La Ruta Maya Belize Canoe Race

ABOVE: At Big Falls a Belizean family enjoys a river bank picnic while the canoes glide past.

Many of Belize's first setlements started on the banks of the Belize River as this was the main means of transport in days past. The Cayo Boats that steamed up and down the river between San Ignacio and Belize City on the Caribbean Sea would take up a week for a journey up the river - stopping at various settlements to trade or let off and pick up passengers. The river also served to transport the many thousands of exotic hardwood trees such as mahogany which were exploited by the British colonisers.

ABOVE: Boomers line the banks of Burrel Boom to await the arrival of canoes in the La Ruta Maya race.

The trees were cut down, then floated down the river and trapped by heavy chains called "booms" where they were collected before continuing their journey to Belize City to be sent off to England. One such place was Burrel Boom, a village of great beauty in the Belize District.

The race runs on cumulative time, thus for this correspondent the final is anti-climactic - he who crosses the annual La Ruta finish line with the chequered flag is often not the winner. Many people are jumping up and down cheering the winners when they are often the losers.

ABOVE: Pine Lumber crosses the finish line first in an exciting finish - but they came in second. Big H which trailed them for most of the final leg won the race.

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