Costa Maya and Belize

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Monday 11^thFebruary: at sea en route from New Orleans to Costa Maya, Mexico

Heading due south in quite rough sea and strong winds. Nothing to do except eat, drink, read, eat, sunbathe, eat etc……although I did mange an hour in the gym in the morning.

Tuesday 12 February Costa Maya Mexico

As the blister that I’d acquired in the hotel on the second day was still very sore I decided to visit the on-board doctor prior to going ashore at Cost Maya. When I got to the medical centre I saw a sign outside saying that a consultation with the physician involved a minimum charge of $145. Suddenly the pain was gone. Hallelujah! The message had provided the miracle cure and I returned to our cabin with a spring in my step: or at least not limping so much.

Later we strolled ashore along a very long jetty and caught a bus into the nearby village of Mahahual with no clear idea of how we would spend the day. Fortunately a fellow passenger on the bus recommended that we try one of the many beach front restaurants which offer changing facilities, sun loungers and sun shades. After making our way along the beachfront we came across Nohoch Kay which had been highly recommended in TripAdvisor so we settled in there. It turned out to be a good choice as it was owned by a really nice Brit from Southampton who had been running this restaurant/bar in Mahahual for 11 years. We spent a very pleasant day by the sea, snacking and then lunching on civiche: a local dish consisting of shrimps and fish, marinated then cooked in lemon juice. We returned to the ship in the early evening after what had been the best day so far.

Wednesday 13^th February: Belize

After a smooth transit from Costa Maya we anchored off Belize City at 6.30am and got to shore by 9.40am after an unannounced delay. We’d booked a trip to visit some Mayan ruins in the jungle some 2 hours from Belize City but missed joining the first group of visitors. However, the tour company arranged a second bus for us and for some passengers from another cruise ship and we made up most of the lost time. We were taken to a place called Orange Walk and then took a one hour river trip through the jungle to reach the Mayan temple complex at Lamanai. The temples were most impressive and we enjoyed the tour although it was very hot and tiring; mainly because we were allowed to climb the highest of the pyramids which was very steep and involved hard climbing up the widely spaced steps. Then back down the New River to Orange Walk and a bumpy one hour bus journey back to Belize City in time to catch the tender back to our ship.

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