Belize and Guatemala 2004/2005
My Friend Priscilla gave me the idea that you can save a lot of time by summarizing an amazing trip, instead of repeating it a hundred times, so here my friends is the story of an amazing trip. If you ever have a chance to travel to Belize... do not hesitate... GO!!!
We started by staying overnight in Houston... did a little shopping, mostly window shopping, in the Galleria, a trendy little area... huge mall with a skating rink etc...
Ambergris Caye
We flew to Belize City the next morning, and took a little prop job to Ambergris Caye.
(click here to see a Belize map)
We stayed in this great thatch roofed place called Ramones Place... it had a nice beach area,
actually one of the few nice beach areas on Ambergris Caye. (pronounced 'key')
We adopted 2 local dogs "Powder" and "Yard Dog", and basically vegged on the beach for 3-4 days. I think I read 2 books at that time.
We did do a little day trip, well not so little, to a place called Lamanai (Mayan ruins)... it was 1 hour in a boat, past some dolphins, through the mangroves, then 1 hour on an old bluebird bus, then another hour up the New River to Lamanai... good trip, long day.
Lamanai was occupied as early as the 16th century BC, and was once a considerably sized city of the Mayan civilization, it is located in the north of Belize, in the Orange Walk District. The vast majority of the site remained unexcavated until the mid-1970s.
On the way back to Ambergris Caye, we had to backtrack because the guide left an old couple in Bomba Village, a little river town. We had to boat back to get them, as we pulled up, a local had them in a tippy boat and was going to row them out... kind of funny, the old couple didn't think so.
Caye Caulker
So then we took the Water Taxi (what they call piling 40 people into Pedro's little boat) to Caye Caulker... Caye Caulker rules! So layed back... no shirt, no shoes, no problem... no shorts, bit of a problem... it's all golf carts and sand streets, no cars. Our Seaside Cabana was classic tropics.
We spent Xmas eve and Christmas there... We saw santa in red satin shorts in the back of a golf cart, all the local kids were chasing him as he handed out candy. Best and strangest Xmas in a long long time. We even found a place that had an amazing Turkey and Ham dinner on Xmas day... on a deck over the water. Of course we could have had lobster from a BBQ on the sidewalk.
We did a bunch of snorkeling from there, went and saw the Manatees, and ended up with my
typical travel injury*. The canopy support post on our boat, broke in half and proceeded to remove 2 huge
chunks of flesh from my arm... I will have permanent scars from that one, and it was not
pretty, dangling fleshy bits, blood, etc... I ended up being taken to the clinic in a golf cart to have it sterilized
and bandaged after we got back... the best part was snorkeling in salt water with an open wound, hurt like a bugger,
but I didn't cry. 
Lucky no man-eating sharks were nearby.
------ SIDETRACK ------
Typical Travel Injury
Somehow I am a little accident prone when I am traveling, maybe three is the charm?
When we went to Europe I slipped on wet stairs in Brussels and went sliding...
banging down the stairs... all bruised up and busted my NEW digital camera.
When we went to St Maarten I walked right into a beach umbrella and proceeded to have one
of the tangs/ribs/stickey-out-bits go right into my eye socket, I could have lost my eye...
but just ended up with a nice black eye and a permanent freckle on my lower eye lid.
Now here in Belize I have pieces of flesh forcibly removed from my arm...
just my luck.
So back to it... To round out the day we spent some time picnicing on a very famous island of Belize. You've seen the picture before, it's one of the default desktop images for MS Windows. A beautiful small sand island with palm trees? Turns out that in the year 2000, Hurricane Iris slammed into Belize and changed this Island and many other locations in Belize considerably.
Before
After
The next day we went looking for sharks, my arm was nicely scabbed over, so... Took a little snorkeling trip to Shark Ray Alley. The boat pulls up, and stops and these dark shapes all start coming to the boat, Stingray shapes, and shark shapes... guide says "Here I'll feed them bloody fish bits, and you slide into the water on the other side of the boat" Oh my God, it was pretty freaky... huge huge Sting rays, and big long nurse sharks everywhere.
Norine was a little freaked but was doing ok, until... So let me tell you why they are there. Apparently for years and years this is where the fishermen went to clean their fish, so the Rays and Sharks started going there, knowing Boat motor = FOOD.
So we're in the water snorkeling around, I have my underwater camera and am taking pictures, lots of pictures, and the film runs out. The auto-rewind kicks in with it's nice little motor sound, and about 30 stingrays all turn and are coming straight at me... that's when Nor got back in the boat. 30 stingrays all coming straight for me, and not a freakin picture left on my roll, figures!
Cayo Region/San Ignacio
After our little Caye Caulker stay we took the Water Taxi (Carlos' boat with only 35 people this time) for an hour to Belize City where we were picked up by a guy to drive us 3-4 hours into the jungles of Belize and a place called DuPlooy's Jungle lodge. What a complete 360 from where we were... Birds, Critters galore, and bugs, big bad bugs... but I'll get to that. You stay in these cool bungalows nestled up above a river, with decks (complete with hammocks) overlooking the river, except it's jungle, so you can't see the river.
