Dec 11th, Greenville to Belize City
We just landed in Houston on our way to Belize. Getting from Greenville (GSP) to anywhere else in the world always involves a stopover at one of the larger hubs in the US. In this case IAH, which is known as George Bush Airport in Houston. Our stopover was already going to last 2+ hours, but our pilot was in a hurry. We arrived 45 minutes before scheduled arrival. Reason enough to use two United Lounge one-time passes, which were to expire on Dec 31st.
United Lounge
The first United Lounge we visited did not accept one-time passes, as it’s too busy right now. We can be put on a waiting list, but we hear another lounge is still accepting. So we head out to gate C33, where the other lounge is located. There is food, drinks and clean restrooms. What else can a human on a trip wish for.
And that’s just where I am this minute, typing away industriously at my travelog for this vacation. We will start from Belize City with a G-Adventures tour for 9 days. After that we have rented an AirBnB at two different locations in Belize. All in all we hope to get an impression of this country, which is not very far from our home city. Perhaps in the future we may want a place to spend the cold winters, in order to warm our old bones. South Carolina may be warmer than Colorado, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t get cold here. Let’s first see how we like it here in Belize.
Belize City
After another 2+ hours of watching “Emily in Paris”, our plane landed at Belize City Airport. The airport is named after Philip Stanley Wilberforce Goldson, an Belizean activist and politician. Immigrations and customs went relatively painlessly and immediately outside a driver of the Best Western was already waiting for us. After a short delay, we headed to the hotel. Our room is nice, roomy and clean. After Gepke has organized everything we head out to discover our surroundings.
We keep it simple today, no long walks just yet. It’s also later in the day, so we concentrate on finding a place for drinks and to eat. We settle on drinks at the hotel and the same for dinner. I have my first Belizian Belikin beer and also my second, while Gepke consumes a Margharita. We move no more than a few yards for a simple dinner on an outside terrace at the hotel.
Back in the room I try to watch the news on our tablet, but keep falling asleep. In the end I give in. Gepke manages a little longer than me and reads a little in her book.
Dec 12th, Belize City
The morning arrives without any missed sleep, so we can say that our room and bed are comfortable. We have breakfast at the hotel, and then head out. The plan is to take some photos at the Belize sign and then walk to the Museum of Belize.
Walking tour
Belize City is not pedestrian friendly, which I guess is pretty much the story for all of North and South America. Wide sidewalks or pedestrian friendly, non car centric areas appear to be more of a European thing. After risking our life to cross the Philip Goldson Highway, we walk the narrow sidewalk where cars wiz by at dizzying speed. Luckily we can turn left into a quieter residential neighborhood soon after.
Though these streets have no sidewalk at all, they are much less traveled by cars. After a while we can follow a path that takes us closer to the beach and ends at the Belize sign. Along our way we are passed by several groups on bicycles. Judging by the way they ride, most are not used to riding a bike, so I get far out of their way.
Belize Sign
We arrive at an area where a group of these bikers are gathering in a large gazebo-like structure. Right next to it is the Belize sign. A family with two children are taking pictures. Gepke offers to take pictures of them with their phone. They do the same for us in return. They are from Washington state and are one of the very few other tourists we see today.
As we continue our walk to downtown the lack of other tourists is again noticed by us. Did we unwittingly enter South Belize City, where we were told not to go? We’re still north of the canal, so I think we’re OK. After a long walk we finally make it to the museum.
Museum of Belize
The building we entered used to house a prison, but it is now the Museum of Belize. A disinterested lady charges us 7 USD per person, and suggests which route we should take. We start in a room where we can read up on the history of Belize, which is full of slavery and inequality.
My thoughts are interrupted by a large group that enters. The group guide has the loudest voice that cuts through everything. It works as a gentle push in the back for us to continue quickly to the next room. They follow us soon after, and as a result we end up leaving the museum fairly quickly. Not that the museum was of a quality that deserved a longer stay.
Coffee!
Our next destination needs to involve some coffee, as we have already traveled close to 4 miles on foot. We find a cozy outside place that fits the bill. Our table gives us a view of the ocean and the busy street in front of us. What we also see is dark skies that look ominous. As expected no long after, the heavens open and rain pours down.
Even though we are underneath a covered patio, the wind drives this wetness in our direction. So we move inside the coffee house and wait for the rain to let up. When this does not happen, and the weather report also lets us down, we start looking for an alternative.
Taxi
Gepke asks the lady working the counter at the coffee house to call us a cab. After waiting inside for a long time, I get impatient. I go outside and stand under the patio near the street. In this manner it does not take long for my imposing stature to draw passerby’s to offer me a ride. One of those offers to take us to our hotel for 20 BZD, or about 10 USD.
