, Guests

Adventure: Boris Bongolov in Belize

posted by Dario
Mar 21, 2017 1275 0 0
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The Maiden from the Rock

 

“I don’t know what are they doing here – I think they might be eating our monkeys.” – Jacob has spent the past two decades establishing an education centre and forest research station deep in the jungles of Belize. BFREE is nested in a protected area in the South of this Caribbean country where the Maya Mountains harbor a remarkable species diversity. The dawn chorus of the birds echoing around the trees can barely be heard over the barbaric screams of the howler monkey family that is on the lookout for the next portion of fig fruits while jaguars and pumas are hiding in the forest shadows. The harpy eagles are one of the biggest birds of prey and a new arrival in this forest – Jacob thinks they are feeding on the noisy monkeys.

While Belize may be occupying a small land area between Mexico, Guatemala and the Caribbean sea that is home to less than half a million people, its cultural diversity is impressive. Formerly known as British Honduras, Belize gained independence fairly recently in 1981 and is now an English speaking country in a region that is dominated by Spanish speakers. For such a small country, Belize harbors surprising ethnic diversity that includes significant German Mennonite, Mayan and East Asian minorities alongside at least 5 more ethnic groups. People here live life their own way. Locals do not shop in big supermarket chains but instead go to the small shop in their neighbor’s house marked with a big CocaCola sign turned orange from the tropical sun. The fast food chains are not existent but you can always find a stick of sugar cane or a piece of fruit should you need a snack.

The territory of Belize had been part of the Mayan civilization for millennia before the arrival of the Spaniards in the XVI century and the Mayan temples still remain one of the tallest strictures in the country. Local Maya say that they see a woman with red eyes dressed in white appear in front of a temple in Central Belize, climbs the steps and vanishes into the stone walls. The temple is now named “Xunantunich” meaning “the maiden from the rock” in the languages of the Mopan and Yucatec Maya.

Early attempts to excavate the site led to noticeable damage to some of the buildings due to the use of dynamite and the export of artifacts to foreign museums. Significant effort has been invested in conserving the site recently with eight buildings now unearthed and more to be found under the trees in the surrounding area. At its peak more that 200 000 people lived in and around Xunantunich before severe drought led to political unrest with the city eventually being abandoned.

Belize is well worth a visit. Although direct flights to Europe are few and far apart, Belize city is well connected to other airports in the region. The whole country is easily accessible by road and numerous organizations (such as Monkey Bay – https://www.monkeybaybelize.com) might be able to offer logistic support for visits to more remote places especially for education groups.

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Dario Dionisi



If you want to know something more about me – my soul is a traveler, my origin is Italian and my true essence is a faithful friend. I am always open to new ideas and will be very happy if you want to contact me at dario@beyondsofia.com

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To the Rhodopes we go! On this adventure we visit To the Rhodopes we go!

On this adventure we visited Sitovo waterfall - a place far away from the human and industrial hand and completely preserved by the surrounding nature. 

It is located in the Rhodopes, 30 km from Plovdiv, right at the junction between the beautiful Rhodope villages Sitovo and Lilkovo. They can be reached by a unpaved, but relatively flat road. The left road continues to Sitovo, and the right - to Lilkovo. 

Under the bridge at the fork, which turns to Lilkovo, the passing river has formed a cascade of waterfalls. The waterfalls have a maximum drop of about 2 meters and are extremely picturesque as you can see from the pictures.

 #Waterfall #Bulgaria #hike
Skakavitsa is the name of the highest waterfall in Skakavitsa is the name of the highest waterfall in the Rila Mountains. Located in Rila National Park. The waterfall is located on the Skakavitsa River in the Skakavishka Valley at the foot of the eastern slope of Kabul Peak, Northwestern Rila. It is located at 1950 m above sea level, and the height from which the water falls is 70 m.

The hike can be challenging during the winter but the final destination is pure wonderland. Although you can visit the waterfall every season because it is always “working”. Skakavitsa is in fact one of the most majestic and amazing waterfalls in Bulgaria, so don’t miss to visit it.