The first night was so freaking loud with animals, birds, crickets, critters, owls, and whatever the hell makes that "eeek ekkk arrrooo" sound, that we barely slept. It dies down a bit around 1am, but is back full boar at dawn (6:00am)... just a little tired that first morning in the jungle.
San Ignacio area seems to be the destination and region for caves, so we did some caving... first we rode in the back of a pick up truck for many hours on a bouncy road, crossing rivers and rocks.
We drive past the Amish and Mennonites... who knew there was Amish and Mennonites in Belize... horse drawn carriages, Straw wide brimmed hats, and every freaking Children of the corn kid is blonde. They all stare at you as you go by, wondering why they don't get a tractor? We later learned a lot of them came from Canada, Manitoba? We have Amish and Mennonites in Canada? Who knew? Oh yeah where was I... so you bounce along this road and come to what looks like a nice little river, you drive across/through it, and come to another river where you get in a canoe and go inside the most amazing huge cave. Barton Creek Cave.
There's a car battery with a light attached so you can see all the stalagmites and stalactites. After you come back out you hear the stories of people that flipped their canoes, the battery goes in and your in complete blackness, just like... oh wait, I'll get to that story in a minute. We work our way back to the pickup, and drive up to a place called Pine Ridge, devastated by Pine Beetles just like BC, but you hike down this trail and come out on an amazing waterfall with two big pools you can go swimming in... but apparently my fitness level has depreciated and I didn't have the strength against the current to get under the falls, have to work on that. Then we hike back to the truck, and several hours of bumpy road later we are back at DuPlooys.
Not having had enough of bumps or Caves we decide to do a unique adventure...
Horse back riding for a couple hours to a place called Flour Camp Cave, this one you climb around with a light on your head, and look at stalagmites, stalactites, and...
The guide says "when you're climbing, always shine your light where you are going to put your hand first, just in case there is a spider there". That was it, Norine was not the same, and could not wait to get out... the bats flying around, both fruit and vampire, didn't bother her at all, she thinks they are cute, but spiders!!! That's when we climb under a low section and come into an open area and there is one on the wall, I am not shitting you, it was more than 1 foot across in size. Nor said "was it just my terror that made it look so big?" I had to tell her it wasn't her terror, it was the biggest ass spider I have seen.
So we worked our way at an accelerated pace and got out of Dodge. Apparently we saw some 2000 year old mayan clay pots, but we don't really remember that part.
The second part of the adventure involved a short trek to the river where they had a canoe waiting for us, and we could gently float down the river back to our Bungalow. Problem was, they didn't tell us the river was low, and there was rapids and rock sections that forced you to climb in the river and drag the canoe over the rocks. More dragging than paddling for the next few hours, and we couldn't get out of that damn canoe fast enough, in our soaking wet shoes and shorts.
Being gluttons for punishment we decided, hey lets do another cave. This time the big touristy thing... Cave tubing... basically the brochure reads, a calm ride in an inner tube down a river through amazing caves, it wasn't quite as advertised. So apparently this is a big cruise ship destination, they truck them all in first thing, so to avoid the crowds, we go in the afternoon.
Norine, me, and a woman with her 12 year old daughter, Gracie, led by John the guide, (beware of John the guide). You hike up through the mosquito infested jungle for 45 minutes to an hour, put on your handy little headstrap light, get in your tube and start floating down. Shortly you are in the first cave, and it's dark, and you look around with your lights... then Norine's light goes dim, and out... 4 lights... about halfway through the cave, the guides light goes dim, and out... 3 lights. Me thinking I'm smart, give my light to the guide. After about 45 minutes we come to the end of the first cave, bright light, and the 12 year old Gracie drops her light into the river, and the John the guide tries diving for it, but can't find it... 2 lights...
So the river continues into the second cave, and we see another lovely spider, not quite as big, but on the shore of the cave looking at us, I'm closest... Norine says "Splash him!", the guide says "No don't... those spiders can walk on water, they are so light", you can imagine what's going through Norine's head now, not too mention Gracie who is getting a little freaked. So 5 of us floating through a dark tunnel with 2 lights, and apparently spiders can walk on water... then another light goes out... 1 light left...
Remember earlier when I referred to a cave and complete blackness? so minor panic starts setting in on the 2 ladies... lets go back... it's too far... is that last light getting dim?... are you sure?... so John the guide's grand idea is that we link our inner tubes together by putting our feet on the tube in front of us, and the guide at the front. Slowly we drift through the near pitch black waters.
