Cross Country Adventure

Our time on Ambergris Caye was more lively than our stay in Belize City. Beyond making the difficult decisions on which beach bars to go to each day we went on several excursions. One of those activities was an amazing snorkeling trip out to the nearby Belize Barrier Reef, the second largest in the world. While the coral was not as colourful as we found in Australia there were plenty of varied fish species to enjoy. We shared a boat with a young Vancouver couple, and our guide, Candyman, did an outstanding job delivering the 'candy' under the water. He would dive to the Caribbean sea floor, pick up a conch shell, then hold it close to the bottom of a coral colony, drawing a moray eel all the way out for everyone to see. Afterwards, we moved from the Hol Chan Marine Reserve area over to Shark-Ray alley he would gently gather up stingrays from the seabed (under his arms) and bring them up to the surface for us to feel. He did the same with nurse sharks that were a similar size to us, putting his arms around their bodies and then riding them to the surface so that we could feel their coarse, sandpaper like skins. When I noticed lots of fish following him around and not us, I successfully guessed that he was carrying some small dead fish in his bathing suit pocket, a neat trick. Another day we took a day trip, via water taxi, to nearby Caye Caulker which was small enough to walk around in an hour. It was also filled with beach bars and with no paved roads on the tiny island it was pleasant to walk around with very few vehicles interrupting pedestrian traffic. Lobster was a featured dish in most spots so we took advantage of this treat while there.

We have now moved back to the mainland and took a bus to the western edge of the Belize, into the small town of San Ignacio, not far from the border with Guatemala. Life is a bit more laid back here from the party beach towns but there is still lots to do in the area. We saw more Mayan ruins at Cahal Pech which was an uphill half hour walk from the inn we are staying at. Another day we took a day long trip south to the large Mayan city ruins of Caracol where 130,000 people lived during the Classic Mayan period of 600 - 850 AD. We spent several hours walking around the 7 km radius site that has been uncovered so far. On the return trip along the 'Massage Road' (bumpy dirt road ride) we made stops at the cascading Rio On Pools for a swim and later for a short but steep hike to the impressive Big Rock Falls (150 foot drop). On our final day we split up, with Pocahontas taking a cooking class featuring local cuisine (at our Rainforest Haven Inn) while I joined a tour to the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Caves. The ATM adventure included a 45 minute hike with 3 river crossings (swim or rope hold) to reach the watery caves where we then had to swim. Our guide then led our group of 7 (6 20-somethings and an old guy) through the first half kilometre of the stream flowing cave......shallow walk / wade...... and then another half km of rock climbing / squeezing through narrow passages / walking through the dry part of the cave to see Mayan artifacts and sacrificial skeletons along with beautiful formations of stalagmites and stalactites. I arrived home to a delicious bread pudding leftover treat from the cooking class. We enjoyed our time in the Cayo province and would recommend it to other Belize travellers. Our guides did an excellent job of explaining the Mayan culture and we now have a much better understanding of their civilization.......however if you have any questions for us, ask them soon because I fear our knowledge of the Mayans will likely disappear as quickly as they did.

Today we had a driver take us across the country along the scenic Hummingbird highway. It was carved through the mountains and jungle, and led to the southern Caribbean coast of Belize where we will spend some time in the small fishing village of Hopkins. The seaside village has some decent beaches and will be a good base for some more day trips.

The Chicken Drop at Wahoo's beach bar on Ambergris Caye. Patron's could purchase tickets on which number the chicken would poop on. The winner had to clean up their square before collecting their winnings.

Snorkel shot we took in Shark Ray Alley, part of the large Belize Barrier Reef. The guide tossed some fish treats into the water to get the nurse sharks (bottom feeders) and other tropical fish to rise up to the surface.

A large stingray (metre long main body) swimming underneath us.

The popular Truck Stop bar on Ambergris Caye. They used shipping containers for the bar and food areas.

Our day trip to Caye Caulker found us having lunch at Chef Kareem's on the beach where delicious BBQ items were being served up. My lobster kabobs were delicious.

The Mayan Ruins at Cahal Pech in San Ignacio were well worth the 30 minute uphill hike from our inn. I gave a short inspiring speech to my audience but I'm not sure my better half was even listening.

A stall at the daily market in San Ignacio.

This was only one of the many ruins we enjoyed at Caracol. This picture was taken from the top of Sky Place, 43 metres (150 feet) above the Royal plaza in the background below.

Big Rock Falls which we were able to hike down to on our return trip from Caracol. The water dropped 150 feet to a nice swimming hole but we had already had a dip at Rio On Pools 30 minutes earlier and we didn't relish putting our wet bathing suits back on.

Rhonda's finished meal at the end of her cooking class. It featured rice and beans (a Belizian staple), stewed chicken, fried plantain (3 different ways) and salads. She also learned how to make tortillas and fry jacks.

The entrance to the ATM Caves which required a short swim to get to a spot where visitors could wade further into the caves. No cameras were allowed in the caves because previous tourists had dropped cameras on to precious Mayan artifacts damaging them. The tour company sent everyone pictures of a previous tour so that we would have lasting memory of the amazing sights within.