The news out of Latin America is seldom boring. There’s always something going on in this vast region worth talking about. Here are some of the more unusual or noteworthy tidbits from the recent news.

Toilet paper shortage in Venezuela
It’s one thing to hear about the effects of socialism on a country’s economy, quite another when price controls and inefficiency materialize in a concrete way. In this case it’s a big toilet paper shortage going on in Venezuela. They may be used to running out of milk, butter, cooking oil, and other staples, but one 70-year-old shopper said, “Even at my age I’ve never seen this.”

Yet another reason for them to head to Panama or Colombia I suppose. Plenty of TP in those places.

Former Guatemala leader convicted of genocide
Guatemala made history this month when it convicted a former president of genocide, the first time a head of state has been convicted of such in his own country. Rios Montt ruled brutally for 17 months during the civil war of the early 1980s. His troops attached Maya Ixil villages with full force, at least 1,771 deaths directly attributed to him at the trial. He got 80 years, so he’ll die in prison. This is on top of four soldiers getting convictions of more than 6,000 years in total a few years ago.

Goodbye to one of Argentina’s worst
In a related story, Argentina’s Disappearer-in-Chief just died at 87. Jorge Rafael Videla is said to be responsible for at some 20,000 deaths in the late 1970s and it was reportedly his idea to take the children from mothers, have then killed, and let the babies be raised by military families. Don’t rest in peace…

Belize road crew bulldozes Maya pyramid for road fill
In a story that prompted outrage in and outside of Belize, a road crew looking for fill materials took heavy equipment to an unexcavated pyramid in Belize that dated back several thousand years. They destroyed the structure and it gets worse: the company’s owner is (was?) a legislative candidate.

Brazil goes halfway to same-sex marriage
A supreme court ruling in Brazil effectively legalizes gay marriage in Latin America’s biggest country. While it could still potentially be overturned by legislation, this ends some confusion and brings Brazil closer to the policies of its neighbors Argentina and Uruguay.

One of the first batches of hotel reviews we posted on Luxury Latin America when we launched half a decade ago was for Ambergris Caye, Belize. This included what many consider the top resort on the island, Victoria House.

Hotels evolve, expand, and upgrade over the years and it was time to get a new set of eyes (and a new camera lens) trained on Victoria House. So when one of our contributors was researching the Ambergris Caye Luxury Real Estate story we posted recently, he checked into both their ownership options and what it was like for hotel guests.

We’re happy to say little has changed on the service side, with the staffers—many of them here since before we posted the first review—still delivering personalized, friendly service with a smile. While the resort evokes the time of “British Honduras” when Belize was a colony of the queen, we’re facing the Caribbean after all, so stuffiness can only go so far.

What has changed on the physical side is the addition of several new villas, so if you’ve got a big family or a group wanting some space and a kitchen, you’ll be set here. This was partly driven by destination wedding demand: there are a lot of weddings in this tropical paradise. Dive on the reef, then dive into marriage.

For more information, see our updated review of Victoria House in Belize.

A bit of trivia for your next cocktail party: what’s the one nation in Central America where English is the official language? That would be Belize, which also happens to be one of the best places in all of Latin America for a foreigner to buy real estate. There are great incentives in place, the prices (though not what they once were) are a bargain compared to the U.S. or Canada, and the market has been far more stable than others dominated by buyers from up north.

Our latest luxury real estate feature focuses on Ambergris Caye, Belize, long the most popular destination for both tourists and those who come and then don’t want to leave. The main town on this easy-to-reach island is a mellow place with more golf carts and pedestrians than any other mode of transportation and nobody in much of a hurry. The second-longest barrier reef in the world is right off the shore.

Usually when we run these real estate stories, there’s not much connection to the local hotel scene, but in Ambergris Caye, some of the most desirable opportunities are via luxury hotels like Victoria House and Las Terrazas. Of course you can also find your own private paradise with a boat dock elsewhere, whether it’s something built to your designs or in an eco-friendly, chic enclave with some company next door.