So apparently it gets shallow in some parts, and your butt is hanging down through the tube, one squeal from the 12 year old, then a squeal from the mom, then Nor squeals.... then I was Violated by a big rock... I broke the panic by saying "At least buy me dinner first", well Norine lost it, she just started laughing, and couldn't stop... hysteria, whatever, but at least she forget about the water walking spiders. By the time we got to the end of the cave it was dark out, we had one lamp, and it was cooling down quick. I don't think anybody spoke on the drive back to DuPlooy's.
The 12 year old Gracie says "You'd think if we're going in a river in inner tubes, that you'd have lights that are waterproof!" Out of the mouths of babes...
Guatemala
December 31st and we got a guide and went to Guatemala... you cross from a second world country to a third world country. You put American cash in your passport, and get whisked through the line, stamped, and out the other side... less the American cash. We drove to Tikal...
Tikal is one of the worlds largest Mayan ruin sites, our local guide (who was a little out there) tells you all about the history, the hundreds of buildings, pyramids, the thousands of lumps that haven't been unearthed yet, and tries to get a tarantula to come out of a hole in the ground... I mentioned how much Nor likes spiders? you can imagine how impressed she was. She'll wear a huge Boa Constrictor as a necklace, no problem, but a little fuzzy spider, big Problem!!!
We are looking at some carved stone tablet and a whole troop of spider monkeys surrounds us in the trees, jumping limb to limb, swinging, carrying their little ones on their backs. In the same trees, Toucans. We tuned out the guide and kind of forgot about the ruins for a while... Amazing!
We learned more about the Mayans history, about the different humanities, and that the world will basically end in 2012 because that's when the mayan calendar ends. The guide tells another tourist his e-mail will only work until 2012, so better contact him before that.
It's New Years Eve and we had dinner with the most interesting family from Guatamela City... we sat and talked with them for hours, until at 10:00 we were told by the restaurant guy, "you have 4 minutes, and then have to go, we close, and the generator is shut off". We have to leave and head back to our room. It's a little creepy as vultures are settling into the trees around us.
Tikal is a national park, so there will be no celebrations, no fireworks, no power.... and then we saw a twinkle of light in front of our room, and another... and it turns out the entire lawn area is covered in fireflies... so our new years fireworks were millions of fireflies, blinking away... we watched till midnight, and went to bed so happy. Maybe the best New Years fireworks ever!
New years day, 7am, and we decide to do the canopy of the trees on a zip line, basically climb way up, strap onto a cable and slide at full speed to the next tree, lather, rinse, repeat, repeat, etc... our guide even wanted to try it, what a way to get your blood pumping and start a new year!
Placencia
Then we left the Toucans, Vultures, and Spiders behind and it was the 5 hour drive back to Belize and the Southern destination of Placencia... the most amazing white sand beach area in Belize. We had this amazing beach bungalow at a place called Kitty's Place, it was Sunday, and almost all of the other guests left, and we had the beach pretty much to ourselves.
You could see some of the damage from Hurricane Iris, a category 4 hurricane that hit square on Placencia and Monkey River Town in 2001, it killed 31, caused a lot of damage to buildings, eroded a lot of the sand away from the beaches and popped the tops off of many Palm Trees.
We had our own pet Iguana that lived on our roof, when the sun was warmest, he would come out to bask in the rays, when it cooled down, he snuggled in under the tile roof.
This was a pretty special place, where we were happy to just hang out around our beach shack, but we did do a couple trips... The first one was a boat trip to a place called Monkey River where we saw lots of birds, bugs, Crocodiles and Turtles. Strangely... no monkeys on Monkey River.
We pulled up close to see tiny bats nestled against a tree, and at one point after hiking down a muddy trail, I put my feet out of our boat to rinse them off and nearly stepped on an alligator.
The second trip was another snorkel trip where we saw more Manatees and Dolphins.
We passed a floating island/home (if you want to call it that) and landed on French Louis Caye, a private tiny Island where we got to eat Rice and Beans with the birds, crabs and Geckos.
Our final snorkel adventure ended up a solo effort, as Norine was snorkeled out, so I blew the last of the film in the underwater camera, just moments before a giant puffer fish went by.
We did do a couple trips while we were in Placencia, but mostly we vegged on our beach, and absorbed a lot of Vitamin E, and I finished another 2 or 3 books... Our last morning in Belize we sat on the beach, it was so hot we had to get in the water every once in a while to cool down.
Then sadly we had to leave our perfect spot and fly back to Belize city, then Houston, and back to Vancouver. I was asked by a guy to take a package for him in the airport, when I gave him an emphatic "NO", he escorted me to the airline desk, and Norine and I were upgraded to 1st class.
The morning was spent in the white sand on the beach in the sun, the evening shoveling freaking snow!!! What the hell, not sure why we left Belize. Our Sinuses and noses still haven't recovered.
So that my friends is our story, an unforgettable trip, ranking second only to our Australian tour... it sounds strange, scary and screwed up at times, but that's what made it so great.