David the taxi driver keeps us very entertained on the way back. He asks where we’re from and tells us he is an official Belizean guide. He would like to take us on a tour and wants to add us to his list of Whatsapp friends. We manage to keep him at bay, as most of our guiding needs are already covered this vacation. However, we still take note of his phone number. You never know when we’ll need another ride here in town. The ride ends with different kinds of Belizean music blaring from the minivan speakers. We’re happy to disembark at the hotel and pay David the pre-arrange amount we settled on.
Sahara
We first have some of the drinks we purchased yesterday in our room. For dinner we have chosen the Sahara Restaurant across the street. The menu is Persian Mediterranean, which is a fancy way of saying they serve Shawarma and Gyros. Regardless, everything tasted good so we will not starve tonight.
Back at the hotel there were many Christmas parties scheduled, and we were made part of that in the evening. Meaning: loud music and yelling karaoke people, all convinced they will be the next Beyonce or Sam Smith. I still managed to fall asleep fairly quickly, though Gepke had some more trouble.
Dec 13th, Belize City and a lot of rain
As I lie in bed, I’m listening to the roaring noise of rain pouring down outside. I think we will not be doing much walking today. When we leave the room later in the morning, we see the staff working hard to deal with the overflowing water from the pool. The weather report is not very optimistic: 70% rain all day. Today will likely be spent near the pool, so we can relax and watch the rain.
Later in the day we will meet our tour group. We have already learned that our guide is called Evelin. We should be introduced to the other travelers this evening. It turns out the group had one cancelation, so there are a total of 15 guests. Most are from Canada but this time also a few Americans. We all together have dinner in the hotel restuarant and get acquainted.
Dec 14th, First travel day
We meet at 8:30 am to pile ourselves and all our stuff into what I can only call a Chicken bus. It’s a former US school bus that has seen better days. The driver has been so accomodating as to come pick us up at the hotel. But that is the end of special treatment. From our hotel we go straight to the downtown bus terminal where all other passenger board. This is a public bus that goes to San Ignacio, so we are just another set of passengers here.
Many locals board until there is standing room only. People of all ages and sizes get on and off as we head west. The description given for this yesterday was “Belizean Massage”. I now understand what they meant. My ass is feeling every bump in the road on the hard surface of the bus seat.
Arrival in San Ignacio
After many stops about three hours enroute we finally make it to Ignacio. Here we switch to a private bus that takes us to the border with Guatemala. The ride here is less stressfull on my bum. But there is also less room for my legs, so it’s not that much of an improvement.
Belize – Guatemala border
At the border crossing we all get out again and collect our luggage. With everything we own, we walk to the border office to perform the necessary rituals. First we pay a 20 USD each exit fee for Belize and are given a receipt. The next stage is a stamp for our passport. We then progress through no-man’s-land to head to a similar office for Guatemalan immigration.
The lady in the window asks me where I am going in Guatemala and for a second or two I am tongue tied. She is impatient and not amused. First I blurted out “I’m following her!”, pointing to our guide. That answer is insufficient. Then I remember Tikal, which I apparently pronounce so badly that she has to ask me to say that twice more. Thankfully she stamps my passport and I may enter. And of course no one else that followed had to go through this, only me…
On to Flores
Another private van is waiting for us beyond the border office and we can stowe our luggage again. Going from bus to bus results in me losing some of my snacks. Along the way we stop at a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant for lunch. Since Gepke already had a big breakfast, and lunch is not really my thing, we go for a short walk instead. It soon becomes apparent we are truly in a rural area. Our walk leads pretty much nowhere in any direction we go. So we return to join the others. Still the views of the area were nice.
Around 4pm we arrive in Flores. The bus drop us off from where we have to walk a short distance to our Hotel Petén. Clouds had been forming for a while and they were now dense enough to drop their load. The surface of the lake surrounding the island we are on started to rise from all the rain falling. After about an hour it let up a little, enough to make a quick grocery run.
This evening we are having dinner with whomever wants at Los Amigos. Tomorrow we go to Tikal..
Dec 15th, Tikal
Today we travel to Tikal, an archeological Mayan site here in Guatemala. Tikal was hidden from site for many years due to the jungle taking over after the Mayan empire collapsed. But in the 19th and 20th century, many of the structures have been cleared and made available to tourists.
The ride starts early at 5:30, but that is more an attempt. It turns out to be a false start, due to some members having problems getting up so early. But we finally do leave with our guides for the day: Miguel and his daughter Gabriella. We travel about an hour to go to a breakfast place first. Of course I am again the only one not eating breakfast, but that’s just me.
After breakfast we continue on and arrive at the gate of Tikal National Park. There Miguel gives us a short introduction to the Mayan civilization of Tikal. The Mayans themselves had a different name for Tikal, namely Yax Mutal. The area with structures is enormous, but most were invisible until mapped with Lidar.