#Bulgaria #Waterfall #hike
Happiness is having a travel partner and dog like Happiness is having a travel partner and dog like Yuki-Doro!

Can't describe how much I love this little sassy piece of fur. 😄

Anyway about our new destination - Slivodolsko praslkalo. It is located in the Dobrostan part of the Western Rhodopes. The nearest settlement is the village of Yugovo located in the southeast.

The water falls from a height of 49 meters, making the waterfall the highest in the Rhodopes.

This waterfall is absolutely magical so it is worth to do the hike to reach the place even if at some spots it is a little bit difficult but the pleasure and views at the end is worth doing the hike!

#bulgaria #hike #dog
We are continuing with the exploration of the Bulg We are continuing with the exploration of the Bulgarian waterfalls. This time we are finding ourselves in the Rhodope mountains. 

There we went to the beautiful village of Manastir. Near the village is situated the waterfall "Holy Spirit". Its height is about 15 meters and is the highest in the period April - June. The waterfall is located on the river Manastirska and is about 1.5 km walk from the center of the village of Manastir. It was declared as natural landmark in 1965, and the area of 0.5 ha around it is protected.

Curious fact:
The village of Manastir is the highest altitude village on the Balkan Peninsula - 1500 meters above sea level.

#Waterfall #Bulgaria #hike
Our last gem waterfall in Belasitsa mountain will Our last gem waterfall in Belasitsa mountain will be the Sramejlivetza waterfall or directly translated in english the Shy waterfall.

The waterfall is located on the river Kameshnitsa between the villages Samuilovo and Kamena. It is locked by a rock in the shape of the letter "P", which surrounds the entire gorge, starting from the waterfall. It is 21 meters high, making it the highest waterfall in the Belasitsa mountain.

It is quite impressive and its totally worth it to go over all the obstacles that the trail has.

#waterfall #bulgaria #hike
Exploring the Mangaro waterfall another nature gem Exploring the Mangaro waterfall another nature gem of Belasitsa mountain.

#Bulgaria #waterfall #hike
Let’s open the season of the waterfalls! Finall Let’s open the season of the waterfalls!

Finally, the warm spring days have arrived and was time to start exploring the awakening waterfalls in Bulgaria. For my first stop I choose the village of Skrat – a place in the very corner of Southwest Bulgaria.

The first waterfall is called waterfall Dubitsata - an easily accessible spot. The hike is around 40-50 min depending of your speed of walking.

It is a wonderful place to explore and to dive into the Belasitsa mountain’s nature.

The face of our mountain expert Yuki-Doro is the living proof of this experience!

#Waterfall #Bulgaria #hike
Click bait post! Just joking, or maybe not? Last Click bait post! Just joking, or maybe not?

Last week we had the chance to visit once again one my most favourite Eco paths in Bulgaria – View to nine mountains.

I always say that only because you visited a place once that doesn’t mean automatically that this spot is not worth visiting again. On the contrary, it is much more worth it to do that. In that way you can see how the place has developed, changed or just refresh your old memories here or even create new ones!

An adventure is always an adventure no matter whether the place is new or old, it is just up to you and how you will live it!

#bulgaria #hike #dog
The Radetzky was an Austro-Hungarian passenger ste The Radetzky was an Austro-Hungarian passenger steamship built in 1851 in the shipyard in Óbuda, Hungary, and used for regular services on the Danube, mainly between Orşova, Austria-Hungary and Galaţi, Romania. Named after Bohemian nobleman and Austrian general Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, it is most notable as part of the history of Bulgaria as the ship which revolutionary and poet Hristo Botev and his band bloodlessly hijacked and used to reach Kozloduy, Bulgaria.

On 29 May 1876, after the ship left the port of Bechet, the Bulgarian revolutionaries, who had boarded it from different ports disguised as gardeners, forced the captain Dagobert Engländer to change course and transport the group to the Bulgarian port of Kozloduy, from where they would attempt to organize an anti-Ottoman uprising as a follow-up to the already crushed April Uprising of the same year.

Nowadays the steamship Radetzky is a national relic of Bulgaria. A village in Sliven Province bears its name, Radetski, and national writer Ivan Vazov wrote a poem based on the events of May 1876, which is today a popular patriotic song called Still White Danube Undulates.

