Belize - hot, hot, hot!

Belize

>>>

We took the ferry from Corrozal just over the border in Belize to a seaside fishing village of Sarteneja. As we approached the wharf we were amazed at how small the town was - the guide book made it sound much bigger - this was but the first misinformation gleaned from the Belize Lonely Planet guide. There was no information, no map and no one about except someone mending a boat who spoke only Creole (a strange mix of English and Spanish and something else entirely) when we walked down the wharf. The boat man pointed up a road so we just started wandering in to town. As we wandered around a young woman on a bicycle rode up and asked if she could help, in English! “We’re looking for Backpacker’s Paradise”, we explained. She was Natalie, the very charming French owner of the hostel. She had been swimming nearby keeping and eye out for anyone getting off the boat. We set off. About 20 minutes later and in melt down (the temperature is VERY hot and humid) we arrived. It was nothing like the guide described. Perhaps it just looked like the beds were all king size because the rooms were little bigger than the beds!

>>>
Anyway it was idyllic except for the heat and mosquitoes. The streets are all white coral sand. We rode bicycles about everywhere as there are few cars and no buses, swam in clear Caribbean water and generally lazed about. On Sunday we went with Natalie to see a baby manatee that had been rescued being fed milk from a bottle. It sucked on my fingers while waiting. It felt just like a poddy calf (see Ange's blog for a photo).

>>

>>>>
Another ferry ride took us to San Pedro of Madonna fame (I fell in love with San Pedro - Ange sang it for days!). This is very much geared for the US tourist so we only stayed one night and then took another ferry to Caye Caulker. This is a coral cay island and very small and laid back. There is a fringing reef out a few hundred metres forming a quiet and very warm lagoon where we swam. We ate lots of lobster - the specialty here- with breadfruit, which I had read about as a 12 year old in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Coral Island. It’s sort of like a potato but more aerated.

>>>>>

>>>
Our first hotel here was a mistake, as there were a lot of sleazy vendors opposite, so we moved to a much quieter end of the island and ended up staying a week. It was extremely hot and any activity during the middle of the day is just impossible, so we did the Caribbean thing and rested then.
>>>
In search of cooler climes we decided to head for the jungle. Another ferry took us to the capital Belize City , which is really just a big town. Lots of wooden houses on stilts. And then we took an “economico” bus down south - that means no air-conditioning and late comers did not get a seat for the hour or more journey. Luckily we got on early! You cannot imagine how hot it was!

>>>

The bus dropped us off at the Maya Centre. The guidebook suggested that you buy supplies there as there were none available to Cockscomb Nature Reserve, where we were headed. We were directed to the “big” shop by a group of women swinging on hammocks at a gift shop near the road. We bought up the best the shop had to offer: two mouldy carrots, a capsicum, tomato and onion, packet of biscuits, a tin of mackeral, four eggs counted out into a plastic bag and 4 packets of two minute noodles! We did buy more two minute noodles at the Nature Reserve, but we may have lost weight for the three days we were there!

>>>
This reserve is famous for its population of jaguars, somewhere between 50 and 80 depending on who you believe. We went out in the early morning and late evening with great hopes and saw birds, fireflies, but not much else. I guess it is a very big reserve and they prefer the quiet places too.

>>>

Twice we hired old truck inner tubes and after walking through the jungle for about 20 minutes you can get in the river and float along, over the occasional little rapid, through dense jungle on either side of the river for an hour. It was great and reminded me of doing similar as a child at Marysville - not through the jungle of course, just bush. There were a lot of clearly marked walking trails through the jungle. Two walks led to waterfalls. The water was crystal blear and a copper blue and, blissfully, COLD!

>>>

>>>>>>>>>>>>

>>>

After Cockscomb we headed north to Orange Walk. The Mennonites who farm in this area are easily distinguishable by their clothes and healthy air. The men wear blue shirts and denim dungarees and the women wear dresses that cover everything. They do not vote, do not have to do military service and pay no taxes. They grow most of the food for Belize. They seem to be very hard working especially as they do not believe in using modern technology - like motors.

>>>

The reason for coming here was to take a launch south along the river for about an hour to see some Mayan ruins at Lamanai. This is the only Mayan civilization still operating when the Spanish came - converted to Catholicism of course! We climbed the huge edifaces trying not to think of Bec’s sister Sarah who fell down oner of these. It was unbelievably hot and steamy there and by the time we got back into the launches we were literally dripping - I never knew I could sweat from my face.

>>>>>>>

>>>
Then it was back to Mexico to visit the Caribbean coast.

