Sleepy Sarteneja Village: Glowing Water and Art on My Quick Visit

Sarteneja is a small village located on a peninsula in Northern Belize.  It is surrounded by the sea and the view is enviable.  I mean almost impossibly GORGEOUS.  I took so many pictures of one collapsed dock…from every single angle.

Please bear with me.  The village is a traditional fishing and ship building village – and still is today.

I’ve been there a few times before.  To stay overnight and visit the Manatee and Monkey Sanctuary called Wildtracks.  And to work with some visiting veterinarians to do a clinic to spay and neuter pets and village dogs.

Trip to Wildtracks to Deliver Monkey Milk for Baby Monkeys and Manatees!

This time I was staying further down the peninsula – outside of a village called Chunox – at Orchid Bay Development and community.  (Chunox is pronounced “chew-nush”, it’s a Maya word)

Here is a map of the area.  (Chunox is just below – across the small lagoon – Copper Bank)

You can see the road that runs from Corozal out to Sarteneja.  That “road” has been a huge issue for years…more of a dirt/sand/bump lane than a proper road.  With two barge hand cranked ferries along the way.

The BIG news in the area is a $100mm BZD load that the government of Belize has accepted from the government of Taiwan to better the road.  Bridges and paving.  It will make a WORLD of difference – and the groundbreaking is TODAY.

Why does Taiwan want to loan money to Belize is fix a rural road?  I could speculate?  I could…I’ll leave it to you.  (There are lots of interesting articles about Taiwan-China-USA competition in the Americas out there. Here’s one.)

No matter what motives – to have a road that doesn’t flood and close during the rainiest of seasons will be a HUGE boost to the villages and the entire area.

Politics aside….here are my pictures.   This is Nate our awesome captain from Orchid Bay.

The public dock.

I love all the public artwork – much by my friend Chuy who lives in Sarteneja.  Pics of his shop coming.  But how great is this painting on the public bathroom.  A public bathroom on the ocean!

Almond Tree Park -and kids climbing in the tree.

I always think that homes with beachfront views are bound to be mansions!  But here…they can be Nursery Schools.

This beautiful old building is where we held the vet clinic years ago.  (The kids with their pets!)

A new paint job since last time.

I bought 3 small paintings for 50bzd.  SUCH a good deal for souvenirs.  My collection grows…

You can contact Chuy via Facebook.  It’s especially fun to get the boats in his paintings named after your favorite people.  Or dogs…

LASTLY, we ate lunch at a new spot (to me) called Martineja.  The last name of the owners is Martin.

Clever, huh?

The food was GOOD and I especially loved this living bouquet of 5 different colors of bougainvillea.

More of my trips to Sareteneja below…and here are the two boats that go from Ambergris Caye to Sarteneja daily.

THunderbolt and Exodus Water Taxi.

And PIN IT if you want to visit in the future.

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