#Bulgaria #history #museum
God's Bridge also known as Jabokrek, is a natural God's Bridge also known as Jabokrek, is a natural rock bridge in the Chirensko-Lilyashki karst region about 15 km north of Vratsa. It is about 20 meters high, 25 meters wide, and along its main axis the "tunnel" formed by the Lilyachka River is about 100 meters long. During the dry months of the year, the river under the bridge dries up and there are several ponds full of frogs. Hence the other name under which this rock phenomenon is known.

The place is quite phenomenal and it’s very interesting to explore. Here you can easily hike for an hour and enjoy the nature that offers not only this but a long side river with small waterfalls, amazing panoramic views and also a bit of history thanks to the vicinity of Borovanska Mogila where remains of a fortress from Roman times are found.

#Bulgaria #nature #hike
Dive in the animal kingdom of Budapest. Being hug Dive in the animal kingdom of Budapest.

Being huge fan of animals, it was a must for me to visit the zoo of Budapest after hearing so much positive feedback.

Saying that, the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden is one of the oldest in the world with its almost 150 years of history. Having more than 2000 species it makes this place one of the best maintained zoos in Europe.

During my visit here, I was surprised how well divided the the zoo is, every continent had its personalized building where you can enjoy the rich variety of animals and plants.

But probably the best part of this whole experience was the chance to be with some of the cage-free animals, without cages or restriction, just to build that special human - animal bond.

#Budapest #zoo #botanicalgarden
The street habitants of Budapest. As a big fan of The street habitants of Budapest.

As a big fan of every type of art I couldn’t resist but make my research to find the best murals and graffities in the Hungarian capital.

Must say -  I wasn’t disappointed! Budapest is famous with the big spaces and buildings that give chance to talented artist to create and make the urban atmosphere more fun and colourful.

Most of them can be found in the centre of the city in the so-called Jewish neighbourhood, also known as the creative spot of Budapest.

#Budapest #art #graffities
The little cultural art universe of Budapest. The The little cultural art universe of Budapest.

The Museum of Fine Arts is a magnificent example of how well preserved and maintained can one art space be. It is made up of international art (other than Hungarian), including all periods of European art, and comprises of more than 100,000 pieces. 

The Museum's collection is made up of six departments: Egyptian, Antique, Old sculpture gallery, Old master paintings gallery, Modern collection, Graphics collection.

Visitors can enjoy the enormous variety of pieces of art from different decades making this museum one of the best spots to visit in Budapest.

#Budapest #museum #art
Hungarian’s most iconic building ✨ I am sure Hungarian’s most iconic building ✨

I am sure that when someone hears about Hungary one of the first thing that pops in their mind is the building of the Parliament and for a reason. It is one of the most beautiful administrative buildings in the world! 🤩

Building this impressive edifice took 17 years, from 1885 to 1902, based on the design by the architect Imre Steindl. Richly decorated, both inside and out, was inspired by the Houses of Parliament in London, thus it was designed in Neo-Gothic style, although it also bears Renaissance and Baroque stylistic flourishes. The third largest parliament in the world, it was built on the 1000th anniversary of the foundation of the state of Hungary. 🤓

Nowadays you can visit the building with a special tour that will show you the most significant places inside and explain you details about the evolution and roles that this place took part in, in the past and now. 👀

#Budapest #building #architecture
Budapest – The little Paris 👀 Many people de Budapest – The little Paris 👀

Many people describe the Hungarian capital as the little Paris but the question is – is it really? 🤔

The answer is yes, in a very strange way. While exploring Budapest I could see the resembling style and symbol of East Europe but at the same time I could feel the Western influence in the buildings, atmosphere and in the overall view. 🧐

The city is a unique mix of both Europes, showing an interesting and intriguing side of the cultural treasure that our continent has. But probably one of the most important events that marked this place is when Budapest became officially a city in 1873, when the three neighbouring cities of Pest, Buda and Óbuda united.  The unification was extremely important and lead to a rapid development of the city that we can see nowadays. 🤓

#Budapest #Hungary #capital
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