Cahal Pech

San Ignacio, Belize

Late this morning we drove up to the other Mayan ruin in San Ignacio: Cahal Pech. It lies right on the edge of town but feels equally magical as Xunantunich--and certainly has fewer tourists. We climbed to the top of the largest structure and marveled at our place in the tree tops. All throughout the site, trees are working hard to reclaim the site--which reminded me a great deal of Angkor Wat. Best of all were the many smaller rooms and maze-like passageways to explore. We stopped at the gift store on the way out for a few tiny mementos. Lovely place!

Xunantunich (shoe-nan-too-niche)

San Ignacio, Belize

We spent the morning exploring the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich. The day started with a drive to a tiny hand-pulled 4-car ferry, a 2-minute ride across the river, and a mile (by car) through the jungle to Xunantunich (or Stone Lady). The ruins were wonderful and had a very UNtouristy feel--as in no hawkers and only a few would-be guides who were easily evaded.

The ruins reminded me of Ayutthaya in Thailand--serene, well-tended grass, and the restorations that have been done are not obtrusive--and certainly do NOT attempt to "Disney-fy" the place. Climbing El Castillo was doable for someone like me (who has a healthy fear of heights) despite hardly a railing in sight. And the views from the top of El Castillo (135 ft) were spectacular!

If you're anywhere near San Ignacio, so NOT miss this place!

The road to San Ignacio

San Ignacio, Belize

Yesterday we made the decision to rent a car for the rest of our trip. This morning we boarded the public (well, privately owned) bus at 7:50am in the tiny town of Bermudian Landing and rode it into Ladyville. Now I know where old U.S. school buses go to retire: Belize! On the outside they are painted in happy colors and named things like "Shaw's Bus," but inside they have the same fake brown seat covers as you'll find anywhere in the U.S. And some of those vehicles are OLD...

After dropping us off at Sky City Market, Frank jogged out to the airport and rented a somewhat beat up suburban and came back to get us. The drive to San Ignacio was thankfully uneventful--mostly flat and not too much vegetation. And I sure loved the tree that A captured in this photo...

Belizean place names

Bermudian Landing, Belize

We are staying at the Nature Resort in the tiny "village" of Bermudian Landing--all of which lies within the Community Baboon Sanctuary. I must say this country has a fascinating collection of place names and this vicinity did not fail to deliver: Burrell Boom, Sand Hill, Teakettle Village, Ladyville, Rancho Dolores, Hattieville, Silk Grass, Spanish Lookout, Caves Branch, Armenia, Belmopan--to name a few...but Doublehead Cabbage might be one of my favorites!

And I LOVED the school motto (in Spanish instead of the traditional Latin): Hoy no mañana!

Community Baboon Sanctuary

Bermudian Landing, Belize

(Agoutis abound here!) This morning we hurried out early to go on a short guided "nature walk" at the Community Baboon Sanctuary. Our guide was full of information about local vegetation (some of which seemed a bit suspect to me), but one thing he knew for sure: how to knock a cashew fruit out of a tree with the toss of a stick--and that his local troupe of black howler monkeys would come out of the trees to fetch the treat. Here's a young one enjoying his snack just a few feet away.

Although these creatures are howler monkeys, it seems that locals refer to them as baboons. But I think they might equally well be called Growler Monkeys for the amazing sounds they make!

"fairy lights"

Caye Caulker, Belize

A day or two before Christmas, A requested that we find a paper shop here on Caye Caulker. It's a tiny island, but I was pretty sure we could find something. She had a secret project in mind which she started working on immediately after we bought the paper.

Christmas Eve found all of three of us hard at work on paper projects--but A's project was clearly on another level. Frank has long wished for some "fairy lights" to string up around our house in Seattle. So that's what she made him: each tiny figure is either a fairy or a different source of light, such as a candle, the sun, or a window. And for me? I got my long-wished for Peace on Earth.

The unfortunately named tour company

Caye Caulker, Belize

Despite the somewhat regrettable name of the tour company that we chose (Tsunami Tours), we had a lovely adventure today. Another family joined us which made the experience that much more fun. It may seem odd that I chose the picture of a fruit platter to represent today's adventure, but of course I do not have images of the giant sea turtle sticking its head out of the sea or of the coral reef or of the dolphin we saw as we zoomed back across the water to Caye Caulker. But I was able to capture an image of the (mostly) stationary fruit platter against the endless backdrop of sea and sky--and those tiny banana dolphins on the platter turned out to be predictive of natural wonders to come.

It was a lovely day!

Eating local

Caye Caulker, Belize

The food situation here on the island is quite interesting. On the one hand there are LOTS of restaurants serving mildly to wildly overpriced food--some of it quite good.  And then there is the "other" economy of local food stuffs such as pineapple and homemade corn tortillas (1/2 pound for less than $1 US). And then there was the fancy Belizean chocolate...local in one sense of the word, but not because locals can afford it...

Day 3: Hitting our stride

Caye Caulker, Belize

Day 3 and I think we are finally settling into being on vacation. We are on Caye Caulker, a 45-minute boat ride off the coast of Belize. The pelicans are fishing just off the water's edge, A has consented to trying a snorkeling mask, Frank has consumed a large quantity of tropical fruit (pineapple, papaya, sapadilla and fresh bananas), and I am slowly adjusting (temporarily) to the idea of having nothing "to do"--a rather unfamiliar concept. Today we made a small kayak tour on our own and Frank jogged around (most of ) the island's perimeter (5 miles or so). Skies have been overcast most of the time but I am not complaining--it keeps the temperature reasonable!

Shades of Mongolia, Jordan, and Thailand

Ladyville, Belize

When I arrive in a new place, I often find myself trying to figure out what the new place reminds me of. It's silly in a way because the new really is a NEW place, but somehow arriving in Belize drove home the point that my experience of "place" is very relational.

My mind quickly turns to trying to figure out into which "categories" to put the new place. These calculations seem to be based on some combination of food, landscape, language, architecture, people--and who knows what else. So, yesterday when I went out and made a few purchases, my initial sense of place was registering as Mongolia (I will always associate ultra-pasteurized milk with Mongolia because it was one of our main staples for three years), Jordan for the McVitie's Ginger Nuts (they got me through two long years of teaching) and Thailand--both for the papayas, the tropical weather and vegetation, and the architecture. 

It's early days, though, and this place may yet re-register itself on my internal index of place...

Arrived Belize City!

Ladyville, Belize

Arrived Belize City---well, not quite. We are staying at an "inn" near the airport, giving ourselves a chance to recover from the overnight flight from Seattle. Still, wandering this empty neighborhood gave me a good opportunity to buy tropical fruit (sapadillas and papayas!) and admire this water purification station. I've traveled a good bit, but never seen one like this (except at home at Safeway where it's really NOT necessary). It's self-service: just enter a few coins, and the purified water starts flowing.

I was impressed. 

Let the good eating begin

Miami, Florida

Made it to Miami on our way to Belize. Funky food stand at the airport got us off to a good start. That was a FINE cafe con leche!