Nature
Miguel takes us on a long walk. All the while he’s explaining everything about the Mayas, the nature around us and the many birds and mammals we see. The different types of birds are too numerous to mention. We also see some Coati and Spider Monkeys. I also feel we are constantly being watched by Jaguars that hunt the Coatis. I can imagine they may be looking for variety in their diet and wonder how a tourist may taste.
Temples
After a while Miguel points out a structure half hidden in the jungle. Then another, this time one that was used for steam baths. The buildings grow bigger until we enter an area known as Acropolis that are two temples, flanked by other large buildings. Every temple we see is larger than the previous until we find the highest at 70 meters tall.
Most of the structures have wooden stairs built around them so we can climb up and admire the view. The structures themselves are adorned with decorations; some depict all seeing eyes, others are huge masks judging use from the past. It’s all very impressive, especially when you realise some of this was built as far back as the 4th century BC.
End of Mayan Civilization
By the year 800 CE, the Mayans had abused their living environment to the point it could no longer sustain them. The soil had become acidic, droughts were more common and crop results were low. Many Mayans just perished from hunger or left the area looking for a better life.
We do the same and head on back to Flores. Gepke and I go and discover the Island in the lake while others go on their individual activities. We end up at a restaurant where we have dinner on the lake shore. When we walk back to the hotel, we stop at the grocery store for some snacks for tomorrows trip back to Belize.
Dec 16th, Drive to San Ignacio
Gepke had breakfast by herself in the hotel restaurant, as I took my time to shower and get ready for the day. The private van was there at the same place it dropped us off, two days before. We all loaded into the van and headed out of Isla Flores, across the causeway back to the mainland.
San Ignacio
The drive to San Ignacio was only briefly interrupted twice. First a stop for gas and toilet break. Then on to the border for the now standard tasks of exiting one country and entering the next. Before we knew it, we were in San Ignacio at the Venus Hotel. The hotel was downtown on the second floor. No elevator, so we had to drag our bags up a flight of stairs before we could settle in our room.
There was some time in the afternoon to take naps, discover the area or take part in other activities. We discover the town where we will also be spending next week in an AirBnB. We found the local open air market that had pretty much anything we will need to cook our meals.
Drinks and Food
Back at the hotel we got a little more organized and went downstairs to have drinks at the place across from our hotel. Since the street where our hotel is located is a pedestrian area, there are cafe’s and bars that have seating outside in front. We commandered a few seats, and as others in our group saw us sitting there, they would join us and our table grew more and more.
In the evening we all had dinner together at Erva’s, where we had already given our order while en route. Dinner was brought out quickly and enjoyed by everyone. Many cocktails were added to the ones we already had earlier. As you can imagine, the atmosphere improved more as the hours grew late.
After dinner we fell in bed and tried to sleep. Even though the AC was set above 75F/25C, the room felt like a refrigerator according to Gepke. I did have a disturbed night, waking up frequently, but not from cold but from the many lumps in my bed. This hotel is definitely not the best on this trip.
Dec 17th, Caracol
While many of our group today have chosen for cave tours and waterfalls, we picked a trip to the Caracol Archeological site. We are picked up by our guide at about 7:30. I say about, as we have found out that nothing happens “on time” in Belize. It’s the typical laid back atmosphere we also experienced when visiting other Central American countries.
We walk down a block with our guide to pay for our tour at the office, but there the Central American Gods have decided that the payment system needs some more time to warm up. We’ll just have to pay when we get back.
Caracol
So off we go for about 1:30 hours, or in other words 1:45 hours, to the entrance of Caracol National Park. Our guide has the same name as myself, so no extra effort for me to remember his name. He takes us for a walk through the jungle on our way to the structures hidden herein.
Caracol is again different than Tikal. Originally Tikal was the more important city in the Classical Meso American history. However a few wars changed the balance of power and Caracole became the more important center of power. We climb many of the structures and temples. Some are pretty high, first around 40 meters, the last as high as 70 meters.
Going upstairs
The “stairs” leading up are not of the normal variety, but also double as bleachers during the Mayan rituals. For us that means taking huge steps to get from one step to the next on the temples. But in the end we are rewarded with a great view of the surroundings and the jungle further away. Unfortunately what goes up must also go down, and that turns out as much effort as climbing. But we do make it.
I should mention something about the two other families we traveled with. They are two Indian-American couples with their children. The children are very active, running around everywhere and constantly asking all kinds of questions. Their energy must have gotten projected onto us, because I have no idea how else I was able to climb on all these ancient artifacts.
