Central America 2005

Click the map above to see an album of photos for Belize. Close the window to return to this page.

Continued from Page 1

The next day we crossed the border by boat into Belize and arrived in an English speaking country. It seemed strange not to stumble along with my Spanish for a while. The country is also more rural and less populated than Guatemala, with a total population of only 220,000. We took a bus from Punta Gorda to Independence, a small coastal town, where we got a motor boat ride through mangrove swamps to the beach town of Placencia.

Belize has been called a Caribbean Island on the mainland, except lower key and less expensive. Placencia is just one unpaved road down a narrow peninsula with a parallel paved sidewalk accessing most of beachside hotels. It is a quiet, laid back town, just the place to spend a three days sunning on the beach. We spent our days on the beach sitting on wooden Adirondack chairs under a palm tree, breaking now and then for a swim in the ocean. We didn't even go for very long walks or any tours, just the place for Ray to bake out a slight cold.

Sunday night was outdoor band night at a local bar, the Tipsy Tuna. This was the end event of an Arts Festival weekend and everyone was there to watch a local woman perform some energetic dances and to hear the band play. I talked with an American woman who has lived there for 14 years. She works in a gift shop and was there watching her two daughters run the bar. The locals are worried about overdevelopment as condos start to sprout up. Since the only way in is a motor boat ride or 20 km on a bumpy dusty road, it will be a while before it becomes too commercial.

We continued our Belize beach experience by going to Tobacco Caye, a four acre sandy island a half hour boat ride off Dangriga. The coral reef sweeps around two sides of the island forming a shallow lagoon about 90 meters wide, home to several water birds. We stayed at Gaviota, one of the five mini resorts on the island. We had a simple cabin on stilts facing the lagoon. Gaviota tries to be environmentally friendly, so electricity is solar powered and water comes from rain storage tanks or is pumped from underground and filtered. Bathrooms are communal and have big signs warning you to conserve water. There are no stores or restaurants on the island so all meals are provided and served family style in a central dining room. There were only 12 to 14 people staying there so we got to know everyone.

The snorkelling was great. We rented masks and flippers and swam right off the shore. We swam over the shallows a short distance to reach the far side of a coral reef. There were lots of colourful live corals and lots of fish to see. We tried to identify some of the fish but there were too many kinds to remember them all. Each evening a pair of large spotted Eagle Rays cruised the shallows beside the main dock and an Osprey sat on a nest on top of a fishing shack in the water. Our last day there I was invited to join three other woman on a boat ride to another coral reef about three minutes away. I had a great time exploring more of the ocean and watching a stingray glide by underneath me.

After three days it was time to leave. We took the boat back to Dangriga and stopped at the bank to replenish our money supply and at the internet to do internet banking. We were told the bus to Belize City left at 10:30 so we were not rushing. We arrived at the bus just in time to see the bus take off at 10 AM, and the next one was at noon. There was nothing to do but wait and to decide where we were going next. We had a choice of more snorkelling on Caye Caulker or going to Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, where Jim and Ginny Galway had recommended the bird watching. They both necessitated going through Belize City. We phoned Sam Tillett's at Crooked Tree (we usually just turn up and find a place to stay) and they had an opening that night. It pays to be flexible.

The bus, a recycled school bus arrived at noon and off we went. The bus started labouring on little inclines, then racing down hills in order to make the next hill. We were concerned we would not make our half way point, Belmopan, but we did. I was surprised that we got on the same bus after a short ten minute break and sure enough we encountered engine problems very shortly. While still driving, the bus driver flipped up the engine cover, which was beside him inside the bus and instructed the ticket taker to hand pump the fuel pump. The driver replaced the cover and we would go another 100 M until the engine starting dying again. This was repeated several times until the ticket taker was pumping almost full time. The driver didn't even dare stop to take on passengers. The end came when the bus stopped to let off a passenger and couldn't start up again. Just as I was contemplating our chances of hitch hiking, another bus came along and we all piled on for the rest of the trip to Belize City, still in time to make our connection to Crooked Tree Junction.

Crooked Tree is an island in the middle of a river and lagoon system. It is one of the last water sources in Belize to dry up so it is a haven for all kinds of waterfowl and fish eating birds. Sam Tillett's was full of Canadians. In fact, we have met more Canadians and Americans on this trip than anywhere else we have travelled. I guess the proximity to the US and Mexico makes it easier and less expensive to reach than Europe or Asia, plus the climate is not hard to take in the winter.

