Belize (San Ignacio) - November 2011

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November 19th 2011

Published: November 20th 2011

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Map of Belize

From Merida, to Belize City on the coast, to San Ignacio, only a few miles from Guatemala, then bused to Independence, water taxi to Placencia, bus to Belize City, water taxi to Caye Caulker, water taxi to Amberfris Caye, finally water taxi to Chetumal and flew back to DF.

We arrived at the Merida bus station just in time to get on the 9 PM bus for Belize City, Belize. There were only 9 passengers so we were able to stretch across the seats and get comfortable for the long night ride. There was nicer divided highway for the first few hours, then down to a single lane highway, getting narrower as we approached the Belize border. Somewhere around 2 in the morning, the lights came on, we got off the bus, collected our luggage and proceeded to cross the border........no lineup, few questions, a little chit chat but no hassle and NO guns! Then we walked out and around the building. The bus came through and we were back on the road in 15 minutes.

Facts about Belize. Belize is only 84 miles wide and 184 miles long. The Belize dollar is fixed to the US dollar, 2 dollars BLZ equals 1 USD. Today, the country's population is 345,000. Back in the Mayan era, it is estimated that the population was 2 million. The largest city, population 70,000, is Belize City, located on the Caribbean coast, then Belmopan at 20,000, and San Ignacio, near the Guatemalan border 17,000.

Arriving in Belize

At the bus station, 5:30 AM, bleary eyed. These are the Belize buses that run the 4 highways in the whole country.

After Hurricane Hattie destroyed 75% of Belize City in 1961, the capital was moved inland to Belmopan, at that time only a village. No one believed the government would really move there but the American Embassy finally opened there in 2006 and the population has since tripled to 20,000. The people are a mix of Creoles, Mestivos, Garifunas, and others including Caucasians. English is spoken universally, however, all locals also speak Creole, and many speak Spanish as well.

Even in the dark, the change between Mexico and Belize was abrupt and noticeable! First, no guns at the border! Then, instead of concrete buildings, we saw dilapidated wooden structures built on stilts, sort of like the old fashioned granaries. And, as we were to discover, not only were the buildings different, but also the people, the food, the language and the customs. You can draw a line in the sand, the change is acute and abrupt! Bleary eyed, we arrived at the Belize City bus station right on time, 5:30 AM. At this early hour, the vendors were already setting up shop. There were many other people milling around as well; official bus depot employees, taxi drivers and of course,

2 Man Team

The driver's partner occasionally meanders down the aisle and collects fares as people get on and off at random, anywhere along the road.

scavengers. The station was like going back to the 50's. It was an old wooden structure complete with wooden slat benches and was full of noise, hustle and bustle. The first thing we learned was that we needed to have Belize or US dollars to pay the on-board bus collector to get to our next destination, San Ignacio. It is on the other side of the country, only a few miles from the Guatemalan border. There was no ATM at the bus station. The nearest one was at least 10 blocks away and we must not walk. However, a cab driver was eager to take us to an ATM. Outside we got into an old 70's Nissan. He told us that normally he would be in uniform, however, it was Saturday and it wasn't necessary for him to wear it. Really, we could trust him. His car would normally have a strip and secure TAXI written on it, but he blew the tranny last week and was using a different car and "ya mon", we were lucky to be with him cause it was a dangerous part of town and we could trust him. We arrived at an Atlantic Bank

Road to ruins of Xunantunich

Hand operated ferry crosses pedestrians and vehicles across the river for the 1 and a half mile trek up to these ruins.

(no one in sight), our debit card worked and we got some Belizean cash (often ATM machines have no cash). The driver waited for us outside. (Cabby was still there AND alone, WHAWHO!). On the cab ride back to the bus depot, through that very derelict neighborhood, cabby told us gang warfare was common here on the south side. A murder a day was the norm. We arrived back at the station safe and sound. The cab ride was $10 Belizean. No one could make change for our $50 Belize bill. Eventually, we were told to just get on the bus and it would take us all the way to San Ignacio. We would pay for the ticket once the bus left the bus depot. The cash collector rode in front and would get the $10 Belizean we owed the cabdriver, and he would pay it to the cab driver later. Away we went on the old Bluebird flat nose. We had seats, so we were comfortable. Linda sat close to the front with a local, and Maurice sat farther back with another local. That worked very well, because we both got to visit with local Belizeans, and learned quite

Sitting on the KingPatio

Devan, our volunteer guide, was knowledgeable. Also, he recovered my forgotten jacket from the bus 2 days later.

a bit about life in Belize. Every 3 or 4 minutes, the bus would stop on the road to pick someone up. Eventually there was standing room only. The collector would come down the aisle regularly and collect from new passengers and eventually was able to make change and collect from us. A couple of hours later, we arrived in Belmopan, capital of Belize. We had a 15 minute stop, bathroom break (no bathrooms on those buses), a chance to buy more water and some snacks, and we were on our way again for the last hour's ride. We arrived in San Ignacio, Belize, clear across the whole country, right around 9:30 AM.