Pools
On the way back we make a stop at a few pools in a streaming river with small waterfalls. Since Gepke is half mermaid, she immediatly heads into the pools. It looks easier than it is, for the rocks are slippery and it’s not easy to keep your balance in the flowing water. I take photos from a safe distance, some of which she does not find flattering. Especially when she is sliding in the sandy bottom and the expression on her face is one of horror.
After we have convinced the children we really need to return to town, we leave this idillic place. The ride back is much quieter than this morning. I think some of our group have fallen asleep. We arrive back around 4:30pm just in time to pay for our tour with the lady in the office that wants to go home. We walk back to the hotel and after a rest head out with the others from our group for dinner at Guava Limb. It was a perfect day.
Dec 18th, Travel to Caye Caulker
Formally, we were to take the public bus back to Belize city from San Ignacio. However, although it was an interesting experience, most of us had no problem shelling out an extra $20/pp to take a private van back. So after a democratic voting process with no need for recount, Evelin arranged said van for us.
This also allowed us to sleep in an extra hour as our van left an hour later. The drive was again close to two hours with stops along the way. The driver dropped us off at the terminal for the water taxi to Caye Caulker. This was again a little luxury, as with the original plan we would have needed to take taxis from the bus station to the water taxi.
Water taxi
The water taxi that will take us to Caye Caulker is a large catamaran with room for probably 100+ people. It was not very full, so I was a happy camper even though this was travel involving a boat. Not my favorite activity, but the larger the boat/ship, the less issue I have with it.
After boarding we spent around an hour traveling to Cay Caulker. There we stopped for lunch, while someone else worried about our luggage. It’s a nice way to travel when other people do the heavy lifting.
Hotel Tropical Paradise
Our hotel waited for us at the end of a walk, along which Evelin explained the sites and stores and other points of interest. The room was a step above our previous hotel, with a safe this time. If they also have warm/hot water I’ll believe I am in heaven. We’ll find out.
After settling in, we gather to go on a bike ride with children from the Ocean Academy, G-Adventures’ Planeterra moment. I was impressed with the courtesy and knowledge the youngsters that showed us around. They could provide answers to any questions posed to them. On bicycles we rode to different spots on South Caye Caulker. At every stop the Ocean Academy student explained about it and the general history of the Island.
We returned to the hotel room for a quick freshen up. Then we headed out for dinner at Reina’s. Gepke had lobster and I had the Caribbean Jerk Chicken. It was delicious and I was glad I didn’t have far to walk back to the hotel with my full tummy.
Dec 19th, Caye Caulker
Today we can fill in our schedule as we like. Some go snorkeling or diving, some do other activities. We decide to go discover the southern part of the island. One reason is to see where the airport is, as we will be using a puddle jumper on Sunday to return to the mainland. On route however, we miss the entrance to the airport completely.
We are distracted by all we see around us. The first part is still somewhat urban, with many hotels, guest houses, café’s and restaurants. After a while though we see no more structures and are completely surrounded by mangrove jungle. We see and hear many birds. Occasionally we need to move to the side for one of the many golf carts on this island, but even those become scarcer.
South Point
Over our heads we suddenly hear the loud roar of an airplane taking off. The runway is well hidden, but the sound is something you can hardly miss. Further we go until we pass South Point, from where the route curves back to the north.
We notice tiny Iguana’s here and there. Maybe 4” long, but as we continue they get larger. A foot or more and soon we see an Iguana in a tree of at least 3 feet in size. Our route gets rougher and narrower. There are more puddles of water and it gets more muddy.
Detour
At one point we are forced to turn back a ways and find another route. The original route is blocked by a flooded area we dare not cross. We had seen another path marked “bike path”, so we’ll try that one. It leads us back to civilization which is marked by million dollar mansions topped with Canadian flags.
This time we do find the entrance to the airport and briefly check it out. Then we walk back to the hotel for a rest and a swim. Gepke also wants to try out the ocean, but the stairs of the jetty are very slippery, so she changes her mind and limits herself to the pool.
Dec 20th, Last full day on Cay Caulker
Since we inspected the south side of the island yesterday, we will concentrate on the west and north side today. From our hotel we head to a breakfast place “Suggestion”, with a french oriented menu. To honor this we have croissants and French toast.
It has rained hard during the night, and we have to find a path avoiding the deep puddles everywhere. It’s also a little muddy and slippery here and there, so it takes some technique not to end up on our butts. We are trying to find a path along the beach, but there is not much beach on the west of the island.
The Split
Occasionally it becomes a balancing act to find a dry route. Pretty soon my socks in my sandals are soaked. We do make it to the most northern part of the island, known as the Split. Cay Caulker was broken into a north and a south section. Some of this split was man made, but hurricane Hattie helped a lot too.
