Susan Solo – Photographer | Traveler | Adventurer

Tag: Central America

Moving Pictures: Belize

In addition to improving my underwater photography skills, videography currently sits at the top of my creative goals list. Put a still camera in my hands, and I feel comfortable in most photography situations. In contrast, I pretty much have no idea what I’m doing as soon as I flip the video mode switch on my cameras. Sure, a few basics from photography spill over into videography like composition, exposure, and focus. I at least know to try and hold the camera as still as possible (a tricky feat underwater!) and when I can’t hold still, it’s best to use a stabilizer like a tripod. Frame rates, codecs, and audio bit depth, however, are all a mystery to me at this point. Video editing is also a whole other ball of wax. Whether I have the skills and knowledge or not, I do enjoy putting together videos of our travels as of late even if I feel like a total newbie.

An example of my noob-ness at videography: I didn’t realize I needed to film at the same frame rate when using multiple cameras for one project. How is one supposed to know that anyway? I noticed a couple of my clips looked a bit different than the rest, and after some time on Google I learned that nugget of info about different frame rates. So mistake-by-mistake, hopefully I will learn enough to get as comfortable with video as I am with still photography since that’s mainly how I taught myself to use an SLR – practice, reading, researching, and learning from my mistakes.

Here’s a little film I put together with clips from our Belize adventures.

Belize 2015 from Susan Marks on Vimeo.

April 22, 2015
A Tiny Slice of San Pedro

One of my takeaways from Belize is something I suspected I’d be able to confirm on this trip: I prefer to roam around on my own schedule, and I crave control over my local transportation (e.g., having a rental car if things aren’t within walking distance). I still definitely love staying in a more remote location or at least away from the main crowds, but I enjoy randomly going into town whenever we feel like it, trying lots of new restaurants, and getting lost and exploring on our own. Since we stayed on Ambergris Caye at a villa situated several miles north of San Pedro beyond the paved roads, our main option for getting around was by boat. It was actually such a fun change and we appreciated a break from navigating, but we didn’t spend as much time looking around the town as we usually do since we couldn’t hop in a car and go. Ernesto graciously provided us with plenty of opportunities to go anywhere we’d like though. We just chose to spend most of our time in and on the water, thus we didn’t get to know San Pedro on an intimate level. The trade-off was that in staying at the villa we chose, we had our own personal guide and ended up with some awesomely private tours of touristy locations that made us feel completely spoiled, so I’m not complaining one tiny bit.

Plus we did poke around bits of San Pedro so I don’t feel like we missed it entirely. We did our initial grocery shopping trip when we arrived, and one morning we savored a delicious takeaway breakfast from Ruby’s Cafe on the way to Lamanai. We also returned to town for our scuba class, for more groceries, and an ATM run. So in those few brief moments, I snapped a handful of photos to show you a small sliver of the character and colors in San Pedro. (All of these were taken with the Canon PowerShot D30 waterproof camera. It’s not a bad little point-and-shoot.)

A few of our meals were spent at restaurants walkable from the house rather than in the heart of town. We frequented the bar at the resort next door, X’Tan Ha, a couple times for drinks. Who can resist a grass-thatched hut right on the water with hilarious warnings on the menu?

And one final thought – as much as we had fun on Ambergris Caye, I regret not trying harder to get to the little island south of us called Caye Caulker. We docked there briefly on the way to Belize City when we toured Lamanai, but we only had a glimpse of what I hear is a very charming, laid-back isle. It was an option to visit Caye Caulker via Ernesto’s trip list, but we simply ran out of time. We’ll just have to put it on our must-do list for next time. I’d like to find out what this pee sign is about (or maybe not).