From Paradise in Mexico to ...Paradise in Belize

>
>
We are now in Belize and our internet access is limited- this is being written at an internet cafe but thank goodness with an English keyboard. English is thhe official language here but Spanish and Creole is more commonly heard.
>
We left our paradise at San Agustinillo on Monday the 17th August and went to Puerto Escondido - a beach further north famous for the "pipeline" surf. The Quicksilver Surfing Championships were being held there so we joined the crowd on the beach and cheered the contestants in final heats and the finals. We watched a surfer disappear under a wall of white foam only to appear a few seconds later still standing - the crowd went wild! Very exciting.
>
We broke a rule never to take an overnight bus (some of you will remember the sword/dagger story from our China adventure) as there was no other way to San Cristobal in the mountains. Thirteen hours later and thankfully lacking any swords or daggers we arrived in the hilltown. It is yet another pretty colonial town but has a surprisingly sophisticated vibe - excellent wine at the Vino de Bacco may have coloured our view! We decided to stay a week and work on the Spanish (which had been getting worse) while we waited for a three day trip to the Lacondan Jungle beginning the following weekend.
>
We enrolled at Escuela Jovel and opted to stay with a Mexican family - partly to practise our Spanish. So on the Friday we moved in with Ricardo and Marianna and their two teenage children. Our homestay family were very friendly and patient with us and our lack of sensible words.
>
Before starting classes we went on two excursions: a horse ride around the surrounding hills and villages and a boat trip up a twenty odd kilometers of canyon. The horse ride was remembered for many days (ouch - wooden saddles at a trot for half an hour because one horse got rid of its rider and took off) but the canyon will be remembered for a lifetime - it was incredible. We saw lots of birds: ibis, brown pelicans, vultures; and an aligator on the shores!


>
We worked hard each day and at night relaxed, I with an Argentinian Malbec (introduced by Jode and Bec) and Ange a Chile Chardonay accompanied by free tapas. While there we also saw lots of movies in English or with English subtitles. One was about the Last Lacondonians, the peole of the jungle where we would be staying the following weekend. Lack of work and a decreasing jungle are driving the young people to the cities - unfortunately not a unique story. We also relaxed with "A Street Car Named Desire" - what a great old movie. We were on tenderhooks for the "Stelllllaaaa" (Seinfeld fans will understand).
>
On Saturday we packed up and at 7 am set of for the jungle. On the way we visited some water falls - Agua Azul and Misol-Ha. At the jungle camp we stayed in a tiny bamboo hut, open at the front onto the river there. There was a hammock just begging to be swung in on the verandah. Don't worry there was a bed with sturdy mosquito net for the night.
>

>
The next day we were up early and went by van to the river which forms the border between Mexico and Guatemala. A long thin outboard-powered launch took us up the river (Rio Usumacinta) for about an hour to some ruins (Yaxchilan). We strolled for anbout an hour throught the ruins. Our guide was very knowledgeable - the Mayan history is a bit of an obsession of his.
>
Then it was back to the camp and straight out on the water for rafting. It was a rubber raft that took about 8 people. Ang and I sat in the front. We were schooled in four commands - adelante! fuerte adelante, atras, abajo! As we approached the cascades (everything up to about four metres high!) it was forward (adelante), unless we were approaching at the wrong angle then it was backwards. As the front of the raft neared the edge of the cascade it was "fuerte adentate" (forward strongly) just as the raft tipped over it was "abajo" - which means slide down in the raft - did I mention we were sitting

on the edge of the rubber raft until then. I may have gone abajo early a couple of times and it took about four cascades before I could go over with my eyes open. On one big one I had my mouth open (there may have been some noise coming out) and the water splashed right into my throat! VERY EXCITING! After about an hour we got out and began the long junge walk back. Our guide this time was one of the locals and kept up a cracking pace allong the overgrown path. Finally we caught up with the others at another waterfall for "lunch" - it was 5 pm by this time and all were weak with hunger.
>
The next morning we went to more ruins - Bonampak - famous for very detailed and colourful painting of celebrations and wars. For something done 1700 or so years ago it was incredible to see.







>

Finally we made the hot trip back to Palenque the very famous and somewhat touristy Mayan ruins. Once again our guide was fantastic. We left the group there and took another cabin in the jungle - again over a stream. The next mroning we awoke to the early morning chorus of howler monkeys - they sound like jaguars howling for blood. What a great experience. We were exhausted and it was a lovely position so we stayed on for three nights. One day we went back to the Palenque ruins and took a more liesurely stroll through the ruins in the jungle to absorb it all quietly.
>
Again we found that the only bus to our next destination ran at night, so with our new found bravery we booked a ticket. It left an hour and a half late which was not the disaster you may think because that meant arriving in Chetumal at 6 in the morning rather than 4.30! That was this morning. We took a local bus to the border and another beyond to Corozal. Here we are filling in a few hours before our ferry leaves for a tiny place called Sarteneja, where we hope to REST at a place called Backpackers Paradise - I hope so!
>
>