We started out early (7am after breakfast) Tuesday on our trip from Flores, Guatemala to Belize City, Belize. On our way we got to stop at another Mayan site, Yaxha National Park. This park is a bit off the beaten track and we had the park to ourselves. Richard got us local guide but he only spoke Spanish so he was of questionable value to us. Still we had a nice two hour tour about some of the grounds. Once again the site was so large you could spend days investigating it. The more I learn about the Mayas the least I think I know. For example, pyramids are always built in pairs except when they are built for astronomy, ceremonies, etc. So I think it is safe to save pyramids are built in pairs except when they are not.
Any way, Yaxha was noted for have wide limestone paved roads between settlements. Richard said these roads were the the ancestor of interstate highways. I wonder if Dwight Eisenhower knew that?
Here are some of the pictures:
After we got done at Yaxha, it was back on the bus. We got to the Belize border about 1:30pm after we had stopped for lunch. The Belize border is noted for their inconsistent handling of people. We had to take all our luggage and go through immigration and customs by ourselves while our bus was fumigated. Belize had an immigration form for everyone to complete but their officials all handled it differently. Hopefully that will not come back to haunt any of us when we leave Belize.
Once in Belize we got an local guide who gave us a commentary for the remaining trip in Belize City. This city is only about 60,000 to 70,000 but it is the largest city in Belize (total population about 300,000). It looks to me like a little old town that just exploded. Traffic is a mess with narrow streets and the city does have a bad reputation.
On Wednesday morning we left Belize City for a day trip to Lamanai, yet another Mayan city. First we had an 1/12 hour bus trip to get a speed boat for another hour to arrive at the Lamanai site. During this time we got another local guide, Nate. Nate turned out to be one of the best local guides we encountered. He corrected a few things from the prior day’s local guide and gave us a running commentary during the bus ride. Did you know that Mennonites constitute one of the largest segments of Belize’s population? These Mennonites are a bit like a combination of our Amish and Mennonites as they look Amish but each community has they own practices as how strict they are. They came from Canada to the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. These Mennonites left Mexico and came to Belize when Mexico wanted them both to vote and to participate in the army. Belize was a much better place for them as Belize has neither such requirements. BTW, Belize only has a total population of about 300,000. It is the least populated country in Central America. Apparently, people don’t like to live in hot humid climate where the Mosquitoes are always swarming!
On the way to the boat we stopped for a group photo at the famous Belize sign
Once we docked at the Lamanai site, we toured the Mayan ruins there. Unfortunately by this time, all the ruins are looking alike to me. Here are some photos:
Yet another ball court:
Come on inside:
Jaguar Pyramid:
These Lamanai ruins are a popular destination for the cruise ships. We saw two cruise groups during our tour. What was apparent was the huge size of some of these people! It was a very hot and humid day and these very overweight passenger were struggling just to get around. One woman had the guide to herself as he helped her the best he could so she could make it back to the dock and the rest of her group.
Anyway, after the tour we had a picnic lunch that Nate’s wife had prepared for us. It was chicken, beans and rice and coleslaw. Pretty good for a picnic. After lunch, Nate took us to see a old sugar mill that operated here from 1860 to 1875. It shut down as the Mosquitoes were so bad (believe me, they still are!).
We returned to the hotel about 4pm. I had time so then I walked about ‘downtown’ Belize City. I discovered that it seemingly is as dumpy as it appears!
I woke up Thursday morning with a bad cold! This was not a good thing as I have had a history of difficulties in the past with colds and flying! Still, it was my going home day so Richard took me and the rest of the group to the airport for our return flights. I was the only one on the flight to Miami. My flight left on time and actually arrived in Miami a bit early. I wasn’t too congested when I arrived in Miami. But I had a big of issue with the timing there as it was raining. Did you know that the baggage crews there don’t work in rain storms? I discovered that as I waited over 40 minutes for the shower to end. In total, it took well over an hour took to retrieve my luggage. By the time I got through Customs (another 15-20 minutes), I just made my connecting flight to DCA.
This flight wasn’t great for me as the ears and sinuses really clogged up. By the time I arrived in DC (about 20 minutes late) I could barely hear! Of course, I couldn’t wait to get home. But I to wait another 30 minutes for my bag, catch Metro and then get a taxi. Still I made it home after a wonderful time. Now I just hope to get rid of all this sinus congestion...