April 20, 2015
Snorkeling the Reef in Belize

Underwater photography makes me feel like I’m starting at square one as a photographer. I find that both refreshing and frustrating as hell. Trying to capture a skittish fish on the move while I’m bobbing around with the current reminds me of being a complete newbie behind the camera. It doesn’t help that I’m also used to working with a single lens reflex system that has instant capture capabilities instead of a point-and-shoot with considerable lag time. But I like a challenge and I am determined to practice and hopefully get better. I might even be willing to plop down the cash to buy a housing for an SLR if we get into diving. One thing at a time though, and notice I said “an” SLR – there’s no way I’m putting my baby (Canon 5DMIII) into the water. The images below are taken with the Canon PowerShot D30 waterproof point-and-shoot. Trust me, for every image that turned out, there are about five shots of a blurry fish, my leg, or the bottom of the ocean.

Hol Chan Marine Reserve

I had several opportunities to practice my underwater photography skills in Belize. Chris and I snorkeled all over the water along Ambergris Caye and towards Caye Caulker. We started with one of the most popular spots, Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Thanks to Ernesto and an early start to the day, we had the entire park to ourselves with not a single human in sight other than the park ranger. Yes, there’s a park ranger on the water tethered up for the day to take park entrance fees from the touring groups – what a cool job, right? But when we pulled up, not a tour group was in sight. (For reference I think we arrived around 7:30am.) And right when we jumped into the water, we were treated with the number one thing I was hoping to see in Belize – sea turtles! Two of them, in fact.

I couldn’t believe the health of the massive coral system (Belize is home to the second largest reef in the world) and thus the abundance of sea life at Hol Chan. We swam through a huge school of horse eye jacks, and I actually had my own jack following me the entire time we were at Hol Chan. Every single time I looked over to my right, there was my curious friend tagging along. Hi, Jack!

We got to see some fish species we had never seen before, including this gorgeous queen triggerfish and a bunch of needle-nose fish that gathered near the surface.

But perhaps the most thrilling part of Hol Chan was the presence of some larger creatures that we hadn’t swam with yet. We saw our first nurse shark here, sleeping at the sandy bottom near the coral. It was about eight feet long, and didn’t seem bothered by us. We also spotted a great barracuda – Chris was in charge of photographing that one while I tried to stay as far away as possible. They’re fascinating, but it’s creepy how they just hover…staring at me.

My other favorite moment was watching this majestic spotted eagle ray glide through the water. I’ve only ever seen them from above the surface (we spotted a pair while on a boat in Grand Cayman) and could have followed it all day. I know they have venomous barbs, but for some reason rays don’t bother me. This one had a wingspan of about 4-5 feet which seemed huge to me, but they can get up to 10-feet wide.

Shark Ray Alley

A short boat ride south of Hol Chan Marine Reserve lies Shark Ray Alley. Not more than a few minutes after we arrived, we noticed large shadows looming in the water circling our boat. The sharks had arrived. They heard the motor on our boat and came begging for food much like the stingrays at Stingray City in Grand Cayman. The phenomenon is quite similar actually – the site became active with hungry sharks and stingrays many years ago when fisherman used to clean their catch here and the sharks and rays learned that this was a reliable location for food. So, while I’m not crazy about the idea of intentionally feeding wild animals, this is an experience not to be missed while in Belize. We only saw one variety of sharks, the nurse shark, and we were reassured that as long as we don’t stick our hands into the mix of the feeding frenzy, we were perfectly safe. I obeyed and kept my limbs in check while I swam with these beautiful fish. The largest shark we saw stretched to twelve feet long and none of them seemed to give us much notice.

And again, we had this area all to ourselves as well since Ernesto had the forethought to bring us here early enough to avoid the crowds. If you’re able to take a trip to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley (they’re often combined into one excursion), opt for the earliest shift. As we were leaving, we saw several boats coming in, and Ernesto assured us that the crowds would thicken as the day continued.

Robles Canyons

Our third day of snorkeling included a couple of spots. We started near a dive site called Robles Canyons for my favorite kind of snorkeling – shallow waters and lots of smaller coral heads. I love to relax and float above a coral formation and just gaze into the nooks and crannies, trying to spot every detail of life underwater. I got to see a flamingo tongue snail for the first time, but darn it if I couldn’t get a photo of that tiny thing. The photography was still so tricky despite having better lighting in shallow water. The waves made it difficult for me to stay still, but I enjoyed exploring this area.

