By Beth Roberson
Headhunter’s Asparagus

Sauropus androgynus, some times known as Headhunter’s Asparagus is in the spurge family of Euphorbiaceae, has a native range from India to Malaysia now is popular in Belize, C.A. Headhunter’s Asparagus is very popular in Asia, where it is known variously as: katuk, mani cai, cekur manis, pucuk manis, sayur manis, star gooseberry, rau ngot, Sabah vegetable or sweet leaf, in this hemisphere the popular name is ‘tropical asparagus’, although it is not at all related to asparagus. (The stems are often eaten and have the texture of asparagus.) After researching the tasty perennial shrub, we have dubbed it ‘Headhunter’s Asparagus’ – from its infamous culinary history of its leaves being the garnish, historically in Borneo, for ‘long pork’ (human flesh).

Recently having attracted the attention of North American culinary crowd seeking out ‘new’ exotics, a local seed merchant introduced me to this delight, Headhunter’s Asparagus.  The leaves, young and old (younger of course more tender for raw consumption in salads, etc) and stems provide an estimated 6-10% protein, as well as many vitamins and minerals, a higher level being in the more mature leaves. Provitamin A, B, C and K are to be found – in fact, this is one of the few plant sources for vitamin K.

Sauropus androgynous received some bad press a few years ago in Taiwan, when it was the ‘fad diet’ for weight loss. If consumed excessively it can cause lung problems (purportedly from alkaloids – which may break down with cooking). The seeds and stunningly beautiful flowers are also edible, although I cannot claim to have eaten those. My favorite part for nibbling is the small stem. Many cultures favor the leaves of Headhunter’s Asparagus  in salads (mixed with other greenery). Other popular uses are with eggs – it excels as addition to quiche, using both leave and chopped stems. Chefs appreciate that it does not lose its dark green color after cooking, and we have used it in place of broccoli in recipes.

An Asian traditional culinary partnership Headhunter’s Asparagus  is eggs with anchovies. The flavor is closest to snow peas – very sweet tasting and pleasant smelling. Some websites describe it as also close to ‘peanut taste’, but for the cultivar we have sampled, we have not encountered this allegedly peanutty aspect. Used worldwide in soups (with crab, minced pork or dried shrimp), or as you like, this is a versatile veggie with giant possibilities.

  Headhunter’s Asparagus  is also utilized frequently as medicine in Asia. In both Vietnam and Indonesia, its touted glories include increasing milk supply for nursing mothers. (Boil the leaves, drink the water.) Also it is reputedly antipyretic (lowers fever) and a remedy for mumps. The low maintenance perennial bush, reaching 6-7 ft high (if you are not eating it down), thrives under varied conditions – semi-shade to full sun, tolerating soils from acid to clay and is easy to cultivate from seeds or perhaps easier from cuttings. It can be planted under or around trees where it may adapt growth to a vine-like fashion.

Try it as a hedge – just plant sufficient and plant this one close to the kitchen or where you often stroll (for a handy snack). My internet search shows that it is highly disease and pest resistant – although some insect finds it tasty at my Cayo home. Spraying occasionally with hot pepper spray has been effective to detract them. It Is said to tolerate heavy harvesting and will regenerate easily. Many cooks strip the leaves, then plant the stem; I find the crunchiness of the stems much too tempting to allow much planting like that.

Headhunter’s Asparagus is an easily cultivated and an unusal edible.

Reprinted from   Nov-Dec 2011/Jan 2012 www.belizeagreport.com

No other country in Central America or the Caribbean has a more fascinating and elusive past than Belize— with glorious Maya civilizations, English buccaneers and mahogany cutters, African slaves and Spanish conquistadors.

Season 2011 – 2012 Pricing

Even though fuel in Guatemala (by far our largest expense) increased by over 30% early in this past season, we resisted the urge to revise our pricing to reflect the "new reality" and held our published pricing while absorbing the cost.

For the coming season 2011-2012 however, it is clear that fuel prices are not going to be coming back to their previous levels anytime soon, and so we are forced to increase this year’s pricing in order to reflect this.

We know that a lot of you have been planning your trip for a considerable time, and we have already quoted you pricing – so we are trying to take this into consideration and give you an opportunity to still book at the 2010-2011 prices.

We will hold the current quoted prices for packages that are booked and paid in full by the end of August 2011.

Hopefully this will give you time to complete your arrangements and  make a confirmed booking.

Please let us know if there is anyhting that we can do to help move things ahead for you, and we hope that you understand the need for the impending increase.

Kevin@Greatsailfishing.com

1-877 763 0851

As always, we thank you for considering fishing in Guatemala with The Great Sailfishing Company.

We will have our Beach Villas available again this year (although they are booking out quickly for prime dates) – so we hope to see you for the best sailfishing in the world in 2011-2012

Best Regards,

Les, Carlos, Jim & Kevin

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WISH WILLY HOLE GUEST HOUSE

Wish Willy Hole Guest House, a quiet and cozy getaway, is a perfect romantic cottage at affordable prices in the Pine Ridge area of Crooked Tree Village.
Crooked Tree  is an inland island village surrounded by six beautiful lagoons and is the only inhabited wildlife sanctuary in Belize.  This charming cottage style setting offers two bedrooms with all amenities, five minutes from the Crooked Tree Village Lagoon.
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Business travelers are afforded a peaceful and tranquil setting to do their business transactions, utilizing our business center at their convenience and still having easy access to the commercial and financial districts of the country.

Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza is a full service Caribbean style hotel situated in the quiet and serene residential area of Bella Vista on the northern outskirts of Belize City. This Belize hotel is perfect for meetings and conferences, and is easily accessible on the Mundo Maya route, between Mexico and Guatemala on the Northern Highway. It is 3 miles from downtown Belize City and 7 miles from the Phillip Goldson International Airport.
For the vacation traveler, The Best Western Belize Hotel Biltmore Plaza Hotel is ideally located for day trips to the nearby Maya ruins and sanctuaries where endangered creatures roam freely in the wild. Belize World Heritage sites, such as the Blue Hole and the Barrier Reef, are easily accessible.

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Belize City is all about options and being able to fully exercise those options while staying at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel.
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If sun, sand, and sea are your fancy, visit our cayes and reefs. The Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel. is ideally located for day trips to all visitor destinations.
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The four day event is a grueling paddle down the 175 miles of the Belize Old River from the historic Hawksworth Bridge (only suspension bridge in the country) in San Ignacio, to the Belcan bridge in downtown Belize City. There are three night stops as the race progresses: Banana Bank Lodge on the first night, Russel’s Place in Bermudian Landing on the second night, and at Old River Tavern in Burrel Boom on the third night. The first canoes enter Belize City to cheering crowds at about 10:00 am on the last day, coinciding with the Baron Bliss Day Celebration. This years winners were Zip Liners with a total of paddling hours of 18:00:04 and then second place went to Koop Sheet Metal with a paddling total time of 18:26:43 and third place went to Crime Fighters with a time of 19:26:17 Congratulations to all participants!!

http://youtu.be/y6YKibXoDHw

YouTube – Ruta Maya Banana Bank 2011.avi

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First Choice Gold Choice Award by TUI
First Choice Gold Choice Award by TUI. This award  is a coveted prize and only awarded to the top performing properties. It is a stamp of approval from our customers and is a testament to our unwavering dedication to outstanding quality and service at El Dorado Spa Resorts & Hotels, by Karisma. The following awards are a testament to the unwavering commitment of outstanding quality and service at the following resorts:
• 2010 First Choice Gold Choice Award: Best First Choice Tropical Accommodation, El Dorado Royale
• 2010 First Choice Gold Choice Award: Best First Choice Premier Accommodation, El Dorado Casitas Royale
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AAA evaluates more than 57,000 hotels and restaurants across the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean each year. To receive a AAA Diamond award, hotels and restaurants must meet a list of strict criteria as determined by AAA tourism editors and trained professionals. Only 3% of the hotels evaluated receive the 4 diamond rating, El Dorado Royale is a consecutive Four Diamond Award recipient thanks to its exceptional cuisine, distinctive offerings and superb hospitality.
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From scuba diving and snorkeling Belize’s Great Barrier Reef and Belize’s three atolls to climbing Mayan pyramids, hiking through rainforests in search of hidden caves, to spotting elusive birds and wildlife, Hamanasi resort offers the best Belize adventure tours from one comfortable, convenient location!

We are the largest and best dive operation in Southern Belize and carry the distinction of being a PADI 5-star Gold Palm Resort. We are very safety conscious and offer access to more pristine Belize scuba diving than any other location in the country!

Hamanasi is located on a 12-mile stretch of beautiful beach near the village of Hopkins, Belize from which you can explore more reef and more inland attractions than any other place in Belize. There is no better place in Belize to experience the culture and access more of the country from one location!

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Cruising The Commonwealth

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28 year old Scotsman Sean Newall is in Belize, one stop on a twenty- five thousand mile bicycle expedition. He plans to visit all 72 countries in the Commonwealth Group of nations in four years. The end of his epic journey is timed to coincide with the start of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in his home country, Scotland.

True, the narrative behind Sean Newall ‘s odyssey is a little involved, but for the man who calls himself a human baton – his stop in Belize is is just another leg on a journey as wide as the equator.

Sean is at eighteen thousand miles, with 10 commonwealth countries in his rearview mirror. Sean Newall told us about some of the places he’s been and what he’s learned from them:…

Sean Newall
“I am now up to 18,000 miles so far in the world. The Common Wealth – I have been so far to India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand and now I am in Belize. By the time I get back to Glasgow by July 17th I’ll be doing 360, I’ll be going around the world and i have done a 360 of the world 25,000 miles long which is the length of the equator and I have visited all the Common Wealth nations. After that I take a rest then I go to Africa and visit all the Common Wealth there and then it goes on like that over and over. It’s like a baton really, I’m the baton and I’ve visit all the Common Wealth in four stages.”

Jules Vasquez
“Have you learnt anything? is there a distillation of your experiences?”

Sean Newall
“The similarities between the Common Wealth – it’s unbelievable how alike we are. Like Scotland and New Zealand is the same and New Zealand is very similar to here, all the culture, the food, the laws, the school – we are actually very similar. You wouldn’t believe the similarities – you would have Belize and India but it does or like India like Australia. The Common Wealth is a bit like a family. I have followed summer for 9 months now, I left Scotland in the summer and cycled all the way to India in the summer and I went down to Australia in the summer and I’ve gone back to the equator in the summer again and go all the way back to Scotland in summer, so it will be one long year of summer so I’m used to it.”

Jules Vasquez
“Do you ever just want to give up?”

Sean Newall
“Yes, oh yes all the time. Every day is a new challenge. But you just got to keep going, knowing what you are doing it for and that keeps me going. That’s the drive, I am almost there, only 7,000 more miles.”

From Belize, he heads to Canada.

And while it was hot to us today, Newall told us that Belize’s dry season is not nearly as hot as the Australian summer. The ride also has a charity element and you can find a link to unveil the matrix of his mission at 7newsbelize.com.
http://thecommonwealthchallenge.com/

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