A small ferry here takes people to the other side. There is not much to do on the north island. However, there is a lot of building going on: new hotels and resorts. For this much manpower is required and the inhabitants on South Caye Caulker use the ferry to go to work. Tourists use the rickety ferry too, but just for fun or to go bicycling on North Cay Caulker.
Stingray Beach
Nearby is also Stingray beach where Gepke goes for a swim in the ocean. We were here yesterday too, and watched people feed the Stingrays and the Pelicans. This activity is not considered ethical by everyone, as it makes the Stingrays dependent on people for food. But it’s still fun to watch … and dangerous. Steve Irwin, the conservationist, was killed by a lash from a stingray tail.
We walked back to the hotel along the narrow coastal path on the east side of the island. It started to rain again, so we made a pit stop at a “Ice & Beans” for some soft ice cream. When it stopped raining we continued to our hotel and took our mandatory midday nap. I don’t get many of those normally.
Last supper
In the evening the group has the final dinner together at the “Sunset Pelican”. Evelin makes a (long) speech and asks us all to tell what was the highlight of the tour. The food served was delicious and the atmosphere was fun. From here our little family group will break up. Tomorrow Gepke and I are taking a puddle jumper back to Belize City. Here we will pick up our rental car for the remainder of our vacation.
Dec 21th, Back to the mainland
We take our time this morning as we pack to leave Caye Caulker. Our flight with Maya Air departs around noon. Gepke has breakfast and I join her with a cup of Joe while snacking on the items she leaves on her plate. Around 11am we walk towards the airport with our luggage in tow.
It has not rained last night, so a lot of the puddles have dried up and it’s not too muddy. We maneuver between the leftover puddles and stay on the dry patches as much as possible. In this manner we reach the Caye Caulker airport in about 15 minutes.
Checkin Maya Air
There are two buildings at the airport. One for Tropic Air and one for Maya Air. You can tell which one charges more for their flights. The check-in procedure is the most informal one I have ever experienced. Our luggage is already hauled away, before we even have labels on them. No boarding passes either, they say they know all the passengers. Not surprising as the plane takes about 12 passengers, not including crew.
Outside of the building the security man checks our carry-on with a fleeting view inside. Security was recently increased when a passenger from Curacao hijacked the plane. After the plane landed in Belize City, he was immediately shot by one of the other passengers who just happened to be carrying a weapon. Odd story but apparently true as I checked later on the internet. No-one ever lies on the internet.
Flight to Belize City
Two planes land right after each other. The first one belongs to Tropic Air, the next one is ours. A Cessna 208 Caravan with a few passengers already aboard. Gepke gets to sit way in the back, and I have to wait until staff can guess my weight and put me somewhere near the wing. Then we taxi to the end of the runway, turn around and take off.
The view is beautiful as we fly over the shallow waters of Belize. Different shades of blue, light where the water is not so deep, and dark blue for the deeper sections. After no more than 15 minutes we are already at Belize City airport. The pilot makes a really sharp left turn while descending fast. We are still in the turn when the wheels touch down.
Rental car
Disembarking is as fast as boarding and before we know it we have our luggage again and are walking to the Avis rental office. We are given a Chery Tiggo 4 hybrid, a Chinese brand vehicle. The hybrid part comes in handy as gas here in Belize is about 6 USD a gallon. The Avis person checks the vehicle with me for damage and then we are on our way.
Luckily there is Apple Carplay on board, so I can concentrate my attention on driving and leave navigating to Siri. The estimated distance is 85 miles which translates to 1:47 minutes. We intend to make a stop at a grocery store somewhere along the way. That turns out to be New Flags in Santa Elena not far from San Ignacio.
Grocery shopping
New Flags is one of the most chaotic grocery stores ever. There is one small entrance where people enter and exit, and trip over each other in the process. Inside it looks like everyone in Santa Elena decided to go shopping at the same time, so many customers. Regardless of this, the staff thought it would be a good time to restock the shelves, adding to the chaos.
In the end we find most of what we think we need, but also forget a lot as we find out later. We line up with everyone else for the cash register, only to find out that we need to go to a separate register because we have alcoholic beverages (wine and beer). I take the drinks to the car while Gepke gets in line again for the rest of the groceries. It’s no wonder we forgot all kinds of things. The prices were good though.
Our home in Belize
Siri has been patiently waiting and now urges us on to our final destination. The instructions from our landlord also indicate that the house is a yellow structure, so we see it immediately. An older gentleman is waiting inside to show us around, and is soon joined by his wife. The house is large, with a huge covered outside patio. It looks comfortable, so I guess we can assume we will be alright here.
In the evening I prepare dinner using the ingredients we got at New Flags. This is when I find out we have no milk and are missing a few other things. The rice I prepare is a little sticky, but according to Gepke it all tastes good. I think we won’t starve.
