These workshops are fun and educational. Workshop fees do not include transportation to or from San Antonio Rio Hondo. A flight to Cancun, Mexico and then travel by bus is much cheaper than flights to Belize. I travel by bus from Austin, Texas sleeping two nights on the bus.
Workshop fees include lodging, meals, activities, use of canoes and bicycles, etc. Prices are based on double occupancy but may be lower depending on accommodations. All prices are subject to federal taxes of 12.5%. Extra nights including meals are $60 US/person/day ($90/couple) or lower depending on accommodations. A non-refundable deposit of $200 is required. Fees will increase by 10% November 1, 2010. Checks can be sent to: Rodney Rylander, 512 West Austin, Fredericksburg, Texas 78624. The balance is due in cash upon arrival. There are ATMs in Orange Walk Town. US Dollars can be used in most areas of Belize. No vaccinations are required upon entry. English is the official language of Belize although Spanish is widely spoken. An automatic 30 day visa is given upon entry into Belize.
Creating More Happiness: November 5-13
This slow-paced workshop is full of experiential learning of changing attitudes, controlling expectations, calming the nerves, simple living, realizing the impact of brainwashing, impact of health, understanding the influence of food and exercise, and finding a need and rewarding experience, We will spend time on the Ark of Albion floating on the river, interaction with villagers, nature walks, meditation, and activities that are designed to help create a happier person. Smoking, consumption of alcohol or use of drugs are not permitted.. The workshop includes a trip to Lamanai Mayan ruins. The workshop will be facilitated by Rod Rylander. There are no councilors and this is not designed for therapy. The fee for this 8 day, 7 night fun and educational experience is $800 US per person ($1400/couple) and includes lodging, food, snacks, interactions, programs, and activities.
Tropical Ornithology: January 27-30, March 17-21, June 16-20
Rod Rylander, an ornithologist for over 60 years will present a course on tropical birds and then take the group of no more than 12 participants to search out the birds by boat, canoe, bicycle, and foot along the Rio Hondo. This is an appreciation and educational birding trek, not a trek to see how many birds you can add to your list. This 5 day, 4 night workshop fee of $500/person ($900/couple), which includes a trip to the Lamanai Mayan ruins. Extra days are possible, too.
Alternative and Appropriate Design and Construction Techniques: February 12-18
Participants will gain experience in various construction techniques such as adobe, cordwood, tire, rammed earth, stick-wall, thatched-roof, and natural plasters and floors. The workshop is led by Rod Rylander, who designed and built the well-known Hobbit House in Earthaven Ecovillage, and who has experience in building many alternative structures. Also providing instruction will be local villagers who are experts in tropical construction. This 7 day, 6 night workshop
Tropical Traditional Ways: April 9-12
This workshop will be taught mainly by older villagers who practiced traditional ways like making natural dyes, collecting and processing sap from the Sapodillo tree to make chewing gum, traditional fishing methods, how to get cooking oil from coconuts, preparing and eating traditional foods, and how to use a machete. The fee for this four day, three night workshop is $450 ($800/couple) and includes a trip to Lamanai Mayan Ruins.. Included are traditional dancing, and the history of the area and Mayan culture. We will tap onto the wisdom of the village medicine man if he is still able to help us.
Family Tropical Educational Experience: December 27-30
Families will experience participating in activities from cooking to sports with villagers. They will learn how to take better pictures, how to canoe, how to fish like the natives, nature tours on the riverboat, bicycle tours, archeology, cultural dancing, hiking, and more., A trip to the Lamanai Ruins will be included. This 4 day, three night fun experience is $450 per adult ($800/couple) and $350 per child staying in the same room as the adult. Child caring can be arranged directly with a villager.
Accommodations:
Cabana: Two rooms elevated 8 feet above the flood plain and loverlooking the river take advantage of the breezes off the river. Each room has a private bathroom with a flush toilet and shower. Windows and doors have screening. Fans are provided. The cabana is constructed with native materials including a thatched roof. The interior is nicely plastered. The family next door provides services for the guests.
Mennonite farm: A private room in a cabin on the Mennonite farm provides experiences like milking a cow, feeding chickens, taking care of livestock, and picking tropical fruit like mangos and avocados.
Homestay: A private room with a shared bathroom in a family's home in the village provides guests with a unique cultural experience. Most family members are bilingual in English and Spanish though Spanish is the language most spoken in the home. Guests may speak either language.
About Rod Rylander
As a teenager, Rod became known as a Texas ornithologist. As a biology student, he compiled The Checklist of Birds of Denton, County, Texas which went through 5 printings by the University of North Texas. He has led commercial birding tours to Mexico and Costa Rica. He owned and managed the Hummingbird Lodge and Educational Center in Rockport, Texas, and led regular tours to the coastal islands and ranches. He has written weekly and monthly newspaper and magazine articles on birding.
Rod created the Vertical Crawl Space concept of building earth sheltered homes in the late 1970s and presented papers at several international architectural conferences on earth sheltered construction. In 2004 he designed and built his well known Hobbit House in Earthaven Ecovillage in North Carolina. The Hobbit House incorporates adobe, tires, earthsacks, cordwood, cob, thatch, living roof, vertical crawl space, and other alternative construction and material techniques. His works have been showcased in national and international books, journals, magazines, and newspapers.
He initiated and taught facilitators in the State of Tamaulipas, Mexico to create the first environmental education program for Mexico. As a park ranger in Texas, he created a teacher training program in environmental education. He was an environmental education park ranger for Grand Canyon National Park. He has taught children and families most of his life in nature centers, schools, universities, and for the public.
Rod has been in the US Peace Corps in the Philippines (1988-1990), Belize (2000-2002) and the Peace Corps Emergency Response Team in 2005 to aid displaced people due to Hurricane Katina. He is now back in Belize helping the villagers of San Antonio Rio Hondo create very much needed income through the development of an end destination for people who are interested in a slow paced learning experience in the local culture, Mayan history, Spanish language, and the natural tropical world. He hired village cabinet makers to build the Ark of Albion Education Center boat to be used for entertaining and educational trips up the river.
About San Antonio
San Antonio Rio Hondo is a unique village of about 90 families where 90% of the people are related. It is situated on the East side of Albion Island next to the calm bypass of the Rio Hondo. The main river separates Mexico and Belize. Some computer maps show Albion Island as part of Mexico. It is about 30 minutes by regular Alamilla bus service from Orange Walk Town, the Orange Walk District capital that is situated on the Northern Highway. Most families receive income from their sugar cane and seek work outside the community to supplement their income. Supplemental food is gained through subsistent fishing and hunting.
Within bicycle distance are cenotas - very deep, roundish ponds created by the collapse of roofs of caverns, Mayan ruins, jungle, quarry where the compaction line revealed the huge meteorite that hit Mexico and probably caused the extinction of dinosaurs, Mexico, Mennonite compound, sugarcane production, and village life. The river has many varieties of fish, many big fish coming from the sea. There are alligators and manatees. An island in the river has many interesting stories. There is a traditional dance group located in Yo Creek village.