We met Devan on the bus, and he suggested we just continue 6 miles past San Ignacio to the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich and he would be our guide. We crossed the old hand cranked ferry and walked up hill for a mile and a half with backpacks in tow. He toured us through the massive ruins telling tales of life between 200-900 AD. Just as we were atop the king's temple, "El Castillo", a group of howler monkeys passed through the trees below us. Their

The King

Popular Belizean symbol, it is on the label of the only beer brewed in Belize, Belliken.

loud and deep guttural growls or "howls" create an unforgettable sound which can be heard up to 20 miles away! We walked backed down to the ferry, crossed it and caught another bus for the 6 miles going back to San Ignacio. On the highway, Linda spotted a large Boa Constrictor crossing the highway, however, the bus collector wasn't concerned. He said they move slow and the bus simply straddled it.

Having no reservations for a hotel, Devan recommended we stay at the Venus Hotel, in the heart of San Ignacio, so we did. San Ignacio blends America's Old West frontier-like wooden shops with typical backwater narrow streets. We settled in at the Venus, a 1960's type hotel, in a small, but clean room. We slept till about 3:30 PM, booked a tour for the next day, found a great East Indian restaurant and then explored the town a bit. Next morning, we discovered no hot water, but Linda said cold showers in the morning were good for Maurice! Besides, weather was always hot, so there was no shivering involved.

For some reason we are awake and up by 6AM. We had a breakfast at Hannah's Good Eats.

Guatamala in the Background

While learning the history, a group of howler monkeys passed behind here, making an incredible roaring sound.

Then we were off to the ATM cave spelunking experience. 10 of us piled into a van for the hour ride down the highway, then into the country through winding jungle roads, through the orange orchards, past mahogany plantations, past other hard wood plantations and over bone jarring back roads to arrive at ATM cave tour drop off. We hiked through the jungle for an hour, waded through 3 streams, ate our prepared lunches and geared up with hardhat and headlight. We then hiked into a cave, climbed down and swam across the 20 foot pool with clothes and shoes on, then continued onwards. We climbed, swam, waded, hiked, explored, and gazed in wonder at the Mayan artifacts and crystllized formations located deep within the cave. This cave was only discovered in 1989, but it was obvious that it was a very important ritual location over 1200 years ago! Our guide was full of information and patient with our stumbling. On the hike out of the jungle Linda managed to get bit only once by an army ant when she stepped on their path. Ouch! We were back in town by 5:30 PM just as the sun was setting.

Hannah's Good Eats

Everything and everybody starts early here. Many people are on the streets by 6 AM, but it is quiet by 9 at night.

Next morning, John, the guide for our next experience of Cave Tubing, met us at the hotel. We headed out of town for about an hour and a half. We experienced another jungle walk, wading through a stream, then hiking upwards for an hour to the same river. We climbed onto our inner tubes, turned our head lights on and set off down river. We floated along, gazing at the majestic sights, through a cave, then back out into the open. In the second cave, we beached to go exploring, reaching inner areas by crawling on our stomachs. Because this river floods these caves totally, there are few artifacts here, however, enough remain so we know that the caves were used by the Mayans. In the third and final cave, we could hear falling water, but John said it was only about a 20 foot drop, we would be fine, but be sure to follow him to the left side, otherwise, we would be in trouble! When we arrived at the source of the noise we discovered John laughing. The sound of the waterfall was another river falling INTO the one we were on! What a gorgeous location. The upper

Typical Rural House

A typical house on the Western Highway. They build them on stilts because of moisture and for better air circulation.

river has created a large opening as it falls into a pool which overflows into another pool and the water eventually drops and joins the river we were floating down. Stairs have been built by a nearby hotel so that their guests can descend to these pools and swim. We could only imagine how magical and beautiful these pools would be in the evening when colored lights throw patterned shadows against the rugged cliff walls. We then climbed back down to where the rivers joined and floated back to our original parking area. We enjoyed lunch before driving back into San Ignacio with John telling us of the life and history of the area. He told us that in 1958, around 3500 Canadian Mennonite people migrated to Belize and many settled near San Ignacio. They have been a huge benefit to Belizean life, bringing modern farming practices, carpentry skills, construction knowledge and other trades. John told us they were well liked, and contributed greatly to everyone's quality of life.

We enjoyed happy hour and a delicious supper at Flayva's, one of many restaurants that lined the streets. In true Belizean form we retired to our room by nine and