Mexico Rocks

Our last snorkeling stop proved to be my favorite experience of the whole trip. Ernesto cleaned fresh conch while Chris and I snorkeled and as he discarded his scraps in the water, hundreds of sergeant majors and grunts surrounded us. I felt like I was part of their school.

And then this happened. An incredibly curious and playful loggerhead turtle swam right up to my face! He stayed with us for a good 10-15 minutes, just swimming above us, under us, and pushing off of me with his flippers. He came up to my camera several times, so close that I often couldn’t even focus on him! It made the trip for me. Favorite moment for sure.

Not pictured: our trip one morning to find the manatees. We spent some time swimming inside and outside the reef trying to scout out a manatee, but a fishing boat scared him off. No matter – the time we spent with that adorable sea turtle topped anything else on the trip for me! That, and the day went went looking for manatees Ernesto made us a delicious fresh conch ceviche from scratch that we enjoyed with tortilla chips right on the boat. It’s those little moments, you know?

April 16, 2015
Discovering Scuba Diving – Part Two

Last April, Chris and I decided to try scuba diving despite my deep-seated fears of ocean creatures. We took a local scuba class in a pool so we could get the feel of the equipment before taking the plunge in Grand Cayman. I had a blast in the Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) class, and took to breathing underwater…well, like a fish! We signed up for a second class in Grand Cayman and although I was still nervous about diving amongst all the scary bits of the sea (jellyfish, eels, barracuda, sharks, etc.), I think I was ready to try. Sadly, Chris was ill on the day of our dive and we had to cancel. I’m not sure if I was disappointed or relieved. Maybe a mixture of both.

Our next dive opportunity presented itself on our recent trip to Belize, and I have to confess: I nearly chickened out. I got into my head and just spent too much time thinking about it. We were minutes away from leaving the villa to head to the dive shop when I wondered aloud, “Has anyone ever died in a beginner scuba class?” Chris Googled it, and sure enough there were quite a few accidents even in DSD classes. So…that didn’t help.

I just kept thinking about all of the things that could happen, mostly related to ocean creatures. My imagination ran wild with things biting me or stinging me, which would absolutely cause me to panic several meters under the surface. There are even certain corals that are harmful to humans, so scuba diving just seemed completely unnatural to me and I’m pretty sure it’s one of the few things I swore I’d never do. I only just recently started to enjoy snorkeling after all. But as someone who loves to stretch the boundaries of her comfort zone, I decided to face my fish fears and give diving a try. I realized I’d be disappointed and regretful if I didn’t at least get on the dive boat, so forced myself out the door and into the Scuba School Belize dive shop where we met Ruben, the most calm, patient, and kind diving instructor I could have hoped for. He instantly made me feel at ease, reassuring me that nerves are part of the experience for everyone.

After watching a short video at the shop, we spent some time on the boat getting familiar with the equipment we’d be using. The detailed overview of how everything works and even taking some of the gear apart so we could see the inner workings helped to relax me even more. We stopped at a dive site called Tuffy Canyons, and I ~~made~~ requested Chris get in the water first.

Geared up, I did a backwards roll off of the boat into the water where it took a few minutes for me to get comfortable. Since Chris and I were the only two in the class, I was able to take my time before descending. I wasn’t panicking, but I did have a little trouble getting used to the regulator this time. It performed a little differently than the one I used in the pool. Still, I willed myself to relax and trust the equipment, I let the air out of my BCD and began my descent.

The experience turned out to be much more peaceful than I expected. After correcting a few equipment issues (my regulator was actually leaking a little water so Ruben and I calmly made adjustments), I enjoyed the quiet of being underwater and relaxed into the slow movements of diving, so the time went by quickly. I think we were down for 30 minutes or so. We saw beautiful fish and coral, and even a rather large barracuda that made my heart beat a little faster. I didn’t take a ton of fish photos simply because I wanted to focus on my gear and my surroundings, but Chris did grab this photo of a cute filefish amongst some gorgeous fan corals. I think he took a video of the barracuda – I still need to go through all of the footage. But most importantly, nothing caused me to completely freak out, nothing bit me or stung me, and I surfaced after the dive without a scratch. Well, actually I did scrape my knee on some rocks, but it didn’t hurt until after I surfaced.

