An Afternoon in Belize City: BTB’s 3rd Annual Village Art & Crafts Expo

I walked to San Pedro town yesterday morning to go to the bank and then decide whether I’d head over to Belize City or not.  The Belize Tourism Board was holding their 3rd Annual Arts & Crafts Expo in Memorial Park and Belize City is an easy hour and a half boat ride away from San Pedro.

I had time.  I always love getting Indian Food for lunch.  Let’s do it.

Expo

I boarded the 10am San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi and could not have been MORE pleased to see this sign for the first time.

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FREE WI-FI on the water taxi!  This, to me, is life changing.  Christmas in November…

It was overcast yesterday and cool.  The perfect day to check things out.  A view of the swing bridge in Belize City…and a lobster boat with all of its dories.

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I’m always surprised to see this tennis court right when I get off the boat.   Tennis Court at St. Mary’s.

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I walked right over to the Craft Show with artisans from all over Belize.

Slate carving from Cayo.

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Baskets and embroidery.

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Planters…art from coconuts…

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One of the most creative and beautiful things I saw…butterfly wing art.  The wings are taken from a butterfly farm.  NO not from live butterflies…from those they find on the ground…

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All from butterfly wings.  And the art is two sided.  Different but equally beautiful on the other side.

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The animals are the MOST gorgeous to me.  I wanted the tapir.  I wanted the gibnut.

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At the next booth, I bought a small necklace with my Mayan astrology sign.  I am a FROG.

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The lovely lady even carved my name in the back.  Rebecca the Frog.

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I ran into my buddy from the Art Affair Gallery in Placencia and loved all her jewelry as always.  Luckily I’m headed down to the Peninsula later this week…

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I visited Pen Cayetano’s booth – he was actually on stage playing music.  His art work is GORGEOUS.   Check out his website.  Though I already bought my 2014 Christmas present months ago – my beloved MayaBag – I’ll be dreaming of one of these gorgeous paintings for next year.

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Or maybe just a pair of these beautiful shakas.

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I tasted beautiful sweet and savory dipping sauces…

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There was plenty of local wine to taste.  Who needs grapes when you have cashew fruit?  Sweet potato?  Basically you can make wine out of just about anything.  Sugar is a plus.

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Great name at another booth!  Cassanova and local wines?  This guy is a brand in himself.

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And his spelling of the ingredients…is just good stuff.

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These ladies sold me a avocado oil hair conditioner that is promised to work wonders.  Can’t wait to try it.  The Belize sun and salt is tough…

IMG_3804 IMG_3805I’m a sucker for any product that is going to change my life.  I’ll let you know how it works.

This lady explained to me how she hollows out the calabasas to make art and jewelry.

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Wow…a way to really jazz up your rum.

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I met my friend from the Mayan Living Experience down in Punta Gorda.  He was selling some of the crafts that his family tried to help me learn to make.  I was pretty miserable but I love these natural rope bags.

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Beautiful colors…I really think there could be an industry in these shirts…

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Beautiful chairs from Corozal.

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Another way to jazz up your rum…

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And very carefully carved airplanes and…even a golf cart.

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T-shirts in Creole!  I’ve been waiting years for them.  Blacker the berry, sweeter the juice.  Sleep with dogs, you are going to catch fleas.

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Solid advice.  And a very cool event.  I love meeting people from all over the country – from Orange Walk down to the Maya villages of Toledo.

I left with some magic hair conditioner, yummy soy sauce from the ladies co-op in Progresso, Belize and my frog symbol.  And my dreams of art work in the future.  I’ll definitely go visit Cayetano’s gallery in Dangriga on my next southbound trip.

I was off to the Museum (housed in the old prison that didn’t close that long ago)…where I saw the GORGEOUS jade head of Altun-Ha a few years ago…crown jewel of Belize.

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More on that at a later time…

 

 

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