Dec 22th, On our own again
Waking up this morning was a little disorientating. I did remember we were not home, but also couldn’t immediately realise where I was. For now this place is comfortable enough to be called home. I slept deep and long, so I must have needed it. It gets light around 6am, and light floods into our bedroom here, but I still managed to sleep until after 7am.
Once I figured out where I was again, I got up, showered and made the bed. Seemed like the thing to do, as I do that at home too. Gepke was already up for a while when I joined her outside. She made coffee, but wasn’t happy with the result. She will deny it, but she is a coffee snob. I had some coffee myself and worked on my travellog.
More shopping
I made a breakfast of the eggs and ham we bought yesterday and slowly we settled into our morning routine. Today we are taking it easy at home, though we will have to go get the things we missed while shopping yesterday. After it stops raining, we head out. First towards Bullet Tree Falls as that is slightly closer than San Ignacio, and we haven’t been there yet.
Bullet Tree Falls turns out not to be very much and Google maps claims we can continue on this road until we hit San Ignacio from the other side. This teaches us to not blindly trust Google maps. The road she sends us down gets bumpier and narrower, then dead ends at some posts with bobbed wire.
So we head on back the way we came. Continuing past the turn off to our home we go on to San Ignacio in search of a better grocery store. We find that in the form of B2 where we buy some non-perishables. We want to get our fresh food at the market downtown.
San Ignacio Market
We manage to find a parking spot near the market and walk in. The choices here are overwhelming. Gepke buys fresh fruit and more vegetables for the coming days. We also visited a butcher shop. Not your everyday western butcher shop, but a hole in the wall place.
Flies are kept out with a screen door, though I doubt the effectiveness. We buy two pork chops at the first butcher. They are frozen solid and the butcher uses a band saw to cut us two chops. He has no beef, so we go to the shop next to his. Here we pick out a brisket that looks about our size.
Lazy day
It’s time to return home. Although we manage to miss most downpours it does let up and it’s not a day for a walk. At home we spend time outside on the enormous patio and watch the occasional rainstorms.
A police car passes by on the road in front of our house. He waves at us and I obligingly wave back. Then he turns into our driveway and two policemen walk our way. I hope he didn’t think I called him over. As it turns out he was just curious about the house, as it has a for sale sign outside.
We had seen that too when we arrived yesterday. The house we are staying in is for sale for $650k BZD. The policeman thinks the price is too high for this area. I cannot judge if that is true, as I don’t know the value of home in Belize. We talk a little more as Gepke comes outside. I tell her I am being arrested; she is not amused.
Police
Corporal Thompson, as I find out his name is, jokes along with me. As Gepke joins the conversation, Corporal Thompson writes his phone number on a piece of paper for us. He tells us to call him anytime we have a question. All the while the other policeman patiently waits until Corporal Thompson is ready to continue his patrol.
In the evening we eat leftovers from yesterday and watch Gilded Age on TV. Occasionally we can hear rain beating on the metal part of the roof of the house. At 11pm we turn in for the night, as it is a school night. So no partying until the early hours..
Dec 23th, Xunantunich
It’s become almost the norm: we wake up to the noise of rain rattling on the roof of the house. It doesn’t rain consistently throughout the day, but it does require some planning around it. As we have breakfast on the patio, we watch the veils of rain pour down. It has something magical, so no it does not bother us that much.
Later in the morning when the rain lets up, we head out to meet the ferry at Xunantunich. We find a parking spot across the road on a “for sale” property. Not sure if we are allowed to park here, but we can say we were inspecting it as potential future buyers.
Ferry across the Mopan
The ferry is just in the process of loading when we walk up. Pedestrians need to go to the very front, then vehicles are loaded. There is only enough room for 4 cars, and loading them requires skill. First two cars drive to the middle side by side. Then two more can get on and then all together drive a little more to the front. All this to keep things in balance.
On the other side the pedestrians disembark first, followed by the carefully balanced ballet of the vehicles. As we walk along a long line of cars to return, we are passed by the cars that came along with us. All on a very narrow road of which the quality near the ferry has seen better days.
The cars continue without us and the road improves and it gets much more quiet. We are one of the few that actually walk the one mile to the Xunantunich archeological site. At the gate we buy tickets. They are 10 BZD for residents and 25 BZD for foreigners. Gepke makes a useless attempt to buy tickets for “pensioners”, but they give us ordinary tickets. No deal for us, full price.
Xunantunich
We get bracelets to prove we paid and walk on towards the site. It’s not as large as Caracol or Tikal, but still impressive. We first climb some of the lower temples and take pictures of each other. As we walk on, the area opens up to a large field surrounded by some lower structures and one huge pyramid temple.