We joined three Candian women, ESL teachers from Calgary, on a birding boat ride at 6 AM the next morning. Sam Tillett was elsewhere but our guide Rufus knew his birds. We relaxed for several hours floating down the river system with Rufus pointing out specie after specie. When we got back, I went through the Birds of Belize book and counted 44 different ones, including all the herons, egrets, Jabiru, ibis and several different hawks.

We also caught sight of a green iguana in a tree and floated down a crocodile infested section of the river. Rufus claimed they didn't go after people but were partial to dogs. I offered up one of the dogs near us that bark in the night and Rufus told us the tale of why crocodiles like to eat dogs. It seems that Dog tricked Crocodile into giving up his tongue one time and ever since Crocodile doesn't waste an opportunity to snatch his tongue back from Dog.

On our way back to Sam Tillett's we saw a pair of Laughing Falcons. Before leaving Ottawa I had picked up a book, The Laughing Falcon, a suspense story set in Costa Rica, written by William Deverell, author of Street Legal, the TV show. He lives on Pender Island off Vancouver and winters in Costa Rica. It is a good light read, if you come across it.

That afternoon Ray and I decided to go on a little walk on some trails in the surrounding woods. We did everything wrong. We thought we were only going for a short walk so we had no water, no hats, and no sunscreen. We met another couple from Sam Tillett's who gave us half a small bottle of water and told us the boardwalk, admittedly some distance away, was worth the effort. After being out about four hours and seeing very few birds, I didn't agree but we did not suffer from the experience for long. After a soft drink and a short rest we were ready to join two more couples from Calgary on a sunset walk to the water to see flocks of herons and egrets fish for their supper.

The next day we took the bus back to Belize City and got the water taxi to Caye Caulker, 32 km north. Belize has 290 km of barrier reef off the coast. The water is very shallow on the west side of the reef, allowing many small islands, the Cayes, to surface. Tobacco Caye was one but Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye are the most popular. Caye Caulker is the simpler and less expensive of the two so that is where we went. The Caye is about 6.5 sandy km long. The 1961 Hurricane Hattie, that also destroyed Belize City, widened a channel in the middle, splitting the island in half. The town, a string of hotels and restaurants, is on the southern portion.

We found a nice room at Tom's Hotel, facing the beach and looking out at the barrier reef about 1 km offshore. The swimming along the beach isn't the greatest as sea grasses thrive in the shallow waters. We preferred to walk to the Split where there was a sandy beach and lots of fish beneath the pilons left from a collapsed bridge. Ray liked the sunbathing and bar scene at the Split.

We joined six others on a guided snorkelling trip to the local reef one morning. We were gone for three hours with stops at at three different locations. The first spot was quite shallow so the guide led us single file through the gaps in the corals. Our guide, Salvador was very good at pointing out the various corals and fish, including a large, lazy, ugly porcupine fish.

When we had enough we moved to Shark and Ray Alley, where we were greeted by, you guessed it, a school of Southern Stingrays and several Nurse Sharks (a harmless variety). They have learned that all the snorkle boats bring fish to hand feed them so they were waiting for their treats. We were invited to swim with them so we jumped in. Salvador let us pet both the stingrays and the sharks. They had a soft, slippery feel, not unpleasant. The stingrays in particular stayed around for quite some time before deciding the snacks were gone. Our last stop was similar to our first stop but deeper. We were allowed to pick our own route here so Ray and I went out exploring. The fish were just as colourful, but a bit larger and more plentiful in this spot and we had a great time.

Our last stop in Belize was St Ignacio, just 17 km from the Guatemala border. This was to be a stopping off place on the way to Tikal, but there are several other Mayan sites in the area. After lunch we started walking to Cahal Pech, on the edge of town. A pickup truck driven by an American stopped and offered us a ride. We got in and told him where we were headed but he misunderstood and went past where we thought the turnoff was. He thought we were going to Xunantunich 12 km away. He offered to take us back, but since he was going to the town near Xunantunich and it was a more significant site, we elected to continue on.