Get a full rundown on the options in our round-up of luxury real estate in Ambergris Caye, Belize.

On this luxury travel blog we’re usually pointing to new hotel reviews, tour stories, or high-end real estate round-ups. Sometimes we’ll sip some tequila or rum. There’s always a lot going on under the radar in the tourism world though, so here’s an update on some travel news.

We’ve reviewed Mexico’s Interjet airline in the past and we’ve been impressed by their growth. The airline now has 25% of the Mexican market and after adding flights to Miami and San Antonio last year, in November they stated flights between Mexico City and Las Vegas. They also headed south to Costa Rica and Guatemala. What’s next? This year they’ll start flying to Colombia. Pull up Interjet.com.mx next time you’re heading to Mexico to check out the options.

Think Brazil is becoming an economic powerhouse? Yes, they’re now the 6th largest economy, but because of domestic deman, not globalization. Latin Business Chronicle released a survey rating it as last on the list in Latin America for globalization. Measuring imports and exports as a percentage of GDP and other factors such as tourism receipts, it ranked the lowest, after Venezuela and Colombia. Who’s at the top? If you’ve been there you can probably guess: Panama. (In preparation for the World Cup though, Brazil’s prostitutes are busy learning new languages.)

A few times before on this blog we’ve pointed to ugly warning signs that Argentina could be facing another big financial crisis similar to the one that brought the country to its knees a little more than a decade ago. The latest was the revelation that Argentina grounded the presidential plane, their equivalent of Air Force One. Long story short, the country still owes more to creditors than it can pay back and this plane is something that could easily be seized to repay debts. To travel abroad, president Kirchner now has to charter a jet from a private carrier. We assume they’re asking for payment in advance.

Meanwhile, the Falkland Islands will vote in March on whether to remain a British territory or not. Few outside of Argentina expect the vote to go their way. In the meantime, British cruise company P&O has suspended trips there because of hostilities.

What’s the story with American virus scan gazillionaire John McAfee and Belize, then Guatemala? We’re not sure and probably nobody is except the man himself. But one movie script has already been sold and another will probably surface soon, even though we don’t know the ending yet. Get what we know so far here: Mystery Follows McAfee to Miami.

When most people think of Belize they picture Scuba divers or snorkelers exploring the great reef running along the coast, or they imagine enjoying beaches and tropical cocktails.

That’s just one aspect of this small but diverse country though and the interior of Belize is a land of adventure, jungle, and ruins. In the year pegged as the end of the Maya calendar, many have woken up to the fact that the ruins of this great civilization start in the Yucatan of Mexico and go all the way down into Belize.

If you’ve got the money and want to make your visit to the ruins something special, you can still do that easily in Belize, where crowds are pretty thin most of the time and inland luxury hotels like Ka’ana Boutique Resort have connections to get you in when the places are empty.

You’ve already missed the boat on their Caracol Overnight Luxury Camping trip since it only happened for the solstice, but you can still get in on their Yaxha ruins overnight trip. After spending a night in a suite at Ka’ana Boutique Resort & Spa, you and your companion(s) travel across the Guatemalan border to the Yaxha ruins. Here’s what’s included:

• Private Road Transfers to Yaxha, Guatemala
• Private Tour by licensed Archaeologist and Guide
• Personal butler
• Exclusive accommodations in Luxury Tent in the Plaza of Yaxha
• Turndown service
• Authentic Maya breakfast and dinner
• Sundowners with Cheese, Fruit and Sparkling Wine
• Boat Ride across lake to Topoxte ruins

This is just one of many excursions you can take from Ka’ana, however. They’ll also arrange trips to Xunantunich or Caracol ruins in Belize or Tikal in Guatemala. Adventure trips can explore caves, go birdwatching, or put you on river tubes or ziplines. See the full list of adventures here.

See our full review of Ka’ana Resort in Belize or visit their website to learn more and see current package deals.