To Gepke it’s so inviting, and she’ll probably immediately start climbing up. I see this more as a chore, but I also start my ascent. As I am going up, I notice Gepke has actually not started. She is still checking out everything below while I continue up. The view is beautiful as I stop at the different levels.
I chicken out at the last 10ft, as the steps up are scary on the outside. This is high enough for me, I know my limits. After a while I start my descent and pass Gepke going up. Again we take the obligatory photos. Of course Gepke finds an alternative route to the very top, less scary than the one I was attempting. So at least one of us made it to the top.
Return to the ferry
After wandering around for a while, we started back. The sky is turning grey and we want to get back to the ferry before it rains. Fat chance; the heavens open halfway back. We try to shelter somewhat under trees along the way, but the canopy gives no shelter against the heavy rain.
It lets up a little, but by now we are soaked even with our raincoats. While we wait for the ferry it starts to pour again, but there is some cover on the ferry itself. The propulsion of the ferry is manpower. It is pulled across by a pulley system connected to a hand crank. One man controls the hand crank and thus pulls across 15 pedestrians and 4 cars. On the other side we found our car again where we left it. Since the rain does not want to let up, we head back home.
Dinner
Back home I start my attempts at dinner. We bought a small beef brisket that I sear a little and then put in the oven. I never made brisket so I am just guessing this will work. Later I also boil potatoes, carrots and some other veggies. The latter turns out OK, but the brisket was better suited as shoe leather. Oh well, at least I tried.
Dec 24th, Christmas Eve
More rain this morning. Still it does not bother us, only when we get caught in it. We spend the morning on the patio again and enjoy our surroundings. Across the road a horse grazes and in the distance we hear Howler monkeys. Now and then a flock of birds pass over, making a lot of noise in the process.
We intend to take it easy the next few days, which includes Christmas. There is plenty here to keep us entertained as long as the power doesn’t go out. I read that power failures are a frequent thing here, but so far we’ve only experienced one brief outage. Even then, the swimming pool is still there to keep us entertained.
Food
We only went into town for a late lunch or early dinner. We liked the “Guava Limb” restaurant when we were here last, so we give it a repeat visit. Last time we ate here, we took our dessert home in a doggy bag. The fork to eat it was in there too, so we planned to return it. When we sat down Gepke immediately gave it to the waitress, who thought that was very funny.
After dinner we passed a barber shop on the way back to the car. Gepke figured it was time for the traditional vacation haircut. The barber shop “A King’s Choice” did a thorough job, using a number 3 and number 2 hairclipper adapter. Those numbers are the same world wide, so I never have a hard time explaining my needs. Of course here in Belize the official language is English, so even easier.
We bought an ice cream cone while walking back. Then found our car in the same place we left it just before it started raining again. One would think our vacation was only rain, which was true to an extent, but mostly avoidable. The green nature of Belize needs all that water to stay that lush. Tomorrow everything is most likely closed as it will be Christmas.
Dec 25th, Christmas
Guess what? It rained this morning! Not that it bothered Gepke much. She went swimming, as when you’re in the water, you are already wet anyway. I think Santa lost sight of us, since there were no presents for us this morning. I can forgive him, maybe he left them at our house in South Carolina.
Since most of everything was closed today, we spent the day hanging around at our home here in San Ignacio. It’s our last day here, as tomorrow we drive to our next place in Belmopan. Gepke has already started packing and I tried to stay our of her way.
Dec 26th, Boxing Day
We are driving back to Belmopan today. We need to check out of this place by 11:00am and cannot check into our AirBnB in Belmopan until 3:00pm. Driving from San Ignacio to Belmopan will take no more than an hour, even on Belizean roads. So we need to find something to keep us occupied during the leftover hours.
When we arrive in Belmopan we figure we can find something to keep us entertained, but everything is closed because of Boxing Day. No restaurants, no stores, no tourist destinations or National Parks. Not that there is a lot of all that here in Belmopan anyway.
We do find the building where our apartment is located. At least we know it exists, but the locks will not work with our code until 3:00 pm, so we’ll need to hang out a while. First we find a grocery market that is actually open today. We guess that’s because it’s Asian managed: “Huang Market”.
Huang Market
There is a lot of choice, so we steer through the different isles. In the end we buy nothing right now, as we don’t want to leave our groceries in an unrefrigerated vehicle. We end up buying only some deodorant, as my supply is running low. Must have something to do with the climate here…
We drive to a park, where normally people sell fresh fruit and vegetables. Not today though, probably all hanging out with family. I leave Gepke in the car and walk around a little. Then I see a restaurant in the distance where is looks like the door is open. I go back to the car and we drive there together.
