As you can see from the map above, Belize is located in Central America with our closest neighbors being Mexico and Guatemala. As a matter of fact, tiny Belize is sandwiched directly between these two larger countries. In my early teens, I traveled all the way by bus to Mexico City and beyond to the beautiful city of Cuernavaca as an ambassador of the Belize Girl Guide Association. We were to be housed at Our Cabana, the international Scout Centre of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. It was my first trip abroad ever and I was excited to have escaped the tiny confines of Belize. At this event, we met girl guides from the world over and it was my first exposure to other cultures. The real shocker, I suppose, was that no one knew where Belize was and our group was subjected to much queries from girls who came from England, Canada, Mexico and the United States.At the end of our trip, we were assured by those present that they would spread the word back home about the girls they had met from 'beautiful and untouched Belize'.
Since then, I have been back to various parts of Mexico, the most memorable being to the beautiful resort city Cancun which has some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. Numerous trips, mostly for shopping, have also been made to the border town of Quintana Roo, Chetumal. My spanish, whilst not perfect, is passable and I can hold my own when bargaining with the vendors located in the sprawling outdoor markets of Chetumal.
I recently read an article about Mexico's Cave of Crystals which stunned geologists when it was first discovered in 2000. Since then, cavers in Mexico have braved extreme conditions and found extraordinary beauty in the underground chambers of the Naica Cave which contains some of the largest natural crystals ever found anywhere.
It has been said that nothing can actually prepare you for the extreme conditions found in the cave's cavern. It's extremely hot in there, but it's the virtually 100% humidity added on top that makes the cave a potential killer. When you breathe, the surface of your lungs is actually the coolest surface the air encounters. The fluid starts to condense inside your lungs and that's not really good news. Those brave enough to venture inside, must wear a special cooling suit which is like a suit of chain mail but filled with ice cubes. Despite all the dangers, it's the sheer beauty of the place which overwhelms those who enter the portals of the Naica Cave. Sooner or later, when the economics of the mine changes, the pumps will be taken out, the Naica Cave will be flooded out and the crystals will be beyond our reach.
Here is another original from Mexico. Maná is a popular pop/rock band whose career has spanned two decades. They have earned three Grammy awards, five Latin Grammy Awards, several MTV Video Music Awards and have been on the hot Billboard Latin Music many times. This group initially received notoriety and commercial success in Mexico and Spain and have since gained popularity in the US, Western Europe, Australia, Asia and the Middle East. Here is Mana performing live their hit single,"Mariposa Traicionera"
( English: Treacherous Butterfly ). This track stayed on Billboard's Hot Latin tracks in 2003 for a total of 26 weeks.
Eres como una mariposa;
vuelas y te posas vas de boca en boca,
fácil y ligera de quien te provoca.
Yo soy ratón de tu ratonera,
trampa que no mata pero no libera,
vivo muriendo prisionero.
Mariposa traicionera, todo se lo lleva el viento,
mariposa no regreso.
Ay, mariposa de amor, mi mariposa de amor
Ya no regreso contigo.
Ay, mariposa de amor, mi mariposa de amor.
Nunca jamás junto a ti.
vuela amor, vuela dolor
y no regreses a un lado
ya vete de flor en flor, seduciendo a los pistilos
y vuela cerca del sol,
pa' que sientas lo que es dolor.
Ay, mujer como haces daño,
pasan los minutos cual si fueran años,
mira estos celos me están matando.
Ay, mujer que fácil eres,
abres tus alitas, muslos de colores
donde se posan tus amores.
MARIPOSA TRAICIONERA,
todo se lo lleva el viento,
mariposa no regreso.
Ay, mariposa de amor, mi mariposa de amor.
Ya no regreso contigo
Ay, mariposa de amor, mi mariposa de amor.
Nunca jamás junto a ti,
vuela amor, vuela dolor
que tengas suerte en tu vida
ay, ay, ay, ay, ay dolor,
yo te lloré todo un río,
ay, ay, ay, ay, ay amor,
tú te me vas a volar.