Now that I’m back home in one piece and reflecting on my experience, I can say that I’m incredibly proud of myself for facing this fear. And believe it or not, I enjoyed it enough that I might even go ahead with that open water certification. Maybe.

So what’s something you’re afraid of trying? Can you push your fears aside and just see if you can get a little closer to that fear? Maybe there are baby steps you can take that won’t feel too awful. Let me know if you try something new and scary!

April 15, 2015
Kickin’ It Really Old School at Lamanai

When we booked our trip to Ambergris Caye, I knew we’d be remiss if we didn’t head back to the mainland to explore some of the ancient Mayan ruins of Belize. Originally I toyed with the idea of staying inland for a few days before heading to the island so that we could visit Xunantunich or even Tikal, but when I saw that Ernesto offered a trip to Lamanai I decided that the second largest Mayan site would probably tick the ancient ruins box for us. I’m glad we went with that option because he arranged a completely private tour with Lamanai Eco Adventures for just Chris and me! After taking a one-hour ferry back to Belize City and a 45-minute van ride out to Orange Walk, we met up with Alberto for an adventure up the New River that reminded me of the Jungle Cruise ride at Disney. No hippos or elephants though.

As we zipped along the river, Alberto expertly pointed out wildlife that I would have never noticed even if I stared at a spot for an hour, and taught us all about various species of birds, reptiles, and plants. He slowed down and stopped for tons of photo ops, like pulling right up close to this male jacana. If you look closely, you can see that he is standing over a pile of small eggs. It’s the male jacana’s duty to protect the nest, incubate the eggs, and even raise the hatchlings for the first several months all while the female jacana is away!

Can you see the tiny baby birds in this nest? I certainly didn’t see them until I looked through the viewfinder on my camera, mounted with a 200mm lens + 1.4x extender. And they’re still tough to spot in this photo. Look for the fuzzy white bits.

That’s a termite nest on the left below (fun fact: termites are a good source of protein; I don’t know this from personal experience though), and those black splotches on the right are bats. We learned that they eat mosquitoes, so I’m now a big fan of bats. I loathe mosquitoes.

One of the highlights of the tour was meeting this cute spider monkey that the guides named Jack. We offered Jack a few bananas and he happily took them right out of our hands each time and scurried away a few yards to enjoy his snack. I’m not really a fan of feeding wild animals (for various reasons), but at least we fed him something from his natural diet and not like, granola bars. It was an incredibly special moment to have such a close encounter!

When we arrived at the Lamanai site it hit me just how hot and humid our next couple of hours would be, but thankfully I was prepared with sunscreen, hat, and bug spray. The tour was indeed steamy and sweaty, but it was completely worth it. We visited on the Easter Monday holiday which made the crowds pretty thin. Sometimes we had the structures all to ourselves! And I have to mention again how amazing and knowledgeable our guide was. He plucked things off of the ground and out of trees for us to taste (tamarind) or smell (allspice). He also overturned a big log so that we could see some scorpions and tried to coerce a tarantula out of a hole in the ground, but I won’t hold those things against him.

We climbed to the top of the Mask Temple and the High Temple for fantastic views above the trees and also to put ourselves in the Mayans’ shoes so to speak. I probably don’t have to explain that there was something incredibly magical about walking the same path that the Maya people took so many centuries ago.

As we were standing in front of Stela 9, we heard the deep roaring sounds of the howler monkeys for the first time. That’s when I remembered and fully appreciated that we were truly in the jungle. Well, that and also the moment shortly after, when I was standing in a grassy field full of little holes and I learned that they were tarantula homes. And with that I was “done” with the jungle. Thankfully we were at the end of the tour.

On the way back down the river, Alberto’s expert eyes scoured out one more wildlife sighting – baby crocodiles! It took me a good minute or so of focusing intently on this area before I saw them. They’re pretty cute, right? It was a fun way to end our jungle adventure.

April 14, 2015