Of course this restaurant that is open, is also an Asian managed place. What would we do without Asians on Thanksgiving and Christmas when everyone else closes shop. We have a late lunch, Chow Mein and Chicken Fried Rice. It’s not a fancy place, but the food is good.
Lunch
The lady running it is very friendly, though she barely speaks English. When I ask for a Coke Zero, she reacts as if I made her an indecent proposal. I try it a second time and order a Belikin Beer, which apparently she does know and serves me one.
Gepke and I try to have our meal in silence, but we are approached by different locals. One makes suggestions of what we should order on the menu. Another wants to know where we are from. Everyone is just a little curious and by the time we leave, we know one as much about them as they about us.
One is a retired engineer and one a laborer who needs to go back to work after his meal. He lived in the US but told us he has been deported already 4 times. Everyone though is friendly and respectful and we already feel somewhat at home. But it’s time to head to our AirBnB.
The Penthouse
We arrive shortly before three and I wait downstairs as Gepke goes to check things out. Our place is on the top floor of a 4 floor apartment building. The owner refers to it as “The Penthouse”, and as it turns out that is no exaggeration.
Our codes fails a few times, but then the gate to the 4th floor releases. After that last flight of stairs, we can use the code again to enter the Penthouse.
It looks like we hit the jackpot. It’s a modern penthouse with huge living room and modern kitchen. Modern furniture, AC units in every room. There are 2 bedrooms and also an office to work from or have meetings. There is a TV in the living room, both bedrooms and in the office. Also fast WiFi, so we’ll survive in luxury here.
Dec 27th, Or Saturday off
Today is set to be a lazy day. As I make breakfast I notice that even with a beautiful kitchen as this, there are missing articles such as utensils. Still I manage to please Gepke with some fried eggs and toast.
Most of the day I veg out on the couch, but Gepke is more active. She heads out to find some shops in the vicinity. After a while she returns looking like a viking returning from a successful raid. Just as happy, and just as sweaty. It’s no incentive for me to head out as well. She heads out later on a second raid, this time to find a bakery.
Later in the day I inventory Gepke’s loot and together with some leftovers from previous raids, I prepare a feast for us. Rice this time is a little more successful. I add to it a spiced up dish with ground beef and fried potatoes. The final accompaniment is a coconut bell pepper and green beans dish. I even think it tastes good.
Dec 28th, St. Herman Caves
After breakfast this morning we head out with the car for a small road trip. The goal is to reach St. Herman Caves south of Belmopan to check out things there. Driving in Belize is not so much a challenge from a traffic perspective, as from a speedbump perspective. They put speedbumps everywhere, and often without any warning.
I managed to miss most bumps and before too long we arrived at St. Herman Caves. We pay the entry fee for the short walk, it’s too hot and humid for a mountain hike. The path runs through a dense jungle where the plants and trees along the way are marked with signs. We are impressed with the size of some of the palms here, that are as high as the pines back in South Carolina.
After a while the path descends into the cave by way of steep stone stairs. It’s noticeably cooler here, due to the karst environment. The fact we are not wearing headlights keeps us from penetrating too deep into the cave.
Tubers
If you do have all the right gear, which also includes inner tubes, you can go tubing further in the cave. On the way down to the cave we passed several groups of tubers with their guides. They all appear to be covered in mud and dirt, so apparently that tour is a challenging one.
We walk the same way back to the visitor’s center and head out a little further. Here is the Inland Blue Hole. Again many stone step lead to a deep pool of water. People are swimming in the murky water. I praise myself lucky I did not bring my swimsuit.
Dandriga
Since we already drove this far, we decide to go on to the coast. The small village of Dandriga awaits us. It’s not much of a tourist town. Maybe because it’s Sunday, but the place seems mostly deserted. There are people in the streets, but everything looks closed.
The roads through Dandriga are awful, unpaved and riddled with pot holes. My poor Chinese vehicle is struggling, and I don’t want to test it’s limits. We find the Hummingbird Highway again, and head back a ways to Hope Creek. Here is a turn off to catch the Coastal Highway north.
This too is a well maintained highway, though with odd speed limits. Most of it is 55 mph, but occasionally they post a limit of 30 mph, where nothing out of the ordinary is happening. We blame it on Jaguars and Tapirs. There are frequent signages warning for crossings of these animals, but we never saw one.
Back to Belmopan
After a while we arrive at the crossing of the Coastal Highway and the George Price Highway that leads back to Belmopan. We arrive back at our apartment in the late afternoon. Along the way we stop for some snacks and other necessities at the shops Gepke found yesterday.
We have leftovers from yesterday in the evening, and everything still tastes good. Tomorrow is our last day in Belize which we will use to recharge for the trip back to Greenville. We need to bring some of the heat of Belize with us, as the temperatures in Greenville are dropping below freezing.
Hi from us!
(More photos can be found here)