Large temple at Xunantunich

Detil of carvings on a temple

We stopped where a free ferry takes you to across the Belize River. Our driver offered to take us all the way as he said it was a 2 km uphill walk on the other side, so of course we agreed. The site is dominated by El Castille, a pyramid rising 40 M above the jungle floor. We climbed the steep stairs for a great view. Carved masks were discovered and restored on the east and west sides of El Castille. To preserve the carvings from erosion by the elements, fiberglass replicas were made of the carvings on the west. The originals were buried about 1 M below the surface and the realistic looking fiberglass replicas are what you now see. There seems to be a debate amongst archaeologists as to what is better, to allow people to view the ruins and risk deterioration from the elements, or to uncover and study them and them rebury them. It seems a little too elitist to limit views to a few archaeologists, plus I would guess that funding is more readily available to accessible sites.

After viewing the rest of the buildings at Xunantunich, we started walking down the road towards the ferry. Another pickup truck stopped and offered us a ride. Since they were returning to St Ignacio, we got a ride all the way. There seems to be a lot of missionary activity in Central America. The first fellow to pick us up was an American who had been working at a Jehovah's Witness mission for two years. The second group were Mennonites, including a young man, who was deaf and taught at a school for the deaf in St Ignacio. His parent were visiting from Sharpesburg, Maryland. That evening we had supper in a nice outdoor patio restaurant in St Ignacio. We sat next to a large group of Americans visiting a Roman Catholic mission. The priest with them was telling them about his work teaching at a local university and a seminary as well as taking care of a parish. Whatever their beliefs, they were all most kind to us.

Click the map above to see an album of photos of Tikal. Close the window to return to this page.

We took another early morning minibus from St Ignacio across the border to Guatemala. We had tried to get a reservation to stay at the Tikal site but they were all full, so we were heading to our second choice, El Remate, on the shores of Lago de Peten Itza, about a half hour away from Tikal, the largest Mayan site in Guatemala. The rest of the minibus group were travelling to Tikal for a day tour but we were in no rush.

We found a good room in El Remate, just a collection of small hostels at the junction of roads to Tikal and around the lake. We walked down to the lake where local women were washing clothes on makeshift platforms of piled up rocks. The water is swimmable but the muddy shoreline didn't entice us. It was too hot in the afternoon to do anything but relax, which was fine with us. We did manage to find a balcony restaurant overlooking the lake where we had a beer while admiring the sunset. Life is tough.

The next day we did Tikal. A minibus picked us up at 5:30 AM to drive us to the site. We shared a guide, Juan, with three Americans from California. Juan was pleased to share his knowledge of the Mayans and Tikal with us. The site is huge. The 550 sq km park in which the central area of the city occupies 16 square km and more than 4000 structures, only some of which have been uncovered. The Mayans kept the location secret from the Spaniards, so they lay undisturbed until 1848 when a Guatemalan expedition gave out the word. Several countries have been involved in their exploration and work continues today. Clearing is slow and laborious. The trees growing on the hidden temples must be cleared gradually to prevent the collapse of the structures. All the stones must be numbered and reconstructed using materials as near to the original as possible.

We started our tour so early for a reason. It gets hot when the cloud cover dissipates later in the morning. We had been warned to bring lots of water and snacks and to wear good walking shoes for the 10 km of trails through the complex. It was good advice. We took our time and enjoyed the multitude of pyramids and temple structures. High stone steps or wooden staircases on several pyramids allow you to reach heights of over 40 M. What stuck me most was the obsession with numbers. All the temples have elements arranged according to the numbers 3, 5, 7, 9 and 13. Every element of each structure was significant. As many people know, their astronomical calculation were phenomenally correct, including adjusting for leap years. They calculated time in 13 cycles of the moon and groups of 20 and 52 years. In addition, Juan told us that the seven main buildings of Tikal have the same configuration as the seven stars of the Big Dipper.

Climb the temple to the sanctuary on top

One of many carved faces

Our tour ended at 1 PM, allowing us time to visit the local museum with a small but interesting collection of pottery and a reproduction of the grave of one of the last rulers, King Moon Double Comb. He was found surrounded by 16.5 lbs of jade. Juan told us that the Guatemalan Jade has been determined to be Jadeite, but the Jade found with the body is the real stuff, implying it had to come from China or elsewhere in Asia. More people are concluding that there must have been travel and trade between far flung regions of the world. There has to be some reason that pyramids are found in Egypt, Central and South America as well as South East Asia.

We are now in Flores, just 35 km around the lake from El Remate. We are stopping here so that I can write the latest episode and to catch the bus tomorrow heading towards El Salvador. That will mean another border crossing and more stamps on our passports.

As usual, we have visited quite a number of places but there is always more to see. We keep hearing of recommended places we have not had time to visit, but that will have to wait for another time.

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